Okay, I'm bored with hit points. I don't have a good reason, just am. I want to do away with hit points.
So, I've produced some notes towards a combat system. They are not complete. So questions like "what about XYZ" will usually be answerable with "haven't gotten to that, yet".
Here they are, essentially usuing the 3.5SRD as a template:
COMBAT STATISTICS
This section summarizes the statistics that determine success in combat, and then details how to use
ATTACK ROLL
An attack roll represents your attempt to strike your opponent on your turn in a round. It is used in a contested use of skills of attack roll vs. defense roll. It consists of a d20 plus an attacker's attack bonus.
DEFENSE ROLL
An attack roll represents an attempt avoid being hit. It is used in a contested use of skills of attack roll vs. defense roll. It consists of a d20 plus a defender's defence bonus.
ATTACK BONUS
Your attack bonus with a melee weapon is:
Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier
With a ranged weapon, your attack bonus is:
Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + range penalty
DEFENSE BONUS
Your defense bonus against a melee or thrown weapon is:
(Base reflex save + Dexterity modifier + size modifier + shield bonus + half of base attack bonus, rounded down).
Your defense bonus against any other missile weapon is:
(Base reflex save + Dexterity modifier + half of base attack bonus, rounded down), divided by two, rounded down + size modifier + shield bonus.
If you can’t react to a blow, you get no defense roll at all.
Other Modifiers: Many other factors modify your defense.
Deflection Bonus: Magical deflection effects ward off attacks and improve your defense.
Dodge Bonuses: Some other defense bonuses represent actively avoiding blows. These bonuses are called dodge bonuses. Any situation that denies you your defense bonus also denies you dodge bonuses. (Wearing armor, however, does not limit these bonuses the way it limits a defense bonus.) Unlike most sorts of bonuses, dodge bonuses stack with each other.
DAMAGE
When your attack succeeds, you deal damage. The type of weapon used determines the amount of damage you deal. Effects that modify weapon damage apply to unarmed strikes and the natural physical attack forms of creatures. Damage determines what wounds a target suffers.
Multiplying Damage: Sometimes you multiply damage by some factor, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results. Note: When you multiply damage more than once, add the multipliers before multiplying.
Exception: Extra damage dice over and above a weapon’s normal damage are never multiplied.
Ability Damage: Certain creatures and magical effects can cause temporary ability damage (a reduction to an ability score).
ARMOR CLASS
Your Armor Class (AC) represents how hard it is for opponents to land a solid, damaging blow on you. An opponent may connect with a weapon by defeating your defense, but if it doesn’t bypass your armor, it is meaningless. Your AC is equal to your armor bonus plus other modifiers. For an attack to do damage, it must not only make contact, but the damage roll plus damage bonuses (from Strength, magic, etc.) must equal or exceed your AC. (The Finesse feat permits adding Dexterity bonus instead of the Strength bonus.) If the roll is under your AC, no damage makes it through your armor.
Note that armor limits your Dex bonus, so if you’re wearing armor, you might not be able to apply your whole Dex bonus to your Defense bonus.
Other Modifiers: Many other factors modify your AC.
Enhancement Bonuses: Enhancement effects improves your AC.
Natural Armor: Natural armor improves your AC.
Touch Attacks: Some attacks disregard armor, including natural armor. In these cases, the attacker makes a normal attack roll opposed by a defense roll (either ranged or melee). When you are the target of a touch attack, your AC doesn’t count. Normal defense still applies.
INJURIES
Your current physical well-being is partially reflected by your wound level. Wounds impose a penalty on all acts due to shock and pain. A wound occurs when your body could not shrug off damage from an attack.
INJURY LEVELS
Injury levels impose penalties to all combat rolls, all skills rolls, and most other rolls that reflect conscious activity. The severity of the injury determines the penalty, the time it would take to fully recover by purely natural means, and how often to check for character death.
Each wound level has associated attributes. Penalty is applied to all rolls made for or by you that require activity, physical or mental. Healing time is the time it would take with adequate non-magical medical care and rest to completely heal from the wound. Death check refers to how often you must make a fortitude save (DC equal to penalty) to avoid dying from later infection or complications of the wounds until you heal or are healed of them. Generally, with competent medical care, there is little risk of death for anything less than a serious wound.
SHRUG ROLLS
To try to shrug off damage, roll a d20 and add your shrug bonus.
SHRUG BONUS
Your shrug bonus is
Base fortitude save + Constitution modifier.
The DC for this roll is
Base weapon momentum + damage rolled (including multipliers and other bonuses).
Note that “damage rolled” is the identical, self-same roll used previously to determine armor penetration.
