02-25-2021, 08:16 PM | #41 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
I once killed a PC on the first turn of combat during the first hour of play with a ST 12 NPC flailing around with a hammer. It was AOA (Strong) that was a random critical success with a random hit to the skull and dealt maximum damage (dealing 32 HP of damage). The PC had HT 12 and HP 12, they rolled a '16' on their survival roll, so they dropped dead right then and there.
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02-25-2021, 09:05 PM | #42 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
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I also don't follow the rules because they're rules. I do it to be consistent. If it's been established that the PCs are _that_ fast and _that_ powerful then they remain so even if some criminal npc wants to threaten a helpless target. I'm not going to fudge the rules to make such a trope work.
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Fred Brackin |
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02-25-2021, 09:08 PM | #43 |
Join Date: Feb 2009
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
I always wonder about correct method of dealing with the hostage scenario
For example a scenario that occurred in game, my character a provincial governor fought off an assassination attempt in his palace and the fleeing assassin's grabbed a girl in their flight Sound the alarm and pursue and catch the assassin's in the courtyard between the palace and the outer gates, the palace guard closing the gates and around and more and more soldiers spilling out of the palace and barracks and on the wall so the assassin's were extremely outnumbered and outgunned, the assassin's readied weapons and turned to face me except for the one putting a knife to the girls throat So . . . . What would you do in this scenario? "Surrender or die as you stand" "No governor, we will not surrender. You will . . . " "All units, open fire!" . . . . This was not a successful rescue |
02-25-2021, 09:21 PM | #44 | |
Join Date: Apr 2020
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
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"Let the girl go, tell us everything, the whole conspiracy and everyone involved and give sworn testimony of it all and you get life in prison instead of death right now." For most people where there's life, there's hope. Most likely the prospect of escape from prison starts creeping into their minds almost immediately. Doesn't really matter that escape almost never works - everybody's the hero of their own story and heroes escape. - Shane |
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02-25-2021, 09:36 PM | #45 |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
There are a variety of options depending on the culture and personality, but realistically none of them have great odds. Given that they're armed with melee weapons and in the open, dogpiling them has okay odds.
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02-25-2021, 09:52 PM | #46 |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
Hostage rescue used to be a popular law enforcement media genre. Not sure if it's gone out of fashion some?
Random suggestions related: -Don't let them leave with the hostages under almost any circumstances. That's a disaster. -Letting them escape without the hostages may be an acceptable deal, particularly if you can arrange for their escape to be doomed in advance. -If the hostages aren't being harmed, time is likely on your side - you've got supplies and reserves. -Always be ready to attack if they give you a decent opening. For a standoff in a courtyard where they're literally surrounded by your people in the open, surrounded by your walls...the hostage takers are pretty obviously doomed. Negotiate surrender if possible, attack at the most opportune time if not. (Letting them get to the gate and ambushing with units concealed around the outside corners maybe.)
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I don't know any 3e, so there is no chance that I am talking about 3e rules by accident. |
02-25-2021, 10:06 PM | #47 | |||||
Join Date: Aug 2018
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
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Passing your HT check to avoid immediate death doesn't mean the blood doesn't flow... Where exactly is the drama in hand-waiving "I'm not even rolling, she's just dead" ? I think there's a lot more drama in using the optional blood loss rules, and she's losing an extra HP every 30 seconds and you can't stop the blood flowing fast enough with your First Aid. Quote:
If that HT check is somehow passed you should be applying those optional blood loss rules. Slowly bleeding out is way more dramatic than insta-die. About the only thing I'd want to tweak is having more prequent intervals than 30 or 60 seconds for those optional rules. It's rather spread out. Like how about chop that time by 1/10 and every 3 or 6 seconds you do a HT roll to avoid losing 0.1 hp ? Maybe 0.1 fp to boot. Quote:
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Handwaiving this also seems to be a contradiction to 4e abandoning 3e's decapitation rules because it too easily caused deaths. If the absolute minimum damage is guaranteed kill then yeah sure, ignore it, but otherwise I'd just say to follow the rules. Veins/Arteries might possibly be redone so that it doesn't cause higher immediate HP loss and instead make the bleeding rules way more extreme and regular. Last edited by Plane; 02-25-2021 at 10:09 PM. |
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02-26-2021, 06:11 AM | #48 | ||
Join Date: Jun 2013
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
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For more basic magic/Healing Advantage/whatever, a penalty based on the severity of the worst wound the foe has suffered wouldn't be out of line (although it does make supernatural healing less effective). Of course, in a setting where magical healing can readily restore someone from the brink of death, I don't see a problem with allowing magical healing to restore someone from the brink of death. Hostage-takers may have to figure out something that works quicker than a knife to the throat if their enemies have access to such. Quote:
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GURPS Overhaul |
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02-26-2021, 06:22 AM | #49 |
Join Date: Feb 2009
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
You could apply the penalty for damage to all healing spells not just self healing
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02-26-2021, 07:26 AM | #50 |
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Kentucky, USA
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Re: Hit Points...to be, or not to be?
It would be entirely reasonable, if more book keeping, to require healing magic to heal the entire wound all in one go. 1 and 2 HP scratches would still be nothing, but a 15HP wound to the vitals could push the healer into -FP and incapacitate them or require burning up valuable energy storage items.
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GURPS Fanzine The Path of Cunning is worth a read. |
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