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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 5601141" data-attributes="member: 18280">Probably not well enough!  <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/laugh.png"  class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":lol:" title="Laughing    :lol:" data-shortname=":lol:" />The flippant side of me wants to say "decades of experience".  As I said in the bit you quoted, "all special effect system falls down under its own weight".For genre simulation, it is desireable that Conan not be evicerated by just any successful attack.....certainly this is not what REH describes.  Despite statements to the contrary in this thread, Howard does describe Conan as having suffered minor injuries, on multiple occasions.You could, I suppose, have a game that says "On each successful hit, roll on the Hit Results table, and apply to the character", but unless there was a seperate chart for each creature form (biped humanoid, quadruped, centaurian, biped nonhumanoid, ooze, two-headed biped, three-headed biped, three-headed winged quadruped, etc.) the system would offer as many (or more) WTF moments as a pure hp system (without special effects), would be more cumbersome to use, and would offer what in way of amelioration for those deficiencies?You could offer a system where each player chooses specific tactics against a matrix that determines result, with the same problems, as well as (probably) a far slower combat resolution.You could offer a system where choice of tactic instead causes a penalty to the attack roll, and causes the special effect when successful....but then why would one not choose "Kill my opponent" (or the closest thing thereunto) every time?  Even if the PCs did not so choose, because the odds were against them in succeeding, the GM rolls far more attacks than the players.  There is a reason why my Get the Drop allows you to have a chance to make a more deadly attack, but still targets hit points.PCs in "special effects" rich games are well advised to avoid combat, unless (as in 4e) the "special effects" themselves are on a diet (i.e., paralysis "lite")....in which case you still need another mechanic to resolve the combat.In short, while I cannot rule out the possibility of a great non-hit point combat system, I have yet to see one that works as well.  To paraphrase another poster from upthread (and, yes, I am too lazy to check who it was), hit points are the worst system there is....except all the other ones.  But, for my money, "hit points + special effects" is gold.  And, not surprisingly, that has been the standard for rpgs since Gary and Dave put pen to paper.RC</blockquote>

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