Stun Lock
Stun Lock, also known as "stun" or being "stunned," is a combat rule that accounts for combatant's being put off balance and unable to return a strong attack made against them. A "strong attack" is defined as any single hit causes at least 25% of the combatant's current hit points (h.p.) in damage. This applies both to player characters and their allies, and nearly all humanoids and monsters the players might face.
While "stunned," the combatant must wait out their attack round, allowing the enemy to attack again. If that attack fails to hit, or does not cause enough to stun the defender, then the defender may then attack normally. It's wholly possible for a combatant to be stunned repeatedly until killed, without having the opportunity to strike back in defense.
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Example of Stunning
Carly, with 14 h.p., is defending against Patrick, who has 16 h.p. and has won initiative. On Patrick's attack, he hits Carly and causes 3 damage. This would be sufficient to stun her if she had 12 points or less, but in this case, Carly isn't stunned and is free to attack back. She hits and causes 4 damage to Patrick. This is 25% or more of 16 points, so Patrick is stunned. Carly attacks again and misses.
As Patrick attacks, he now has 12 h.p., and Carly has 11 h.p. Patrick hits and again causes 3 damage. However, Carly's current hit points have been reduced, and this time 3 h.p. is sufficient to stun her. Patrick swings again and causes 2 damage. Carly's current h.p. have been reduced to 8, so this is again enough to stun her, freeing Patrick to attack for the third straight time in a row. If he misses, then Carly would be able to strike back, possibly stunning Patrick and winning the chance to repeatedly hit him until he's defeated. And so it goes.
In each case, when a combatant is stunned, they're presumed be responding to the enemy's strong attack, staggering back, off balance, perhaps falling to one knee while parrying, attempting to regain their chance to counter-attack. At no time is the "stunned" character insensible or not a serious immediate danger if the next attack fails to drive them back again.
Multiple Hits
If a character is hit multiple times in a given round, it's important that the order of hits is accounted for, and to recognise that each individual hit is weighed against the defender's current h.p. separately. The total damage caused IS NOT added together and weighed against the character! It must be noted that the order is important.
- For example, Lisbeth has 29 h.p. and is hit three times in succession. The first hit causes 7 damage, which stuns up to 28 h.p. This isn't sufficient to stun Lisbeth, so she's fine. The second hit causes 5 damage; Lisbeth currently has 22 h.p., so this doesn't stun her either. The third hit also causes 4 h.p.; Lisbeth currently has 17 h.p. Again she escapes being stunned, even though she's suffered three hits and taken a total of 16 damage against her original 29 h.p.
This is because none of the blows were sufficient to put her back on her heels at the moment they landed. If she'd been hit for 5 damage first, and 7 damage with the second blow, she would have been stunned — for this reason the order truly matters.
Falling Back
When a combatant is completely stunned (all attacks are lost), they are effectively "driven back" one combat hex, as though staggering back from the force of the blow that stunned them. If the blow is delivered by an attacker that is three times the physical weight of the defender, then the latter will fall back, or be knocked back, two hexes. If the attacker has sufficient movement in the melee, they may advance into the vacated hex; and if the attacker has an additional attack, they may again attack the stunned combatant, potentially stunning them again and knocking them back another hex (and potentially advancing again).
Combatants may not be forced back into an enemy-occupied hex. However, if the hex back of the combatant is occupied by a small or medium-sized ally, then the stunned combatant is driven into the ally's hex. This could enable the attacker's second attack (if there was one) to be used against multiple defenders in one hex. However, even if the defender was, again, stunned, there would still be an ally to hold the hex, so that the attacker could not advance. This is a simulation of "fighting in ranks," enabling forces with deeper ranks to forbear attacks more effectively.
If the hex back of the combatant is occupied by a large creature, by two medium-sized allies or three small-sized allies, or by a wall or someother structure, then the stunned combatant cannot be forced back and the rule does not apply.
Damage from Wounds
Wounds can cause continuous damage, which may themselves cause a combatant to lose 25% of their hit points. Wound damage will stun lock a combatant, who will be considered weakened and unable to act. Once wounds are enough to stun a combatant, that will continue every round thereafter until the combatant receives outside help, binding or otherwise closing the wounds.
Because 1 h.p. damage is sufficient to stun anyone with 4 h.p. or less, any damage to persons with less than 4 h.p. (including those with less than zero hit points) is considered sufficient to stun.
Stunning versus Multiple Attacks
| # Attacks | H.p. to Stun All Attacks |
|---|---|
| 1 | 25% (quarter) |
| 2 | 33% (third) |
| 3 | 50% (half) |
| 4 | 67% (two thirds) |
| 5 | 75% (three quarters) |
| 6 | 80% (four fifths) |
| 7 | 84% (five sixths) |
| 8 | 86% (six sevenths) |
In combat, there are characters and monsters who possess more than one attack. This provides some resistance to stun lock, as it increases the required percentage of the combatant's hit points needed to stun. The table shown indicates the percentage of hit points that are necessary to stun lock all possible attacks.
- For example, a lion with 36 hit points attacks the party and has three attacks: two claws and a bite. If Lisbeth is fighting the lion, she will need to cause 18 damage in a single hit to keep the lion from having any attacks the following round. If, however, she causes 12 damage with one hit, she will take away two of the lion's attacks, reducing it to one. If she causes 9 damage, she will take away one of the lion's attacks.
- Attacks lost are always those in order of causing the greatest damage. In the above example, Lisbeth's causing 12 damage took away the lion's bite and one claw. In causing 9 damage, she would take away the lion's bite, leaving it with two claw attacks.
Thus, combatants with multiple attacks are more difficult to render harmless. This also applies to higher leveled characters who possess multiple attacks, such as fighters, paladins, rangers and monks. In the case of fighting with two weapons, the primary weapon is the first to be stunned; it requires 33% of the combatant's hit points to stop the use of both weapons.
Standing Ground
If the hex back of the combatant is a drop, or would cause the combatant to most probably die (from, say, a pool of acid), then the stunned combatant is entitled to a dexterity check. Success indicates that the combatant truly does not want to die (i.e., is specially motivated) and the combatant holds their ground; a failure would indicate that the combatant is forced back into the consequences that await. There are numerous situations that might apply: the character being forced to fall back into water along a shoreline, up or down stairs, into line-of-sight where they could be targeted by archers, etcetera.
Note that if there is some separation between the combatant and falling back, such as a railing, fence or merlon, the combatant is allowed a dexterity check with a +2 modifier for every foot of height the barrier possesses. Any barrier that is 4 ft. or higher is counted as a wall and the combatant would not fall back. If, alternately, there was something in the combatant's hex that could be grabbed (such as a pole, a rope or an outcropping), then the combatant is again entitled to a dexterity check to avoid falling back, with a +1 modifier. Characters being forced up stairs are entitled to a dexterity check without modifiers.
Direction of Falling Back
The first choice of falling back should be in the hex that is opposite the direction of the stunning attack (the stunned combatant's "rear" hex). If that hex is "full," because it is supported by allies or a physical structure, then the character should be forced back left or back right (the "flank" hexes), either determined randomly or that being opposite of the enemy's right-hand attack or left-hand attack. If none of these three hexes can be fallen back into, then the rule of falling back is ignored.
See Also,
Attacking in Combat
Attack of Opportunity
Overbearing
