Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 6197800" data-attributes="member: 16586">Thinking about it now I think it depends quite a bit on what role you want violence to play in the game. What does it mean when you draw that sword? Where is the conflict at? How high are the stakes of armed conflict? Are they the same for PCs and NPCs? There are different ways to handle this.One of my favorite rules for making combat suitably lethal, but ensuring character death is still suitably rare come from the revised combat rules for New World of Darkness in the God Machine Chronicles. Basically it works like this: <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">At the start of an armed conflict all players declare what their intent is (what they are actually trying to achieve like get away scot free, get this guy to talk, etc.). The GM declares what the NPCs are trying to achieve.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Once anyone takes a suitable amount of damage (based on stamina for bashing damage, any lethal damage) they are broken down.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">To take any offensive action while broken down requires the expenditure of will power. What lengths are you willing to go to press on despite your wounds.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">At your option once wounded you can give in. The opposing party gets what they want and you gain will power and a beat (xp).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">If your intent is 'murder this sob' all bets are off. The broken down rules do not apply. This will probably incur a breaking point in the game. </li> </ul>This is definitely not that sort of rule that would be suited for a typical D&D game. These rules presume that a significant part of the conflict is willingness to kill, and be hurt. Entering this sort of confrontation says something about your character. "I'm willing to kill and die for this." Killing for killings sake also says something fairly dramatic. Facing off against a deranged serial killer is scary because no amount of force will dissuade him. When you're told at the start "He intends to kill you." it means you need to put them down or be put down. It really helps to place players in the same emotional shoes their character is in.</blockquote>

Verification