(Base weapon momentum will end up being the maximum normal rolled damage for most weapons, so a longsword would have a momentum of 8, a dagger a momentum of 4, etc.)
If the shrug roll is failed, then you have been injured. Severity depends upon your size category and the weapon’s size category. A weapon of the same size category as you (a two-handed weapon) would inflict a serious wound. A one-handed weapon (for you) would inflict a moderate wound, a light weapon would inflict a light wound, and anything smaller would cause but a mere minor wound. Weapons one category larger than a two-handed weapon would cause critical wounds, two categories leave you harmed, and three categories slay outright.
Note that this is determined by relative size category. Thus, a human-sized longsword would inflict a moderate wound on another human but would give a halfling a serious wound. Likewise, an ogre would only suffer a light wound from such a weapon.
Critical hits add to the severity of a wound, X2 adding one severity, X3 adding two, etc. This is in addition to multiplying damage to apply against a shrug roll.
INJURY ACCUMULATION
Injuries do not “add” directly. If you are injured and suffer another injury of greater severity, it “replaces” the injury you had. If you suffer another injury of equal severity to your current state, you must make a fortitude save with a DC equal to your injury penalty plus 10. For example, if you had already suffered a moderate wound and were hit with a second moderate wound, your DC would be equal to 14. Failure “promotes” your injury severity one level. If you suffer an injury one level lower than your current severity, then you must make a fortitude save with a DC equal to your current severity’s penalty plus 5. Lesser new injuries can be ignored.
Shock and Incapacitation
Whenever you are wounded, there is a chance that your body will betray you, sliding into shock and helplessness. Whenever you suffer a wound no less than one level lower than your current wound level, on the round you are wounded, you must make a Fortitude save with a DC equal to twice the penalty of the wound that has just been inflicted. Failure means you have gone into shock and will collapse to the ground, helpless. You may make a Will save with a DC equal to twice your current wound penalty to remain active, but if you succeed, your wound level will automatically increase by one as soon as you stop fighting. Your heroic effort has injured you further. Once you are running on Will alone, the Will roll must be repeated whenever you are further wounded.
So, I've produced some notes towards a combat system. They are not complete. So questions like "what about XYZ" will usually be answerable with "haven't gotten to that, yet".
Here they are, essentially usuing the 3.5SRD as a template:
COMBAT STATISTICS
This section summarizes the statistics that determine success in combat, and then details how to use
ATTACK ROLL
An attack roll represents your attempt to strike your opponent on your turn in a round. It is used in a contested use of skills of attack roll vs. defense roll. It consists of a d20 plus an attacker's attack bonus.
DEFENSE ROLL
An attack roll represents an attempt avoid being hit. It is used in a contested use of skills of attack roll vs. defense roll. It consists of a d20 plus a defender's defence bonus.
ATTACK BONUS
Your attack bonus with a melee weapon is:
Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier
With a ranged weapon, your attack bonus is:
Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + range penalty
DEFENSE BONUS
Your defense bonus against a melee or thrown weapon is:
(Base reflex save + Dexterity modifier + size modifier + shield bonus + half of base attack bonus, rounded down).
Your defense bonus against any other missile weapon is:
(Base reflex save + Dexterity modifier + half of base attack bonus, rounded down), divided by two, rounded down + size modifier + shield bonus.
If you can’t react to a blow, you get no defense roll at all.
Other Modifiers: Many other factors modify your defense.
Deflection Bonus: Magical deflection effects ward off attacks and improve your defense.
Dodge Bonuses: Some other defense bonuses represent actively avoiding blows. These bonuses are called dodge bonuses. Any situation that denies you your defense bonus also denies you dodge bonuses. (Wearing armor, however, does not limit these bonuses the way it limits a defense bonus.) Unlike most sorts of bonuses, dodge bonuses stack with each other.
Code:
Table: Size Modifiers
Size Size Modifier Size Size Modifier
Colossal –8 Small +1
Gargantuan –4 Tiny +2
Huge –2 Diminutive +4
Large –1 Fine +8
Medium +0DAMAGE
When your attack succeeds, you deal damage. The type of weapon used determines the amount of damage you deal. Effects that modify weapon damage apply to unarmed strikes and the natural physical attack forms of creatures. Damage determines what wounds a target suffers.
Multiplying Damage: Sometimes you multiply damage by some factor, such as on a critical hit. Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results. Note: When you multiply damage more than once, add the multipliers before multiplying.
Exception: Extra damage dice over and above a weapon’s normal damage are never multiplied.
Ability Damage: Certain creatures and magical effects can cause temporary ability damage (a reduction to an ability score).
