Mercule
Adventurer
I used to use some pretty nasty critical hits tables (from Dragon "Good Hits, Bad Misses", with a chance for Role Master charts on top). It was fun for that group's play style at that time. I considered throwing something similar into 3e, but the increased chance of critting discouraged me from doing so. Instead, maiming ended up being GM fiat for "you should have died here", like when the wizard triggered the disintegrate trap and only lost an arm (later regenerated, but at a significant cost). Again, that worked great for my current group.
I don't think grievous injury should be a standard rule in D&D. If I were to create some sort of standardized sidebar rule, though, I think I'd base it on the new death and dying saves.
Version 1
There are three saves, under the current system. Each could have the stakes raised.
Failing the first save gives a short-term "grievous wound". This would be a -1" to movement or a single -2 stat penalty. Either of these would last, say one week. That's long enough to impact the game, but not too long.
Failing the second save gives a longer-term wound. The same penalties as above, but lasting somewhere from a month to a season. Alternatively, it could be twice the basic penalty, but shorter in duration.
Failing the third save (yes, this does make dying harder -- I don't think having some compensation is a bad thing for the risk) gives a permanent wound of the -1"/-2 stat variety. Again, an alternate approach would be a -2"/-4 stat penalty that lasts for a month. At this point, dismemberment could be substituted for the numeric penalty.
The fourth save is for death.
Version 2
This doesn't differ much from the above. The main difference is a recovery save.
For a level 1 grievous wound (1 failed save), the penalty is still -1" or -2 stat. Instead of having a set duration, though, the character is allowed a save every week. Failure indicates no change. Success indicates the character recovers.
A level 2 grievous wound (2 failed saves) carries a penalty of -2" or -4 stat. The recovery save is allowed monthly, with a success resulting in a reduction to a level 1 wound, with all relevant rules (including the weekly recovery save).
A level 3 grievous wound (2 failed saves) is really a level 1 wound that's permanent (no save to recover and your friends call your "Lefty" or "Hopalong") and a level 2 wound (with normal recovery chances).
Version 3
And, now for something completely different. This one doesn't tie to the death and dying rules. Instead, it's based on the Fortitude Defense and requires three additional values (similar to bloodied) to be recorded on your sheet. These are your "Wound Thresholds" and are equal to 1x, 2x, and 3x your Fort.
If you take damage from a single attack or instance of a power* that is equal to a Threshold, you take a grievous wound (as described above) according to the highest Threshold broken. Thus, if someone with a Fort of 18 takes 39 damage (breaking the Wound 2 Threshold of 36) from a lightning bolt, he will take a level 2 wound and have a -2" or -4 stat penalty. If he were to take 58 damage (Wound 3 Threshold = 54) from a dragon bite, I hope he isn't wielding a greatsword or planning to take up dance.
Of course, these Thresholds tend to set the bar for dismemberment high enough that lower level Heroic characters are unlikely to survive such damage. I think this is a good thing for several reasons. Newer characters have less attachment to them and a permanent injury could make it easier to just ditch the character and start a new one. Paragon and Epic level characters are likely to have access to regenerative magic, so a permanent injury is more of a speed bump, though a potentially flavorful one, to them. Also, a -2 stat penalty for a week at 2nd level is likely to be roughly as debilitating as a -6 stat penalty until the next town at 12th level, so it scales well. Plus, more skilled, lucky, or hardy (i.e. higher level) people being able to survive -- and even keep fighting after receiving -- grievous wounds just plain makes more sense.
* Continuing damage may or may not stack with itself, depend on whether your game would find it appropriate for someone to watch their leg be dissolved in acid over four rounds.
I don't think grievous injury should be a standard rule in D&D. If I were to create some sort of standardized sidebar rule, though, I think I'd base it on the new death and dying saves.
Version 1
There are three saves, under the current system. Each could have the stakes raised.
Failing the first save gives a short-term "grievous wound". This would be a -1" to movement or a single -2 stat penalty. Either of these would last, say one week. That's long enough to impact the game, but not too long.
Failing the second save gives a longer-term wound. The same penalties as above, but lasting somewhere from a month to a season. Alternatively, it could be twice the basic penalty, but shorter in duration.
Failing the third save (yes, this does make dying harder -- I don't think having some compensation is a bad thing for the risk) gives a permanent wound of the -1"/-2 stat variety. Again, an alternate approach would be a -2"/-4 stat penalty that lasts for a month. At this point, dismemberment could be substituted for the numeric penalty.
The fourth save is for death.
Version 2
This doesn't differ much from the above. The main difference is a recovery save.
For a level 1 grievous wound (1 failed save), the penalty is still -1" or -2 stat. Instead of having a set duration, though, the character is allowed a save every week. Failure indicates no change. Success indicates the character recovers.
A level 2 grievous wound (2 failed saves) carries a penalty of -2" or -4 stat. The recovery save is allowed monthly, with a success resulting in a reduction to a level 1 wound, with all relevant rules (including the weekly recovery save).
A level 3 grievous wound (2 failed saves) is really a level 1 wound that's permanent (no save to recover and your friends call your "Lefty" or "Hopalong") and a level 2 wound (with normal recovery chances).
Version 3
And, now for something completely different. This one doesn't tie to the death and dying rules. Instead, it's based on the Fortitude Defense and requires three additional values (similar to bloodied) to be recorded on your sheet. These are your "Wound Thresholds" and are equal to 1x, 2x, and 3x your Fort.
If you take damage from a single attack or instance of a power* that is equal to a Threshold, you take a grievous wound (as described above) according to the highest Threshold broken. Thus, if someone with a Fort of 18 takes 39 damage (breaking the Wound 2 Threshold of 36) from a lightning bolt, he will take a level 2 wound and have a -2" or -4 stat penalty. If he were to take 58 damage (Wound 3 Threshold = 54) from a dragon bite, I hope he isn't wielding a greatsword or planning to take up dance.
Of course, these Thresholds tend to set the bar for dismemberment high enough that lower level Heroic characters are unlikely to survive such damage. I think this is a good thing for several reasons. Newer characters have less attachment to them and a permanent injury could make it easier to just ditch the character and start a new one. Paragon and Epic level characters are likely to have access to regenerative magic, so a permanent injury is more of a speed bump, though a potentially flavorful one, to them. Also, a -2 stat penalty for a week at 2nd level is likely to be roughly as debilitating as a -6 stat penalty until the next town at 12th level, so it scales well. Plus, more skilled, lucky, or hardy (i.e. higher level) people being able to survive -- and even keep fighting after receiving -- grievous wounds just plain makes more sense.
* Continuing damage may or may not stack with itself, depend on whether your game would find it appropriate for someone to watch their leg be dissolved in acid over four rounds.
