is a WP not needed to hit a zombie skull at close range?

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Axelmania
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is a WP not needed to hit a zombie skull at close range?

Unread post by Axelmania »

Pg 179 under "No Weapon Proficiency"
    A character with no gun proficiency rolls 1D20 with no bonuses to strike, can NOT make an Aimed Shot or a Called Shot and...

Would it seem right that the requirement of a WP to make called shots here is intended just for called shots with guns of the WP you lack?

I can't see how lacking a "gun proficiency" would impede your ability to axe a zombie in the neck, after all.

I'm thinking there is an unwritten "with the gun you lack a proficiency in" implied here via common sense.

For example: A character will have a gun proficiency if they have WP Handguns. This technically negates the rule preventing them from making Called Shots. But should it allow them to make called shots with rifles? I figure you would need WP Rifle to allow that.

A big reason I'm asking is... even if we were to extend this to melee weapons (which have WP) it creates a problem with unarmed attacks because there is no "WP Fist" or "WP Foot".

Page 181 under Gun Terms: Main Body mentions:
    To strike something other than the main body, the attacker must make a "Called Shot", or roll a Natural 20.

I thought maybe it was just a rule for guns, but pg 36 "Targeted Attacks" uses the same term:
    This is known as a "Called Shot."

It clearly seems like you can punch/kick places other than the torso though. Page 37 under "Inflicting Damage to the Neck or Head" mentions under 5.
    A punch or kick attack only does its normal damage to zombies with a Natural 20, but the zombie is momentarily dazed and loses 1 melee attack. Otherwise, punches and kicks do 20% their normal damage to a zombie.

Given its subsection, I believe the loss of 1 melee attack only applies to punches/kicks (not explicitly headbutts but that would be a reasonable house rule) to the head or neck, but that this loss of an attack would not apply to hitting other locations.

Nor would the enhanced damage apply. Natural 20s to other locations should only do double damage as normal (total 2/5 damage) as opposed to quintuple damage (changing 1/5 damage to normal damage is basically x5)

If we look back to 181, it does propose that without making a called shot, a natural 20 can hit something other than the main body. So perhaps punches/kicks can only make called shots 20% of the time?

I believe page 35, right column under Physical Endurance's "Weapon Damage" implies otherwise:
    Punches, kicks, head butts and all other types of physical attacks only inflict 20% their normal damage against a zombie, even on a head shot or blow to the neck.

If the only way to punch/kick the head/neck was on a natural 20, it wouldn't make sense to mention the 20%. I believe this supports the idea that you can make called shots with unarmed attacks, and since there is no WP for unarmed attacks, it means that you do not need a WP to make called shots in all situations.

I would take this to mean that the necessity of WP to make called shots only applies to ranged combat with guns.

I would consider it a reasonable (house rule?) to require bows/crossbows/thrown weapons to operate using the Ranged Combat rules for Modern Weapons like guns though, including requiring a WP to make called shots with them. Anyone agree?

I'm not sure I can find a canonical in-book reason to limit archery/throwing like that though... which could mean for rules-strict games that this would be a great reason for people without any WP to use bows instead of guns...

Which doesn't really make sense IMO because I think it would be a lot easier for an untrained person to shoot a zombie in the head with a gun than to shoot it in the head with a bow and arrow.
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