Quote:
Originally Posted by recon35
Thank you Swag. My old eyes read the divide as plus. I’m using your system, though. I like it!
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I'm glad you find it useful. I would add some other suggestions if you want to use the ideas I have put forth.
First, You as the GM, MUST decide how damage will affect Initiative in YOUR game. I reduce its effects in MY game. A Scratch Wound (which I refer to as a Light Wound if you read my other posts) takes 1 action BUT
only for the round in which you get hit. This "loss" is NOT constant until healed. A Slight Wound (which I refer to as a Moderate Wound) DOES CONSTANTLY REDUCE INITIATIVE BY 1 UNTIL HEALED. A Serious Wound (I use the same) causes a loss of 2 Initiative until healed (down from RAW's 3). Finally, a Critical Wound reduces Initiative by 4 in my game (down from RAW's 5). I have found this reduction in effects has made my smaller parties (4 players or less) more survivable because fewer players are "disabled" by damage.
(Stealing a cool line from TW2K13) Ahhh Sweet, Sweet Morphine!
I also let the "medic" in a group intervene by "eliminating" the Initiative penalty with painkillers. A Minor Oral Painkiller like Asprin or Ibuprophin can negate the penalty for a Light Wound. An Oral Painkiller like Percoset or prescription Codoene can remove the Moderate Wound penalty. A more powerful Oral medication Like Oxycontin or a Minor Injectable Painkiller like the Novacaine/Lidocaine (used by dentists and wound clinics) will reduce a Serious Wound penalty to -1 Initiative. It takes Demeral (oral or injected) or Morphine to reduce a Critical Wound's Initiative reduction by 1 point.
Second, YOU must decide if you are going to apply those penalties BEFORE or AFTER the roll for Initiative IF you are using the Randomized Initiative system. Applying them BEFORE you divide the roll & Initiative in half REDUCES the effect of the reductions during play. Applying the Reductions AFTER the roll has been divided will produce a greater negative effect on play. The choice you make should hinge on the type of play you are trying to engender. Are you going for over the top epic action like Die Hard 4 or are you trying to depict a gritty harsh reality like Tears of The Sun? If "Gritty" defines you, put the penalty on AFTER the total of roll and Initiative score are divided by 2.
Third, organization is your friend. I actually use FOUR Initiative Step Records during a game. These records are laminated sheets with (in my case) TEN large numbered boxes on them. Each box represents ONE 1-Second Initiative Step and I write who is doing what in each box. I use TEN boxes (even though Initiative is capped at 7) because I have
animals which can exceed Human maximum and I also play Dark Conspiracy and SEVERAL supernatural creatures are faster than men. The reason I have 4 Records is that:
- I keep the Previous Round as a reference, and in case of disputes about what happened when.
- I write up the Current Round as the players declare what they are doing.
- I record actions that "roll over" or conclude in the Following Round on a third sheet (handy for Frag grenade delays on their 1D3+2 second fuses). This round becomes the Current Round Sheet when the actual Current Round ends (that sheet becoming the Previous Round Sheet at that point).
-I have a player erase the Previous Round Sheet (so I can reuse it) when the round advances (the 4th sheet can rotate in here too).
Fourth, If you decide to treat each Initiative Step as a separate "mini round," you must use something to separate actions in EACH STEP. That system is the Weapon Speed system addressed in V2.2 (I can't remember if V2 used this). Of course, I changed this too. Here is how I do it in my current campaign and it works very well.
Base Weapon Speed (hereafter WS): Your character's base WS is INITIATIVE SCORE + AGL. This WS is modified downwards by your weapon's WS Modifier (based on Bulk) and any wounds you have sustained.
Weapon Speed Modifiers by Bulk You divide the weapon's overall length by 15cm (or 150mm) and round up to the TENTHS place (ie a bulk of 1.23 would be rounded to 1.3) ala the V2 Small Arms Guide. This Bulk Score is then modified to get the Weapon Speed Modifier. All
Heavy weapons, Rifles, Assault Rifles, Machineguns, Sniper Rifles, and Projectile weapons ROUND UP their "Bulk scores" (the tenths part) to get the Weapon Speed modifier. All
Pistols, SMGs, and Shotguns ROUND DOWN (minimum of 1) Their Bulk scores to get their modifiers. Punches have a Modifier of -1 and kicks have a -2 modifier. People just moving have NO Modifier. Complex Actions (running a fire control, using the radio etc...) will be GM's Ruling.
If a person has a WS MORE THAN 5 HIGHER than his opponent, he can affect his opponent with the attack launched in that STEP (perhaps preventing his opponent from killing him in return). If the WS is less than 5 points apart, the attacks are both resolved as simultaneous attacks.
Wound & ENC Effects on WS: The following penalties apply on the various Wound Levels and for carrying too much weight.
Light (scratch) Wound: -1
until healed.
Moderate (slight) Wound: -2
Serious Wound: -4
Critical Wound: -8
Per Level of FATIGUE (beware the Flu): -1
Heavy Encumbrance: -1
Burdened: -2
Overburdened: -3
It is ok to go to negative numbers (your only comparing these against others acting in the same Step). Painkillers will give DOUBLE the relief to WS.
Hopefully, this "expansion" will help overcome any initial issues you might have in your upcoming game. I have used these for two years now and they are well proven.