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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Skywalker" data-source="post: 2214249" data-attributes="member: 1538">I am currently planning a military style campaign in Iron Kingdoms using the variants from Black Company. Generally, I have a number of issues with D&D combat mechanics. In particular:1. HP escalation being unrealistic, and2. Attack Progression increasing much higher than AC making high level combat more about attrition.Anyway, one of the things that my reading of 15th Century military accounts has lead me to want to incorporate the mental effects of warfare. Though skill is important, warfare is generally a brutal affair that is not so much about trading blows but wearing down your target. There were very few swashbucklers, mostly it was heavily armoured me bludgeoning each other. Those with steely nerves seemed to last much longer. I then realised that D&D actually does a good job of replicating this. All I had to clarify that 'Hit Points' reflects 'Morale' and 'Massive Damage Threshold' is essentially a 'Breaking Point'. I note that in Black Company wounds are Con damage.The result is that combat was about the slow attrition. Many fights over many days can make soldiers more easy to break and weary. Generally, someone is capable of defending themselves until they either slowly loose it or are struck by a blow that scares them witless. This also means that attacks are more about successfully threatening your target and not necessarily just wounding them. This justifies the high Attack Progressions. A skilled warrior can easily threaten opponents, even a similarly skilled warrior. This may sound all a bit unnecessary and "obvious" but from a narration POV it makes things easier. No more shrugging away arrow hits. Con damage is wounds. Morale loss can be anything the PC wishes to narrate from seeing a friend die to blood in the eyes to a sudden realisation how close that swing came to one's face etc.Any comments/thoughts?</blockquote>

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