A few questions, Demon Death Blow, etc.

[GMDijarian]

So my player (the one who died as a warlock) is now a 1st level Paladin of Rurga.

We're wondering a few things.

Question 1.
In the description for the DDB it says it inflicts FULL damage. What exactly does that mean? We debated last gaming session.
Does full damage mean that with a strike that hits (above 4, because it automatically passes through AR) with a claymore (which does 3D6 damage), the damage will be 18 automatically?

If that is not what is meant, and it would just be 3D6 damage, then what is the use of the DDB, and what is special about it? Is it just the auto pass through the AR? One player said it did damage straight to Hit Points, and that was what made is special.

Can it be parried? How fast does the paladins PPE return? Does the PPE increase per level? We need help on this.

Question 2.
If the wizard casts increase weight on an enemy. The description of the spell says that they become too heavy to move. Does this just mean walking/running/jumping? Or does it mean, they can no longer parry and dodge, or even attack, and that they must just sit there and get pummeled to death by the characters? That seems a bit unfair. There are no penalties written in the description for this? Is it based on their PS?:?

Question 3.
This has to do with the DDB, casting spells, and other things like the power punch that take up more than one melee action.
The Way i do combat in my games in everyone rolls initiative, and then in order each person take one melee action, we go around in that order until everyone is out of actions and re-roll initiative.

EX:
Roland: Int- 16
Slain: Int-9
Shegeki: Int-15
Thug 1: Int-8
Thug 2: Int- 17

Thug 2 goes first, strikes Roland
Roland goes second, strikes Thug 2
Shegeki goes third, strikes Thug 1
Slain goes next he casts a 7th level spell taking 2 actions, does it cast here?
Thug 1 takes his turn, strikes back at Shegeki

Thug 2 goes again
Roland goes again
Shegeki goes again
Slains turn again. can he go again, or does the spell he cast last action cast now?
Thug 1 takes his turn, and combat continues.

In this previous case does the spell cast on the first of two actions or the second of two actions? If the first, can he act for his third action while everyone is doing thier second?

In the case of the DDB or power punch, does it punchon the first or second of the two actions?

EX: Action one, wind up
everyone continues combat
action two, hit?

If this is the case what happens if the caster/DDB/Power Puncher is hit in between, is it counted as a simultaneous attack?

Question 4.
Parrying...
How do you treat characters parrying other characters who may have supernatural strength?

Say a Jotan (or Baal-rog, or dragon) is fighting against a human knight. The Jotan has a sword the human has a sword. Is the human at any penalty at parrying?
Let's switch it up. The Jotan is now fighting with just fists, the human knight still has his sword, what happens when the human parries the Jotan's fist with his sword? Is it counted as a simultaneous attack? The blunt force of the Giants blow wont be stopped by the sword, but the sword will cut into his flesh...
Think of it this way..The Jotan rolls a 18 to strike, (very good, showing expert presesion), though the knight rolls a 21 after modifiers (also very good, and even better). This proves that the knight has now hit the giant with a roll to 21 which is well above the Jotans AR. Do both take damage? Even if its an intended parry?
How do you feel about this sort of thing?

Thanks

[J. Lionheart]

Greetings! I'll see if I can answer a few of these - there are some good questions in here.

Question 1.
In the description for the DDB it says it inflicts FULL damage. What exactly does that mean? We debated last gaming session.
Does full damage mean that with a strike that hits (above 4, because it automatically passes through AR) with a claymore (which does 3D6 damage), the damage will be 18 automatically?

"Full" damage generally means a dice roll without reduction. Auto-penetrate AR, roll for damage + PS bonus. The word they use when it's the other version (18 from 3D6 for example) is "maximum" damage.

If that is not what is meant, and it would just be 3D6 damage, then what is the use of the DDB, and what is special about it? Is it just the auto pass through the AR? One player said it did damage straight to Hit Points, and that was what made is special.

The DDB is very underpowered for the cost it takes to use, but does have a couple benefits. Damage from a DDB can not be regenerated for 1D4 hours, which means you can whittle down beasties that might otherwise out-regen your attacks. Also, it does MD damage against MD targets, even if the normal attack was SD. Finally, and most importantly, it allows you to use a mundane weapon to harm a creature otherwise impervious to it (albeit with reduced effectiveness).

