In general, the HP system is one of those most frequently tuned in the OSR, and with reasons.
It's not like the original Hit Points system is bad - it is actually very good and especially at lower levels, it works like a charm. You get hit once or twice and if the damage rolls are high, you're gone.
But somehow, being combat so important in the game, and being HP the only thing that separates your character from death, many players and GMs feel the need or the inspiration to tune this system.
Bear in mind that when I say that combat is so important, it is not because it should be the core of an OSR game. In fact, often in the OSR it is better to avoid combat, if possible, because it is so deadly. But in fact, being potentially deadly for the characters, makes it important.
Everyone pays attention when dice are rolled to hit and for damage.
(Unless the procedure drags for too long or it's an endless sequence of miss-miss-miss-miss... but we've seen in Combat: fight and die faster some options about that...)
Now, we're here to talk about alternatives to the basic HP system.
What I see in this sort of house rules is a hunger for more details - for something more detailed than a simple number of hit points. As I said, not because HP is bad - but it lacks flavor and it lacks details such as loosing actions, unconsciousness, bleeding out, maiming, horrible wounds and scars.
All those things can of course be introduced in the game by a wise GM, but having a rules system for that allows you to have consistent rulings at the table.
The first link is by Emmy Allen, who doesn't like death at 0 HP. This is a neat system which reminds me of some critical hit tables in a certain way... although, here, the trigger is not in the hit roll, but in the fact that the character goes to 0 HP or below.
There are various tables, for different types of wounds, and where the system somehow increases a little your character's chances for survival (you're not dead at 0 HP), it brings also to the table a list of severe penalties and horrible wounds (as by the title).
Horrible Wounds in OSR games
by Emmy Allen
I don't like death at 0HP. From a player side its abrupt and always feels arbitrary, and from the ref side it's both quite punishing and doesn't cause enough complications.
When characters hit 0HP, I want them to suffer. They get chopped up, start bleeding, lose body parts, get messed up. Characters that drop to 0HP should aquire scars and problems. They should risk death but have a chance to avoid it if swift medical attention is received. [...]
http://cavegirlgames.blogspot.com/2018/08/horrible-wounds-in-osr-games.htmlI don't like death at 0HP. From a player side its abrupt and always feels arbitrary, and from the ref side it's both quite punishing and doesn't cause enough complications.
When characters hit 0HP, I want them to suffer. They get chopped up, start bleeding, lose body parts, get messed up. Characters that drop to 0HP should aquire scars and problems. They should risk death but have a chance to avoid it if swift medical attention is received. [...]
When damage reduces you to 0 HP or less, or you take any damage when you already had no HP, look at the exact amount of damage dealt and get a result from the list below. It doesn't matter how far 'into the negatives' you are, just look at the result of the dice. Except for the penalties from actual injuries, you can keep on going just fine on 0 HP; adrenaline can do impressive things. [...]
There are 6 sets of wounds to look the damage up on, depending on what caused it. They are:
- Ballistics, for bullets, explosives and other extremely high energy impacts.
- Ripping, for knives, teeth, claws, and other ‘sharp’ physical damage.
- Bludgeoning, for hammers, falling masonry, fists, and other ‘blunt’ physical damage.
- Burns, for fire, acid, digestive enzymes and other sub-stances that physically corrode, burn or eat away at flesh.
- Shocks, for electricity and perhaps extreme cold, radiation or other dangers that suddenly stun or shock the body into uselessness.
- Toxins, for poison, sickness, and other hazardous sub-stances that make the body ill.
[...]
Ballistic Wounds
This damage table should be used for bullets and explosions, and other high-kinetic-energy impacts.
One damage:
The shot rips through internal organs, starting a slow internal bleed. You’re bleeding out, but at a rate of turns rather than rounds.
Two damage:
The bullet’s impact ruins a leg. With one leg, you're reduced to hopping about or relying on crutches. You can’t run, and get disadvantage (roll twice and take the worse result) to rolls requiring physical agility. If both go, you're on the floor unable to get about at all.
Three damage:
The impact of the bullet ruins an arm. You can’t use that hand for anything. Any rolls that require the use of two hands reduces gets disadvantage).
[...]
Ripping Wounds
This damage table should be used for physical wounds. Stabbing, cutting, tearing, crushing, grinding; anything where a solid object is tearing up flesh, use this table.
One damage:
The injury fucks your eye up. You take disadvantage to rolls involving perception, since you can’t see properly.
Two damage:
A particularly savage wound ruins a leg. With one leg, you're reduced to hopping about or relying on crutches. You can’t run, and take disadvantage to rolls requiring physical agility. If both go, you're on the floor unable to get about at all.
Three damage:
A particularly savage wound ruins an arm. You can’t use that hand for anything. Any rolls that require the use of two hands reduces suffers disadvantage.
[...]
Bludgeoning Wounds
This damage table should be used for anything that batters at the victim without having a sharp edge or point as fist, bricks, clubs and so on, where the likely result is to bludgeon the victim into submission rather than rip them to bits.
One damage:
It hurts like hell. You lose your next action.
