Hit points, locations, damage, etc.

[frogspawner]

Originally Posted by Trifletraxor

With a mechanism to reward roleplaying, are we talking Hero Points again?

(Having at last found and read the Hero Points thread...) No, not necessarily, though perhaps similar. But I was thinking more of something like RQ2-style Defence, which would lessen the need for anything like Hero Points for fudging/backtracking. Only more generally applicable, like for falling off cliffs as well as combat.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by frogspawner

I was trying not to clutter this thread with my own (slightly but hopefully not overly) complicated homebrew rules, but...

The system I use gives characters about half the usual RQ/BRP total hit points (but they stay alive until they go below -CON hp). Only roll location if the hit is significant. On +ve hps you're fine; 0hp or less the location hit is disabled (until healed); -5 or less it takes a serious wound (normally a break); -10 or less a critical wound (typically a sever/maim). I have a table of serious/critical wounds for each location (actually sub-locations, for a bit of variation).

So, sort-of, yes, someone with more HPs might sustain nastier wounds than another with fewer HPs - but he'd still be alive, and the weedier guy wouldn't.

I don't know 'JAGS' - is it like that?

INstead of setting the brackets at -5HP and -10HP in a location, you could use 1/2HP and HP as the brackets.

[frogspawner]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

INstead of setting the brackets at -5HP and -10HP in a location, you could use 1/2HP and HP as the brackets.

Thanks for your interest. Yes, could do. I just find using overall HP thresholds of -5/-10 simpler (so I don't have to track individual locations or calculate/remember different brackets for different characters/creatures).

[drohem]

Originally Posted by frogspawner

I don't know 'JAGS' - is it like that?

It's a universal RPG like GURPS. Here is link to their website. You can dowload free copies. Also, I think that I saw it on Lulu.com if you want a print copy as well.

Jags RPG :: Jags - Not Just Another Gaming System

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by frogspawner

Thanks for your interest. Yes, could do. I just find using overall HP thresholds of -5/-10 simpler (so I don't have to track individual locations or calculate/remember different brackets for different characters/creatures).

I did/anm doing something similar with my BRP variant. Rather than use Hit Points at I, I'm using a Wound Threshold idea (about 1./2 HP). Damage below it is a minor injury, above it a serious one, and every mutiple of the threshoild kicking up the severity to Mortal.

BAsically, a bunch of 2-3 point hits shoudln't kill you, at least not right away. With the Wound Threshold idea it takes a reeally good hit to kill someone outright. Although most wounds will kill you in time if not treated.

I went with something like 1D100+CON for the time, varying from S/R, rounds, hors and days depending on the serveirt of the injury.

[Shaira]

I'm undecided myself at the moment. I do like the simplicity and Blood & Thunder aspect of the major wound system, but it can all end in tears rather quickly on an unlucky die roll, which can require some drastic GM intervention. I get the feeling it might work quite well coupled with a Hero Point / Fate Point system to downgrade the *splat you're dead* single rolls.

But I do like the Hit Locations, too. My old RuneQuest games used to always have someone hobbling around with a badly made wooden leg every now and then - and the walking wounded on the road outside the Pavis gate - oh! heavens forbid! It was always rather fun, in a bloody, sick and twisted kind of way But, it did slow combat down rather, and I did hate having all those "wasted" pages in scenarios filled with monster hit location stats...

Like I say, can't make my mind up at the moment.

[darkheart]

It very interesting reading peoples different ideas and systems for dealing with wounds.
It does seem to be that whatever system people use is going to be a compromise between simplicity and realisim.

With a cross genre system also makes it kinda difficult.
How do you compare an arrow with a quarrel with a musket ball with a modern bullet with a blaster bolt?

A kevlar vest may protect very well against a soft nosed bullet but do very little against a long bladed knife.
Does the bullet do less damage than the knife?
Do you make armour work diferently against diferent weapons?

You want Han Solo to put down an armoured stormtrooper with a single shot while shirt wearing Leia gets a nasty burn on her arm but can still use it to gun down two troopers.
Is that a diference between the way mooks and heros take damage?

All questions and no answers. Just to keep the fuel of the thread going

[Atgxtg]

darkeart,

Yes, there are a lot of ways to slice it. One thing about the new BRP is that since it has a modular approach with lots of optional rules, we will all end up customizing it to suit out needs.

My take based on previous BRP experience.
The general tweak in the past was to differentiate damage by weapon type and rate armor accordingly. That way you could have reflective armor that works against lasers but not against slugs or axes, or ballistic armor that is effective against bullets.

I think the new BRP does the same thing, but with some tweaking.


There are other approaches through. One possible "tweak" would be to simply count certain attacks as "armor piecring" and have them halve, third, or quarter armor. For example, a modern bullet will punch through most medieval armors with very little lossof energy. Quartering the AP value would make sense.

[Enpeze]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

There are other approaches through. One possible "tweak" would be to simply count certain attacks as "armor piecring" and have them halve, third, or quarter armor. For example, a modern bullet will punch through most medieval armors with very little lossof energy. Quartering the AP value would make sense.

Yep, thats exactly the house rule we use. armor piercing attacks/rounds (including warhammers, warpicks etc.) half armor values. Modern guns quarter medieval armor.

Ever since I can remember, we've used an added column for firearms tables, called 'Penetration'. It's a fixed value so for example a 7.62mm FMJ might do 2d8 (5)*, with 5 being the number of armour points it ignores. That way guns can go through light armour without having a hideous damage roll, which would be unrealistic.

*That's a made-up dam. (pen.) stat, by the way, I don't have my tables to hand.