frogspawne:r You read it correctly. You can get your head chopped of before you have lost all your Hit Point.
Your combat system are intresting, as I recognize several designs in the mechanics from other games. Though you have combined them all into one system.
RosenMcStern: If you mean that it strays away from the besic concept because you can be seriously injured or die before you have lost all your hit points, then you are correct. I breaks away from that convention.
But I think that the damage system is just one part of the RQ system, and as such, is easily replaced. Much like there has been variations on the d20 system that does not have hit points.
The 2nd alternative in my modification could basically work without Hit Points at all. The Hit Points are only there to allow a character to be "worn down" by damage. You could run with just the Damage Threshold and state that hits that cause damage below it does not count at all. But that would prolong combat in the extreme if you were to use the heroic option (DT = Con).
Remaking the 2nd alternative so that Major wounds only occur when you reach 0 or below hit points would probably be more in line with the conventions of RQ. Though that is very predictable and does not keep the players on their toes.
As I said earlier, the document is still a draft. And subjec to change. I shall consider your opinions, and maybe I will redesign alternative 2. Thats why I asked for opinions
So, if you want, hit me with the suggestions on how you would like to see it done? remember that alternative 2 is going to be used for a setting that I am currently working on, that do use modified RuneQuest rules (following the Open Game License of course).
My first impulse on redesigning alternative 2 is this;. You take a Major wound if you loose 1/2 of your Hit Points in one blow. I would in that case base the Damage Threshold on your Total Hit Points instead, and calculate HPs along the formula of (CON+SIZ)/2 (rounded up), instead of HP = CON+SIZ. This would of course mean that the Heroic option as it is written now would have to be removed or redesigned. I have no ideas at the moment of writing this on how to do that.
I see no reason to redesign Altenative 1, as it basically is the same rules as RQ uses now, only scaled down in what they require to administrate as a GM. It works along principles that several BRP based and BRP clone games have used in the past.
As for waiting for the
GM guide that is not really an option for me. It may include alternative damage systems, but I am sceptical to that it will. Also, even if it does, there is no certainty that the alternative damage system or systems from that book will be Open Game content, and as such usable by third party publishers.
