Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 4886588" data-attributes="member: 7635">Here is the problems of wound/vitality.The current system (vit is treated like hp, wp = con score) is that it creates a slow whittling-down effect excentuated by 20=death rules. Once the group gets mid level (5-10) they have enough vitality to withstand a typical attack (lets say, 3d8) but not enough wound to survive a critical. So combat becomes a game of Russian Roulette; the first guy to roll a 20 wins. This means that while any potential fight is "deadly", its not for the right reason. It means (roughly) that 5% of all attacks end in death (or disablement). And since PCs will absorb many more attacks than a typical NPC monster/goon will, there is a much better chance of a crit-kill on a PC than against any foe. I believe Rodney Thompson (designer of SWSaga) determined that over the course of 20 levels, that 2/3rds of a typical group of four will die and be replaced. (Or, there is roughly a 33% chance that the PC you started with will be the PC you end with, based soley on critical hits). Any attack that isn't an auto kill critical doesn't do enough damage to bother vitality (IE: 1d6 points of damage vs. 200 hp fighter) and any attack doing enough damage to threaten a PC's vitality KILLS him in wound. You might as well rule a natural 20 = a massive damage threshold save (DC 15 fort or die) since that's usually what V/W ends up being.</blockquote>