Article: 100520 of rec.games.frp.dnd Path: news.tuwien.ac.at!newsfeed.ACO.net!Austria.EU.net!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!cs.utexas.edu!news.sprintlink.net!psgrain!nntp.teleport.com!nntp.teleport.com!not-for-mail From: syzygy@teleport.com (Syzygy) Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd Subject: Embedded Missiles (LONG) Date: 5 Oct 1995 11:11:16 -0700 Organization: Teleport - Portland's Public Access (503) 220-1016 Lines: 276 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: kelly.teleport.com X-Newsreader: Yarn 0.84 with YES 0.20 X-Info: YES is the Yarn Editor Shell, a freeware utility for Yarn! The best supplement to the best offline newsreader! Okay, here is a draft of some rules that can be used to simulate the danger inherent in getting shot by an arrow, beyond mere hit points. Please give any comments you have on how reasonable, playable, and useful the guidelines seem to you, as well as any recommendations for improvement. These guidelines are freeware (all rites reversed!), and can be used, reproduced, altered, or thrown out the window at will (as long as no pedestrians might be hurt by the falling debris). SCOPE OF THESE GUIDELINES: These rules only apply to type P missile weapons (piercing, that is). Missiles are be categorized by size (S,M,L). Size ratings are listed in PO:C&T, on the table on pp.131-133 (basically, most missiles are small, except for spears and javelins and some firearms, which are medium; things like tridents, ballista bolts and the heaviest firearms are considered large). While PO:C&T considers arrows and crossbow bolts "effectively" size M for purposes of critical hit severity, THE SAME DOES NOT APPLY HERE -- they are considered whatever size is =actually listed= on the table (i.e., size S). Missiles are also categorized as High Velocity or Low Velocity . High Velocity missiles are those driven by devices, such as bows, crossbows, guns, etc. Anything else (such as hand-hurled weapons) are low velocity. CHANCE FOR MISSILES TO EMBED/IMPALE: The greater damage a type P missile does, the more likely it is embedded in the target and will remain so until removed, hampering movement and attacks, and causing continuing damage. When rolling damage for a missile weapon, roll a second die (or dice) that is the same as the damage die (dice). If this second roll is less than the damage die roll, the missile is embedded; if it is equal to the damage roll it has impaled the target (i.e., is sticking completely thru). NOTE: For most small, low velocity missiles, an "impale" result means that the missile hit somewhere that the body is thin enough to be so pierced, such as an arm on a human, or anywhere on a kobold -- and in the case that the missile hit was critical, and the critical result conflicts with this, then the "impale" result is ignored and the missile is considered embedded instead, unless the critical result is "graze" (in which case the missile is neither impaling nor embedded). NOTE: For gunpowder weapons, however, an "impale" result always means the ball has passed completely through the target, and does 1-3 additional points due to excessive blood loss. EFFECTS OF EMBEDDED/IMPALING MISSILES: Embedded and impaling missiles confer a -1 penalty per size of missile to movement and "to hit" rolls (S: -1, M: -2; L: -3). These penalties are cumulative for =each= missile embedded in and/or impaling the target (thus, Schmendrik the Elf, stuck with 3 arrows, would have a -3 movement and -3 to any attack rolls). The target may move beyond the adjusted movement allowance, but doing so does 1 point of damage per point of move beyond the adjusted allowance. Thus, if Schmendrik's base move was 9, the three arrows reduce this to 6, and should he decide to ignore the pain and move his full 9, he'd take 3 points of damage at the end of the round. Fighting while a missile is embedded in or impaling one does 1 hp of damage per missile per round, in addition to any points taken from excess movement. REMOVAL OF EMBEDDED/IMPALING MISSILES: Embedded missiles may be simply pulled out by the victim, but if the missile attack was from behind, the victim must roll a dex check to be able to reach the missile (otherwise, someone else will have to pull it out). They may also be "surgically" removed, as can impaling missiles. --Low velocity embedded missiles may be pulled out automatically, taking one round to pull it out, and doing 1/2 the damage rating of the weapon minus one on the way out (thus, pulling out a dagger will do 0-1 hit points; pulling out a spear would do 0-2). Fractions are rounded down, so out a dart would do no damage. Barbed weapons don't get the -1 on the damage when pulled out; pulling a barbed dart would do 1 point (since the total is rounded up); pulling a barbed javelin would do 1-3 points. --High velocity missiles may also be pulled out, but it requires a strength check to do so. Regardless of whether the check succeeds, attempting to pull out a high velocity missile does half the damage