Grappling Rules...?

[mmadsen]

Boxers did the same thing.

But a boxer's quite obviously worse for wear after a few rounds. Hit points reflect that quite nicely.

 

[I'm A Banana]

When pro wrestling was real, two skilled wrestlers -- not sparring, but trying to throw, pin, and/or submit each other -- used to routinely grapple to a standstill for hours.

In game terms, they probably both had an equally high grapple bonus, and thus neither could inflict damage on the other very well. Whenever someone rolled a grapple check to do damage, the opposed grapple check would win or tie. Or perhaps they are merely both taking 10 on those checks...with equal grapple bonuses this would negate damage every time, until someone got a bonus from something.

HP represents endurance, to a certain extent. This means that the first person to tire and weaken in wrestling D&D combat is the first person out of hp.

 

[Saeviomagy]

[/Indent]One reason that "real" professional wrestling turned into modern "sports entertainment" is that two skilled wrestlers would generally grapple for hours without getting anywhere.

Then explain olympic wrestling...

Typically wrestling nowadays has rules. I don't doubt that if those rules didn't exist, that wrestling would be a lot more dangerous.

 

[Quasqueton]

But a boxer's quite obviously worse for wear after a few rounds. Hit points reflect that quite nicely.

You're changing the parameters of your argument.

Wrestlers in one ring, boxers in the other. Both go at their fights for "hours". You say the wrestlers aren't doing hit point damage, but the boxers are. If a boxer goes down, you say he took enough damage to drop him. Doesn't it follow that if a wrestler goes down, that means he took enough damage to drop him?

Quasqueton

 

[mmadsen]

Then explain olympic wrestling...

Typically wrestling nowadays has rules. I don't doubt that if those rules didn't exist, that wrestling would be a lot more dangerous.

Modern wrestling penalizes stalling and provides points for lesser goals -- low-amplitude takedowns, reversals, escapes, exposing an opponent's back to the mat, etc. Competitors are routinely stood back up (by the ref) to restart the action. And the bout has a set time limit.

 

[mmadsen]

You're changing the parameters of your argument.

Wrestlers in one ring, boxers in the other. Both go at their fights for "hours". You say the wrestlers aren't doing hit point damage, but the boxers are. If a boxer goes down, you say he took enough damage to drop him. Doesn't it follow that if a wrestler goes down, that means he took enough damage to drop him?

The wrestler can get right back up and compete in the next round of the round-robin tournament, no worse for wear. The boxer cannot.