ARMOR CLASS
Your Armor Class (AC) represents how hard it is for opponents to land a solid, damaging blow on you. An opponent may connect with a weapon by defeating your defense, but if it doesn’t bypass your armor, it is meaningless. Your AC is equal to your armor bonus plus other modifiers. For an attack to do damage, it must not only make contact, but the damage roll plus damage bonuses (from Strength, magic, etc.) must equal or exceed your AC. (The Finesse feat permits adding Dexterity bonus instead of the Strength bonus.) If the roll is under your AC, no damage makes it through your armor.
Note that armor limits your Dex bonus, so if you’re wearing armor, you might not be able to apply your whole Dex bonus to your Defense bonus.
Other Modifiers: Many other factors modify your AC.
Enhancement Bonuses: Enhancement effects improves your AC.
Natural Armor: Natural armor improves your AC.
Touch Attacks: Some attacks disregard armor, including natural armor. In these cases, the attacker makes a normal attack roll opposed by a defense roll (either ranged or melee). When you are the target of a touch attack, your AC doesn’t count. Normal defense still applies.
INJURIES
Your current physical well-being is partially reflected by your wound level. Wounds impose a penalty on all acts due to shock and pain. A wound occurs when your body could not shrug off damage from an attack.
INJURY LEVELS
Injury levels impose penalties to all combat rolls, all skills rolls, and most other rolls that reflect conscious activity. The severity of the injury determines the penalty, the time it would take to fully recover by purely natural means, and how often to check for character death.
Code:
Level Penalty Healing Time Death Check
uninjured 0 na na
minor -1 1 day never
light -2 1 week 1 year
moderate -4 1 month 1 season
serious -7 1 season 1 month
critical -11 1 year 1 day
harmed -17 never 1 round
slain outright na na no needEach wound level has associated attributes. Penalty is applied to all rolls made for or by you that require activity, physical or mental. Healing time is the time it would take with adequate non-magical medical care and rest to completely heal from the wound. Death check refers to how often you must make a fortitude save (DC equal to penalty) to avoid dying from later infection or complications of the wounds until you heal or are healed of them. Generally, with competent medical care, there is little risk of death for anything less than a serious wound.
SHRUG ROLLS
To try to shrug off damage, roll a d20 and add your shrug bonus.
SHRUG BONUS
Your shrug bonus is
Base fortitude save + Constitution modifier.
The DC for this roll is
Base weapon momentum + damage rolled (including multipliers and other bonuses).
Note that “damage rolled” is the identical, self-same roll used previously to determine armor penetration.
(Base weapon momentum will end up being the maximum normal rolled damage for most weapons, so a longsword would have a momentum of 8, a dagger a momentum of 4, etc.)
If the shrug roll is failed, then you have been injured. Severity depends upon your size category and the weapon’s size category. A weapon of the same size category as you (a two-handed weapon) would inflict a serious wound. A one-handed weapon (for you) would inflict a moderate wound, a light weapon would inflict a light wound, and anything smaller would cause but a mere minor wound. Weapons one category larger than a two-handed weapon would cause critical wounds, two categories leave you harmed, and three categories slay outright.
Note that this is determined by relative size category. Thus, a human-sized longsword would inflict a moderate wound on another human but would give a halfling a serious wound. Likewise, an ogre would only suffer a light wound from such a weapon.
Critical hits add to the severity of a wound, X2 adding one severity, X3 adding two, etc. This is in addition to multiplying damage to apply against a shrug roll.
INJURY ACCUMULATION
Injuries do not “add” directly. If you are injured and suffer another injury of greater severity, it “replaces” the injury you had. If you suffer another injury of equal severity to your current state, you must make a fortitude save with a DC equal to your injury penalty plus 10. For example, if you had already suffered a moderate wound and were hit with a second moderate wound, your DC would be equal to 14. Failure “promotes” your injury severity one level. If you suffer an injury one level lower than your current severity, then you must make a fortitude save with a DC equal to your current severity’s penalty plus 5. Lesser new injuries can be ignored.
Shock and Incapacitation
Whenever you are wounded, there is a chance that your body will betray you, sliding into shock and helplessness. Whenever you suffer a wound no less than one level lower than your current wound level, on the round you are wounded, you must make a Fortitude save with a DC equal to twice the penalty of the wound that has just been inflicted. Failure means you have gone into shock and will collapse to the ground, helpless. You may make a Will save with a DC equal to twice your current wound penalty to remain active, but if you succeed, your wound level will automatically increase by one as soon as you stop fighting. Your heroic effort has injured you further. Once you are running on Will alone, the Will roll must be repeated whenever you are further wounded.
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