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View Full Version : Afflictions for major injury- 4E (PEACH)



Mercenary Pen
2009-01-12, 12:27 PM
Okay, I've been musing about this for a while and a comment in WotC's D&D podcast about how damage can easily be over-represented spurred me to take action.

My quandary: If HP and healing surges are accepted to represent a character's resolve to keep fighting, rather than what damage they have taken, how then should serious injuries be represented?

My solution: Injury as an affliction

1- Major injuries will be represented as their own specific conditions, curable by a Heal check using divine healing, an Endurance check from a creature with regeneration (who must be the creature suffering from the affliction in question), or the use of the remove affliction ritual.

1a- If the DM considers it appropriate, these afflictions may also be cured as part of the Raise Dead ritual.

2- Major injuries will only be bestowed when a PC or monster makes a critical hit- but then, the DM or the player has free choice over which, if any conditions are imposed.

3- Each affliction will have a mechanical impact, but one which still allows the character to rest to full HP.

Sample afflictions thus far are as follows:

Loss of (use of) fingers: Your fingers are chopped off or broken, and the attacker chooses which hand is affected. The victim takes a -1 penalty to attack rolls with a weapon or implement in the affected hand, and a -1 penalty to damage rolls with unarmed attacks. This condition can be stacked up to a maximum -3 penalty on each hand- all severed fingers can be re-attached at once with appropriate healing.

Loss of (use of) a hand: Your hand is chopped off or broken, and the attacker determines which hand is affected. The victim loses the ability to wield 2-handed weapons, or carry anything with the affected hand. If the victim takes this affliction twice, they lose the ability to access anything in their magic item hands slot.

Loss of (use of) an arm: See loss of a hand, but substitute arm in place the word hand. If the shield arm if affected, they lose the use of the shield in that arm immediately. If this condition is applied twice, the victim loses access to their hands and arms magic item slots.


I'm still working on the following:
loss of (use of) a foot
loss of (use of) a leg
loss of (use of) an eye
loss of (use of) an ear
loss of (use of) a nose
castration
severe blood loss
miscellaneous broken bones
leaking innards

Any and all assistance would be appreciated.

Asbestos
2009-01-12, 01:06 PM
2- Major injuries will only be bestowed when a PC or monster makes a critical hit- but then, the DM or the player has free choice over which, if any conditions are imposed.


I'm still working on the following:
loss of a foot
loss of a leg
loss of an eye
loss of an ear
loss of a nose
castration
severe blood loss

Any and all assistance would be appreciated.

"Yeah! Natural 20! I cut the giant's junk off!"
Reminds me of some other system...

Anyway, is there a benefit to NOT cut something off on a crit? Also, completely lopping off limbs seems extreme, and lopping off limbs with a hammer is just silly, how about things like "broken fingers", "crippled arm", "dislocated shoulder", etc. Otherwise every fight is going to have a bit of a Monty Python element to it I fear.

Mercenary Pen
2009-01-12, 01:12 PM
"Yeah! Natural 20! I cut the giant's junk off!"
Reminds me of some other system...

Anyway, is there a benefit to NOT cut something off on a crit? Also, completely lopping off limbs seems extreme, and lopping off limbs with a hammer is just silly, how about things like "broken fingers", "crippled arm", "dislocated shoulder", etc. Otherwise every fight is going to have a bit of a Monty Python element to it I fear.

1- No benefit to not imposing an injury as part of a crit, but when DMing you probably shouldn't do it on every crit (especially not early in the game)...

2- Thanks for reminding me about broken bones. I'll see about modifying some of the afflictions in such a way that you aren't immediately chopping things off with a sling or an unarmed strike.

Mando Knight
2009-01-12, 01:14 PM
and lopping off limbs with a hammer is just silly,

:durkon: "How did I cut tha tentacle wit' a hammer?"


how about things like "broken fingers", "crippled arm", "dislocated shoulder", etc. Otherwise every fight is going to have a bit of a Monty Python element to it I fear.

I like this better. Otherwise, no one will get to Epic unless they're friends with Paladins or Clerics of Bahamut... they'll lose all their adventuring parts first.

Mercenary Pen
2009-01-12, 01:23 PM
First post has been edited to reflect certain thematic changes- mostly making things more generic.

Any DM using this system would be wise to allow for the use of multiple Remove Affliction castings in the campaign's available wealth (and would be even wiser to gently bring the system in at roughly fifth level or later unless they have a lot of divine healing or plenty of characters that can regenerate parts of their bodies.

Please bear in mind that this is still a work in progress and I have plenty of afflictions still to work on.