[talonthehand]

Originally Posted by Lameth

Yes its a game, yes there is magic and monsters, but there is still reality, physics, and biology.. and most importantly drama, intrigue, stress, danger, tension, and Story. We are not just game referees, but also story makers and tellers as well as entertainers in my opinion.

So maybe that defenseless woman, having the knife against her throat, no hope of fighting back, would not take just listed damage but maybe something like an extra multiplier or 2 or "double" whatever she should be at for being defenseless, or at a true disadvantage? Therefore her rolls are worse, so would her recusing by the PCs in the nick of time would be all the more fantastic due to her being so close to really dying and not just having a scar.

That is what i am talking about.

I'd need to check the math on how often it comes up that they don't die - in reality people do occasionally survive having their throats cut or even getting shot in the head. If it's a rarity enough in GURPS, I'd just call it their lucky day, or that in this case the mugger with the knife didn't have their heart in it and botched the job.