Survivability in 3e Birthright

[irdeggman]

Originally posted by Green Knight@Jan 11 2005, 09:12 AM
Hi,

I use a system of vitality and wound points (vitality is just normal hp). WP is equal to CON for normal characters. Critical hits do damage directly to wound points, which makes combat very dangerous.

B

How very d20 Star Wars-ish.

While I like that system, it does pose problems when integrated with the 3.5 DR system - at least IMO.

[Hrandal]

The tabletop game I play uses Grim N Gritty. Theres been a high death-toll in that campaign, but at least it feels like you're taking a risk entering a fight. And rich people with good armour last a LOT longer.

(For those who don't know, your HP in Grim N Gritty are basically equal to CON + BAB. Also armour acts like DR.)

Of course the Grim N Gritty system is very crunchy at higher levels - much more so than even ordinary D&D. One of our group's cohorts is a dwarven fighter who managed to kill 30 armed men whthout breaking a sweat (doesn't sound like much, but in Grim N Gritty a random critical by a spod can really do for you.)

[Osprey]

The tabletop game I play uses Grim N Gritty. Theres been a high death-toll in that campaign, but at least it feels like you're taking a risk entering a fight. And rich people with good armour last a LOT longer.

(For those who don't know, your HP in Grim N Gritty are basically equal to CON + BAB. Also armour acts like DR.)

Interesting...I've been contemplating for some time a conversion of the D&D HP and armor system to something similar, wherein all armor grants Damage Reduction, Armor Class (how hard you are to hit) is based mainly on agility and combat ability (making a Defense Bonus equal to base attack isn't a bad idea), and Hit Points are significantly less. I think CON+BAB is a rather extreme equalizer, though. Lower HP also require a complete revamping or downgrading of spell damage, otherwise 1 fireball or lightning bolt can mean instant death for most characters. DR from armor might be a life-saver against weapons, but not very significant against 10d6 spells!

The need for this keeps coming up when I try to introduce firearms into the game. They are far better represented as armor-piercing (which they were, it's a big reason that guns became popular) by being able to ignore a target's DR (or at least a certain amount of it).

Adamantine weapons could get pretty ridiculous too.