Stun Lock

Also known as "stun" or "stunning," a reaction to damage which results in a combatant being unable to take action for a given round.

Stun lock is caused by any one hit that equals 25% or more of the combatant's hit points at the time the damage is done. If sufficient, the character or combatant is "stunned." While stunned, the combatant cannot act that round, letting the enemy attack again. It is assumed that the stunned character is still defending (armor class unchanged) and is aware of what's happening. Stunning should be seen as the character staggering, off balance, perhaps falling to one knee and attempting to regain another chance to attack. In effect, the character is "too busy" to take fight back. Combatants that are stunned round after round may be killed before they are ever able to attack again.

Multiple Hits

If a character is hit multiple times in the space of a round, each individual hit is calculated against the target's hit points separately. This calculation is made according to the order in which each hit lands.

For example, Lisbeth has 29 hit points and is hit three times in succession. In order, these hits cause 7, 5 and 3 points of damage. The first hit, 7 damage, stuns up to 28 hp, not quite enough to stun Lisbeth. She loses 7 h.p., leaving her with 22 remaining. The second hit, causing 5 damage, stuns up to 20 hp; again, Lisbeth comes through all right. She has 17 h.p. left. And the third hit, 3 damage, is still less than 25% of Lisbeth's remaining hit points. Lisbeth avoids being stunned this round, even though she suffered three hits and a total loss of 15 hit points.

If, however, the damage had been done in the order of 3, 7 and 5, the first hit would have reduced Lisbeth to 26 h.p. The second attack, for 7 damage, would stun Lisbeth. The third hit, for 5 damage, would also stun Lisbeth. However, she can be stunned only once; she can't be "more stunned." However, she can be repeatedly knocked backwards (see below).

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

Bards, Fighters & Rangers

# 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.

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.

If the hex behind the combatant is occupied by an ally, then the stunned combatant is driven into the ally's hex.

physically supported and can continue to hold the hex. Alternately, the supporting ally might decide to "swap positions." This is a simulation of "fighting in ranks," enabling forces with deeper ranks to forbear attacks more effectively.

The direction of falling back should be diametrically opposite to the direction of the attack that first stunned the opponent. The combatant cannot, however, be forced into a hex containing an enemy or a physical structure - if this applies to the hex to which the combatant should fall back, then the combatant will fall back 60 degrees to the left or right, away from the hit. If it is impossible for the combatant to fall back into any three hexes behind the combatant, then the falling-back rule does not apply.

If the hex the combatant is forced into contains a single small or medium-sized ally, the combatant will be forced to occupy the same hex as the ally. However, if that hex is occupied by a large ally, by two medium allies or three small allies, that hex is judge to be full and therefore the combatant cannot fall back into that hex. Once again, if all three hexes are filled with allies, then the falling-back rule does not apply.

If the combatant falls back into an hex that indicates a plunge or drop, then the combatant is entitled to a dexterity check each time that the combatant is stunned that round. Success indicates that the combatant does not move backwards when stunned; a failure indicates that the combatant falls.

Should the combatant be separated from the fall by a railing, merlon or fence, the combatant will receive a +1 modifier to the dexterity check for each foot of the barrier's height above 1' (+1 for a 2' barrier, +2 for a 3' barrier, etcetera). If the character has a rigid pole that can be grabbed or used for support, the combatant will gain a +1 modifier for that also.

There are numerous other situations into which a stunned combatant can be forced back into — for example, into water along a shoreline, into line-of-sight where the character can be seen by others, up or down stairs, etc.

Swapping with Stunned Allies

Allies may swap places with stunned companions, in order to move forward and attack the enemy. Imagine that the forward hex is, at the start of the round, occupied by a combatant — Axul — that has just been stunned. Axul's ally, Byzul, begins by moving into Axul's hex. At the same time, Byzul presses Axul back (as they switch places) and Axul stumbles backwards into Byzul's former place. Though technically Axul cannot take an action (because Axul is stunned), Byzul initiates an action for Axul and Axul completes that action. The exchange costs only one action point for Byzul, for moving one hex forward, but none for directing Axul (as Byzul merely pulls Axul back while passing him), while the points Axul spends are dismissed since they are less than what Axul might spend if Axul had the power to take action independently.

The final result is that Byzul ends where Axul was, while Axul ends where Byzul was. Byzul then goes on to use his remaining action points.

See Attacking in Combat