Wounds & Injury

[kaomera]

This was inspired by several threads on one-shot kills and TPKs. I was considering that PC death in D&D isn't really that big of a deal a lot of the time, given standard assumptions. I don't think most players want to lose their PCs (although some do seem to take a kind of perverse pleasure in it), and actually getting a Raise / Resurrection and possibly losing a level are generally non-trivial, but it isn't what I'd think of as an interesting aspect of the game, in and of itself.

So I was thinking that, under certain circumstances, a DM might give a player the option of having their PC suffer some significant (but not fatal) injury instead of taking the normal hit point damage from a blow. Specifically, under the following circumstances:

* A single hit drops the PC from positive hps to -10.
* Damage that forces a Massive Damage save. (although I am unsure if it would be better to make the offer before or after the save is actually rolled)
* The PC drops to negative hit points in a location / situation where outside help is unlikely / impossibly. (probably)
* Any hit that drops the PC to negative hit points. (possibly)
* Any critical hit. (possibly)
* The character drops to -10 after failing a stabilization check. (possibly)

I'm not exactly sure how to specifically define what such an injury would entail. I'm not even sure how specific I want to get. It's been my experience that random tables for such stuff tend to not be as much fun as they'd seem. Likely effects might include ability drain, loss (or permanent damage) of limb (or eye, etc.), or permanent scarring. I suppose you could even extend the idea to loss of equipment, etc. (ie: “You pull your +5 Cloak of Resistance tightly around you to avoid being vaporized by the Meteor Swarm, but sadly it can't stand the strain and it's enchantment fails even as it saves you...”). In most cases I'd expect a character to be staggered for the remainder of the encounter.

Thoughts? Ideas?

 

[Vrecknidj]

How far to carry this?

A man with 40 hp gets hit by a critical that does 62 points. The DM offers the player a choice. The player takes the choice, his character's left arm is severed at the elbow, and the character is at 0 hp.

Next round, the opponent gets another critical and does 51 points. The DM offers the player another choice? Or, just calls it a day?

Dave

 

[kaomera]

How far to carry this?

A man with 40 hp gets hit by a critical that does 62 points. The DM offers the player a choice. The player takes the choice, his character's left arm is severed at the elbow, and the character is at 0 hp.

Next round, the opponent gets another critical and does 51 points. The DM offers the player another choice? Or, just calls it a day?

This is one of the reasons I don't really want to do a table or concrete rules regarding what the effects of wounds would be. Yeah, I would probably offer the player a choice again, albeit one that would take him out of the rest of the fight completely, at the least. I'd kind of suspect that in most cases the PCs would be running for it or else moving to defend their wounded comrade after the first hit. And it would depend a lot on why the enemies where still swinging at a badly-wounded PC in the first place.

Maybe Staggered isn't the right condition to apply? I don't want to prevent a wounded PC from running for it. Getting the PCs to admit defeat and hoof it is better (and harder) any day than killing one or more of them off (IMHO). Of course in a lot of situations surrender is an option, too. I wonder how the PCs would react to the option that the PC was captured and held with a readied CdG at his throat rather than just dropped straight to -10? It would seem like a really good incentive to stop fighting and negotiate, but it seems like a lot of players hate that sort of thing...

I've run this idea by my players and (so far) they seem enthusiastic. I'm going to be running an Iron Kingdoms game, and since there's the possibility of mechanica replacement limbs I can see a few arms and/or legs getting hewn. One of the players is even considdering playing an Arcane Mechanic specializing in such things...