WP/VP conversion for d20 Modern

[takyris]

I think that a good WP/VP conversion and possibly a good armor conversion would really perfect d20 Modern for me. I've been trying to explain to my players why a dagger hitting someone for 3 points damage will still deliver its poison when they have 120 hit points -- and thus, when that 3 points of damage is really a near miss, flavorwise, rather than even a graze. And I can't. Because it doesn't work. There are too many "on-a-hit" factors in D&D, and thus in d20 modern, for me to sell the idea of hit points being as abstract as I want them to be.

So I'm looking at WP/VP.

Which would be better in your mind?

1) Drop the crit multipliers down one and have crits go directly to WP (ie, all but a few weapons would do normal damage, but to WP and not VP)
2) Keep crit multipliers where they are and don't have them go right to WP -- so a crit that just does a bunch of damage is a near-miss that throws off your balance even more than it otherwise would have

And then there's the stuff I don't know, since I don't know WP/VP that well. What stuff bypasses VP? How would the d20 Modern knockout system translate over? Etc?

Has this already been done somewhere really well on a website that I haven't found? I've found a few D&D ones but nothing for d20 modern.

Thanks,

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I think that a good WP/VP conversion and possibly a good armor conversion would really perfect d20 Modern for me. I've been trying to explain to my players why a dagger hitting someone for 3 points damage will still deliver its poison when they have 120 hit points -- and thus, when that 3 points of damage is really a near miss, flavorwise, rather than even a graze. And I can't. Because it doesn't work. There are too many "on-a-hit" factors in D&D, and thus in d20 modern, for me to sell the idea of hit points being as abstract as I want them to be.

So I'm looking at WP/VP.

Which would be better in your mind?

1) Drop the crit multipliers down one and have crits go directly to WP (ie, all but a few weapons would do normal damage, but to WP and not VP)
2) Keep crit multipliers where they are and don't have them go right to WP -- so a crit that just does a bunch of damage is a near-miss that throws off your balance even more than it otherwise would have

And then there's the stuff I don't know, since I don't know WP/VP that well. What stuff bypasses VP? How would the d20 Modern knockout system translate over? Etc?

Has this already been done somewhere really well on a website that I haven't found? I've found a few D&D ones but nothing for d20 modern.

Thanks,

One explaination: It is just a game. There are always some illogical things when using rules. There is no way to avoid it, unless you roleplay in the real world with your real characters, and that would make quite boring stories (like: I connect to the Internet and visit the ENWorld Forum )
In your example: It wasn`t a near miss - the dagger inflicted the poison, didn`t it? But the only result was a little scratch that you don`t even feel and wouldn`t have noticed if you wouldn`t feel the poisons effects...

Anyway, that is not what you were asking for.

The Massive Damage Threshold rules allow for a very important possibility: You can knock out foes in a single round without using heavy artillery and reyling on a very lucky hit (a critical) - it was for all the movie scenes where the heros knock out their enemies from behind.

With the WP/VP you will have to make compromise: You will (again) rely on lucky hits to knock out opponents. But, you will still want a chance for it, so:
Drop critical multipliers by one, damage goes directly to wound points.

Without Massive Damage Threshold, the Modern nonlethal damage rules will probably fail to work. So you have to think about alternatives:
My take on it:
Nonlethal damage deals normal damage to vitality points. When your vitaility points are up, lethal damage directly goes to wound points. Nonlethal damage also goes to wound points, but is healed as vitality point damage.
If you roll a critical hit with nonlethal damage, apply the damage to wound points.
Knockout Punch doubles the damage inflicted then, Improved Knockout Punch triples it. (Only against flat footed opponents).

Maybe Knockout Punch and Improved Knockout Punch become more powerful now, so you might decide for one or all of the following rules:
Instead of increasing critical multiplier, increase threat range. (How does this work with Improved Combat Martial Arts)
Extra Damage is not applied to wound points, but to vitality points.

Mustrum Ridcully

 

[Pierce]

We've adopted the WP/VP system in our game and love it. We dropped the massive damage rule completely. Crits ranges and multipliers are as normal, but bypass VP and go straight to wound. For balance, you need to add a die of damage to firearms (so a shotgun does 3d8 instead of 2d8).

Aside from the obvious changes there are some other updates you need to make to make this work, notably in the Tough talent tree and a few of the feats.

We ripped most of these rules from another source. I can't remember where offhand, but I'll try to track it down.

 

[Tellerve]

Star Wars d20 uses VP/WP so would be a likely candidate to look at in terms of using those rules.

I'm not sure what is really off about Modern d20s system. Especially with your dagger example, considering if you watch any modern heroic type movie the hero is always getting nicks, cuts, bruises and whatnot but continues to fight. And in those few movies where there is a poisoned blade, it'll be that slight nick that does indeed deliever the poison, not the 6" blade into the gut.

Tellerve

 

[Pierce]

We ripped most of these rules from another source. I can't remember where offhand, but I'll try to track it down.

Here it is.

http://people.bu.edu/darin/rpg/Wound Points.pdf

 

[zero skill LPB]

nice!

Here it is.

http://people.bu.edu/darin/rpg/Wound Points.pdf

Thanks!

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I just noticed that the Ultramodern Firearms (which may contain some background mistakes, but is otherwise worth buying if you want more weapons in your game) contains a conversion to Wound/Vitality Point system. I didn`t check it (I do not own it myself), but maybe you have access to it..