Inury and Death in a low-magic campaign - what do you recommend?

[GlassJaw]

I'm working on a low-magic campaign using Grim Tales. I've also been looking at Unearthed Arcana for some variant rule ideas. I'm also familiar with the VP/WP system in Star Wars.

To those that have run or played in low-magic campaigns, what system do you recommend for inury and death?

I've never played in a campaign using the VP/WP system. While I'm definitely intrigued by it, I'm a little concerned that it will make crits too powerful, especially used with Grim Tales.

I also might use the Con + 2 per HD massive damage variant in UA.

Anyway, I'm just looking for some comments/suggestions/advice, etc about these various options in a low-magic setting. Thanks!

 

[Darren]

My low-magic group uses Reserve Points from UA. So far it works well. It doesn't reduce the lethality of crits, but it doesn't force you to spend a couple of days with dangerously low hit points either.

One option I particularly like and find very flavorful is the Infusion from the old Masters of the Wild splatbook. Basically, it's similar to a potion, but a spell is stored in a herb, and you eat the herb to activate the infusion. But there is a catch - most characters who use the infusion have to make a Fort save or become nauseated. I like this as a type of primitive herbal "medicine" that you might pick up from some crazy old shaman on the edge of a swamp or something like that. You could use the same idea for some type of smelly salve or ointment. It could be an interesting way to slip in a few cure light wounds while keeping the low-magic theme, but this may or may not be appropriate in your particular campaign.

 

[GlassJaw]

Only one reply? How sad for me. :\

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Only one reply? How sad for me. :\

Dude...some of us live in different timezones and have to sleep once in a while

I've used VP/WP in a variety of games and found it works very well. It keeps the characters on their toes, and encourages tactics other than 'everyone gang up on the toughest guy and power attack.'

It pretty much requires you to use defensive class bonuses and feats that make you harder to hit. It also requires a little care on the GMs part to tune the encounters. Critters with extremely high BAB and damage but low AC/HP that aren't much of a threat in standard D&D can be brutal in a VP/WP system.

 

[Dr Simon]

I can't comment specifically on any D20 based rules, but I currently run a game with low healing and quite fragile characters (it uses the RuneQuest mechanics, which tend to produce characters of a damage-taking potential equivalent to 1st-2nd level D&D fighters, perhaps 3rd for the real toughies).

RuneQuest, as a system, includes parrying and dodge as skills, as well as armour reducing damage rather than making you harder to hit. This gives the players much more control over defensive options than D&D does, but I believe these options are all possible in D20.

I tell a lie, in fact, I am able to give some practical advice - I've had a little playtest with the Forgotten Forge adventure in Eberron and one quick house rule that came up was to allow the use of Action Points to *subtract* from your opponents attack roll (or add to your AC, if your prefer). Sort of a heroic dodge. It didn't make APs any more powerful, but it did give better character survivability.

 

[GlassJaw]

sleep once in a while

What is this sleep you speak of?

As far as the VP/WP system goes, I'm also looking for a simple and fast system.

From what I've gather, using a VP/WP system requires: changing the way crits work, changing the crit ranges of weapons, adding fatigue for wound damage, and defining what can restore each type of damage (rest, Heal skill, magic healing, etc).

 

[Dakkareth]

Expand the use of the heal skill and introduce tools/ingredients giving boni to healing or allow the user to perform well despite being wounded. For once I'd tie the hit points recovered in a rest period more closely to the skill check result ("You exceeded the DC by 5, so the fighter recovers 3 times his level in hp instead of 2."), but I don't know the Grim Tales system, so this is all I can offer.

 

[Red Wyrmling]

I tell a lie, in fact, I am able to give some practical advice - I've had a little playtest with the Forgotten Forge adventure in Eberron and one quick house rule that came up was to allow the use of Action Points to *subtract* from your opponents attack roll (or add to your AC, if your prefer). Sort of a heroic dodge. It didn't make APs any more powerful, but it did give better character survivability.

Hmmmm, interesting suggestion. I think I just made me another houserule!

 

[Steverooo]

Healing

Lotsa stuffs you can do... Heal skill can actually cure 1 HP, but can only be used once/wound, for example (requires book-keeping on how many wounds you take, though).

Better yet is to allow Knowledge (Nature), Survival, and Profession (Herbalist) to all be usable for finding and utilizing healing plants. Simple ones can be common (Cloves of Thurl; brewed into a quart of water, produces a tea which heals 1D4 HP) can be readily found (DC:15), while more potent healing plants (Tolkien's Athelas, Donalson's Mirenna berries) can be rare, and grow only in secluded (dangerous) spots... like right where the BBEGs dwell.

To use a plant, roll the skill used vs. damage, or the Fortitude DC for resisting a poison or disease, and success negates the damage, or restores 1 HP, or... whatever works for the GM, and is appropriate for the difficulty. More rare and miraculous plants should have better results.

 

[Ghostwind]

Anyway, I'm just looking for some comments/suggestions/advice, etc about these various options in a low-magic setting. Thanks!

Have you looked at Torn Asunder (Bastion Press)?