Battle Scars

[HP Dreadnought]

Ok. . . I haven't thought all the way through this. . . that's what I have you guys for! I thought I'd see if anybody had any good ideas on how to do this.

What I'm interested in is a system whereby characters who die, can 'miraculously survive' but accquire a permanent battle scar that affects them in some way. The intent is partially to allow people to hang on to favored characters, but mostly because I think it would be cool to have all kinds of maimed adventurers running around.

Here are the salient design points I'm thinking of that I'd like feedback/suggestions on.

1. Have a 2 tier table. One less severe table for a battle scar you get the first time you die. A second table for a battle scar you get the second time you die. Third time you're just dead.

2. I think it would be neat if the scars in some cases provided an interesting little benefit. Maybe not offseting the drawback, but making it feel like the character doesn't have this permanent negative with nothing to show for it. Just something to make things interesting.

3. First table ideas (just spitballing here)

- Loose an eye: -1 to all attacks, +1 to intimidate
- Loose a hand: Cannot use 2 handed melee weapons. 2 handed bows can be used with special arm attachment, but suffer -1 to hit. (Minor benefit for this?)
- Lamed leg. -1 to your speed
- Loose fingers?
- Weakened constitution -1 to saves?

I don't want to do just stat adjustments, but have something that actively afflicts the character that maybe some roleplaying can be done around.

4. Second table ideas
- Loose an arm: cannot use shields or any form of 2 handed weapon
- Loose a leg: -2 to your speed. Cannot run or charge
- Permanent mind fog: 1 in 10 chance every round of loosing your move action


Anyway. . . just something along those lines. Anybody have any good ideas?

 

[Sanzuo]

I think, instead of when someone gets killed, It'd be cool to have a critical hit table. Whenever a character gets hit by a critical, roll on the table.

Maybe there's a 75%-90% chance that there's no additional effect, but if they roll that slim chance then you can start giving them status effects like scars and the like.

There could be a different list of tables for different types of damage, like when the player gets hit by spell damage as opposed to melee or something.

I know one of the most fun moments when my group is playing Dark Heresy is looking at the critical damage chart to see what happens. One of my PCs got his FACE chopped off... and lived!

Also don't we have a house rules forum now or something?

edit: yup

 

[Wormwood]

edit: never mind. kinda got off topic there.

 

[Kabol]

Prob is - you inflict these kinds of conditions on a character, and many people will lose interest in them.

I think the Easiest Answer would be, Stop killing your players off so much that you need to worry about things like this.