Being knocked silly

[Water Bob]

We've got trip, disarm, sunder, and shield bash--demoralize, feint, and grapple. Not to mention unarmed strike. Plus, the Conan RPG has several others.

Add to this a slew of character conditions.

Are there no contingency rules for just plain getting the crap knocked out of you during combat? Maybe on a successful critical?

It seems like there should be a circumstance where a powerful hit delivers (give the victim a save to negate) a dazed, shaken, or stunned condition to the victim.

Anybody know of such an animal?

 

[TKDB]

One I can think of off the top of my head is the Brutal Strike feat from PHB2, which lets you sicken an opponent as part of a Power Attack with a bludgeoning weapon. I imagine there are probably a few other feats like that out there somewhere, but I don't know of any specific ones offhand. I imagine Complete Warrior and Races of Stone would be good ones to look in, just thinking about the thematic aspect of it.

There are also some ToB maneuvers that use this sort of flavor, like Dazing Strike in Iron Heart, War Master's Charge in White Raven, and the X Vise/Mountain Hammer lines in Stone Dragon.

 

[Greenfield]

Then there's the Stunning Fist maneuver for Monks.

 

[kitcik]

Massive damage rules as written are stupid.

Better to rewrite massive damage - if you take more than 1/2 your HP in one shot, make a Fort save or become stunned.

 

[Grogg of the North]

If your Non-lethal = your HP, you're staggered.

Horned Devil stuns people with each hit.

In Pathfinder, an Ankylosaurus causes daze on a hit (Stunned if critical hit).

And Complete Warrior has a lot of weapon styles that may fit what you're looking for. Anvil of Thunder dazes; Hammer's Edge knocks prone; High Sword Low Axe trips; Three Mountains nauseates. All of which require heavy feat investment.

Complete Warrior also allows you to use your shield to daze and trip.

Anything else you may need to house rule.

 

[Water Bob]

I doubt I'll use it, but something like "any damge that exceeds a the character's highest physical stat requires a save" is speakin' to me.

 

[kitcik]

I doubt I'll use it, but something like "any damge that exceeds a the character's highest physical stat requires a save" is speakin' to me.

This does not work as stats do not scale arithmetically. Therefore, this penalizes high level characters who take a lot of damage but whose stats don't grow proportionately.

Bets to do 1/2 of HP or something like that since HP tend to scale pretty well (in 3E anyway, not 1E).

 

[Water Bob]

This does not work as stats do not scale arithmetically. Therefore, this penalizes high level characters who take a lot of damage but whose stats don't grow proportionately.

You're forgetting, though, that high level characters have easier saves. So, while the high level character will make more saves, he'll also win more of the saves.

So, taking the highest physical stat, using it as a threshold number. Any damage more than that threshold means the character saves against the damage (not sure what the actual save would be) or is knocked back from the blow.

Alternatively (and this may work in D&D, but it wouldn't in Conan), you could take highest stat + level. But I like the above better.

Still, I was just day dreaming about this. I'm not going to develop it and use it.

 

[Nebten]

This will also slow down the game quite a bit. A higher levels, people deal more damage, so more saving throws will be called upon. Then if half of playing field is stunned/staggard that slows the game down because people will lose an round of action or can only perform a standard action.

Conan is a high paced action thriller, not a 15 round fight were the action dramatically slows down near the end.