(copied from a similar thread I made in the main section. Wanted to make sure its gets seen...assuming this is the right section)

If you trigger a Finishing Blow during a Duel to First Blood you perform a Critical Strike against your opponent. However, since a Finishing Blow does no damage the opponent never receives wounds greater than their threshold and thus never become incapacitated. Since the opponent was never incapacitated, the Finishing Blow doesn't end the duel immediately (the duels objective was never met). So, you end up in a weird situation where you can cut off someones arm in a Duel to First Blood and yet the duel must continue....

The same is true for Duels to First Strike since no damage is ever dealt.

Independent of this, It seems weird that a "Duel to First Blood" continues with both duelists hitting each other repeatedly until one is beaten down.

Good catch!

It looks to me as though the same problem occurs in a Duel with the To First Strike objective (p. 160, column 1), since you win by dealing 1 or more damage to your foe and since the Finishing Blow (p. 162, sidebar) doesn't deal any damage. (It deals a critical strike, but as far as I can tell those don't do any damage either.)

So a Finishing Blow is only useful in a Duel with the To the Death objective?

Do you think it would be more appropriate to make duels include "dealing 1 or more damage, or a critical strike" or should critical strikes simply include damage?

I'd prefer to change the duel objectives, since adding damage to critical strikes will change the whole injury system. Changing the objectives doesn't have knock-on effects elsewhere in the rules.

15 hours ago, player2885333 said:

I'd prefer to change the duel objectives, since adding damage to critical strikes will change the whole injury system. Changing the objectives doesn't have knock-on effects elsewhere in the rules.

That covers 'to first strike' effectively enough.

To 'first blood' - I would suggest that the objective be changed to either incapacitated or bleeding conditions; whilst you're trying to convince a judge, it's hard to argue you've not achieved first blood when the target is suffering the kind of blood loss the bleeding condition represents*, and at critical 8 that's pretty achievable with a decent finishing blow.

* "It was only supposed to be to first blood!"

"It was."

"You decapitated him!"

"There was a lot of first blood."

First strike, by their own fluff is just a practice duel. I would say is what little cranes do in their spare time.

Or wandering Kensai:

"Ha! It is a draw!"

"No. You lost."

"Let's do it for real then..."

On 10/9/2017 at 1:58 PM, Magnus Grendel said:

* "It was only supposed to be to first blood!"

"It was."

"You decapitated him!"

"There was a lot of first blood."

Remind me of Lancelot at the wedding in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

As long as you are not dead, tis just a flesh wound.