[House Rule][Martial Arts] Separated Vitals.

[aesir23]

For example: (assume that Knockdown works as per the vitals. Assume also that you probably know more about anatomy/physiology than I do.)

Heart (-5) Can only be targeted by Impaling or Peircing Attacks. Damage Modifier X3. It is protected by the Rib Cage (DR 1). Attackers can also try to punch straight through the Sternum, this is only -4 to hit, but the Sternum provides DR 2. In addition to all of the usual results from a hit to the Vitals, wounds to the heart bleed very fast--bleeding rolls must be made every second instead of every minute strenuous activity (such as fighting) applies a -3 penalty to these rolls. Wounds to the heart causes massive bleeding--Ht rolls for bleeding are at -5. In the event of a major wound, roll 1d6. On a 1, an aorta has been ruptured*. On any other result, roll HT or suffer from a Heart Attack.

*Roll HT-10 every round and lose HP equal to margin of failure due to blood loss. Without Magical, Supernatural, or Super-science intervention, there is no way to stop this blood loss.

Lungs (-2) Can be targeted by Impaling, Peircing, or Cutting Attacks. Protected by the Rib Cage (see above). Damage Modifier is just as for a hit to the torso, however bleeding rolls are at -2. Bleeding tends to fill the lung and interfere with breathing; any damage from Bleeding in the Lung reduces FP by an amount equal the HP lost. If FP is reduced to 1/3 of their original total in this way, victim begins Sufficating every round until they recieve surgical attention.

Diaphram/Solar Plexus (-3). Can be targeted by Impaling, Peircing, Crushing. Wounding Modifier X3 (X1 for crushing). A major wound requires a Ht roll to avoid suffication, but you may roll Ht every round to recover.

Intestines/Bowels (-2) Can be targeted by impaling/peircing/cutting. Wounding Modifier is as Torso. Rolls to avoid infection are at an additional -5. The GM may also rule that you gain the Bad Smell disadvantage until the wound is completely healed.

Stomach (-3) Can be targeted by Impaling or Peircing. Treat as Vitals except Wounding modifier is as per Torso.

Liver (-3) Can be targeted by Impaling or Piercing. Wounding Modifier X3, bleeding rolls are at -2.

Kidney (-3) Can only be targeted from behind. Can be targeted by Impaling, Piercing, or Crushing. Damage Modifer X3 (X1 for Crushing.)

Bladder (-3): As Kidney but can be targeted from the front and wounding modifier is as for torso.

Womb (-3): Women only, can be target from the front with Impaling, Piercing, or Crushing. Wounding modifier is the same as a hit to the torso. Treat as a hit to the Groin for purposes of Shock and Knockdown, if attack was impaling or piercing Ht rolls for Bleeding are at -2.

Thoughts, feellings, corrections, other organs?

[aesir23]

Would it even make sense to have a Torso location with this house rule?

[EDIT] My initial thought is that those strikes that miraculously miss all of the vital organs (as has been known to happen) hit the "Torso" on the random hit location chart. But, it would be quite difficult to do this intentionally with a peircing or impaling attack, and so torso should have a penalty. (I'm thinking of the scene in Hero where they SPOILER fake someone's death by expertly stabbing her around her organs END SPOILER)

[johndallman]

This is too much detail to go directly into a random hit locations chart; you'd need a sub-table. I suspect many "Torso" hits will clip one of these organs, but not damage it badly.

[vierasmarius]

Originally Posted by johndallman

This is too much detail to go directly into a random hit locations chart; you'd need a sub-table. I suspect many "Torso" hits will clip one of these organs, but not damage it badly.

I'd say even further that the damage bonus provided by impaling and large piercing attacks to the torso is for exactly this reason - a penetrating injury has a large chance of interfering with organs, even if it doesn't directly strike them (ie, Vitals hit). Rather than rolling for the exact organs disrupted by a bullet or blade, GURPS abstracts that into a simple wound modifier.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by johndallman

This is too much detail to go directly into a random hit locations chart; you'd need a sub-table. I suspect many "Torso" hits will clip one of these organs, but not damage it badly.

Yes, I agree on both counts.

Originally Posted by vierasmarius

I'd say even further that the damage bonus provided by impaling and large piercing attacks to the torso is for exactly this reason - a penetrating injury has a large chance of interfering with organs, even if it doesn't directly strike them (ie, Vitals hit). Rather than rolling for the exact organs disrupted by a bullet or blade, GURPS abstracts that into a simple wound modifier.

Makes a lot of sense--a good reason to keep the X2 wounding modifier for Impaling to the torso.

Nevertheless, I think that in reality it is harder NOT to hit a vital organ if you're piercing someone's torso. We're jam-packed with organs.

I should note that I'm totally fine with GURPS level of abstraction, consider this a thought experiment for the fun of it. I probably won't use this much detail in my own games, unless we turn out something really cool.

[aesir23]

Proposed Random Hit Locations:

Upper Torso:

3-6: Heart
7:Diaphragm
8-10: Right Lung
11-13: Left Lung
14-15:Diaphram
16-18: Torso Only.

Lower Torso:
3-5: Torso Only
6-8: Liver
9-10: Intestines/Bowels
11-12: Stomach
13-14: Kidney/Bladder
15: Diaphragm
16-18: Torso Only

[aesir23]

What would be the effect of injury to lymph nodes?

[JCurwen3]

Originally Posted by aesir23

Heart (-4) Can only be targeted by Impaling or Peircing Attacks. Damage Modifier X3. It is protected by the Rib Cage and Sternum (DR 1), but attacks can go between the ribs as per Chinks. In addition to all of the usual results from a hit to the Vitals, a Major Wound requires a Ht roll to prevent a Heart Attack.

Canonically, the heart is at -5 to hit, mentioned in Horror, p. 30 and MH3: The Enemy, p. 10. Same wounding multiplier as vitals, and never explicitly listed as a "new hit location", it does have a more specific,tougher to-hit penalty.

I like your ideas about the DR 1 of the rib cage and sternum and the heart attack risk; I'm lifting that DR protection and using it from now on. :-)

As far as the heart attack risk, I already was doing that. In tbone's GULLIVER rules, a heart hit that does HP injury causes a heart attack, HPx2 causes the heart attack HT roll to be at -4, HPx3 at -8, and then it's capped (I keep it going at an additional -4 per additional multiple of HP... not that it has ever mattered at that point). The heart was also given a x4 wounding modifier in those rules, which I also thought was more appropriate to set the heart apart in lethality from the other organs.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

...which I also thought was more appropriate to set the heart apart in lethality from the other organs.

I don't recall if it made it into my old ballistics article, but I used to say that the heart bled per SECOND what the rest of the body bled in a MINUTE.

[aesir23]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

Canonically, the heart is at -5 to hit, mentioned in Horror, p. 30 and MH3: The Enemy, p. 10. Same wounding multiplier as vitals, and never explicitly listed as a "new hit location", it does have a more specific,tougher to-hit penalty.

I like your ideas about the DR 1 of the rib cage and sternum and the heart attack risk; I'm lifting that DR protection and using it from now on. :-)

Ah yes, I misremembered the rule from Horror.

I might make it -5 to hit through the ribs (DR 1, which can be avoided by targeting chinks) or -4 to punch Straight through the Sternum (DR 2).

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

I don't recall if it made it into my old ballistics article, but I used to say that the heart bled per SECOND what the rest of the body bled in a MINUTE.

Yes, good point. It should at least bleed as much as the arteries.

Would an accurate representation of bleeding through a wound to the heart make my new Aorta/Ventrical hit location pointless? (e.g. no reason to ever target it instead of the heart.)