How can you inflict % HP damage in GURPS?

[Hide]

Hello!

I would like to create an innate attack which reduces a percentage amount of HP if successful. For example, "always deals 50% of the available HP as damage". So, if you have 100 HP, first you deal 50 HP damage, then 25 HP damage, then it would be 12 HP damage, and so on...

I haven't found anything like this yet, what do you think?

Thank you!
- Hide

[whswhs]

I don't think there's any thing like that. What sort of process are you envisioning that would have that kind of effect? I can't think of much of anything in the real world that works that way.

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I can't think of much of anything in the real world that works that way.

There's probably some similar effect in video games though.

For the ability, you'd probably have to start with the maximum damage it can inflict, then add a Limitation that damage is then capped by a percentage of the target's remaining HT.

[Hide]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I don't think there's any thing like that. What sort of process are you envisioning that would have that kind of effect? I can't think of much of anything in the real world that works that way.

Originally Posted by Daigoro

There's probably some similar effect in video games though. For the ability, you'd probably have to start with the maximum damage it can inflict, then add a Limitation that damage is then capped by a percentage of the target's remaining HT.

Well...

I am thinking about "Hand of Death" from Martial Arts (as the potential "base"); but the effect should take place in one second and "stop" once you roll damage equivalent to half your current HP...

How would you put that?

- Hide

[Maz]

Originally Posted by Hide

Hello!

I would like to create an innate attack which reduces a percentage amount of HP if successful. For example, "always deals 50% of the available HP as damage". So, if you have 100 HP, first you deal 50 HP damage, then 25 HP damage, then it would be 12 HP damage, and so on...

I haven't found anything like this yet, what do you think?

Thank you!
- Hide

What is "available HP"? In GURPS a normal human have 10 HP. but would never die from loosing those 10 HP. So by "available" do you then mean "total damage needed until auto-death "(x6 HP)?


The problem is that GURPS does not like to give out free effects. And variable effects have to have a cap, to avoid exploitation.

For instance. You might decide on a point-budget you think is fair because it deals 50% of damage against humans (HP:10-20). But then a T-rex with 120 HP turns up and suddenly the attack can deal 60 dam.
Or if usable against intimated objects, you can kill "the earth" very quickly by directing the attack downwards, dealing million points of damage.


So I would go with Daigoro's effect.

Find The maximum HP you attack is able to deal. So if the max damage possible is 30 dam you calculate the price for "average damage". (5 pts per die @ 3,5 dam per die = ~ 43 pts.

Then you put a limitation on it saying that repeated use half the dam.
And another limitation where you can never deal more than 50% of HP on the first attack.

I am unsure what the worth would be of these limitations but I would eyeball the first to be 30%. The other one depends if its "half of HP" (so 5 dam for a normal human) or "half of what is needed for autodeath" (30 for normal human). If it's the low score that is a very severe limitation as you can then never kill someone with it (-60%). The second is hardly a limitation (-5%).

[Daigoro]

Originally Posted by Hide

the effect should take place in one second and "stop" once you roll damage equivalent to half your current HP...

Are you rolling for damage, perhaps capped at 50% of HP, or are you doing 50% of HP each strike?

ETA:
To buy a flat amount of damage, instead of dice, use the Partial Dice rule on Basic p62. So for a flat 50 pts of Crushing damage, for example, it would be 50 damage x 0.25 dice x 5 CP = 62.5 CP.

Also, is the damage capped before or after penetrating DR? Before or after wounding modifiers?

[Hide]

Originally Posted by Daigoro

Are you rolling for damage, perhaps capped at 50% of HP, or are you doing 50% of HP each strike?

It is 50% HP damage, regardless of DR. It goes like this:

If a PC has 100 HP, the first strike deals 50 HP damage.
If this PC receives another strike, then it is 25 HP damage.
If this PC receives another strike, then it is 13 HP damage.
If this PC receives another strike, then it is 6 HP damage.
If this PC receives another strike, then it is 3 HP damage.
If this PC receives another strike, then it is 2 HP damage.
If this PC receives another strike, then it is 1 HP damage.

- Kamuy

[Daigoro]

Do you mean the strike ignores DR? That's a separate 300% enhancement.

And I'm still not sure what you mean by ""stop" once you roll damage equivalent to half your current HP" then.

Also, Hand of Death (MA p46) is a Cyclic Toxic attack. What part of that are you trying to emulate?

[ericthered]

You could probaby do something with the heart attack modifier on affliction. That kills outright. The target gets a resistance roll though.

[Edges]

There has to be a limit. If you do 50% to anything you attack, can you destroy the Earth in two punches?

Sounds like you want to make "Two Punch Man."