So, we had a brief discussion about the health stat and an idea to change it slightly. Rather than have 2 separate things, you'll have 1. The amount of health you have is equal to your Fate score + Prime Type score + Second Type score.
As you take damage, your scores lower. Let's assume that you have 5 Fate, 2 Prime, 1 Second. You have 8 total health. In combat, you take 1 point of damage. This damage is applied to your Second Type score. Until healed, you are now have 7 health remaining, and a Second Type Score of 0! Damage will be applied to Secondary Type, then Primary Type, then Fate.
Damage to the types will heal at the end of each scene. Deep damage to your fate score will require normal healing methods, I'm thinking 1 point per 3 days if active, 1 point per 2 days if resting or with medical care, 1 point per day with medical care and rest.
I'm still unsure how to correlate this new idea with the Cinematic Events - possibly have damage during those events just bypass the Type scores, so they'll never take damage in that scene.
As for the core numbers themselves - I like 5 as a start point for Fate, then 2 for Prime, and 1 for Second. Die roll would be a d20, roll under your total score. Figure 3 or so points due to equipment, a starting character would have a 50% chance of hitting, assuming it falls under his/her Prime Type and the equips allow. It'd also give the character room to grow.
What say you?
I think this is truly an inspired way of handling health and keeping the amount of mechanics low.
ReplyDeleteI love how you managed to tie in the idea of being worse at succeeding in checks directly back into the health system itself which is tied directly into the very numbers you use to determine your bonus. Very cool.
I do think you either need to double the health you get per trait (fate and types) or use something higher then a d20 system and therefore up the starting number of a character's Fate and Types.
I only say this because a starting character will only be able to take three successful hits (or less if we do more damage based on level of success) before he's taking damage that he has to heal long term, instead of end of scene. I think the "Pulp Action Hero" style we're going for demands the need to able to take a few more hits and still feel fine when he's chatting up the girl in the next scene.
The "Long Term" health should really be something that takes hits rarely, as is how often it shows up in old serials and movies. (Which then is almost always a plot device, instead of damage accrued over time, but we have to make it a game with a sense of danger at some point!)
The only common dice size above d20 is d%
ReplyDeleteWe could up it all to 25/15/10 or something, which would keep the 50% hit - we'd just have to dramatically increase damage dealt.
If we wanted to just double the hit points, we also could just double the Type points for hit points, so in the 5/2/1 you'd end up with 11HP, 6 of which returned at the end of the scene. It would also add a nice scale, so when you got REALLY hurt, you started to burn through your rolls even faster. Could even triple the 2nd Type, possibly.
We could make the types level faster, and the Fate score slower. I like a point buy XP system, rather than levels. Make Fate more expensive. We'd have to watch Min/Max if we tripled the Secondary Type - spending XP there would dramatically increase your HP.
If you're going with a point buy XP system rather then an all around "level up!" you may want to make it that your initial health is always Health = F + (P/S doubled) (or almost always 11) and you have to buy additional health with XP later (and it too being a more expensive thing to buy, so people don't always pick that). This could stop the "up the secondary type for cheap for extra health" munchkin plan.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd see it that only scene health is bought this way, you always have that core 5 "mortal health," so you can get tougher on the outside, but those deep wounds can still bring you down quick (I'm assuming some BBEG's weapons and climax fights may do direct to "mortal health" damage sometimes for real sense of danger!)