Humanoid Hit Locations

This is a list of hit locations on a humanoid, as well as what roll on 3d would hit them on a roll for random hit location, and the penalty to deliberately target that area.

Eye: Only impaling, piercing, and tight-beam burning attacks can target the eye - and only from the front or sides. Injury over HP/10 blinds the eye. Otherwise, treat as skull, but without the extra DR. A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Ear: Treat this as a face hit except when making a cutting attack specifically to slice off the ear. In that case, injury over HP/4 is lost but has no special effect… but twice this amount removes the ear. This is a major wound, but without the -5 to knockdown rolls for a face hit. Missing ears (one or both) permanently reduce Appearance by a level. A miss by 1 hits the torso. See also Ear Clap (MA70).

Skull: The skull gets an extra DR 2. Wounding modifier is x4. Knockdown rolls are at -10. Critical hits use the Critical Head Blow Table (B556). Exception: these special effects do not apply to toxic damage. When attacking from behind, the skull is at -5 to hit, not -7. A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Face: If the target has an open-faced helmet, ignore its DR. Knockdown rolls are at -5. Critical hits use the Critical Head Blow Table. Corrosion damage gets a x1.5 wounding modifier, and if it inflicts a major wound it also blinds one eye (both eyes on damage over full HP). Random attacks from behind hit the skull instead. On a hit from in front, roll 1d. A 1 means a skull hit if the attack was impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning, a nose hit otherwise. When attacking from behind, the face is at -7 to hit, not -5. A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Jaw: The jaw is part of the face and only valid as a target from the front. Treat as an ordinary face hit, except that a crushing blow gives the victim an extra -1 to knockdown rolls. A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Nose: The nose is part of the face and only valid as a target from the front. Treat as an ordinary face hit, but injury over HP/4 breaks the nose. This is a major wound, and inflicts No Sense of Smell/Taste until healed. Cutting attacks can choose to lop off the nose: injury over HP/4 is then an ordinary major wound (no -5 for face hit), excess damage lost. However, twice that damage takes off the nose, reducing Appearance by two levels permanently. A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Arms and Legs: Reduce the wounding multiplier of large piercing (pi+), huge piercing (pi++), and impaling damage to x1. Any major wound (loss of over 1/2 HP from one blow) cripples the limb (B421). Damage beyond that threshold is lost. If holding a shield, double the penalty to hit: -4 for shield arm. Roll 1d. On a 1, a cutting, impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack hits a vein/artery, while a crushing attack hits a joint.

Torso/Chest: On a hit with a crushing, impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack, roll 1d. On a 1, it hits the vitals. Also roll 1d for a cutting blow from behind; a 1 indicates a spine hit.

Abdomen: On a hit with a crushing, impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack, roll 1d. On a 1, it hits the vitals.

Spine: Can only be targeted from behind. Has DR 3. No wounding modifiers, but any injury that inflicts a shock penalty requires a knockdown roll, at -5 if a major wound. Injury over HP is crippling, causing automatic knockdown and stunning, plus Bad Back and Lame (roll once to recover from each after combat). A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Groin: Human males and similar species suffer double shock (maximum of -8) from crushing damage, and get -5 to knockdown rolls. Otherwise, treat as a torso hit. A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Pelvis: Treat as a torso hit, except that a major wound (B420) causes you to fall down. You cannot stand, and can only fight if you assume a sitting or lying posture. Until healed, you have Lame (Missing Legs, B141). A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Joints: Limbs and extremities contain vulnerable joints that an attacker can target with a crushing, cutting, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack. This allows crippling with injury over HP/3 (not HP/2) for a limb, or injury over HP/4 (not HP/3) for an extremity. Excess injury is lost. Dismemberment still requires twice the injury needed to cripple the whole body part – not just the joint. HT rolls to recover from crippling injuries are at -2. A miss by 1 hits the limb or extremity, not the joint.

Veins/Arteries: A fighter with a cutting, impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning weapon can target a major blood vessel in the neck (jugular vein or carotid artery), arm (brachial artery), or leg (femoral artery). The attack has an extra -3: -5 for a limb, -8 for the neck. Increase the wounding modifier for that hit location by 0.5; e.g., a cutting attack gets x2 instead of x1.5 against a limb, or x2.5 instead of x2 for the neck. Ignore crippling effects and damage limits for limbs. The GM may rule that Mortal Wounds (B423) doesn’t apply and that any failed HT roll to avoid death means the victim collapses and bleeds out messily. A miss by 1 hits the neck, arm, or leg, as appropriate.

Hands and Feet: Treat as a limb, except that damage over 1/3 HP in one blow inflicts a crippling major wound. Excess damage is still lost. If holding a shield, double the penalty to hit: -4 for shield arm, -8 for shield hand. On a hit with a crushing, cutting, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack, roll 1d. On a 1, the attack hits a joint. If rolling randomly, roll 1d: 1-3 is right, 4-6 is left.

