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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Scurvy_Platypus" data-source="post: 8949822" data-attributes="member: 43283">There isn't really a solution that I've seen offered over the years that "does it all" The bit about PF2? That's similar to SDC and Hitpoints from Palladium. The Vitality and Hitpoint variant from 3.5 also hits within this space:[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/vitalityAndWoundPoints.htm[/URL]Ah, but then you'll have people that suggest that maybe the key is that when more than a certain amount of damage is done, THEN that's when the hurting really kicks in. Also about 20 years old:[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/adventuring/massaveDamageThresholdsAndResults.htm[/URL]In both cases, you've got people that immediately start arguing about housecats and daggers.Some sort of alternate track? First, you get people complaining about having to keep track of two different sets of hit points [also a complaint to the SDC/Vitality approach] and then people look to the design space of attacking the "non-hitpoint" hitpoint track. So, Star Wars Saga for example had the Condition Track. And while I never played it, apparently it was quite effective to focus on doing Condition Track damage and short-circuiting fights.I don't do Fate, so I can't comment on Stress and Consequences.For better or worse, I think you have to decide which approach is going to achieve the feel you want for the particular game/rules. If you're looking at this for a publishing thing, maybe the solution is to offer both [or more] options, with one being the form chosen as representative in the rules, but the other is perfectly viable with [x,y,z] changes. Include specific reasons for picking one over the other, so the game table/GM can decide what suits their tastes most.For example:Massive Damage threshold is a great mechanic if you want to highlight certain things. For a modern game, you can use it to highlight the deadliness of firearms. In a fantasy-ish or Wushu sort of game, untrained fisticuffs don't get MDT but people trained in the esoteric arts do. Or maybe your fantasy game, you want to emphasize that certain weapons, attacks, or even fantasy metals are SERIOUS business. They get to tap into an MDT mechanic.SDC/Vitality systems have the potential to lengthen combats. If you're including other options to go along with your combats [extra actions like higher level D&D, or parry/dodge, etc] that makes combats even longer. But on the flip side, you've got people that feel like the combat is "better" because it's a bit more trading blows etc. Having a method to bypass the "surface" damage and get to the meaty deadly damage is usually going to run into problems similar to what you have with Condition tracks. One thing that can be done with a 2-track system like this though is all the non-lethal people to do all their damage to the "surface" damage track and when it zeros out, their foe is unconscious.You can always try combining MDT with a 2-track system as well. Attacks and/or damage that exceed a certain threshold then inflict damage to the lethal damage track. Mixing and matching these, you can tune into a system that should satisfy your needs [at least within a certain spectrum] but you're adding complexity and possibly time to combats in doing so.As with so many things, you can have things good, cheap, or fast. Pick two. Or maybe in this case, fast, realistic...I'm not sure the third axis, I suspect it varies depending on the reader.</blockquote>

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