Help Designing a Battle Scars Chart

[Ambershanks]

Hello!
So, in my homebrew, battle prowess is one of the most respected things in society. So much so, that a king or queen cannot rule unless they have been an adventurer of some sort before the ascend to the throne. Well respected warriors are those who's armor bears inlade versions of the scars the person actually carries on their body.
As this has an in game effect, my players have asked me to codify when a wound is worth being called a Battle Scar.
So my dear friends, I'm here to ask your help in designing this.

The thought was this.
When a monster crits a character, there is a small debuff that happens to the character, then once they are healed, the debuff goes away. However this wound will leave a lasting mark on the character. To balance this, I'm thinking of implementing a new skill of sorts. It is kind of like the old 3.5 Action points for those of you familiar.

Does this seem balanced, and more importnantly, can you help me come up with more battlescars? My hope was to have 20.

1. Missing body part: part of a finger, or an ear is now missing. Permenent effect: ?
2. Light wound: character has ongoing damage 5+1/2 level save ends. Permanent effect: small scar on body.
3. Deep wound: character has ongoing damamge 10+1/2 level save ends. Permanent effect: Deep scar on body
4. Foot Broken -1 to speed until healed. Permanent effect: Character now has a limp.
5. Hand Broken -1 to attack with that hand until healed. Permanent effect: Hand is always stiff, or bears a deep scar.
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New Skill: Renown
Each Battle Scar a character has adds to his Renown Skill. A character may add a d4 to rolls where the renown a battle scar my come into play. This could be for an intimidation factor, or used to barter a better price from a merchant to seducing a potential love interest. This can be done as many times per level as a character has renown points, maximum 5+1/2 level). Renown points refresh at each new level.

 

[Rune]

New Skill: Renown
Each Battle Scar a character has adds to his Renown Skill. A character may add a d4 to rolls where the renown a battle scar my come into play. This could be for an intimidation factor, or used to barter a better price from a merchant to seducing a potential love interest. This can be done as many times per level as a character has renown points, maximum 5+1/2 level). Renown points refresh at each new level.

Interesting idea. First, I think Renown as you describe it might work better as a utility power (encounter, or at-will, probably.) than as a skill (I mean, what does a check get you, anyway?).

Even better, consider each specific scar granting a daily/encounter utility power specific to the wound. Obviously, in this case, they would have to be pretty rare--perhaps only received from a crit while bloodied?

 

[Thoras]

One quick question, how are you going to determine which one to pick? Decided based on type of attack, dice roll, player choice etc..?

I think you might be able to expand your list with some more options if you make them a little less broad.

I'm going to try and follow the limited temp effect and non-mechanical(rp only) effect for permanent options

1. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Missing ear: Character suffers -2 to perception until healed. Permanent effect: Difficulty with direction of noises?(stretch, i know)/missing ear[/FONT]
2. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Eye damage: -2 to attack rolls until healed. Permanent effect: Character is missing part/all of an eyelid[/FONT]
3. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Mouth damage: Can't make free actions involving speech until healed. Permanent effect: Lip is curled in a sneer, mouth is distended, [joker] type scars?[/FONT]
4. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Finger wound: -1 to attack rolls until healed. Permanent effect: Missing finger, crippled finger, badly broken/reformed[/FONT]
5. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Chest wound: -2 to Endurance checks/acrobatics(or ongoing damage). Permanent effect: Character missing a nipple/large divot in skin, large scar[/FONT]
6. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Foot damage: -1 to speed until healed. Permanent effect: Character now has a limp[/FONT]
7. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Burns: +2 damage when burned again until healed(Burning a burn again HURTS!). Permanent effect: Stiff appendage, shiny scars etc[/FONT]
8. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Bad bruising: Increased fumble chance until healed(character winces). Permanent effect: Discolored skin maybe?[/FONT]
9. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Serrated Cut: ongoing -2 from blood loss, save ends. Permanent effect: Jagged scar, skin heals in uneven ridges etc.[/FONT]
10. [FONT=Courier New, monospace]Piercing wound: ongoing -2 from blood loss, save ends. Permanent effect: White oval/circular scarring[/FONT]

I'm finding it a bit difficult to come up with meaningful differences myself. What if you picked a few temp effects based on type, then worked the scars depending on the scenario?

“[FONT=Courier New, monospace]You feel an intense pain as the blunt side of his flaming longsword slams into your chest, knocking the wind out of you” (Your battlescar is a shiny burn in the shape of a sword blade)[/FONT]

“[FONT=Courier New, monospace]You can feel the necrotic energy of bad guys magic eating into your hand”(Your battlescar is a covering of dead flesh that pit your entire hand}[/FONT]

“[FONT=Courier New, monospace]You feel the bite of his whip as x snaps it at your face!” (Your now missing the upper portion of your right eyelid)[/FONT]

“[FONT=Courier New, monospace]You feel your feet losing strength and warmth as the blast of his icy magic slams into you!”(Your left leg/foot is now permanently blackened from sever frostbite)[/FONT]