Verb:AIM

AIM Type System System Combat

AIM can be used to target a body location when using ATTACK or AMBUSH for melee weapons, FIRE for ranged weapons, and unarmed combat (JAB, PUNCH, KICK, GRAPPLE). It will also cause Limb Disruption (708) to automatically target a specific limb if one is specified via AIM.

Usage

Aim:

>aim
USAGE: AIM {location}    Sets your default aiming preference
       AIM CLEAR         Clears your default aiming preference
       AIM RANDOM        Same as AIM CLEAR
       AIM LIST          Produces a list of aimable locations

You're currently attempting to aim at the neck of your target on each firing or ambush.

Possible locations include: head, neck, right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, right hand, left hand, chest, abdomen, back, right eye, left eye. Left and right may be omitted and will default to the right if not explicitly defined.

Skills

The ability to hit an aimed location depends on skill training and other factors. For melee attacks, Combat Maneuvers and Ambush skills are needed. For ranged attacks, Perception is the main factor when firing in the open, and Perception and Ambush are weighted equally for hidden sniping. For Limb Disruption (708), Spell Aiming is used for targeting limbs.

Roundtime (melee weapons)

Main article: Base weapon speed

Whether one is attacking from hiding or in the open, using the AMBUSH verb adds three seconds to an attacker's weapon BASE roundtime. This additional roundtime may be mitigated in the normal way via agility and dexterity bonuses down to the minimum aimed roundtime of the particular weapon used. The minimum aimed roundtime of a weapon differs from the normal minimum roundtime of that weapon as follows:

Weapon base speed	Normal Min. RT	Min. Ambush RT
1	3	4
2, 3	4	5
4+	5	6

Success and Failure (melee weapons)

The factors that influence the chance of successfully attacking the body part aimed for include:

• difficulty of the particular body part targeted (smaller and more critical parts of the body are harder to aim for)
• the difficulty modifier for the weapon used (larger weapons are harder to aim)
• difference in attacker and target level
• the attacker's Ambush skill
• the attacker's Combat Maneuvers skill (when aiming from the open, as opposed to from hiding)
• any eye or bleeding head wounds the attacker may have
• formula for aiming success: Aiming Success

Failure to hit the desired body part will result in attacking a different part of the target's body, or, at low skill levels, may result in the attacker being unable to find an opening for an attack yet still incurring roundtime.

Other Limitations

Any condition that prevents a character from attacking normally will prevent this verb from working, as will attempting to aim at a nonexistent (e.g., the legs of a worm) or already severed body part.

Size disparity can also prevent aiming at specific body parts. Large characters will not be able to aim at specific parts of small critters (e.g., a human cannot aim at specific parts of a spiked cavern urchin). Furthermore, no character can aim at a part of a creature that, because of size limitations, is out of his or her reach (e.g., a dwarf cannot aim at the head or neck of a giant that is standing up). The use of longer weapons can somewhat mitigate this.

Resources

• AMBUSH verb
• Ambush
• Open ambushing
• Unaimed Body Location Assignment (saved post)
• Aiming Success