NichG
2011-01-12, 04:18 AM
There are certain outcomes that are highly unlikely once a conflict has been initiated in systems like D&D. Basically, once the fight breaks out, it is likely that one side or the other will have most of its participants seriously injured or killed. Attempts to capture naturally lead to fights to the death. Similarly, it is often the case that if one PC drops, the party will be unwilling to run (since it means giving up on the PC's body and equipment).
As such I present a possible addition to the combat system of such games: a given battle (once initiative has been rolled) has various stages of intensity, which represent a choice on the part of the parties involved as to how much they are willing to put on the line in the fight.
A given fight (once initiative has been rolled) begins at a Low intensity. At Low intensity, all damage dealt is automatically nonlethal, and effects that logically must be lethal (save or die effects) cannot be used by either side. This would for instance represent a bar fight.
A side can increase the conflict to a Medium intensity voluntarily at the beginning of each round, but the intensification is declared to both parties. A fight at Medium intensity can be reduced to Low intensity in the same fashion if both sides call for it. At Medium intensity, all abilities/etc are as per normal combat. At Medium intensity, it is assumed that survivors of the losing side will be stabilized and kept alive.
The fight can be increased yet again to High intensity. This represents a resolve that only one side will leave the conflict alive. Once the fight is in High intensity, it cannot be reduced until one side is defeated, surrenders, or escapes. At High intensity, it is assumed that all disabled survivors of the losing side will be killed.
Certain class features and situations bypass this. Fights against unintelligent or force-of-nature style foes begin in Medium intensity by default and cannot be lowered. A character may make a Bluff check to act at a higher intensity level without declaring it (a failed Bluff check causes an increase in battle intensity), and a Sleight of Hand check to hide their lethal attacks (which, if noticed, automatically escalate the conflict) opposed by Sense Motive and Spot. The target of a lethal attack is always aware that they were attacked lethally barring other abilities that make damage unnoticeable.
A side acting from surprise may choose the initial level of conflict (i.e. a lethal ambush, assassination, etc).
This could be used as a patch on D&D, or as part of a more completely reworked system (in which case there could be certain abilities and spells that only work in certain battle intensities - e.g. you cannot charm person or use diplomacy/bluff/etc at all in a High intensity fight/you can't use save or dies in anything short of High intensity/etc). This is vaguely similar to the death flag idea (a character can only die if their death flag is raised, which gives them some action points or extra abilities - otherwise, they are merely severely injured from things that would otherwise kill them) in that each side bids on how much they want to risk on the outcome of the fight.
As such I present a possible addition to the combat system of such games: a given battle (once initiative has been rolled) has various stages of intensity, which represent a choice on the part of the parties involved as to how much they are willing to put on the line in the fight.
A given fight (once initiative has been rolled) begins at a Low intensity. At Low intensity, all damage dealt is automatically nonlethal, and effects that logically must be lethal (save or die effects) cannot be used by either side. This would for instance represent a bar fight.
A side can increase the conflict to a Medium intensity voluntarily at the beginning of each round, but the intensification is declared to both parties. A fight at Medium intensity can be reduced to Low intensity in the same fashion if both sides call for it. At Medium intensity, all abilities/etc are as per normal combat. At Medium intensity, it is assumed that survivors of the losing side will be stabilized and kept alive.
The fight can be increased yet again to High intensity. This represents a resolve that only one side will leave the conflict alive. Once the fight is in High intensity, it cannot be reduced until one side is defeated, surrenders, or escapes. At High intensity, it is assumed that all disabled survivors of the losing side will be killed.
Certain class features and situations bypass this. Fights against unintelligent or force-of-nature style foes begin in Medium intensity by default and cannot be lowered. A character may make a Bluff check to act at a higher intensity level without declaring it (a failed Bluff check causes an increase in battle intensity), and a Sleight of Hand check to hide their lethal attacks (which, if noticed, automatically escalate the conflict) opposed by Sense Motive and Spot. The target of a lethal attack is always aware that they were attacked lethally barring other abilities that make damage unnoticeable.
A side acting from surprise may choose the initial level of conflict (i.e. a lethal ambush, assassination, etc).
This could be used as a patch on D&D, or as part of a more completely reworked system (in which case there could be certain abilities and spells that only work in certain battle intensities - e.g. you cannot charm person or use diplomacy/bluff/etc at all in a High intensity fight/you can't use save or dies in anything short of High intensity/etc). This is vaguely similar to the death flag idea (a character can only die if their death flag is raised, which gives them some action points or extra abilities - otherwise, they are merely severely injured from things that would otherwise kill them) in that each side bids on how much they want to risk on the outcome of the fight.