D&D General In Celebration of Over The Top Violence in D&D

[Shardstone]

The level of violence and gore in Invincible is exactly what I want in my D&D games. I'm all here for the ultra-violence.

 

[Orius]

Most of the time my combats tend to be, "You hit," "You miss." Once I think the players might be getting bored though, it's head lopping, blood fountains and flesh wounds everywhere! And the occasional vague snark about chunky salsa. I avoid too much detailed violence more due to the abstraction of hp than anything else.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

It's dependent on system and campaign theme. But both me and my players do try to fill combat with descriptions of effect, fitting the theme.

I'm currently riding a Dungeon Crawl Classics high though, starting a campaign next month where I expect 80ies heavy metal splatter movie levels of flying body parts and blood fountains. Fun will be had.

 

[Theory of Games]

Eh. Because D&D Hit Points are an abstraction, I normally keep it "Rated-G". Finishing blows can get a little graphic, but for the most part D&D violence is closer to Disney's Robin Hood than Miike's 13 Assassins.

Now if I'm running GURPS or Shadowrun, then heads will roll.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Look, I start from hitpoints = meat points. There is nowhere to go but hyper-violence.

 

[Micah Sweet]

As a counterpoint to that other thread:

I don't like realistic violence. I have been too close to real wrold violence to enjoy it as entertainment.

But glorious, ridiculous, over the top ultraa-violence? Bring it on.

When the PCs take out a monster, I want blood spraying across the dungeon walls. I want bones cracking and gobs of gore flying. Spells should shatter teeth and boil eyeballs and set clothes, skin, hair, horns, scales and flesh afire.

The heroes should end fights knee deep in mud, blood and offal and be smiling like Billy butcher in The Boys.

D&D is metal. It is 80s B-movies. It is grimdark military fantasy. It is Garth Ennis comics. Or, at least, for me it should be.

On a scale of Superfriends to The Boys, where do you like your D&D violence level?

The Boys is usually too much for me. That's literally why I stopped watching it (I thought it was very interesting and thought-provoking otherwise, but the ridiculous emphasis on ultra-violence made it hard to watch). Invincible is about as ultra as I want my violence.

 

[aco175]

I generally get from the players, "I hit this guy for 10 points." and I say, "The orc hits you for 1d12+2." Some criticals and finishing blows may get something more, but not much.