Realistic Combat that's Simple(ish)

[Thomas Shey]

I've always liked the idea that "damage" to your hit points is no more than scratches, grazes, smallish cuts, bruises, and burns, shock, and the like until you hit zero. At that point, once someone checks on you it is determined how badly you're actually injured.

Of course, that doesn't solve the "gun to your head" problem, but I'm working on that.

Honestly, its not vastly different from how systems with metacurrancy that's primarily used to soak damage work.

 

[Celebrim]

I've always liked the idea that "damage" to your hit points is no more than scratches, grazes, smallish cuts, bruises, and burns, shock, and the like until you hit zero. At that point, once someone checks on you it is determined how badly you're actually injured.

Basically how I play it and I believe that is the most accurate reading of Gygax's original explanation regarding the logic of hit points.

Of course, that doesn't solve the "gun to your head" problem, but I'm working on that.

It's that scene in Gladiator where Maximum lets the Praetorian put a sword to his neck. If he's a low-level character, he's dead. But he's Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And he will have his vengeance, in this life or the next.

 

[Theory of Games]

Why can’t this be simulated in a game? If each knife wound has a 10-percent chance of being lethal, you can easily get someone surviving 0 or 20.

Not using the example I provided (a 1HD commoner = 1-8 HP getting stabbed 10-30 times = an average of 40 points of damage = 20 stabs x 2 damage). That math doesn't add up to character survival, but humans in the real world survive surprisingly often.

But again, using a Wound system might get results that emulate reality, but nothing simulates reality.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Honestly, its not vastly different from how systems with metacurrancy that's primarily used to soak damage work.

Well, hit points are in a way the original meta currency. If I have to use I might as well have them work for me. At least the players aren't generally spending them directly.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Basically how I play it and I believe that is the most accurate reading of Gygax's original explanation regarding the logic of hit points.



It's that scene in Gladiator where Maximum lets the Praetorian put a sword to his neck. If he's a low-level character, he's dead. But he's Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And he will have his vengeance, in this life or the next.

Not a big fan of the "PCs are just better than other people" theory. To each their own.

 

[UngainlyTitan]

Why can’t this be simulated in a game? If each knife wound has a 10-percent chance of being lethal, you can easily get someone surviving 0 or 20.

I do not believe that it can be reduced to a simple single probability like this but if we run with your 10% number, in an average 4 round combat the fighter that gets hit around 4 times as a 34% chance of dying.
That is not a fun game at this point.

 

[Bill Zebub]

I do not believe that it can be reduced to a simple single probability like this but if we run with your 10% number, in an average 4 round combat the fighter that gets hit around 4 times as a 34% chance of dying.
That is not a fun game at this point.

But MUCH easier to GM.

"Well, I guess we're wrapping up early again this week!"

 

[Celebrim]

Not a big fan of the "PCs are just better than other people" theory. To each their own.

A fourth level character is "just better" than "other people" in the sense of surviving combat. Maybe the universe likes them better. Maybe they have uncanny luck. Maybe they have subtle magical powers. Maybe they are just so skilled at combat they seem to the observer nigh supernatural. It seems weird to play a game with character levels and not except a theory that within the game some characters are better than other characters.

 

[Micah Sweet]

A fourth level character is "just better" than "other people" in the sense of surviving combat. Maybe the universe likes them better. Maybe they have uncanny luck. Maybe they have subtle magical powers. Maybe they are just so skilled at combat they seem to the observer nigh supernatural. It seems weird to play a game with character levels and not except a theory that within the game some characters are better than other characters.

But a similarly skilled NPC should be about on par mechanically with that PC, I believe. That's what I'm talking about. The fourth level character isn't better because they're a PC.

 

[Theory of Games]

But a similarly skilled NPC should be about on par mechanically with that PC, I believe. That's what I'm talking about. The fourth level character isn't better because they're a PC.

Depends on the system. There's been a wave of Metacurrency (Hero Points, Bennies, Inspiration) games that have given PCs the advantage over everybody and everything they face. Because some people can't stomach failure