Hi Guillaume,
Actually D&D has lots of 'maluses', just very few that are linked to
hit points until you get down to zero. The rationale (back in 1st
ed) was that only the last five to ten hits are actual physical
damage. The bulk of your hit-points represent self-confidence,
stamina, or being in control of the situation. After getting
attacked for the tenth time in one day for 20 hits, you might
be starting to get a bit winded.
This rationale (if not to your taste) is at least consistent with
raising hit-points every level (which a direct health basis would
not.)
Anyway, the one effect of damage that is immediately reflected
even if your hit points would remain positive, is that any character
who takes 50 hits in damage in a single round has to roll against
system shock to survive the round.
I do think that critical hits make a very compelling 'Wow, what
a hit!', or at least my players always preferred playing with
critical hits even though I extended the same privelege to
monsters.
Cheers,
-kls
On Fri, Jan 26, 2001 at 11:25:42PM +0100, Guillaume PERREAL wrote:
>
> >From: "Lionel Rudling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >
> >Fire away.
> >
>
> So, let's go.
>
> I find that D&d lacks the "huh, what a strike!"-feeling. I mean that until
> the character hit points drops to 0, it is still standing up and acting as
> he were never wounded, and then... it's off.
>
> So I'm looking for a way to make this "shutdown" more progressive. Many
> other RPGs handle this, by applying maluses linked to health status.
>
> To set up such rules, I think that three questions must be answered :
>
> I) *When* maluses should be applied ?
>
> Two answers :
>
> A. Use health levels : Each character has the same number of health levels.
> To each level corresponds a malus. Wounds are assigned a number of health
> level damages, and a difficulty to sustain. When a character takes a wound,
> a 'sustain wound' roll (generally based on constitution) is made to reduce
> the number of damages. The remaining damages are substracted from its
> current health levels. This solution fits well in level-less system, but I
> don't think it will for the d20-system.
>
> B. Use hit point thresholds : Several thresholds are defined, generally
> fractions of total hit points. Each threshold is assigned a malus. When hit
> points drops below a threshold, the corresponding maluses are applied
> (notice there are not cumulative, only the worst are applied). This solution
> seems more easy to apply into the d20-system. It had the advantage of
> keeping the actual hit points and damages rules. And I think it can be fine
> with the VP/WP rules.
>
> II) *What* maluses should be applied ?
>
> Two answers :
>
> A. Fixed maluses (per example: -4 to all roll) : again, it's fine in
> level-less systems, because characters are almost at their best when they
> are created.
>
> B. Proportional maluses (per example: using 50% of skill ranks) : it can be
> fine, as it does not hindred low-level characters more than high-level ones.
> But in d20-based rolls, it gives rounding a non-negligible weight, at least
> more than in d100-based rolls.
>
> III) *What* the maluses should be applied to ?
>
> I think they should be applied to *all* rolls. Notice that only the
> character is affected, not its equipment. It doesn't matter with fixed
> maluses, but it does with proportional ones.
>
> Well, I'm waiting for your thoughts.
>
> GP
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:::::::://:::://://://:/:://::||_// / V K
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