A Whiteboard Discussion: An Alternate V2.2 Damage Model

[swaghauler]

I have been kicking around an alternate damage model for V2.2 (and V2) for a little while now. IF you have read my homebrewed rules, you know that I have a unitary damage model now where EVERY attack (HTH, Melee, and Firearms) does damage DICE instead of damage Points. You also know that I use a modified version of Fantasy Hero's STUN system for HTH/Less Lethal Combat. I add up all the STUN damage done, multiply it by a LOCATION Multiplier, and then apply it to a general pool of STUN points. To determine the KILLING DAMAGE a non-lethal attack does, I divide the total STUN (after location multiplier) by the target's CON score (rounding down).

So here's what I have been mulling.

First... I would give EVERY location 10 "Wound boxes" allocated at 2 per Wound Level (ie 2 each for *light, *moderate, serious, critical, and deadly wounds).

When an attack was made, the damage dice would be rolled as per normal. The dice would also be left on the table to be seen. The result (when totaled) would be the total STUN damage taken. To determine the number of WOUNDS inflicted, EACH Die would automatically inflict 1 Wound. So an M16A2 doing 3D10 damage would inflict a minimum of 3 Wounds. However, IF a damage die rolled a number that EXCEEDED the target's CON score, another Wound point would be inflicted by that die. IF the damage die EXCEEDED TWO TIMES the target's CON score, TWO additional wound points would be assessed for that damage die (for 3 points total). Wounds would then be counted for ALL the damage dice rolled and added to the hit location's track.

The idea behind this was...

1) To make smaller weapons appropriately lethal WITHOUT driving larger weapons into "instakill territory."
2) Give a bump to lethality while still having a PC's Attributes have an effect on damage.


I haven't truly mulled over the ramifications of this damage model yet but remember a couple of things when you are reading this...

- I use the multiple dice model even for melee weapons and HTH.
- I do use ALL of the dice so you will find weapons (primarily melee weapons and primitive projectile weapons) using D4, D6, D8, D10, & D12 to generate damages. Primarily you will use the D6 (for Pistols & Smgs) and the D10 (Rifles).

So... what are your thoughts on this idea?

*My Light wounds are essentially RAW v2.2's Scratch wounds, and Moderate wounds are RAW's Slight wound level.