Verb:AMBUSH
Overview
The AMBUSH verb is used to aim melee attacks at specific parts of a target's body, in contrast to the ATTACK (or KILL) verb, which attacks a randomly determined part of the target.
- AMBUSH {target} {location} attempts to attack the target in the specified location
- AMBUSH {target} attempts to attack the target in the default aiming location specified by the AIM verb (and attacks normally if no default aiming location is set)
Note that the AMBUSH verb is different from the Ambush skill. It is not necessary to use the AMBUSH verb in order to get the stance pushdown, damage factor, and critical weighting benefits provided by the Ambush skill; it is only necessary to attack from hiding.
Roundtime
Whether one is attacking from hiding or in the open, using the AMBUSH verb adds three seconds to an attack's roundtime. This additional roundtime may be mitigated in the normal way via agility and dexterity bonuses down to the minimum ambush roundtime of the particular weapon used. The minimum ambush 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 |
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Success and Failure
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
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.
Related Articles
- Ambush
- ATTACK (verb)
- Ambush saved post (outdated)