dice of the missile to the target. Should the attempt fail, further checks may be made at a penalty of -1 per failed check (regardless of who made the attempt). Barbed high velocity missiles do the full damage dice of the missile on a pull-out attempt. NOTE: Balls from gunpowder weapons =cannot= be removed this way, since they have no protruding shaft to grab onto. They must be surgically removed (see below). --Embedded missiles may be surgically removed, but it takes time. Removal of low velocity missiles this way is automatic, provided the surgeon has "healing" as a proficiency; it does 0-1 hit points to the patient (+1 if barbed) and takes 1-10 rounds (note that this means surgery is conterproductive for such things as darts, which do less damage if you just pull them out). Removal of high velocity missiles requires a successful healing proficiency check, does 0-2 hit points to the victim (+1 if barbed or firearm ball) whether or not the attempt succeeds, and takes 1-6 turns. In the case of failure, further attempts can always be made, but each such attempt does an additional +1 damage upon removal (thus, if it takes three tries to remove an arrow from poor Schmendrik, the first attempt does 0-2, the second 1-3, and the third 2-4, meaning he took somewhere between 3 and 9 points of damage under the surgeon's knife, with the whole process taking up to three hours. Ouch!). --Impaling missiles without shafts, such as daggers, are treated as embedded in all respects in terms of how to remove and damage incurred. Impaling missiles =with shafts= (arrows, spears, etc.) cannot be pulled out, but are much easier to "surgically" remove by breaking the shaft and pulling the missile through (or back out, depending, but we don't need to worry about that for game mechanics). This requires no healing skill or proficiency check, though healing skill does help -- the victim takes 1-2 points from blood loss upon removal, but only 1 point if the missile is removed by a healer. In the case of small missiles, the victim may remove them him- or herself, if a dex check is made. Otherwise, the missile must be removed by another. Note that while it is easier to remove an impaling missile, it can cause more damage because there is greater potential for bleeding. NOTE: As noted above, gunpowder weapons achieving an "impale" result simply pass through the victim, doing additional damage upon the hit, but thereafter requiring no removal. Should attempts to remove an imbedded missile prove fruitless, things are dire. Infection is automatic by the end of the first day, unless there is a healer or herbalist in the party, whose successful proficiency check is required each day to prevent infection. Once infection sets in, the victim becomes fevered and takes 1-6 hp/day. Each day, a healer or herbalist may make a proficiency check to stop the infection, but then must continue to make daily checks to keep a new infection from starting. An embedded arrow will continue to do 1 hp of damage to the victim per day (and keep the victim from healing normally), and that's if the victim remains bedridden. Travelling carefully (i.e., on a stretcher or in a wagon) does 2 hp per day; trying to ride or walk does 3 hp per day. This goes on until the victim finally dies or the missile is somehow removed. Embedded balls from gunpowder weapons, since they aren't sharp, aren't as automatically deadly. They will heal, given time, as if they were a loss of 10d6, and while they don't do daily damage as above, they do incur automatic infection unless a healer or herbalist tends the wound, in which case a daily check for infection is required for the first week, then a weekly check thereafter until the body heals around the ball. Thereafter, the ball will trouble the character throughout his or her life, causing aches and stiffness when the weather changes, but not having any effect in terms of game mechanics (i.e., the ball will no longer cause any movement or attack penalties). MAGICAL HEALING AND EMBEDDED/IMPALING MISSILES: Damage taken from removal of an embedded/impaling missile is just normal damage, and "Cure Light Wounds" (or any other healing magic) will cure these hit points as normal. But such healing will =not= remove the embedded/impaling missile itself, nor will it heal any such damage done by an embedded/impaling missile =until the missile is removed.