Supplement Four
Mongoose
C O N A N hit location tables
When a character is reduced to 0 HP or worse, roll on the appropriate chart to find the wound's location. A roll on the chart is made whether the 0 or negative HP total is reached through normal hit point loss or through failing the Fortitude Save after suffering Massive Damage.
Armed with this information, the GM can then vividly describe the wound, biasing his description through his knowledge of the hit location and totals of the attack and damage throws. The GM may add ancillary effects to the wounded character in light of these wounds.
For example: "Your character has just been hit for a total of 12 hit points, taking him to -3 HP. (Consulting the appropriate chart.) The tip of the thief's dagger scratches the right side of your head, slicing into your eye! If healed, you may be permanently blind in that eye.
The ancillary effect in this example is that the character may have a blind eye if the character does not die (is healed in some fashion). The GM will govern the chance of losing sight in that eye just like he would any other event in the game. The eye could be lost, and the character will be forced to take up wearing an eye patch. Or, maybe the eye will be clouded, making it blind or partially blind. Or, maybe the GM will scare the character's player with blindness for a time only to have full vision return to the character at a later date (the ugly scar on the side of the character's face not withstanding). This is all up to the GM to adjudicate as he sees fit. A whole adventure can be built around the character consulting a scholar while in search of a wooden eye replacement--or some mysterious, lost, Archeronian magic that is whispered to restore sight to the blind!
Ancillary wound effects are limited only by the GM's imagination. A character may suffer a broken bone, which will eventually heal, leaving the character good as new. Then again, a massive chop of a battle axe may sever the character's arm completely, leaving him maimed and crippled. The GM may allow Saves or some other dice roll to determine the character's fate. "That Vanir warrior swung down hard, with all his might, landing his blade across your weapon arm! I'll give your character a Reflex Save vs. a DC equal to the Vanir's damage. If you succeed, the wound will be something that can be healed--if you survive (as the character has negative hit points). If you fail the save, the chop severed your character's arm!"
Ancillary wound effects to consider: broken bones; sliced or punctured body parts; blood loss; body part function loss (hearing, sight, smell, movement, etc.); deep cuts or amputation; loss of fingers, toes, nose, ear, eyes, etc.; weapon stuck deep inside victim, caught in the bones of the rib cage; crushed skull; slashed tendons or muscles; broken back or back or skull; bruises; scars; attribute damage based on the wound; punctured lung; infection; dizziness or hallucinations due to blood loss or a cracked skull; and so on. The GM should let his interpretation of the situation be his guide.
Again, the governing of this type of situation is entirely up to the GM--the architect of your campaign with his thumb on its pulse. Remember, too, that these tables are only consulted when the character is at 0 HP or below. If the character doesn't survive (Stabilized and Healed per the Conan rules), then deciding whether an ancillary wound effect will heal is moot. The character is dead, so the GM should make the description of what happened to him vivid and memorable in the hearts and minds of his players.
There are two charts: one for Slashing or Bashing weapons, and the other for Piercing weapons. It is highly recommended that either chart be consulted only when a character has been reduced to 0 or negative hit points--in other words, only when the character is considered dying. Using the charts for normal combat blows will bog down the speed of the game tremendously and is therefore not recommended.
The Slashing and Bashing table is designed with face-to-face melee encounters in mind. Arm hits are most likely because combatants will use their arms to block and defend themselves. Torso hits are also likely as the torso is the major target attackers strive to hit. Leg hits are less likely because melee fighters are required to stoop and expose themselves when reaching for their opponent's leg. The same can be said for an opponent's head.
The Piercing table encourages torso hits at the expense of leg hits, because archers and those thrusting a spear forward will aim for their target's center of mass.
Note that both charts consider combatants to be facing each other, but it is extremely easy for the GM to alter the hit location should an attack strike at a target's calf instead of his shin, at his lower back instead of his abdomen, or at his shoulder blade instead of his upper chest. The GM just needs to add a little common sense. (And, this is true should the target be prone or crouched instead of standing.)
Here is the breakdown for the two charts:
Note that odd results on the hit location table typically refer to damage inflicted on the left hand side of the target's body while even numbered results indicate hits to the target's right hand side.
In addition, higher numbered results indicate physically higher locations on the body. Both of these features were included to help the GM skew results when necessary.
For example: A tree branch trap is tied at chest height with little hope of damaging the target's legs. Add +2 to the hit location roll to skew results higher on the target's body.
For example: As the characters are wading through waist deep water in a swamp, they are attack by flesh eating fish, throwbacks to a time long before the Hyborian Age. The GM uses a -14 on the Piercing hit location chart to skew results to the character's lower legs, or the GM can simply use the chart as-is by only rolling 1d6.
When a character is reduced to 0 HP or worse, roll on the appropriate chart to find the wound's location. A roll on the chart is made whether the 0 or negative HP total is reached through normal hit point loss or through failing the Fortitude Save after suffering Massive Damage.
Armed with this information, the GM can then vividly describe the wound, biasing his description through his knowledge of the hit location and totals of the attack and damage throws. The GM may add ancillary effects to the wounded character in light of these wounds.
For example: "Your character has just been hit for a total of 12 hit points, taking him to -3 HP. (Consulting the appropriate chart.) The tip of the thief's dagger scratches the right side of your head, slicing into your eye! If healed, you may be permanently blind in that eye.