Can it be parried? How fast does the paladins PPE return? Does the PPE increase per level? We need help on this.

Yes, it can be parried. A Paladin's PPE returns at the same rate as any other individual, 5 per hour of rest. P.P.E. does not increase per level for those who aren't Men of Magic. As I mentioned above, the DDB is very underpowered for the cost. It is a frequent subject of house-ruling for most people who have a serious paladin in the group (usually reducing the cost to 1 P.P.E., or increasing a Paladin's base).

Question 2.
If the wizard casts increase weight on an enemy. The description of the spell says that they become too heavy to move. Does this just mean walking/running/jumping? Or does it mean, they can no longer parry and dodge, or even attack, and that they must just sit there and get pummeled to death by the characters? That seems a bit unfair. There are no penalties written in the description for this? Is it based on their PS?:?

It doesn't say they do become too heavy to move, only that they can be made too heavy to move. The effect depends on the level of the caster and the original size of the target. It increases weight by 100 pounds per level of the caster, and the effect is to reduce the speed attribute by half for a doubled weight in a victim. Personally, I would continue it as an inverse reduction - 2x the weight, 1/2 the speed. 4x the weight, 1/4 the speed. 8x the weight, 1/8 the speed, and reduce the bonuses accordingly. Perhaps when you hit a speed of less than 1, they truly cannot move, parry, or do anything but just lay there. That, however, would take a high level caster and a light weight target. A level 1 caster vs. a 200 pound target isn't going to do a whole lot. A level 10 caster against a 100 pound target, you're in trouble.

Question 3.
This has to do with the DDB, casting spells, and other things like the power punch that take up more than one melee action.
The Way i do combat in my games in everyone rolls initiative, and then in order each person take one melee action, we go around in that order until everyone is out of actions and re-roll initiative.
/snip

That is the standard/book way to do it, and works just fine. There is another cool way that takes in to account APM so you're not left with one person attacking over and over at the end, but it takes a lot more paperwork. Basically, everybody divides their init roll by their number of attacks, and creates an interval at which they go - IE init roll of 15, 5 attacks, you go at 15, 12, 9, 6, and 3. Then the GM counts backward from 20, and each time your number comes up, you attack. Like I said, much more complicated, but worth it.

More directly to your question, an attack that takes 2 actions occurs on the second action, not the first, unless it states specifically that you lose an attack "to recover" (which implies it already occured), or perhaps if the GM decides it's something that would have the potential to cause harm on either attack (a long burst from a machinegun, for example, might be mitigated on either attack, GM's call). A Power Attack, DDB, or spell that takes 2 actions, would not occur or be mitigated until the 2nd attack. The first is spent vamping/prepping/casting.

In this previous case does the spell cast on the first of two actions or the second of two actions? If the first, can he act for his third action while everyone is doing thier second?

Secon action. Regardless of when something occurs that takes 2 attacks, an attack that is used or lost for something that takes 2 attacks can not be used for anything else. You're frozen.

In the case of the DDB or power punch, does it punchon the first or second of the two actions?

Second

EX: Action one, wind up
everyone continues combat
action two, hit?

Correct

If this is the case what happens if the caster/DDB/Power Puncher is hit in between, is it counted as a simultaneous attack?

Casters can be interupted if they take enough damage, check the rules in the book. A physical attacker just has to suck it up, or at GM's discretion can cancel the attack in order to parry, but still loses their first attack (wasted preparation)

Question 4.
Parrying...
How do you treat characters parrying other characters who may have supernatural strength?

There's an entire thread on the GM forum dedicated to this very question - it's a fun one. Check it out HERE!

Hope that's helpful!

[J. Lionheart]

if a paladin's ppe works the same as any other character, does that mean the demon death blow's damage is increased near ley lines and nexus points?

Personally, I would say no on two counts:

1) The ley-line/nexus proximity bonuses specify that they pertain only to magic spells, wards, and circles, whereas the DDB is more of a temporarily enchanted weapon attack.

2) The ability to use ley-line/nexus proximity bonuses are specifically restricted to men of magic and CoM/SN beings, whereas the paladin is man at arms.