RangerWickett
Legend
I'm planning to run a Halloween game for my friends this coming month, with a bit of a Gothic horror 'peasants with pitchforks vs. bloodthirsty monsters' vibe. I've considered things like Dread or FATE, but I want some actual combat and solid mechanics for the players, while I worry about the narrative elements from the GM side. So I'm retooling D&D 5e to be supremely simplistic.
Characters
The PCs are pregenerated, and are all basically classless people with 6 hit points and a background. They'll basically just have ability scores, hit points, and a couple proficient skills, with no class abilities. The old retired soldier will get a +2 bonus to melee weapon attack rolls, and the woodsman will get a +2 bonus to ranged weapon attack rolls.
Combat
Initiative, attack rolls, damage, cover, and all that basic stuff works the same. Weapons will mostly all be 1d4 (dagger, club, animal bite), 1d6 (cleaver, pitchfork, monstrous claw), or 1d8 (sword, axe, spear).
Hit points and injuries function in a different, more gruesome manner.
With a one minute rest you recover all your hit points. However, every time you drop to 0 HP, you gain a level of exhaustion, which won't recover during the course of this adventure.
Level Effect
1 Disadvantage on ability checks
2 Speed halved
3 Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws
4 Hit point maximum halved
5 Speed reduced to 0
6 Death
Whenever you have 0 hit points and you take another hit, in addition to suffering another level of exhaustion, make a Constitution save (DC 10) or else you suffer a wound. The type of wound depends on how much damage the attack would inflict.
Most enemies will yield or flee when reduced to 0 hit points, so you don't have to mangle them and finish them off.
How does this sound? Anything I'm missing?
Characters
The PCs are pregenerated, and are all basically classless people with 6 hit points and a background. They'll basically just have ability scores, hit points, and a couple proficient skills, with no class abilities. The old retired soldier will get a +2 bonus to melee weapon attack rolls, and the woodsman will get a +2 bonus to ranged weapon attack rolls.
Combat
Initiative, attack rolls, damage, cover, and all that basic stuff works the same. Weapons will mostly all be 1d4 (dagger, club, animal bite), 1d6 (cleaver, pitchfork, monstrous claw), or 1d8 (sword, axe, spear).
Hit points and injuries function in a different, more gruesome manner.
With a one minute rest you recover all your hit points. However, every time you drop to 0 HP, you gain a level of exhaustion, which won't recover during the course of this adventure.
Level Effect
1 Disadvantage on ability checks
2 Speed halved
3 Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws
4 Hit point maximum halved
5 Speed reduced to 0
6 Death
Whenever you have 0 hit points and you take another hit, in addition to suffering another level of exhaustion, make a Constitution save (DC 10) or else you suffer a wound. The type of wound depends on how much damage the attack would inflict.
- Injured Foot. Speed reduced by 5 feet. A second such hit disables the foot and halves your speed. (Disable probably means 'sever.')
- Injured Hand. Disadvantage when using that hand. A second such hit disables the hand.
- Injured Eyes. Disadvantage on Perception. A second hit blinds the character.
- Injured Torso. Character suffers effects of being one level of exhaustion worse, except that this can't kill the person. (If you have 5 levels of fatigue and a torso wound, you're barely clinging to life, unable to do anything but talk.)
- Bleeding. Character makes another Constitution save (DC 10) each round to avoid suffering another level of exhaustion. A success stops the bleeding.
- Severed Leg. As two hits on a foot, plus bleeding.
- Severed Arm. As two hits on a hand, plus bleeding.
- Mangled Face. As one hit on a face, plus unable to speak, plus bleeding.
- Horrid Bleeding. Bleeding, but the save DC is 20.
- Instant Death.
- Excessively Gruesome Death. Everyone within 5 feet is blinded from a spray of blood until they spend an action to clean themselves.
Most enemies will yield or flee when reduced to 0 hit points, so you don't have to mangle them and finish them off.
How does this sound? Anything I'm missing?