The ancillary effect in this example is that the character may have a blind eye if the character does not die (is healed in some fashion). The GM will govern the chance of losing sight in that eye just like he would any other event in the game. The eye could be lost, and the character will be forced to take up wearing an eye patch. Or, maybe the eye will be clouded, making it blind or partially blind. Or, maybe the GM will scare the character's player with blindness for a time only to have full vision return to the character at a later date (the ugly scar on the side of the character's face not withstanding). This is all up to the GM to adjudicate as he sees fit. A whole adventure can be built around the character consulting a scholar while in search of a wooden eye replacement--or some mysterious, lost, Archeronian magic that is whispered to restore sight to the blind!
Ancillary wound effects are limited only by the GM's imagination. A character may suffer a broken bone, which will eventually heal, leaving the character good as new. Then again, a massive chop of a battle axe may sever the character's arm completely, leaving him maimed and crippled. The GM may allow Saves or some other dice roll to determine the character's fate. "That Vanir warrior swung down hard, with all his might, landing his blade across your weapon arm! I'll give your character a Reflex Save vs. a DC equal to the Vanir's damage. If you succeed, the wound will be something that can be healed--if you survive (as the character has negative hit points). If you fail the save, the chop severed your character's arm!"
Ancillary wound effects to consider: broken bones; sliced or punctured body parts; blood loss; body part function loss (hearing, sight, smell, movement, etc.); deep cuts or amputation; loss of fingers, toes, nose, ear, eyes, etc.; weapon stuck deep inside victim, caught in the bones of the rib cage; crushed skull; slashed tendons or muscles; broken back or back or skull; bruises; scars; attribute damage based on the wound; punctured lung; infection; dizziness or hallucinations due to blood loss or a cracked skull; and so on. The GM should let his interpretation of the situation be his guide.
Again, the governing of this type of situation is entirely up to the GM--the architect of your campaign with his thumb on its pulse. Remember, too, that these tables are only consulted when the character is at 0 HP or below. If the character doesn't survive (Stabilized and Healed per the Conan rules), then deciding whether an ancillary wound effect will heal is moot. The character is dead, so the GM should make the description of what happened to him vivid and memorable in the hearts and minds of his players.
There are two charts: one for Slashing or Bashing weapons, and the other for Piercing weapons. It is highly recommended that either chart be consulted only when a character has been reduced to 0 or negative hit points--in other words, only when the character is considered dying. Using the charts for normal combat blows will bog down the speed of the game tremendously and is therefore not recommended.
The Slashing and Bashing table is designed with face-to-face melee encounters in mind. Arm hits are most likely because combatants will use their arms to block and defend themselves. Torso hits are also likely as the torso is the major target attackers strive to hit. Leg hits are less likely because melee fighters are required to stoop and expose themselves when reaching for their opponent's leg. The same can be said for an opponent's head.
The Piercing table encourages torso hits at the expense of leg hits, because archers and those thrusting a spear forward will aim for their target's center of mass.
Note that both charts consider combatants to be facing each other, but it is extremely easy for the GM to alter the hit location should an attack strike at a target's calf instead of his shin, at his lower back instead of his abdomen, or at his shoulder blade instead of his upper chest. The GM just needs to add a little common sense. (And, this is true should the target be prone or crouched instead of standing.)
Here is the breakdown for the two charts:
Code:
Slash & Bash Pierce
Head 10% 10%
Arms 40% 40%
Torso 30% 40%
Legs 20% 10%Note that odd results on the hit location table typically refer to damage inflicted on the left hand side of the target's body while even numbered results indicate hits to the target's right hand side.
In addition, higher numbered results indicate physically higher locations on the body. Both of these features were included to help the GM skew results when necessary.
For example: A tree branch trap is tied at chest height with little hope of damaging the target's legs. Add +2 to the hit location roll to skew results higher on the target's body.
For example: As the characters are wading through waist deep water in a swamp, they are attack by flesh eating fish, throwbacks to a time long before the Hyborian Age. The GM uses a -14 on the Piercing hit location chart to skew results to the character's lower legs, or the GM can simply use the chart as-is by only rolling 1d6.
Code:
d20 Slash & Bash
01 Left Shin or Foot
02 Right Shin or Foot
03 Left Thigh or Knee
04 Right Thigh or Knee
05 Waist or Hip or Groin
06 Right Abdomen
07 Left Abdomen
08 Left Chest
09 Right Chest
10 Left Hand
11 Right Hand
12 Left Forearm
13 Right Forearm
14 Left Upper Arm or Elbow
15 Right Upper Arm or Elbow
16 Center Torso
17 Left Shoulder
18 Right Shoulder
19 Neck or Throat
20 Head
Code:
d20 Pierce
01 Left Thigh, Knee, Shin, or Foot
02 Right Thigh, Knee, Shin, or Foot
03 Waist or Hip or Groin
04 Right Abdomen
05 Left Abdomen
06 Center Abdomen
07 Left Chest
08 Right Chest
09 Left Hand
10 Right Hand
11 Left Forearm
12 Right Forearm
13 Left Upper Arm or Elbow
14 Right Upper Arm or Elbow
15 Lower Center Torso
16 Upper Center Torso
17 Left Shoulder
18 Right Shoulder
19 Neck/Throat
20 Head
