While it's not entirely true that the aimed blow style is misunderstood, it IS often maligned by experienced managers. Many tell beginning managers to avoid it, and I believe that this is doing the style an injustice. Aimed blows can be the most fulfilling style to run, and are easily addictive. What better way for a beginning manager to get into the game than by running a successful aimed blow? It's a better notch on their belt than running a successful lunger to AD, I think.
The following information is gleaned from my own experience, a long-standing feud over the style (which I subsequently lost) with Vlad Taltos, long conversations with Slowburn, Shadowmaster, Lady Hawk, Tex and Roadkill, and the longwinded diatribes of many on the DM roundtable on Internet.
The setup for aimed blows is easily the most important part of their makeup. While other styles, bashers, lungers and even parry-strikers, for example, can make up for a poor setup by proper strategy, challenge and avoid decisions, the aimer cannot. A properly designed and run aimed blow can defeat any style; a poorly designed aimed blow can't beat anyone.
Below is the setup I use for aimers. It is somewhat different than what I've seen from other managers, but no more or less successful than usual. I'm sure it will cause some stir among the aimer-running general public.
ST: I like it high, 13+. High ST does four things for your Aimed Blow: it helps out endurance, it gives better encumbrance, it tends to give you better damage ratings, and it helps your Attack rating.
Encumbrance is an important, and often neglected, part of the AB's makeup. I currently have 2 AB's with 17 ST, and the high ST allows me to run them in ADM/H. Since encumbrance is high (normal to good), it allows me to run them in heavy armor without penalty, and also helps their damage-taking. This is important early in their career, as many young aimers tend to lose after short flurries by offensives. Later in their careers the extra damage taking isn't done at the expense of skills. A 17 ST can be raised to 25 in AD without undue strain, and actually *gains* skills.
The other areas can be helped out by other stats: CN, WT, and DF. WT and DF certainly give more skills than ST does, but I believe that in the long run Aimers are better served by a few extra points in ST than in WT or DF.
CN: Any, naturally. I like some CN, 7-9, just to help out encumbrance, endurance, and damage-taking. Obligatory remark: Never add points.
SZ: The sticking point for many rollups. All aimers (mine, yours, probably even Shadowmaster's) require WT 17 DF 17 minimum to succeed. With high ST as well, this doesn't allow much leeway for SZ. Since you can't change it, I'd say any SZ will do, but for this rollup, anything over 10 probably isn't going to work.
WT: No controversy here. 17 or 21. I've seen 15 WT rollups do well, and if you've got 21 DF, maybe that's enough, but for a standard I'd say 17.
WL: I like to see a decent WL, if only because low WL rollups face a brick wall on stat trains once they max out on skills. Many managers specify 9, 13, 17 or *gasp* 21, but I say add points to get ST 13, WT 17, DF 17 first, then add whatever's left to WL, even if it makes it 10, 12, 14, or whatever. It's not as important as ST/WL/DF.
SP: Blech. 5 if you can get it (I'm superstitious about 3 SP) otherwise leave it at whatever you get. High SP aimers won't kill you, but it does take up valuable points better used elsewhere.
DF: Still no controversy. 17 or 21. Yes, I've seen the aberrant 15 DF aimers, but that's really only for 21 WT characters, and managers who just *have* to have an aimed blow (do any of those really exist?). 21 DF aimed blows get real *nice* bonuses to attack, better than you might expect. So, if you can, go for it, but don't make a 13 WT aimed blow because of it.
Some examples of good aimed blows I would actually run: #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 ST 17 17 21 13 17 17 CN 3 12 3 8 6 3 SZ 8 5 10 7 7 8 WT 17 17 15 17 17 17 WL 13 7 5 15 11 17 SP 9 5 9 7 9 5 DF 17 21 21 17 17 17#1 is an actual character. Currently 6-2-1 (both losses to characters with 15+ more fights). Bases aren't great (so far, attack 60%) but looks great and should have good long-term potential.
#2 is another actual character. Started out Expert attack (something about that 21 DF) and great damage (how did that happen?). Currently 1-1-0.
#3 is yet another actual character. Started out Advanced Expert attack and great damage. Died at something like 4-3-1 to a lunger who DA'd the next turn. (I hate you, Lords of Malbolge!)
#4 and #5 are both examples of good but not great characters who would make excellent aimers.
#6 is what I would make if I got an immortal design-your-own. The "perfect" character. Probably would die on first fight if I ever actually made that character. [grin]
Strategy:
Armor: The main advantage my aimed blows have over others is their ability to wear armor, so use it! ASM/H is pretty much standard operating procedure, but I dip into ARM/S for TP's and go as high as APM/F vs. lungers (if I know they're going to challenge me).
Weapon Selection: Nothing special here. My aimers can use any weapon, from fist to longsword to epee. The main point most people bring up about my aimers is that all that ST is wasted, since it doesn't add weapons to their repertoire. This is a valid point, but I believe the extra armor, damage, etc. makes the points well spent.
Offensive Effort: Moderate (5-6) to Very High (9-10). You really have to experiment to see what your aimer likes. I've included a beginning strategy for aimers; adjust it to see what your aimer likes.
Activity Level: Low (3-4) to High (7-8) usually, Very High for minute 1 if you're in an arena with a plethora of offensive-types. Once again, see what your aimer likes.
Kill Desire: Depends on you. I don't believe in that "7 maximizes Decise" voodoo that someone came up with (how do you measure that?) but I like mine in a middlin' range: 4-7. Generally, I run at 6.
Challenges: Good challenges are any parry style, but particularly parry-strikes and total parries; other aimed blows, obviously, and Wall of Steels.
Avoids: Avoid lungers like the plague. If you know they're coming (on a bloodfeud, for instance) then wear APM/F and carry an off-hand shield. Your only real chance is to withstand their offensive barrage and hit 'em when they're tired. Once you're skilled, it's a slightly different story, but generally their attack rating is going to be better than your parry and defense rating. Strikers and slashers are also good styles to avoid. Aimers tend to do well against bashers, but I still wouldn't challenge one.
Beginning Standard Strategy: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Desp Weapon Selection Off Eff 10 8 8 6 5 4 2 Act Lev 10 8 6 4 3 2 10 (0,7) SC Kil Des 6 6 6 6 5 4 4 (8,14) SS Att Loc RA ---------------------------> (15,+) LO Pro Loc BD ----------------------> LE Off Tac L Def Tac DI hope this inspires some debate about the style, and maybe even some of you to try it. Don't be discouraged by early failures or even deaths. This will come around.
-- Donald Trump