Please help me I have trouble understanding the working of the thief advanced move called Dirty Fighter, I don’t understand why it says “all other attacks” Quote the move here: Dirty Fighter
Replaces: Cheap Shot
When using a precise or hand weapon, your backstab deals an extra +1d8 damage and all other attacks deal +1d4 damage.
Is it possible to choose an option when backstabbing other than “You deal your damage+1d6” and still make damage? What’s the exact number and type of dice a regular backstabing attack would deal?
Seems pretty straightforward to me – add 1d8 to the damage of all backstabs, add 1d4 to the one of all your regular, non-backstab attacks.
Presented in context, hoping it helps me explain it correctly:
Backstab
When you attack a surprised or defenseless enemy with a melee weapon, you can choose to deal your damage or roll+DEX.
✴On a 10+ choose two.
✴On a 7–9 choose one.
– You don’t get into melee with them
– You deal your damage+1d6
– You create an advantage, +1 forward to you or an ally acting on it
– Reduce their armor by 1 until they repair it
===
Cheap Shot
When using a precise or hand weapon, your backstab deals an extra +1d6 damage.
===
Dirty Fighter
Replaces: Cheap Shot
When using a precise or hand weapon, your backstab deals an extra +1d8 damage and all other attacks deal +1d4 damage.
===
So I would take from this that Backstab can choose to add d6 to your normal damage, Cheap Shot adds another d6 if you use a precise/hand weapon, and Dirty Fighter changes the second d6 to a d8 for precise/hand weapons.
Furthermore, Dirty Fighter adds d4 to any attack, even if it’s not Backstab, as long as you’re using the precise/hand weapon.
Does that help?
If you describe in the fiction how your character is fighting dirty, you add +1d4 to your hack and slash. If you can describe your character performing this attack from behind the target, add +1d8.
Cooper Walden Whilst I like your homebrew idea, I think Oney Clavijo asked how to interpret the Rules As Written? Should we muddy the waters?
(and I should’ve addressed the below questions specifically, so I will now)
Q: Is it possible to choose an option when backstabbing other than “You deal your damage+1d6” and still make damage?
A: Not those presented in the original Backstab move, no.
Q: What’s the exact number and type of dice a regular backstabbing attack would deal?
A: Thief class damage (d8) plus any other weapon/advanced move modifiers, plus the d6 offered by the Backstab damage choice.
PS: Dirty Fighter without Backstab is d8+d4+weapon/move extras as above.
The Backstab move says: Backstab
When you attack a surprised or defenseless enemy with a melee weapon, you can choose to deal your damage or roll+DEX.
✴On a 10+ choose two.
✴On a 7–9 choose one.
– You don’t get into melee with them
– You deal your damage+1d6
– You create an advantage, +1 forward to you or an ally acting on it
– Reduce their armor by 1 until they repair it
So literally any option that the Thief choose COUNTS AS A BACKSTAB, then…
Cheap Shot
When using a precise or hand weapon, your backstab deals an extra +1d6 damage.
SO… I could choose non damaging options (1,3 and 4) and still make the extra +1d6 damage? That’s what Cheap Shot sounds like to me but it is OP, isn’t it?
I would argue that you can’t add “extra” damage if you don’t choose to do damage…
‘Take some more tea,’ the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
‘I’ve had nothing yet,’ Alice replied in an offended tone, ‘so I can’t take more.’
Well don’t forget that the option is to ‘either do your damage or roll +dex.’
If you choose to do your damage, I believe you still get to add the +1d6 to it. If you roll +dex and choose the deal your damage +1d6, you can add another d6/d8 to it.
But the other options? I don’t think so. Only the damage options.
I just noticed that if your thief deals 1d8 (class damage) +1d8 (from dirty fighter) +d6 (from the backstab options) the option “- You don’t get into melee with them” is kind of useless, most things will be dead.
It could also mean that those around the assassinated enemy remain unaware of the attack. There may be no noise of a scuffle or of battle, etc.
Cooper Walden
True, some good stealth take down the guards one at a time action. Hadn’t thought of that.
Yeah. Plus they’d only be dead of you roll max damage. What happens if you roll all ones? They’re not dead. 😛
Victoria Harlette to clarify: if you choose not to roll, the only extra d6 you can apply must come from cheap shot, yeah?
Correct. Matt Horam
Eric Lochstampfor also I choose that option (no melee) when I don’t want my thief “blocked” in a close combat rumble. So I back stab and I have time to gain some distance. If the enemy want to fight, he needs to catch me first.
Totally OT, I hate the pictures inside the original Dungeon World book…