[CONAN] Staggered

[Supplement Four]

This idea was inspired by my non-lethal damage thread. The "staggered" condition that affects people who have HP = Nonlethal damage is something that might be useful in the game, even without nonlethal damage.

Isn't it strange that a character with 1 HP is just as healthy and mobile and effective as he is when he's got all of his hit points?

And, then...bam...one hit point of damage makes him unconscious or completely ineffective?

Does this reflect real life?

Well, sorta...sometimes...but not all the time.





What if there was a "buffer" in there that produced another result--wound effects that make the character alert and playable, but not fully capable as if he were fully fit with all hit points.

So...

Why not use the "staggered" effect when a character is reduced to just a few hit points? Or...what about making him staggered at just a few points past 0 hp?

This could be some function of CON, or maybe 10% of the character's total hp, or even a function of his level.







Here's a sketch of an idea. It will need work, but let's see what you think of the kernel.

We'll have to consider a good rule for the "staggered" point, but for the sake of this moment, let's say we settle on 10% of normal hit points.

A character has 20 hp. If reduced to a number of hp = 1-19, the character acts normally. If reduced 0, -1, or -2 hp, the character is considered "staggered". If reduced to -3 hp or worse, then the character is unconscious and dying normally.

This idea actually has some precedent in the 1E AD&D DMG. I remember something Gygax wrote about -1 or -3 hp. I'll need to look that up.

But, adding this in allows a character to still be alert and fighting in the combat but suffering effects from wounds.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Supplement Four]

To the tune of "Shattered" by the Rolling Stones



Staggered, staggered.
Down and out he steps and swings
I’m barely standing on my feet
Look at me, I’m in tatters!
I’ve been staggered
Staggered

It’s getting alarming
I'm sure I don't look so charming
Life and loss at this meet and greet
My Adam’s apple
People dressed like armored cans
Combat addicts
Some kind of magic
Staggered

A left and a right and a slam, bam, thank you ma’am.
Look at me, I’m in tatters
I’ve been staggered
Staggered

All this clangy-clinky-clacky-ching-aling about
What’s a matter with me? What’s a matter with you?
This round’s been seeing me in tatters (staggered, staggered)
Swing my glove and swing my axe
Enemy rolls a critical for success, success, success, success
Does it matter? (any more)
I’ve been staggered
Staggered

Ahhhh, look at me, I’m staggered
I’ve been staggered
Yeah, look at me. I’ve been staggered

Pride and joy go out the window
During this round, I’m not my best
Swing and pound while the blood trickles to my feet
And look at me. I’m in tatters, yeah
I’ve been battered, but what does it matter
Does it matter, uh-huh
Does it matter, un-huh, I’ve been shattered

Don’t you know my hit points have been going down, down, down, down, down
To live through this round you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, tough!
You got orcs on the left side
Bugbears up in front
What a mess I’m in. This round’s in tatters, and I’ve been staggered
My brain’s been battered, splattered all over the captain

Uh-huh, this round is for the monster goblins
Go ahead, bite the big one, don’t mind the maggots, huh
Shadoobie, my brain’s been battered
My friends don’t come around with aide
Pitter, patter, go their feet, I'm bitter as they scatter, scatter, scatter, scatter
Pile it up, pile it up high on a platter

I’ve been staggered

 

[Majestic7]

Long time ago, in a distant world, we played D&D 3.5. We used "Wound Points" in addition to regular Hit Points. In essence, WP = Con. I think monsies got extra WPs for size, but not sure. Anyway, Hit Points are just stamina and luck and so forth. Wound Points were the real wounds. A confirmed critical hit would bypass Hit Points and instead do damage to Wound Points directly. Otherwise a character with 0 Hit Points would start taking damage to Wound Points after that.

A character with even one point of damage to WP would be Fatigued. Someone who got knocked to the ground (by getting zero or negative WPs) would be Exhausted afterwards.

It was pretty frigging deadly on higher levels, since a critical was guaranteed to kill a character, consider how much damage the attacks were dealing. Maybe you might consider something like that - though Conan already has Massive Damage, so it doesn't necessarily need anything like this.