Making combat less deadly.

[Dungeonmaster P]

Hi all.

Anyone out there having any systems or tips on how to make the d20 Combat less deadly. In a week Im starting a new campaign and all the PCs tend to be rather weak casters and political types.

There is no Raise dead in this world so when You go You go. Emphasis in this campaign is on political backstabbing and roleplaying but there is bound to be conflict around the way.

I still want combat to feel uneasy for the players and involving a lot of risk. But still not force them to make a new character if all goes against them.

Any ideas...? Thanks in advance.
Dungeonmaster P.

 

[Marimmar]

Here are my suggestions:

1) Remove critical hits from the game.

2) Exchange dead at -10 for dead at -Con HPs

3) Let Toughness not only add 3 to their max. HPs but also to number they may go down into the negatives before dying.

4) Remove all save-or-die spells from the game.

~Marimmar

 

[The Amazing Dingo]

Not so much a rules thing and I realize you might have already done this very thing, but something I think that will cut down on PC death is to make your stance on combat/death very clear at the onset. Let them know that their PCs can die and will not be able to be brought back.

Better then any rule(s), this will make the players aware of the danger and they will definately think more then twice before entering dangerous situations. I've found it makes things even more political as PCs try to get as many allies as possible and set-up their enemies.

 

[Li Shenron]

Other suggestions:

1) Roleplay NPCs and monsters in a less mercyless way. Think of what would happen in RL when people fight, most of the time the #1 concern is survival and self-defense (at least always coming before everything else), so a creature in combat won't generally attack someone who's already unconscious.

2) Emphasize laws against violence: in the setting, killing for self-defense may be the only case accepted by the law. Nonetheless, killing 30 people by self-defense is surely going to raise some suspicion in the law enforcers.

3) Use some variant for improved natural healing or non-magical healing through heal/alchemy/herbalism.

4) Use some variant which partially turns damage into nonlethal (UA has one).

5) Automatically stabilizes anyone with negative HP (eventually you can still roll once per hour or something, to see if they die).

6) Change any insta-kill effect into just putting someone to negative HP.

 

[Dungeonmaster P]

Thankyou all.

Please keep´em coming if anyone have anymore ideas.

Thanks
Dungeonmaster P.

 

[Paragon Kobold]

Use the action point rules from AU. They can be used to stabilize when bleeding, or for
saving throws. When you survive only by using action points one certainly feels the world is dangerous, but you don't have to make a new character

 

[irdeggman]

Double check the CR of encounter being used. The ones in the books won't work as written because they assume certain things that based on your description have been removed from the game.

One of the things that frequently happens is that DMs fail to make circumstance adjustments for encounters. For example out DM has often used the full party EL when making up "random" encounters for when the party is sleeping. This is not quite correct since the party is not equipped to the norm (e.g., no armor, spells not recovered, etc.) hence the enconters were heavy on the deadly side. Now when we managed to sneak up on group of baddies while they were sleeping we pretty much wupped them soundly and quickly (same concept being applied in reverse).

 

[Plane Sailing]

One option used in campaigns I play in

die at - (CON + level), so a 10th level character with 14 Con dies at -24.

One option I use in my campaign

when you reach -10 (or lower) hp you must make a special level check (d20+level) against a DC equal to your total -ve hp. If you succeed you stabilise on the edge of life, if you fail you're gone. e.g. the giant smites you and takes you to -15. Make a DC15 level check to just hang on to life.

 

[Greatwyrm]

If you're doing a political game, give the PCs reasons not to kill people.

1. Give them info the PCs need. Dead men tell no tales, or at least fewer ones if you have to resort to speak with dead .

2. Give them political influence. Killing members of a guild or political group could bring serious consequences, inside or outside the legal system.

3. Give them friends, lots of them. Don't kill a guy who runs a swordsmanship school unless you want 50 apprentice swordsmen after you. Don't kill the dockmaster unless you want the entire Porters' Guild looking for you.

4. Take hostages. You kill me and the girl dies. Try not to use this too much, though.

 

[Thanee]

"Surrender or die!"

"Wise choice... now listen, I have an idea how you could get yourself out of this quite unpleasant situation... you are certainly familiar with..."

There are other penalties for losing combat than just death.

Bye
Thanee