Author Topic: Lethality and You: An Idea  (Read 3007 times)

Offline Amechra

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Lethality and You: An Idea
« on: March 15, 2013, 07:44:32 AM »
I just had a really, really odd idea for a system that I suspect is just awful.

The idea is that any attack that beats a character's "armor class" is an instant kill.

People would have something like hit points for being hurt outside of battle and the like, but actual combat would be lethal++

There would be abilities that you could buy up that would let you hit people nonlethally, or which allowed you to survive a few hits, but the central idea is that combat in and of itself is hideously lethal.
"There is happiness for those who accept their fate, there is glory for those that defy it."

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Offline Nytemare3701

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Re: Lethality and You: An Idea
« Reply #1 on: March 15, 2013, 11:40:48 AM »
I just had a really, really odd idea for a system that I suspect is just awful.

The idea is that any attack that beats a character's "armor class" is an instant kill.

People would have something like hit points for being hurt outside of battle and the like, but actual combat would be lethal++

There would be abilities that you could buy up that would let you hit people nonlethally, or which allowed you to survive a few hits, but the central idea is that combat in and of itself is hideously lethal.


You pretty much just described how any game with a soak mechanic works. If you can't soak it, you are either horribly wounded or dead. Either that or Exalted (I hate Unstoppable Force/Immovable Object mechanics...)

That said, you would need VERY tight control over numerical bonuses in either direction.

Offline Amechra

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Re: Lethality and You: An Idea
« Reply #2 on: March 15, 2013, 12:13:21 PM »
Numerical bonuses? What are those?  ;)

The basic idea is that every attack deals 1 damage, as do most environmental hazards (some deal a bit more).

However, you have 1 ICHP (In-Combat Hit Point) and ~3 OCHP (Out of combat HP).

Effects that let you survive attacks in combat either give you about 1 extra HP, or let you treat an attack as an environmental effect, thus sending it to your OCHP.

I envision a "holy crap, he's tough" combat character having 3 ICHP, and maybe 4 OCHP, as well as effects that let you treat attacks as environmental effects (there might even be enemies that only have an environmental HP pool, as a way of representing really large creatures; the attack has to essentially be equivalent to them falling into a pool of acid for it to work.)
"There is happiness for those who accept their fate, there is glory for those that defy it."

"Now that everyone's so happy, this is probably a good time to tell you I ate your parents."

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Lethality and You: An Idea
« Reply #3 on: March 15, 2013, 12:17:06 PM »
How do you plan to handle creatures with regeneration and fast healing?

Offline Amechra

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Re: Lethality and You: An Idea
« Reply #4 on: March 15, 2013, 01:11:42 PM »
Not every system needs those concepts?

Seriously, I would never have this as a generalized system; this would probably be rooted in a setting where horrific lethality makes sense.
"There is happiness for those who accept their fate, there is glory for those that defy it."

"Now that everyone's so happy, this is probably a good time to tell you I ate your parents."

Offline Raineh Daze

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Re: Lethality and You: An Idea
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2013, 01:16:19 PM »
Oh, right, misread the subforum thing. My mistake. XD

... I always think this sort of system is best for actually having terrifying undead. So what if you blow off half their torso? It's not as if they need it.

Offline Amechra

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Re: Lethality and You: An Idea
« Reply #6 on: March 15, 2013, 01:43:31 PM »
It also makes for hilarious stories.

"So I dealt like 5 damage to this thing, and it was still standing!"
"So is your character really weak, or something?"
"No. He was using his ultimate attack, too!"
"There is happiness for those who accept their fate, there is glory for those that defy it."

"Now that everyone's so happy, this is probably a good time to tell you I ate your parents."

Offline Nytemare3701

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Re: Lethality and You: An Idea
« Reply #7 on: March 15, 2013, 10:38:19 PM »
I'm kind of amused that this went straight into the exceptions to the rule.