The Concept of Critical Hits in real life?

http://www.giantbomb.com/critical-hit/3015-97/

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CriticalHit

Do you think the concept of critical hits apply in real life? Where as if you shoot or hit someone in a specific spot based on how lucky you are you may incapacitate them, break a bone, cause exsanguition, knock the air out of em, or kill them in one shot? I thought about this after playing Fallout and Silent Storm with combat messages ranging from their arm being pulverized, knocked unconscious by a bullet wound to the head that didn't kill them, their childbearing days being in trouble from a groin shot and bleeding and deafness. I kinda think it does apply in real life in a way, my ASI once told me that if I'm shot and I'm still moving around and can function well enough and I'm still fighting then it's likely the bullet wound I get from .45 ACP or 5.56x45mm won't kill me. But it'd still need to be tended to in case the wound bites me in the ass 20 years later when I die of lead poisoning. Another thing. Heard about this lady who got shot in the head, but the bullet split apart once it reached her cranium and fragments went straight through her frontal lobe and into the back. And she perfectly fine, hurt like hell but she was alive and functioning, and she lived. What do you think about the concept of critical hits to real life?

It happens. Even shots to the head are survivable under the right circumstances. It'll definitely hurt and disorient at least, but you could shoot someone and largely get them in the jaw, a shot could glance off of their cheek bone or the skull itself. Bullets can fragment and split off in directions where what's left doesn't do enough damage to immediately incapacitate someone, but may leave them in need of some complex brain surgery later.

Same goes for other areas of the body. Shoot someone in the leg without hitting a major artery and you'll hobble them, but they'll be fine with medical attention. May even function decently in a fight for a bit before then. Hit the femoral artery and they will bleed out in seconds. Same for shoulder injuries that movies like to think aren't so bad; the axillary and subclavean arteries would probably have something to say about that. And this is just getting into major blood vessels to limbs. You could get stabbed or shot in the torso. Perhaps the damage is minor enough to allow someone to keep fighting, missing vital organs, maybe just nicking them sufficiently that you will need a doctor, but you can push through for a bit. Or you could nick the heart, puncture a lung, severely damage the liver, perforate bowel. Okay, the last couple aren't really critical hit territory because it's not an instant kill, but without medical help the liver will be fatal soon, and the bowel will take hours and they'll suffer immensely.

Point is, yeah, the concept of a critical hit that does huge damage while lesser impacts don't is sound, and in most fights, even with training, there's a luck element to it so the gaming concept is fairly sound.

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Originally Posted by Vivi22

It happens. Even shots to the head are survivable under the right circumstances. It'll definitely hurt and disorient at least, but you could shoot someone and largely get them in the jaw, a shot could glance off of their cheek bone or the skull itself. Bullets can fragment and split off in directions where what's left doesn't do enough damage to immediately incapacitate someone, but may leave them in need of some complex brain surgery later.

Same goes for other areas of the body. Shoot someone in the leg without hitting a major artery and you'll hobble them, but they'll be fine with medical attention. May even function decently in a fight for a bit before then. Hit the femoral artery and they will bleed out in seconds. Same for shoulder injuries that movies like to think aren't so bad; the axillary and subclavean arteries would probably have something to say about that. And this is just getting into major blood vessels to limbs. You could get stabbed or shot in the torso. Perhaps the damage is minor enough to allow someone to keep fighting, missing vital organs, maybe just nicking them sufficiently that you will need a doctor, but you can push through for a bit. Or you could nick the heart, puncture a lung, severely damage the liver, perforate bowel. Okay, the last couple aren't really critical hit territory because it's not an instant kill, but without medical help the liver will be fatal soon, and the bowel will take hours and they'll suffer immensely.

Point is, yeah, the concept of a critical hit that does huge damage while lesser impacts don't is sound, and in most fights, even with training, there's a luck element to it so the gaming concept is fairly sound.

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Yeah it makes a lot of sense. Luckily the worst that's ever happened to me was getting grazed by a .22 LR. And that was because it ricochetted and grazed me across the cheek. Hurt like hell though I couldn't imagine if it actually hit me in the jaw. I think the same about critical shots can be said about knives, spears, and arrow critical. Shoot even critical punches and kicks.

Yes, it's probably bit rare for someone who's punched or kicked to flat out die, but there are a few ways shots to the head alone could do it that I can think of. Though knocking someone out rather than outright killing them is a tad less rare.

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Originally Posted by Vivi22

Yes, it's probably bit rare for someone who's punched or kicked to flat out die, but there are a few ways shots to the head alone could do it that I can think of. Though knocking someone out rather than outright killing them is a tad less rare.

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Well I talked with other people about this, they said that concept of a critical hit in real life is more of an 80% plausibility with a gun. They say you'd have to be pretty tough and well built to survive a few gunshots to the torso and they not be critical. Either that or extremely lucky.