Making Killing Damage Less Deadly

[assault]

30 active points is a gun.

[Vondy]

Savage Worlds allows you to spend Bennies to soak damage. I actually don't love that aspect, and don't use HAPs that way, but it's a good way to reduce lethality. Of course, that really only helps PCs, not bystanders and so forth.

 

I wouldn't use HAP to let people soak damage (I've never liked that sort of mechanic, either).

 

I would allow a player to burn one as a "lucky break" that saves their life.

[Vondy]

If you want to reduce the deadliness of the campaign then have a 60 Active Point Maximum for all powers except Killing Attacks.  Killing Attacks are limited to Maximum 30 Points.

 

Well...

 

12d6N (60AP) would average 42 Stun and 12 Body.

 

A normal with 8 Body and 2 PD will take 10 Body on average.

 

They are now, without medical assistance, dying. 

 

I'd call that "killing" for all intents and purposes.

[massey]

42 Stun and 12 Body

[Christopher R Taylor]

A house rule that normal attacks do half body would help a lot.  And making characters pull their attacks more so they don't use full out all the time would be a big help too.

[Mister E]

Death is seldom fatal? I have some in game solutions:

 

1) It is a cosmic mystery. Death itself has been compromised. Things were not always thus.

 

2) The campaign is set in Valhalla & all that die wake up alive every morning in the grand longhouse.

 

3) There is a booming super high tech competitive acute care emergency response business that covers everyone in the world. Whenever anyone is in critical medical danger teams of doctors swoop in with futuristic mobile hospitals & save the day.

[Anaximander]

Death is seldom fatal? I have some in game solutions:

 

1) It is a cosmic mystery. Death itself has been compromised. Things were not always thus.

 

2) The campaign is set in Valhalla & all that die wake up alive every morning in the grand longhouse.

 

3) There is a booming super high tech competitive acute care emergency response business that covers everyone in the world. Whenever anyone is in critical medical danger teams of doctors swoop in with futuristic mobile hospitals & save the day.

I like those ideas, but the main reason I am going with the "Death is Seldom Fatal" ploy is that I am trying to capture the feel of various shticks from old comic books, classic sci-fi, and a few other sources, and one of the sticks from old comics books is that all main characters and a surprising number of nameless characters seem to escape death even.  As an example, it's only through suspension of belief that we believe that Lois Lane might actually be killed by the Radioactive Beast from Nerius Prime while knowing that in the end Superman will save her, and if she is eaten, there will probably be some crazy plot hook to explain why she is alive, and we know if Green Arrow shoots a real arrow at an escaping thug that it will miss any major organs and bones.  We also know that Batman will always dodge out of the way when deadly Joker Venom is being sprayed at him.  Unnamed evil soldiers always managed to escape death in spite of their tank being tossed over tall buildings by the Hulk.  All of this works great in comic books, cartoons, and movies because all elements are controlled by the writer or writers, including the main character.  In RPGs, the main character might have a bad dice roll or they misinterpret what you think are obvious clues and bob instead of weave or are having a bad day in RL and are just making bad game choices.  I want my games to be fun for myself and my players go through a life altering event for the sake of practically nothing isn't something I want to do; however, I do want to maintain a character being seriously injured as a real threat.  I do want to maintain some grittiness, and I would like for Protected Resistances and Killing Attacks to have usefulness to those who buy them.

[Anaximander]

Basically, what I am saying is that I don't necessarily need a in-story explanation as to why death rates are amazingly low, I am looking for game mechanical explanations to stop rule lawyers in their tracks.  I think maybe the best way to deal with the issue is to not using bleeding damage and disregard killing blows except for when it fits game and story purposes by GM fiat.

 

I do thank everyone who participated in the discussion and appreciate all of the advice, and I hope any lurkers might have picked up useful tidbits also.

[Christopher R Taylor]

I think maybe the best way to deal with the issue is to not using bleeding damage and disregard killing blows except for when it fits game and story purposes by GM fiat.

 

That's a good basic solution.  Some of those dials in the optional rules are great for controlling combat results.  Want it gritty and rough?  Turn them all up to 11.  Want it more fun and 4-color?  Turn em down!

[Cassandra]

That's a good basic solution.  Some of those dials in the optional rules are great for controlling combat results.  Want it gritty and rough?  Turn them all up to 11.  Want it more fun and 4-color?  Turn em down!

 

Because 11 is one more.

[assault]

Assuming you are using 6e, I wouldn't bother doing anything. Champions characters are tough.

 

The default in 6e is for nonresistant defenses to work against the Stun from killing attacks. That takes most of the reason for having resistance defenses away. After that, you buy up your Body and avoid getting hit.

 

Most killing attacks are guns and other real weapons, which are mostly used by mooks who couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

 

Given all this, and the fact that the GM controls every character except for the PCs, there probably isn't really a problem.

 

Except, naturally, for the PCs. For them, I would suggest a combination of the following:

1. Insisting on Codes Against Killing or other similar Psych Complications.

2. Vetting/restricting the use of large Killing Attacks.

 

Basically, a character can have a large killing attack if they are only going to use it against robots, vehicles and so on.

 

A character who kills can have a gun, knife or sword, but nothing more dangerous (unless you really trust the player).

 

As long as they understand what kind of game it is intended to be, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.