Variant combat/injury systems

[Galethorn]

So, who uses something other than the standard HP/AC, or in the case of Grim Tales/ d20 modern, something other than the standard HP/Defense/Massive Damage Threshold?

How have those systems been working out?


In answer to my own questions, I've been using wounds/vitality (ala UA) for about 6 months now in my main campaign (run with Grim Tales), and it's been working pretty well. The characters have only been wounded a few times, but that has more to do with the fact that we don't play terribly often and the first adventure or two were kind of light on the combat. In the last one, though, two PCs got pretty badly wounded when some smugglers got criticals with scimitars.

Anyway, I'm working on a new system for my new setting, and posted it here. And yes, this whole post has the secondary motive of getting more people to read my other post, but at least I'm not openly demanding that people read it, right?

 

[Munin]

I use the WP/VP system for two campaigns I run, one modern and one standard D&D, and I have to tell you, you really need to exercise some forethought when you implement this system.

Since a critical goes straight to WP, combat is deadly, even if you take away the damage multipliers. One crit will literally change the course of an encounter. Make sure you follow the other suggestions offered in the UA, such as extra damage die (like a rogue's sneak attack) only doing 1 WP per die. This is especially true at higher levels where a single crit is virtually an insta-kill. To rememdy this I implemented armor as DR, but only allowed the DR to be applied to WP, not vitality.

That said, I like the WP/VP far better than the standard HP system.

 

[diaglo]

Supplement II Blackmoor (1975) by Dave Arneson

never used it. didn't like it. too much extra bookkeeping involved.

the body suddenly becomes a ship and each part becomes damage control.

much prefer hps.