= "Cure Serious Wounds" (or other healing magic capable of restoring 10 hit points) can remove an embedded/impaling missile, if it is thrown for that purpose, but it will not at the same time heal any hit point damage. The magic allows the missile to be pulled out (or dug out, if it's a firearm ball) with no further damage taken from the removal, and no healing proficiency required. Once the missile is removed, the hit point damage is as normal hit point damage, and can be cured with additional spells. Creatures who regenerate (due to natural ability or magic) suffer all the effects of embedded/impaling missiles as normal, and cannot regenerate damage points suffered from an embedded missile UNLESS THE CREATURE RESTS FROM ACTION -- i.e., the creature must refrain from any activity that would make the embedded missile cause more damage, such as movement beyond what the embedded missile movement penalty allows, or any combat. While refraining from such actions, it can slowly "push out" an embedded (not impaling) missile, using its regenerative powers. If the creature rests an uninterrupted time long enough to regenerate all the hit points done by the missile (both when it first hit, and any taken from it while embedded), it is pushed out -- but if that period is interrupted by any activity that makes the embedded missile cause further damage, the creature must wait long enough to regenerate those points, too, before the missile is finally pushed out. Impaling missiles can't be "regenerated" out; they must be physically removed as above, and no points taken from an impaling missile can be regenerated until it's out -- even if the creature doesn't move or attack. A NOTE ON BARBED MISSILES: Barbed missiles, especially barbed arrows/crossbow bolts, are considered cruel and barbaric by many cultures, and use should incur some censure in those settings. SUMMARY TABLES: | |Move/ |Pull-out |Surgical | Low-Velocity | |Attack |Damage vs |Removal | Missiles: |Size: |Penalty: |S or M/Lg: |Damage: |Notes: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Blowgun Dart, Barbed S -1 1/1 -- a,g Blowgun Needle S -1 0/0 -- a,g Dagger S -1 0-1/0 -- a,h --Stiletto S -1 0/0 -- a,h --Stone S -1 0/0 -- a,c,h Dart S -1 0/0 -- a,i --Barbed S -1 1/1 -- a,i Grapple S -1 1-2/1-2 -- a,b,g Harpoon L -3 1-4/1-6 1-2 b,i --Bone L -3 1-3/1-5 1-2 b,c,i Javelin M -2 0-2/0-2 0-1 i --Barbed M -2 1-3/1-3 1-2 i --Stone M -2 0-1/0-1 -- a,c,i Knife S -1 0-1/0 -- a,h --Bone S -1 0/0 -- a,c,h --Stone S -1 0/0 -- a,c,h --Throwing M -2 0-3/1-3 0-1 i Lance, Light L -3 0-2/0-3 0-1 i Pilum M -2 0-2/0-2 0-1 i Shuriken S -1 0-1/0-1 -- a,g Spear, Normal M -2 0-2/0-3 0-1 i --Barbed M -2 1-3/1-3 1-2 i --Stone M -2 0-1/0-1 -- a,c,i Trident L -3 1-3/0-3 0-1 h --Barbed L -3 2-4/1-4 1-2 h ------------------------------------------------------------------- | |Move/ |Pull-out |Surgical | High-Velocity | |Attack |Damage vs |Removal | Missiles: |Size: |Penalty: |S or M/Lg: |Damage: |Notes: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Arquebus M -2 -- 1-3 e,f Belt Pistol S -1 -- 1-3 e,f Blunderbuss M -2 -- 1-3 e,f Blunderbuss Pistol S -1 -- 1-3 e,f Bow, Flight Arrow S -1 1-3/1-3 0-2 d,i --Barbed S -1 1-6/1-6 1-3 d,i Bow, Pile Arrow S -1 1-3/1-3 0-2 d,i Bow, Sheaf Arrow S -1 1-4/1-4 0-2 d,i --Barbed S -1 1-8/1-8 1-3 d,i Bow, Stone Arrow S -1 1-2/1-2 0-2 c,d,i Caliver M -2 -- 1-3 e,f Carbine M -2 -- 1-3 e,f Crossbow, Hand Bolt S -1 1/1 0-2 d,i --Barbed S -1 1-3/1-2 -- d,i Crossbow, Heavy Bolt S -1 2-5/1-6 0-2 d,i --Barbed S -1 2-9/2-11 1-3 d,i Crossbow, Light Bolt S -1 2-4/2-5 0-2 d,i --Barbed S -1 2-7/2-9 1-3 d,i Horse Pistol S -1 -- 1-3 e,f Musket M -2 -- 1-3 e,f Handgunne L -3 -- 1-3 e,f Musket, Heavy (w/rest) L -3 -- 1-3 e,f ------------------------------------------------------------------- Notes: a) Pull-out damage is so small that it makes no sense to use surgical removal for these missiles. b) These weapons are barbed by default. c) Embedded stone or bone missiles which are pulled out have a 1 in 6 chance of leaving a shard within the wound, which is treated as an embedded firearm ball, size S. d) Pulling out these high-velocity missiles requires a strength check. If failed, each successive check at -1. e) Surgically removing these missiles requires a healing proficiency check. If failed, each successive attempt does an additional +1 damage, cumulative. f) Firearm balls cannot be "pulled out", since they have no shaft. In addition, "impale" results for these weapons indicate the ball passed completely through the victim, doing an additional 1-3 points of damage, but not remaining embedded. g) These weapons cannot impale; treat impale results as an embedded hit. h) While these missiles might stick completely through the target on an impale result, they have no breakable haft, and can't be removed like normal impaling missiles -- treat as embedded, instead. i) If missile is impaling, rather than embedded, neither "pull-out" nor "surgical removal" is used. Instead, the haft is broken and the missile pushed or pulled through, thus preventing the head from passing back through the body. This process does 1-2 points due to bleeding (1 point if done by a proficient healer, no check required). -- Syzygy ------------------------------------------------------------ Well, this is great. If the ionization-rate is constant for all ectoplasmic entities, we can really bust someheads... in a spiritual sense of course. --Dr. Raymond Stantz (Dan Akroyd), =Ghostbusters= (1984) ------------------------------------------------------------ -- syzygy@teleport.COM Public Access User -- Not affiliated with Teleport Public Access UNIX and Internet at (503) 220-1016 (2400-28800, N81)