Traumas as disease-like mechanic


Homebrew and House Rules

Verdant Wheel

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I will post the idea here, because i really don´t have the time now to develop it. So if someone like it, maybe he can.

1- Considering that HP mechanics don´t really cover bodily harm, if in your game you need a way to describe dramatic wounds you could create traumas using the disease mechanics. Like punctured lung, broken leg or burned skin, pick a DC, put a Frequency time and cure methods.

2- You could do it a soft way and let it be healed by Cure Disease or a Hardcore way and require the Regeneration spell (in this case, calling the status "trauma" to make it different from disease would be better.

3- I don´t really think Traumas should be a combat thing, because we already have HP for combat. Maybe some consequence for dropping below 0 hit points and falling a save, critical hits or new rogue feats. But my initial idea was a more DM thing to represent dramatic wounds that a merely cure light wounds couldn´t heal.

Ex:

Broken rib
Type trauma, ; Save Fortitude DC 14
Cause fall, bludgeoning critical; Frequency 1/week
Effect 1d2 con damage and while target has con damage all critical confirmation checks against him gain +2 to confirm; Cure 2 consecutive saves


I like it, but haven't the time either. Surprised this isn't already built into the game. It seems so obvious! Then again, most great discoveries happen that way.

I hope someone takes it upon themselves to further strengthen this mechanic. I'd love to see it more fleshed out.


I might use this. I think a soft version that is triggered by falling below 0 hit points or high damage rolls would work.


I'll take a shot at it. These numbers are off the top of my head, please feel free to critique and alter.

Broken leg
Type: trauma
Save Fortitude DC 17
Cause: fall, bludgeoning critical;
Frequency 1/week
Effect: 1d3 CON and DEX damage, and while target has con damage all critical confirmation checks against him gain +4 to confirm; Cure 3 consecutive saves

Broken arm
Type: trauma
Save Fortitude DC 15
Cause: fall, bludgeoning critical
Frequency 1/week
Effect: 1d2 CON and DEX damage, and while target has con damage all critical confirmation checks against him gain +2 to confirm; Cure 3 consecutive saves

Grand Lodge

I am VERY excited so forgive me if I jump all over the place as my thoughts are running 50 km/h

Bear with me

Make a list starting at 50 and works down to 1

51+ = instant death (Basis is massive damage... again, bear with me)
Then work backwards...doesnt have to be in singles. Can be be in 2s or 4s or whatever.

Take a crit? Roll a fort save... the amount you fail by is the trauma inflicted. Save the breaks for the 30s, 20s can be cracks and tendon damage and 10 or under is neglible - maybe a dazed or something.

Merge it with this... http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz562u?StrainInjury-Variant-A-Minor-Change-to-Hit and I think this could be a winner -again, brain moving too fast and its 2am but let me ponder this...

Mind you this system would be brutal and gritty. You may want to put a base damage threshold in (ie Con + level or something) where if you take damage under that you are ok.


@DB

Looks interesting, but must note that ribs can easily be broken by a piercing critical, and quite possibly by a slashing one, depending on size of weapon, angle of attack, etc.

Grand Lodge

Make them reasonable generic

Verdant Wheel

Other problem i had with developing it, is that this list can´t get generic enough. Ok, we can do a fair list of humanoid-like traumas, but and the others monsters ? Can´t dragons break their wing bones ? Can´t players cut minotaurs horns ? And who can say which are the possible aberrations traumas ?
Thats why i don´t like it as a frequent happening during combat, but i can see that some people might want to play like this anyway.

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