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Old 06-12-2021, 02:49 PM   #11
Oneiros
 
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: Getting Knocked Out

Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter von Kleinsmid View Post
There are three rules for knockouts, two of which are optional. See Aimed Shots (ITL p. 121, Head), Crippling Hits (ITL p. 122, result 12), and Taking Prisoners (ITL p. 126).
Well, there ya go. No new rules (or special builds) required.
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Old 06-12-2021, 06:40 PM   #12
hcobb
 
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Location: Pacheco, California
Default Re: Getting Knocked Out

Pin then sleeper hold to take the vampire undead.
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Old 06-13-2021, 02:16 AM   #13
Steve Plambeck
 
Join Date: Jun 2019
Default Re: Getting Knocked Out

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kieddicus View Post
I never really liked that the only way to fall unconscious in combat was to drop to exactly 0 ST
Quote:
Originally Posted by Shostak View Post
You shouldn't have to be at death's door to be knocked unconscious.
I couldn't agree more with both those statements.

My admittedly radical proposal is to alter the rules of death itself, doing so in such a way that it enlarges that window between death and unconsciousness from its current setting of only 1 point. To do so requires reclassifying damage as well, so these would be pretty big as far as house rules go.

Hits become tallied separately as either LETHAL or NON-LETHAL. Which still parallels what we already do in keeping fatigue hits separate from wounds. Hits from sharp and edged weapons would count as LETHAL hits, unless the attacker chose them to count as NON-LETHAL instead (striking with the flat of the weapon or the butt of the haft, etc.) Hits from blunt weapons, barehanded attacks, kicks, or a flower vase broken over the head would count as NON-LETHAL hits, as of course anything that currently counts as "fatigue". LETHAL hits recover at the same rate as wounds do now, and are treatable with medical attention. NON-LETHAL hits recover at the same rate as fatigue does now, 1 point per 15 minutes.

Now the tricky bit. A figure only dies when LETHAL hits exceed ST. But a figure becomes unconscious any time the total of all hits, LETHAL plus NON-LETHAL, is greater than or equal to ST.

So for example, a 12 ST figure could have 6 LETHAL hits (wounds) and 10 NON-LETHAL hits (exhaustion, spell expenditures, blunt force trauma, or any combination of all three). Because 16 total hits exceeds ST 12, they are unconscious, but not dead yet because the 6 LETHAL hits is less than ST. In this example, the figure would regain consciousness in 75 minutes, by which time 5 of the NON-LETHAL hits would wear off. At that point total hits has come down to 11, bringing net total ST to 1.

This whole approach has a number of ripple effects which need to be contemplated. For example wizards would be much harder to kill, although not any harder to knock out (which in a 1 on 1 arena fight comes down to the same thing anyway). Everyone would be harder to kill outright, but no one would be harder to defeat. There'd be survivors waking up to crawl off after a big battle, unless someone had gone around with a dagger slitting throats.
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Last edited by Steve Plambeck; 06-13-2021 at 02:19 AM.
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