HiBRiD Things for Your Game #5: Damage Codes

Prior to my detour into the world of bug-based rpgs and teen angst from my most recent posts, I mentioned how much I enjoy the hit-then-damage mechanic, but that I also like to emphasize mobile, active actions subtly while at the same time keeping the tension and threat of death more overt. In order to do this,  and in order to counteract the war of attrition that I came to hate in more traditional games, and could potentially be created by the rules in my previous post,  I wrote the following damage system to fine tune the balances.

To make intensify OSR/d20 games, shorten combat scenes, and simplify damage, substitute the following rules for your damage system for weapons (This system does not apply to damage inflicted by spells, as it hasn't been playtested in that arena as of yet.):

The Crunch

All weapons are assigned a damage code in the following notation, NdS (M), where

•            N=the number of dice
•             S=the number of sides
•            M=the average amount of damage inflicted by the roll 

To determine the damage code, instead of the using the weapon damage of the given system, look up the weapon damage in your preferred reference document and find the damage inflicted. Next, convert this damage to a number of d6s as follows (Any +s listed for the damage inflicted in the reference document must be dropped before using the table): 

• 1d6 (3): 1d3/1d4/1d5
• 2d6 (6): 1d6/1d8/1d10/2d3/2d4/2d5
• 3d6 (9): 1d12/1d20/2d6/2d8/3d4 
• 4d6 (12): 2d10/3d6 
• 5d6 (15): 2d12/3d8/4d6
• 6d6 (18): 3d10/4d8 
• 7d6 (21): 3d12 
• 8d6 (24): 4d10 
• 9d6 (27): 4d12

For hand-held weapons, as an alternative method for determining a weapon's damage code independent of any source book, for every 30 cm of weapon length,  a handheld weapon does 1d6 (3) points of damage.

• If the weapon is designed to be used 2-handed, add an additional 1d6 (3) to this.
• If the weapon is designed to be used 2-handed, double the damage bonus for the striker’s Strength
• If the weapon is bladed, add an additional 1d6 (3) to this.
• If a metal-shod bludgeon, add +2 to the damage code. 

Implement in Play

To use the system, once you have the weapon codes (determined from either of these methods), players have a choice to roll or do average damage. Players receive an attack roll modifier of +2 if they use a description in the following format (or a similarly colorful format) to describe their actions: 

I [slice/cut/bludgeon/et] his [body part] for [average] points of damage instead of “I roll to hit” or I attack”. If the attack sets up the player for the next round's attack, the director may also apply and additional +2 modifier if the action is smooth, heroic, and feasible.

One final note on using with the previously posted armor system: The original armor design I posted was designed for the damage of the OSR/d20 reference documents, and based on those damage systems. To use the same armor system for these damage codes when calculated using the alternative method, you will need to use the Armor Values.

That’s it. Now stop  reading, go out, and slay some villains!