Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-23-2019, 05:20 PM   #61
maximara
On Notice
 
maximara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sumter, SC
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
In my defense it's been 30 years since I've dealt with that particular rulesset.
Meaning you weren't playing "vanilla" AD&D (but then again who did :-)) for 11 of those years as officially for that length of time a combat round was 1 minute. Remember the 6 second combat round didn't officially come into being until 2000, just 19 years ago.

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl View Post
I had forgotten how much 1e sucked. In GURPS, a skill 10 charter will hit a dodge 10 character 15 times in one minute (and get one critical success). To hit only once in a minute, a 1e character would have to possess skill 5 versus a dodge 10.
It wasn't just 1e D&D but 2e D&D as well. As I said before the D&D combat round didn't get reasonable until 3e in 2000. Even then at 6 seconds it is insanely slow by GURPS standards. Moreover if you figure that those 6 seconds include the equivalent of Evaluate (+1 max to skill for one opponent; take one second) and aim (3 second max) then the base skill must really really suck especially if you work from the percentages of the 1d20 instead of using the 3d6 alternative (it a better with the later but is still pathetic)

Last edited by maximara; 08-23-2019 at 05:42 PM.
maximara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2019, 06:59 PM   #62
edk926
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

I'm making another vote for Vitality Reserve. It's the easiest way to do it. You can also use the Injury Tolerance from the new Monster Hunters book that allows you to ignore the usual penalties for low Hit Points.
edk926 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2019, 07:47 PM   #63
Anthony
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Quote:
Originally Posted by maximara View Post
Even then at 6 seconds it is insanely slow by GURPS standards.
Though GURPS is insanely fast by the standards of most games, and you need a bunch of tricks to extend combat to actually realistic time scales.
__________________
My GURPS site and Blog.
Anthony is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2019, 09:51 PM   #64
evileeyore
Banned
 
evileeyore's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Quote:
Originally Posted by maximara View Post
Meaning you weren't playing "vanilla" AD&D (but then again who did :-)) for 11 of those years as officially for that length of time a combat round was 1 minute. Remember the 6 second combat round didn't officially come into being until 2000, just 19 years ago.
No, I just stopped playing D&D back in the late 80s... I think it was 88 specifically. And so, I've simply forgotten the rules minutiae from a terrible set pf rpg rules.


My group decided to get back into D&D with 3e... and 4e... and I suspect if they were still in my area (they all moved) they'd be playing 5e now. When they aren't playing GURPS, or HERO, or something else.

Last edited by evileeyore; 08-23-2019 at 10:21 PM.
evileeyore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2019, 09:55 PM   #65
AlexanderHowl
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Not really, you just have to assume that the vast majority of human beings are incompetent and/or reluctant. For example, if the majority of barroom brawlers are average people who have no Brawling skill and who are tipsy, they are attacking on an '9' and defending on an '8' (Drunk provides a temporary attribute penalty, but temporary attribute penalties never impact defensive reactions). If they use improvised weapons as clubs, they attack with a '3' at default.

So, each fighter in the succeeds 37.5% of the time and are defended against 25% of the time (for a total of 28% success). Since they deal an average of 1d-3 crushing damage, they will deal six points of injury for every six attacks (0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3). On average, it would take 36 attempts to deal 10 HP of damage (potential unconsciousness) or 72 attempts to deal 20 HP of damage (potential death).

Now, let us assume that they instead grab an improvised weapon. Their probability shifts down greatly (one successful attack every 288 attempts, which means they will likely use AOA to increase their chances to around 10%), though they increase their damage greatly (an average of 1d+1 crushing). With an average of 4.5 damage, it only takes three successful hits to cause potential unconsciousness and five successful hits to cause potential death (30 and 50 attempts respectively with AOA).

In either case, it would make sense for each fighter to retreat when attacked, increasing the duration of the fight by a great deal. Also, people will attempt to use cover and terrain to their maximum benefit, likewise increasing the duration of the fight. And we are just talking about a barroom brawl.

Now, imagine that one of the fighters is a ST 13, DX 11, HT 13 bruiser with brawling at 13 (DX+2). They deal an average of 3.5 damage with their fists and defend on a '9'. Now, they can end a fight quickly, but they are not average brawlers.
AlexanderHowl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2019, 09:55 PM   #66
Plane
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Another possible in the "HP as luck/skill" idea: surely D&D has a vampire out there who feeds off HP somehow. Is that somehow meant to be them feeding on your skill/luck instead of your blood?
Plane is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-23-2019, 10:19 PM   #67
evileeyore
Banned
 
evileeyore's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Quote:
Originally Posted by Plane View Post
Another possible in the "HP as luck/skill" idea: surely D&D has a vampire out there who feeds off HP somehow. Is that somehow meant to be them feeding on your skill/luck instead of your blood?
And that explanation ranks right up there with the ones that feed off of CHA or WIS instead of CON.


If I'm remembering those 3e D&D vamps correctly.
evileeyore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2019, 04:52 AM   #68
maximara
On Notice
 
maximara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Sumter, SC
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
And that explanation ranks right up there with the ones that feed off of CHA or WIS instead of CON.


If I'm remembering those 3e D&D vamps correctly.
Sight better then the 1e and 2e vampire which drained your levels (ie knowledge)
maximara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2019, 07:42 AM   #69
evileeyore
Banned
 
evileeyore's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: 100 hurricane swamp
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Quote:
Originally Posted by maximara View Post
Sight better then the 1e and 2e vampire which drained your levels (ie knowledge)
I was always fine with experience drain. No wonkier than a magical ray of anti-magic.

I've even ported over the "negative energy drain" into my games, it deals out temporary (until healed/cured/exorcised) Skill check penalties.
evileeyore is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2019, 09:27 AM   #70
Aldric
 
Join Date: Nov 2015
Default Re: Translating the concept of HP from D&D (and the like) to GURPS

Quote:
Originally Posted by evileeyore View Post
I was always fine with experience drain. No wonkier than a magical ray of anti-magic.

I've even ported over the "negative energy drain" into my games, it deals out temporary (until healed/cured/exorcised) Skill check penalties.
That's because you never met one of those vampire variants that were warriors and had multiple attacks per round and could drain up to 4 levels per attack. Surprise, you're a rookie again, these 5 years of campaign never happened.
On the bright side, they didn't care much if you were a fighter with 100+ HP or a wizard with about 40.
Aldric is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
hit points

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:05 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.