TV Show plot devices in D&D

[Janx]

So there's been much discussion on the low-magic and magic items and such and how it changes the game. I'm interested in approaching all of this from a different direction. Suppose I'm running a game wherein I'd like to reproduce various scenes or challenges that often occur on TV or movies. What are the ways to reproduce the effect in D&D? What existing rules would apply? What new rules would you make up to reproduce the effect?

Now I'd like to start this off by first making a list of the types of scenes or challenges that we often see in TV (presumably action or sci-fi or fantasy shows). Then I'd like to build a list of suggestions on how to use the existing rules to set it up, followed by optional ideas on new rules to do the effect. The result would be a useful guide on how to produce such scenes, as well as a checklist for any RPG on having rules to such.

Here's some starter ideas for the list of scenes/challenges
(you should be able to remember TV or movie scenes with these elements):

1) NPC is dying and whispers last words to PC.
He can't be saved (except through very extreme circumstances).

2) PC is tortured and must resist giving information

3) PC is wounded and will not fully heal for a few weeks or more (broken limb, cracked ribs, etc)

4) Someone tries to run down/run over the PC/NPC (car, horse, carriage)

5) PC tries to rescue someone who is about to be run over (car, horse, carriage)

6) PC tries to follow someone (undetected) to see what they are up to

7) PC is getting beaten, falls, and gets back up (repeatedly if possible)

What other scene ideas are there? From there, what rules would you apply to create the effect?

Janx

 

[The Shaman]

1. Fort or Will save to permit dying utterance.

2. Opposed Intimidate check.

3. Doesn't happen in my games - healing is abstracted in the interest of maintaining action. Can't help you.

4. Initiative check - Reflex save to avoid or Jump check to get out of the way, depending on initiative.

5. Initiative check - Bull Rush to move the person out of the way.

6. Hide and Spot checks.

7. Cool checks - see Rich Redman's article on the d20 Modern page at WotC.

 

[ThirdWizard]

1. Speaking isn't an action. You can talk right before you die. Now, if you want them to hang around a few minutes its more difficult, and you'll have to House Rule something or fiat it.
2. Will saves opposed to Profession(torturer)
3. Lack of Cleric?
4. Overrun
5. Bull Rush, probably with circumstance bonuses for a willing target (Take 0?)
6. Hide/Move Silently checks opposed to Spot/Listen checks
7. Improved Trip / Knockdown

 

[Janx]

#1 and #3 both tie into if a cleric is around, they are hard to pull off. A cleric could Cure XYZ Wounds and save the guy, ruining the moment (because he can then be back to full snuff in a few more rounds). So what kinds of things would support keeping the character in the dying state or wounded state?

Janx

 

[Rhewtani]

#1

Our DM made the rule "if you die in combat but have something you want to say before you die, you can "live" until the end of combat (thought no healing would work on you)."

We often try to apply game mechanics to movies ... so in Kingdom of Heaven I joked ... "Balion's father" was abusing that rule for about a full gaming session after the arrow to the chest.

 

[ARandomGod]

1 and 3 can both be replicated by the judicious use of poisons and powerful curses.

Cursed wounds that don't respond to healing, and poisons that resist anti-poison spells. You can have the cleric heal the "poisoned" character, but his HP's will rapidly fall back down as death inevitably claims him.

Cursed wounds can simply not respond to healing magics. And perhaps be slow to heal 'normally'. Some high level poisons can replicate this effect, or diseases. A magical infection that generates it's own anti-magic field.

 

[ARandomGod]

A magical infection that generates it's own anti-magic field.

Holy scare tactics GM-Man!

Imagine that. A magical gangrene that generates it's own anti-magic field. You can treat it with poultices perhaps, some... but magic just won't affect it.

Cleric: "You're lucky, we think we can amputate the affected area. If we can totally remove the area you won't die. We think that a regeneration spell will be effective after we've removed the limb"

 

[VirgilCaine]

Here's some starter ideas for the list of scenes/challenges
(you should be able to remember TV or movie scenes with these elements):

1) NPC is dying and whispers last words to PC.
He can't be saved (except through very extreme circumstances).

2) PC is tortured and must resist giving information

3) PC is wounded and will not fully heal for a few weeks or more (broken limb, cracked ribs, etc)

4) Someone tries to run down/run over the PC/NPC (car, horse, carriage)

5) PC tries to rescue someone who is about to be run over (car, horse, carriage)

6) PC tries to follow someone (undetected) to see what they are up to

7) PC is getting beaten, falls, and gets back up (repeatedly if possible)

What other scene ideas are there? From there, what rules would you apply to create the effect?

Janx

TV/movies are rarely about characters of the power level of D&D PCs or they are rarely about characters with the magical resources of PCs (relating to the power level of the system, not number of magic items) and so...if I wanted to replicate any of these except perhaps 4, 5, or 6, I would use GURPS at an appropriate point level.

That is, unless you want to use different things for similar effects for 1 and 3.

 

[Janx]

TV/movies are rarely about characters of the power level of D&D PCs or they are rarely about characters with the magical resources of PCs (relating to the power level of the system, not number of magic items) and so...if I wanted to replicate any of these except perhaps 4, 5, or 6, I would use GURPS at an appropriate point level.

That would be my point. If the goal of the DM is to provide dramatic (melo...) scenes, the D&D game makes it hard at higher power levels (say 10th level). Such that without some forethought on the DM, how would one reproduce such scenes in the existing rules, or how would one alter the rules to enable such scenes.

Obviously lots of magic is what gets in the way of some of those scenes. There may be equally magical ways of re-enabling them.

Healing is actually what I see as the big impediment to re-enacting TV scenes. In movies and TV, there's 8 different types of wounds:
1. a flesh wound
2. beaten but quickly recovering for the critical scene
3. serious incapacitating wound that leaves you out for a few sessions (bedridden)
4. serious medical problem that forms the plot of the session (go find cure)
5. dying just as the heroes find him and last words are spoken
6. being wounded and crawling to your friends then passing out (Garibaldi and Marshal Matt Dillan after the bushwhacking)
7. Getting hit and dying
8. Getting hit with KO

With a cleric around, it is hard to create #3 or higher. As an odd rule comment, I find it odd that while in real life, "the act of destruction is always easier than the act of creation" in D&D it turns out they're flip sides of each other, and it is just as easy to heal as it is to damage. The Doctor's role on SciFi shows isn't analagous to the Cleric role in D&D, though it initially seems close. Perhaps if healing magic emulated the solution types found in Trek:
minor wounds healed after a few minutes with doctor
major wounds healed after a few days or weeks with doctor
diseases cured after random amount of time with doctor while he researches

Translated to a D&D Cleric, that would be:
minor wounds healed after a few minutes with cleric (Cure Light Wounds, only once)
major wounds healed after a few days or weeks with doctor (Cure Serious wounds, casting time several days)
diseases cured after random amount of time with doctor while he researches (Cure Disease reveals the cure to the cleric, after long time of prayer).

But that's changing the rules, and while available, should be a last resort.

Janx

 

[Ravellion]

So what kinds of things would support keeping the character in the dying state or wounded state?

Janx

Vile damage?

Rav