Two damage:
A sharp blow to the head knocks you unconscious for d12 rounds.
Three damage:
You’re knocked out for d12 rounds by the blow, and when you wake up you’re groggy and dazed. You’re fatigued until somebody spends a turn seeing to you, and passes an Intelligence roll to do so.
[...]
In the next link by Logan Knight we have a slightly different approach. While Emmy Allen introduced wounds at 0 HP, Logan remains on a more classical save or die.
But if an attack causes the maximum damage (so not a critic with a natural 20, but maximum damage), there is a Wounds table - with wounds which could be permanent.
Again, this is interesting because it adds flavor to HP (although in a different way): you may still have even 10 HP but have tremors or spill your guts etc...
Consider that this rule of the max damage makes a d4 weapon/attack potentially much more dangerous, because it has a higher chance of causing a wound.
Death & Dismemberment
by Logan Knight
[...] DYING/WOUNDS
If you’re dropped to 0HP or less, make a CON save or die.
Attacks that roll maximum damage cause a Wound – roll on Blood & Guts table. (Rolling multiple damage dice causes a Wound if any of the dice roll their highest number.)
If you’re still above 0HP most Wounds will heal when you reach max HP again.
If you’re at 0HP or less the Wound is always permanent.
[...]
BLOOD & GUTS
All Wounds received at 0HP or less are permanent.
Wounds 15-20, Critical Hits, and Deathblows are permanent regardless of HP.
If you receive a permanent Wound from 11-20 but you’re still above 0HP start the DEATHCLOCK
[...]
D20 BLOOD & GUTS
1 Tremor
[now and whenever your roll for a physical task matches the damage you just took]
Nerve damage causes you to drop what you're holding/fall/otherwise fail.
2 Anal Trauma
[now and whenever any roll matches the damage you just took]
Make a Doomed CON check each Round or remain helpless while you violently void your bowels.
3 Spill Your Guts
The force of the impact causes you to gush projectile vomit all over everywhere.
All your rolls are Doomed for the next 2 Rounds.
Permanent: As above but the blood you're throwing up really isn't a good sign.
Decrease max HP by d4 to a minimum of 1.
[...]
In this third link by Paolo Greco, we have yet another table (you should have now more than enough to inspire you to make your own) with yet another rule: this time you roll a d6 on the table plus the damage you took below 0 HP (so this time the accumulated damage counts for something).
DO YOU WANT HEMORRHAGING WITH THAT? CRITICAL HITS FOR OSR GAMES (INCLUDING AFG, OF COURSE)
by TSOJCANTH (Paolo Greco)
Going to 0 hits and dying is not fun. What’s fun is losing an arm or an eye instead and play a crippled PC that will live fantastic adventures while become more and more crippled.
So, your hits don’t go below 0 and PCs function fine with 0 hits. But anytime hits go below zero, tally the amount and use it as a modifier on the Internal Organs Are Supposed To Be Internal Table. Damage taken is cumulative for the table, but of you play a game where damage is more than, say, B/X, halve the modifier. AFG effects are in parenthesis.
Staggered is a status characters can suffer from criticals. A staggered character rolls an extra d6 on the IOaStbI Table, can’t act and defend at -3 (-1 FC).
Internal Organs Are Supposed To Be Internal Table (1d6+damage)
2. Cut or bruise. Will leave a scar or permanent bump.
3. For some reason you let your weapon fall off your grasp. That sucks.
4. Badly unbalanced. Staggered for 1 round.
5. Your weapon arm is broken/badly cut. Next time dodge instead of using it as a cover for your head. -3 to hit (-1 FC) for a month.
6. Face blow. You see the stars even from within a dungeon. Staggered for 1d6 rounds. If you have a full face visor, instead SAVE or staggered 1d6 rounds. In any case, SAVE or lose an eye.
[...]
https://tsojcanth.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/do-you-want-hemorragy-with-that-critical-hits-for-osr-games-including-afg-of-course/The next link is a downloadable document, by Eric Nieudan, originally shared on Gplus.
Horrible Wounds in Lunchtime Dungeons
by Eric Nieudan
Heavily inspired by +Emmy Allen's and +Paolo Greco's simple and deadly critical wound systems, here is my own attempt. Compatible with most old school games.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wH1cdJY93wREsMpLz7z7ohulIcYnbO2zs2QPcWjRtU8/edit
Design notes:
- Combat is important because it is often deadly
- Tuning the HP system addresses the need to add flavor to hit points
- It introduces loosing actions, unconsciousness, bleeding out, maiming, horrible wounds and scars
- Wounds have short and long term consequences (and possibly penalties etc...)
- Wounds may be inflicted by different triggers, like getting to 0 HP, or an attack rolling its max damage (a d4 weapon is now potentially much more dangerous because it has a higher chance of causing a wound), or with increasing penalties for how many points below zero you are at
- Wounds and penalties and maiming etc. should be weighted against the total HP which is in any case a natural feature of OSR characters of higher levels; these house-rules should not make higher level characters too weak
No comments:
Post a Comment