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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Water Bob" data-source="post: 5597714" data-attributes="member: 92305">I've got this idea that's been rolling around in the old noggin for about a week or so.  It's not fleshed out at all--it's just a starting point.  But, if developed, it might turn into a pretty good idea. You know there are different hit point models out there, yes?  There's the Vitality/Health point type systems where some of a character's hit points are devoted to his Life's Blood while a bigger portion is considered something else that isn't the character's Life's Blood. My idea, if developed, could be an alternative to the Vitality system without changing the standard d20 (D&D) hit point system by one iota.   My thought is:  What if a weapon delivered nonlethal and lethal damage instead of just lethal damage?  Some portion of the damage delivered is considered nonlethal, while the rest is considered lethal damage. This would not effect the power level of the game as the same amount of damage would still be delivered to victims.  It's just that some damage would heal faster than other damage. For example.... Let's say you take a longsword and swing it.  Your damage is 1d8 + STR mod.  If half the weapon's damage were considered nonlethal damage, then the lethal damage would be the other half + STR mod. If you threw 5 points of damage, and you have STR 16, then you would inflict 2 points of nonlethal damage and 3 + 3 = 6 points of lethal damage. The damage to the character is the same as in the vanilla game.  Normally, a target with 20 hit points would take 5 points of damage, reducing his total to 12 points.  He goes unconscious at -1 HP. With this system, he takes 6 points of damage, reducing hit points to 14, but he goes unconscious at 1 HP instead of -1 HP.  The distance to the unconscious point remains the same in either system. The benefit of the system, though, is that some of the character's damage heals a lot faster than the wound damage.     What I was thinking was to adjust a weapon's percentage of nonlethal damage it delivers based on the weapon's type and the type of armor it is pitted against. For example, slashing weapons are not good weapons to use against plate armor, thus any slashing weapon used against a foe in plate would deliver 75% nonlethal damage and 25% lethal damage. Using the same longsword damage above, the longsword strike would do 4 points of nonlethal damage and 1 + 3 = 4  points of lethal damage. The character's bonus damage from his STR can always be considered lethal damage. Piercing weapons are better weapons to use against plate armor, thus a spear would do 25% nonlethal damage and 75% lethal damage.   Throwing 1d6 for the spear's damage, we get a 5.  STR 16.  Thus, nonlethal damage would be 1 point of damage while the thrust would deliver 7 points of lethal damage (4 + 3 = 7) against the foe in plate.     What I like about this idea is threefold:  First, magical healing is not needed as often because characters can recover from nonlethal damage quite quickly (when compared to lethal damage). Second, the system does not change the damage model one iota, nor does it change the power level of a standard d20 game. Thirdly, it will give players a reason to pick weapons that they normally would not.  As it stands, weapon selection in D&D is a matter of picking the weapon, allowed by the character class, that will do the most damage (and a decision about one or two handed must be made, as well).  With this system, a fighter might actually want to use a one handed spear and shield instead of a longsword.     I think there should be three base percentages used for weapons:  25%, 50%, and 75%. The work would be in deciding how the three weapon types (blunt, pierce, and slash) would compare agains the 8 or 9 different types of standard armor. For example, blunt weapons might be 50% against chain but 25% against soft leather and 75% against hard leather.   Nifty idea?</blockquote>

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