Random Thought on Damage

[johnkretzer]

Anybody ever thought of switching SDC and Hit Points and stacking Hit Points as a kind of "Skill Points" or "Fatigue Points" on top of the MDC of body armors?

I'm thinking cut all armor MDC's universally in half and have the "Hit Points" refresh after every encounter or after a period of time (Level Hit Points per hour perhaps). Critical Successes blast the MDC of the Armor and the Hit Points.

I'm thinking it would seriously change up the dynamics of combat "grind" and would reflect the idea that higher level Characters really are tougher becuase they are better.

Need to do some play testing. Thoughts?

WildWalker

Interesting...How would treat MDC creatures?

[Killer Cyborg]

If you're using Hit Points for this, treat MDC creatures the same as armor, and just roll them up some hit points to go on top of their MDC.
The method for rolling HP is pretty universal.

Personally, I wouldn't like to play this way, though.
I go for realism as much as possible, and a 40 year combat veteran will die just as easily as anybody else if they're shot in a vital area.

[The Baron of chaos]

Hmmm I am not sure to get what you were aimig for. You simply inverted the value but nothing eventually change. YOu just lose HP before MDC and then the SDC. Or Perhaps I've just got it wrong.

Personally, I wouldn't like to play this way, though.
I go for realism as much as possible, and a 40 year combat veteran will die just as easily as anybody else if they're shot in a vital area.

I agree with you, partially, mostly because I think MDC armor should not make a person completely damage proof(I liked the base rule for damage bypassing armor in main book and the expansion on Rifter 51, as example. Make those soldier use their SDC, And get out of battle all but unscathed.

[Mechanurgist]

> ability to avoid taking damage due to increased skill and endurance

Shouldn't that be reflected in the actual, you know, Skills and Physical Endurance attribute?

[johnkretzer]

Personally, I wouldn't like to play this way, though.
I go for realism as much as possible, and a 40 year combat veteran will die just as easily as anybody else if they're shot in a vital area.

Yeah but a 40 year old vet would know how not get hit in those vitals than say somebody who has not been shot at. Experience does help....though than age factors in slowing you down...it pretty much evens out.

[Killer Cyborg]

Personally, I wouldn't like to play this way, though.
I go for realism as much as possible, and a 40 year combat veteran will die just as easily as anybody else if they're shot in a vital area.

Yeah but a 40 year old vet would know how not get hit in those vitals than say somebody who has not been shot at.

That's called a Dodge bonus.

Experience does help....though than age factors in slowing you down...it pretty much evens out.

Yeah, the age thing isn't often used in RPGs.

[Killer Cyborg]

<snip>That's called a Dodge bonus.

So where does the 1d6 SDC per level come into the equation? It does not add up if Hit Points are only refering to the ability to take damage.

Lots of things don't add up.

[slade the sniper]

I think that your idea has merit, but it is not something that i would use personally. The way tjat I do it is to use hit points as the body's physical ability to take damage and it does not increase. SDC is a person's mental toughness and resistance to pain, which is why it increases each level to denote your ability to suck it up and drive on. The combat bonuses are there to represent tricks you have learned to not get hit, relax and aimuse cover, etc.

-STS

[johnkretzer]

I think that your idea has merit, but it is not something that i would use personally. The way tjat I do it is to use hit points as the body's physical ability to take damage and it does not increase. SDC is a person's mental toughness and resistance to pain, which is why it increases each level to denote your ability to suck it up and drive on. The combat bonuses are there to represent tricks you have learned to not get hit, relax and aimuse cover, etc.

-STS

While I agree dodge bonmus works better...this raise a interesting question...

Why don't MDC creature have SDC? Why don't they have mental toughness and resistance to pain?

Sure I can see them having less...as few things are painful for them...so it would be newer to them...but should they not have something?

Yeah i know it is just a RPG with rules...and I am not advocating a change to the system...just wondering how to explain something mechanicaly in game.

[Mechanurgist]

At this point it would be easiest to just combine HP, SDC and MDC into one game attribute, if only to save ourselves the pages of rationalizations and pseudo-scientific "explanations" of what each of those three are supposed to be/do.

Same goes for PS/Aug PS/Rob PS/Super PS, the 12 save types ISP/PPE/Chi.

[slade the sniper]

At this point it would be easiest to just combine HP, SDC and MDC into one game attribute, if only to save ourselves the pages of rationalizations and pseudo-scientific "explanations" of what each of those three are supposed to be/do.

Same goes for PS/Aug PS/Rob PS/Super PS, the 12 save types ISP/PPE/Chi.

That is what I do for my homebrew d100 rule set...the first post is how I do it for "rules purists" if they insist...but I usually just have Damage Capacity and Strength...if the numbers are huge, so be it...

-STS