== Removing Sapping ==
	by Meg Harrelson

* What's wrong? *

The ability to sap with a Stealth Card has become pointless. It's 
completely redundant with a courtesy strike to subdue, and is, in fact, 
more complicated to use. Instead of just having a weapon in hand and 
hitting the target on the back, sapping requires that you have a weapon in 
hand *and* move your other hand in front of the target's face in a 
prescribed manner. To perform multiple subdual courtesy strikes, you just 
have to hit with the weapon repeatedly and say (or whisper) "strike, 
strike, strike...". To perform multiple sap hits, you have to pivot your 
arm at the elbow, which can take longer.

The only advantage to having sapping as a separate ability is the fact that 
torso armor does not protect against sapping, while it does protect against 
subdual courtesy strikes. However, I think the speed with which courtesy 
strikes can be performed makes up for this.


* The solution *

Delete sapping from the rules entirely. Continue to allow courtesy subdual 
strikes.


* Discussion *

Effectively, this isn't much of a change. People with Stealth will still be 
able to knock people out from behind. People without Stealth *already can* 
knock people out from behind. Those with Stealth aren't losing anything; 
those without it aren't gaining. It's really a simplification---a removal 
of duplicate out-of-game methods for accomplishing the same in-game thing.

On the surface, it seems like this change weakens the Stealth skill, but I 
argue that it doesn't, because everyone already can knock people out from 
behind without Stealth. However, to address the apparent weakening, one 
potential tweak would be to drop the cost of Stealth. I don't think that's 
necessary---especially since the sapping ability doesn't improve with 
increased levels of Stealth---but it might make the change seem "fairer." 
If the cost of Stealth were dropped, only its first level should drop, and 
the cost of the first level of Awareness would need to drop to correspond 
(probably more complication than it's worth).

There are all kinds of out-of-game differences between sapping and subdual 
courtesy strikes to the torso. In-game, however, there are only two 
differences: 1) sapping will work when the victim is wearing full torso 
armor that doesn't cover any part of the head or neck, and 2) the hit is 
role-played as being to the head instead of to the torso, and changing that 
removes in-game color. I don't think those in-game differences merit the 
system for sapping that we have in place, but I will address potential 
objections based on these two differences.

As to the differences in armor, the removal of sapping creates a slight 
disadvantage, since the attacker could no longer deliver an in-game blow to 
the unprotected area. However, three subdual courtesy strikes to the torso 
should be about as fast to perform as one sap hit (reaching around and 
making a 90 degree arc with the forearm as opposed to three taps), so the 
difference here is a wash. The speed makes up for the need to go through 
armor. Admittedly, uttering the words, "subdual courtesy strike, strike, 
strike" takes some time. However, as long as the attacker has started 
saying that by the time they've delivered the blows, I imagine that should 
be sufficient. A victim who was unaware of the pending attack can't argue 
that the blows weren't courtesy strikes, and is unlikely to argue that the 
blows weren't to subdue. Alternately, we could say that it's legal to aim 
for the neck when performing a subdual courtesy strike, but personally, I'd 
rather not make that exception. That combined with the victim turning 
around quickly could make for an injury, and it's not really worth it.

As to the differences in role-playing, in most cases where a blow lands is 
inconsequential. But in cases where it matters for in-game color, I'd say 
that we should simply allow an attacker to say to the victim (after the 
attack), "role-play that as a blow to the head." This preserves the in-game 
color without rules complications. In addition, most of the color that 
comes from the sapping rule has to do with how the characters who go around 
knocking people out are role-played. If you're playing a sneaky thief, and 
you do a good job of playing a sneaky thief, the out-of-game mechanic you 
use for knocking out your victims shouldn't matter. The color comes from 
you. Our current sapping rules do a better job of providing out-of-game 
color than in-game color; that is, most of the interest and variety they 
provide exists out-of-game, while the in-game interest and variety they 
provide are minimal.


* The proposal *

-- Remove the following from the Stealth ability description:
	Stealth also grants you the ability to "sap." You can knock victims 
unconscious without killing them. To sap someone, sneak up behind the 
victim and flash the back of your Stealth Card in the victim's face. (To 
perform multiple sap hits, move the Stealth Card rapidly up and down from 
the elbow. Each time it crosses the victim's eyes, it is considered another 
hit.) The victim will immediately fall over unconscious for five 
minutes.  Protection (armor anywhere on the head and/or neck or magical 
protection) will work against sap hits.


-- In Rules of Gameplay: Rules of Combat: Nonlethal Combat: Subdual, remove 
this:
	Characters with the Stealth skill may subdue opponents by holding a weapon 
in hand, sneaking up on someone, and waving their Stealth Card in front of 
their opponent's face. This action is the equivalent of a subdual Courtesy 
Strike to the torso. This type of subdual is sometimes referred to as 
"sapping."
	To perform multiple saps, move the Stealth Card rapidly up and down from 
the elbow. Each time it crosses the victim's eyes, it is considered another 
hit. Armor (anywhere on the neck or head) and magical protection both work 
automatically against sapping."


-- Remove the following from Rules of Gameplay: Reacting to Skills:

Stealth:
	Stealth also grants the ability to sap. This is the ability to knock 
someone unconscious without killing them. If someone comes up behind you 
and flashes the back of a Stealth Card in front of your face, you have been 
sapped. You will immediately fall over unconscious for five minutes. 
Protection (armor anywhere on the head and/or neck or magical protection) 
will work against sap hits.


-- In the description for the Peaceful disadvantage, change this:
	You will never initiate an attack with either spell or weapon, will only 
use force in self-defense, and can never sap someone.

to this:
	You will never initiate an attack with either spell or weapon, will only 
use force in self-defense, and can never attack, even to subdue, a victim 
who is unaware of your presence.


-- In the incantation for Curse, replace the reference to sapping with a 
reference to attacking an unaware victim.