Neck: Increase the wounding multiplier of crushing and corrosion attacks to x1.5, and that of cutting damage to x2. At the GM’s option, anyone killed by a cutting blow to the neck is decapitated! On a hit with a cutting, impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack, roll 1d. On a 1, it hits a vein/artery. Also roll 1d for crushing attacks from behind; a 1 indicates a spine hit. Crippling the spine this far up – a “broken neck” – causes Quadriplegic (B150), not merely Lame (Paraplegic). This occurs automatically if Neck Snap (MA77) or a throw from a Head Lock (MA74) inflicts injury over HP to the neck! A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Vitals: Heart, lungs, kidneys, solar plexus, etc. Increase the wounding modifier for an impaling or any piercing attack to x3, and that of a tight-beam burning attack to x2. The wounding modifier for a crushing attack is only x1, but shock requires a HT roll to avoid knockdown, at -5 if a major wound. A miss by 1 hits the torso.

Chinks in Armor: A piercing, impaling, or tight-beam burning attack can target joints or weak points in a suit of armor, vehicle, etc. Roll at -8 to hit a chink in the foe’s torso armor, or at -10 for any other location (face, eyes, vitals, arm, etc.). If you hit, halve DR. This is cumulative with any armor divisors.

Weapon: Reach “C” melee/pistol: -5, Reach 1 melee/carbine: -4, Reach 2+ melee/rifle: -3. Disarm: extra -2. See B400-401 for details.

Hit Location Effects: Remove -1 from the penalty for the neck, face, eye, or skull of a kneeling or sitting man, or to kick the leg or foot of a standing man.

Prohibited Attacks: None.

Modified Attacks: Attacks of reach C against enemies who are lying down give -2 to hit. Elbow Strike and Knee Strike can’t reach those lying down (but Elbow Drop and Knee Drop can). Head Butt can’t reach those lying down either, and has -2 to hit even against kneeling, sitting, or crawling foes. Using Scissors Hold or the grappling techniques in Using Your Legs (MA79) forces the attacker to fall down.

Hit Location Effects: Remove -1 from the penalty for the feet, legs, or groin of a standing man, but add -1 to hit the neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: All kicks, Backbreaker, Knee Drop, Knee Strike, Piledriver, Scissors Hold, and any Sweep using a leg.

Modified Attacks: Elbow Drop is at -1 damage and can only target a foe crawling or lying down. Head Butt is at -2 to hit a foe who is crawling or lying down – and against a standing opponent can only target the legs or groin. Techniques from Using Your Legs (MA79) can only target the legs of a standing man.

Hit Location Effects: Remove -2 from the penalty for the feet or legs of a standing man, but add -2 to hit the neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: Backbreaker, Elbow Drop, Knee Drop, Piledriver, Scissors Hold, Two-Handed Punch, any Sweep using a leg, all kicks except Back Kick, and weapon strikes at reach 1+.

Modified Attacks: Elbow Strike has an extra -1 to hit, and cannot reach the neck, face, eye, or skull of a standing man. Against a standing foe, Head Butt can only attack the groin, legs, or feet. Knee Strike can only target an opponent who is lying down, the legs or feet of a sitting man, or the feet of a standing man. Techniques from Using Your Legs (MA79) can only target the legs of a standing man.

(see Fighting While Seated, MA83, if sitting on something other than the ground)

Hit Location Effects: Remove -1 from the penalty for the feet, legs, or groin of a standing man, but add -1 to hit the neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: Aerial kicks (Drop Kick, Flying Jump Kick, Jump Kick, Pole-Vault Kick, etc.), Back Kick, Backbreaker, Knee Drop, Piledriver, and any kind of slam.

Modified Attacks: Same as Kneeling. In addition, Elbow Strike cannot hit the neck, face, eye, or skull of a standing man. Knee Strike, any Sweep using a leg, and all permitted kicks have an extra -1 to attack and damage. Downward kicks (Axe Kick, Stamp Kick, etc.) can only hit opponents who are crawling or lying down, or the feet of a standing foe, and do -1 damage.

Hit Location Effects: Remove -2 from the penalty for the feet or legs of a standing man, but add -2 to hit the neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: Aerial kicks (as for Sitting), Back Kick, Backbreaker, Elbow Drop, Knee Drop, and Piledriver.

Modified Attacks: Elbow Strike and Head Butt cannot reach any part of a standing man but his feet or legs, and cannot attack the neck, face, eye, or skull of anyone who isn’t crawling or lying down. Stability removes -2 from the penalty for permitted kicks and Sweeps with legs, but lack of leverage gives -1 damage. Knee Strike, punches, and close-combat weapon attacks (reach C) cannot reach above the groin of a standing man.

Hit Location Effects: Remove -2 from the penalty for the feet or legs of a standing man, but add -2 to hit the neck, face, eye, or skull.

Prohibited Attacks: Backbreaker, Elbow Drop, Knee Drop, Piledriver, and all kicks except Back Kick.

Modified Attacks: Elbow Strike, Head Butt, and Knee Strike cannot reach any part of a standing man but his feet, and cannot attack the neck, face, eye, or skull of any one who isn’t crawling or lying down. Punches and close-combat weapons cannot target anything above the groin on a standing man. Techniques from Using Your Legs (MA79) can only target the legs of a standing man.