In Star Wars, if a character is hit with a weapon set on stun, he needs to make a Fort save, or be stunned. However, if the save is passed the character is still stunned for 1 round.
The stunned condition in d20 is really nasty: you lose your Dex bonus to AC/Defense (not as big a problem in SW as in D&D, as there are fewer sneak attacks. Still...), you drop whatever you have in your hands, and opponents get a +2 bonus to hit you.
I'll repeat that: you drop whatever you have in your hands. So, even when the stun wears off, you're still screwed. And this is if you make the save!
Friday, 30 September 2005
Death by Massive Damage
If ever there was a pointless rule in D&D, it is the death by massive damage. If you are capable of surviving the loss of 50 hit points in one blow, you're not going to fail a DC 15 Fortitude save. The rule was introduced to combat the tactic of escaping by jumping off a 200-foot drop, but it doesn't really do that.
Of course, the situation is somewhat different in other games. In Star Wars, a fall requires a Reflex save, or the damage applies to Wounds rather than Vitality, which is a rather more deadly matter. In Call of Cthulhu, the threshold for the save is 10 hit points, and it's entirely possible that a character can survive the loss but fail the save. In d20 Modern, the threshold is set at the character's Con score, which is much the same.
There's not really a point to all this, except for one small thing: the lethality of a game depends on more factors than just how many hit points the character has. By adjusting the damage threshold, the difficulty of the save, the attacks that can reach the threshold, or just means by which the character's hit points can be negated, the lethality can be tailored to your taste.
Of course, I still think the Vitality/Wounds split doesn't really work for Star Wars (to lethal), and the existing hit point system doesn't work for Call of Cthulhu (not lethal enough). But that's just me.
Of course, the situation is somewhat different in other games. In Star Wars, a fall requires a Reflex save, or the damage applies to Wounds rather than Vitality, which is a rather more deadly matter. In Call of Cthulhu, the threshold for the save is 10 hit points, and it's entirely possible that a character can survive the loss but fail the save. In d20 Modern, the threshold is set at the character's Con score, which is much the same.
There's not really a point to all this, except for one small thing: the lethality of a game depends on more factors than just how many hit points the character has. By adjusting the damage threshold, the difficulty of the save, the attacks that can reach the threshold, or just means by which the character's hit points can be negated, the lethality can be tailored to your taste.
Of course, I still think the Vitality/Wounds split doesn't really work for Star Wars (to lethal), and the existing hit point system doesn't work for Call of Cthulhu (not lethal enough). But that's just me.
Friday, 23 September 2005
Story Logic vs Game Logic
In the movies, the villain always has a big monologue about how he's going to take over the world. Or, he escapes at the last minute, and threatens to return and wreak his revenge.
In a role-playing game, time spent talking is time wasted - the PCs will act, and probably kill you. Likewise, the PCs will never let a defeated enemy get away, or leave a fallen opponent for dead - they will always make certain of the death, and almost certainly search the body as well.
The thing is, in D&D this is fine - it's a game about killing things and taking their stuff.
However, it doesn't work nearly so well in Star Wars, Call of Cthulhu, or many d20 Modern games. It probably doesn't make sense in Vampire either, but then, that game's not really supposed to have many fights to the death either, it's just that the system makes it hard to avoid them.
There isn't a solid solution for this. I think, perhaps, the GM needs to discuss campaign feel with the players before it starts, and then give out bonus XP for sticking with the feel of the genre. I just wish I felt better about advocating that position.
In a role-playing game, time spent talking is time wasted - the PCs will act, and probably kill you. Likewise, the PCs will never let a defeated enemy get away, or leave a fallen opponent for dead - they will always make certain of the death, and almost certainly search the body as well.
The thing is, in D&D this is fine - it's a game about killing things and taking their stuff.
However, it doesn't work nearly so well in Star Wars, Call of Cthulhu, or many d20 Modern games. It probably doesn't make sense in Vampire either, but then, that game's not really supposed to have many fights to the death either, it's just that the system makes it hard to avoid them.
There isn't a solid solution for this. I think, perhaps, the GM needs to discuss campaign feel with the players before it starts, and then give out bonus XP for sticking with the feel of the genre. I just wish I felt better about advocating that position.
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