Improving Character Survivability

[oldwolf]

I haven't run a tft campaign in decades. I am very pleased to see that it is finally coming back on the market. Since mice got into the box my old tft stuff was in the new printings will be a godsend.

My main concern for a new campaign is that the combat is so realistically deadly! Realism is nice but players often get discouraged before they adapt their play to where they consider combat to be the last resort it should be.

To deal with this I intend to do two things:

1. Unconsciousness will go from ST 1 to ST -5. Death will be anything below ST -5. Natural healing will be 1 ST per 2 days of rest for 0 ST and above, but each negative ST point takes 4 days of rest.

2. The passage of time between game sessions will follow the passage of real time. Combined with 1 above it can be seen that a 10 ST character, wounded to -4 ST will take well over a month to get back to full strength, without alchemical, physiker, etc intervention. Thus 1 and 2 together should significantly reduce character death while keeping combat respectfully dangerous.

Anyone seeing any flaws in my plan or having a better idea, feel free to make suggestions.

[Terquem]

I think I will work out an idea I have for unconscious being 0, and mostly dead being anything from -1 to -(STR-1) and -(STR) is all dead

[platimus]

Oldwolf, that sounds good. Here's another option for #1:

Unconsciousness occurs when Damage = ST (when ST = 0 in common parlance). When Damage = 2xST (ST = -ST), the character is Dead-As-A-Doornail. Otherwise, the unconscious character can be dragged or carried to safety and allowed to recuperate.

So, an ST10 figure can take 10 points of damage and fall unconscious. If the figure takes 20 points of damage, it is dead. Period.

Usually, this would mean that whatever was attacking a figure would move on when that figure falls unconscious - to attack a conscious figure that actually poses a threat. Also, this means that if one party member survives, the rest will probably survive as well. If the whole party goes unconscious, normally they're all dead in my book - no matter how much damage they took. Being unconscious, the things that killed them will eat them or leave them for other things to eat them.

[JohnPaulB]

Originally Posted by oldwolf

My main concern for a new campaign is that the combat is so realistically deadly! Realism is nice but players often get discouraged before they adapt their play to where they consider combat to be the last resort it should be.

To deal with this I intend to do two things:

1. Unconsciousness will go from ST 1 to ST -5. Death will be anything below ST -5. Natural healing will be 1 ST per 2 days of rest for 0 ST and above, but each negative ST point takes 4 days of rest.

2. The passage of time between game sessions will follow the passage of real time. Combined with 1 above it can be seen that a 10 ST character, wounded to -4 ST will take well over a month to get back to full strength, without alchemical, physiker, etc intervention. Thus 1 and 2 together should significantly reduce character death while keeping combat respectfully dangerous.

Anyone seeing any flaws in my plan or having a better idea, feel free to make suggestions.

The New TFT death is at -1 and can hover there for several turns while the victim is being worked on by a Physicker or with healing potion. If not, he's dead.

I don't think the following is better, but it is more interesting:
Perhaps rather than change the Death threshold, have non-physicked's attempt healing. The "medicum" rolls 4d6 vs IQ.
If he fails, the victim is dead.
If he succeeds, the victim is now at ST = 3 and acquires a handicap like One-Arm or Cowardly.
http://thefantasytrip.game/news/2018...acters-in-tft/
The GM determines the handicap. The victim is still injured but not unconscious and can move around.

#2 can still be done if 'healed' by a medicum.
However, since the medicum has no medical experience (perhaps having taken care of farm animals or brother and sisters, though) there is an infection from this Medicum healing.
On day 2, roll the victim's Normal ST. If he doesn't fail, he doesn't get infected and continues regaining ST. If he is infected and gets a fever. He doesn't gain any points and on day 5 his fever comes to a head and he rolls Normal ST again. If he doesn't fail again, his fever broke and he can continue to recover. If he fails, each day he loses 1 Strength until he is dead or a physicker can heal him.

The victim has his handicap until healed in a hospital or by a master physicker or some other major cure.

The handicaps will keep the figures in play and add some role-playing opportunity.

[Skarg]

I wonder if you've read the new death rules in ITL yet. Unconscious is at 0 and actual death is at -5... but -1 to -4 means you are about to die unless something (like a physicker and/or healing potion) gets your health up to 0 or more right away. (You can also apply a magic item like Freeze or a new one for the purpose, to stop someone dying until you can get them to a physicker or healing potion.)

[oldwolf]

Originally Posted by Skarg

I wonder if you've read the new death rules in ITL yet. Unconscious is at 0 and actual death is at -5... but -1 to -4 means you are about to die unless something (like a physicker and/or healing potion) gets your health up to 0 or more right away. (You can also apply a magic item like Freeze or a new one for the purpose, to stop someone dying until you can get them to a physicker or healing potion.)

That's great, fairly close to what I was thinking. And no, I haven't seen any of the new stuff yet.

[Tenex]

Originally Posted by Skarg

I wonder if you've read the new death rules in ITL yet. Unconscious is at 0 and actual death is at -5... but -1 to -4 means you are about to die unless something (like a physicker and/or healing potion) gets your health up to 0 or more right away. (You can also apply a magic item like Freeze or a new one for the purpose, to stop someone dying until you can get them to a physicker or healing potion.)

I think this more than adequately deals with the "problem." However, deadly combat goes both ways. If the players engage intelligently, utilize ambushes, cooperate as a team, etc. then the deadly combat rules will benefit them.

I was always annoyed in AD&D and other games where coming up with a great plan didn't benefit you because the combat system couldn't reflect your tactics.

To be honest, I think the new canon rules go a bit too far, but I'll give it a shot...

[larsdangly]

The new rules are a nice compromise between the old grognards who love to see PCs butchered in large numbers and the people who would like TFT to have a danger level closer to D+D and similar games.