|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 16:48:15 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 16:48:15 GMT
Here's how some of 'death' works.
Note - with just twenty poz available and a pretty dangerous world out there, death is I think much more possible in this campaign. Fortunately, I have excessively clever players so I think they'll figure out clever shit around dying.
But bad choices are made.
Unless extremely rare or special circumstances happen (note, there are places and times when they can) here is how death works.
-10 SAN (flat - note, you may pick up a normal insanity due to this but chances are very good you won't get a temporary insanity due to (special). -2 from all the remaining stats.
If any stat is zero, make a new character.
If not, we move on to skill loss:
20 minus new 'learning' stat x10 = number of skill points lost.
No skill can go below base or learning stat, whichever is lower.
Example:
Joey has 13 in all stats because he is just that kind of guy. After seeing quite a bit of shocking stuff, Joey has a sanity of 40.
Joey gets killed in a drive by shooting.
(After a suitable time - note, the clever PC's will figure out how this works after a couple people get bumped off. Note, the PC's cleverness could actually work against them here. If nobody is careless or unlucky enough to die, it could be quite awhile before they figure out how death works. Ah well.)
Joey is back! (Other PC's may take San loss till they max that out because they did see him die.)
Joey now has an 11 in his three stats and a sanity of 30.
20-11=9x10= Goodbye 90 skill points.
Joey begins to erase skills he does not think are useful while grumbling softly to himself, leaving the other PC's to organize the next drive by shooting.
In this way also, having a 20 learning prior to getting gunned down and an 18 learning post would give a much smaller loss of just 20 skill points (20-18=2x10=20.)
|
|
matchstickman
Agent
Messiah: Will rise again
Creator of and most frequent player of the Heroic Cthulhu Drinking Game
Posts: 2,939
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 16:55:05 GMT
Post by matchstickman on Feb 2, 2017 16:55:05 GMT
After a couple of times why would I give a shit if Joey dies if I know he's coming back? If this is the route you're going then PC Death should have a much lower Max... and I'm not sure how it should play into your "category" sanity mechanic.
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 16:57:21 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 16:57:21 GMT
The sanity loss from seeing a PC come back to life I was thinking would be really low - with the old categories. With the new ones - if they ever get sorted out - I'm thinking seeing someone come back (I was thinking a d4 loss) would be a nice (though hopefully infrequent) way of slowly maxing whatever category that loss goes into. Better to do it in small dice rather than big mind wiping losses.
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 18:58:09 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 2, 2017 18:58:09 GMT
Is there a reason that dead doesn't just mean dead?
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 19:26:24 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 19:26:24 GMT
Yes.
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 20:04:12 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 20:04:12 GMT
Sorry - I know that doesn't give a lot of places to go but within the campaign perimeters it is actually logical and consistent.
It also gives the GM more viciousness possibilities where appropriate.
Example: The PC's kill a load bearing villain. (Yes, after you said that I immediately stuck one into the world). They are trying to escape his crumbling lair. The GM describes huge rocks falling from the ceiling and such.
If a player gets squished (due to bad luck, bad dodge, whatever) hey - it doesn't mean stuff has ended at all. It can be a major setback for the player (as death should be) however all those story arcs and such - still going.
Plus, from the player's perspective, it is possible to make a character that can be (for all intents and purposes) immortal. If they can build up their stats faster than death can knock them down, they are kind of winning. It's in a face to foot type of fashion but they're still going.
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 20:17:59 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 2, 2017 20:17:59 GMT
I understand all that, but it lowers the stakes. Life and death situations lose most of their tension. Whether that is a good or bad thing will depend on the group. Do NPCs similarly get to come back?
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 20:18:46 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 2, 2017 20:18:46 GMT
Be prepared for all characters to be named Kenny.
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 20:27:57 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 20:27:57 GMT
Yes, some NPC's indeed use the same rules. Others do not. (As I'm sure you've already imagined, it is a mixed blessing).
While it does lower the stakes some, I think dying often will get you a skill-less character with shit stats pretty quick.
I had absolutely failed to think of Kenny. I should have. Damn.
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 20:37:32 GMT
Post by bentpaperclip on Feb 2, 2017 20:37:32 GMT
Anything worth killing is worth killing 5-7 times, I suppose.
The evil Count is evil. We're going to kill him but we need to be careful - he has lots of guards and traps... YAY, we did it! A brand new day!! I'm going to be telling this story of daring do for years to come.
Next day: Hey guys, he's back. And now he has twice as many guards and knows our faces... *weeks of additional careful planning later* We killed him again! Now the people are free!
Two days later: Fuck this guy - he's back! And this time he has summoned all kinds a crazy beasts, burned all of our allies at the stake, and is stealing babies to sacrifice to dark gods. *weeks of additional careful planning later* Yeah! We defeated Count Evil again! Success!
A week later: Him again? Meh - I'm leaving. Count Evil can have them.
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 20:45:32 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 20:45:32 GMT
Anything worth killing is worth killing 5-7 times, I suppose. That actually got me laughing aloud. The evil Count is evil. We're going to kill him but we need to be careful - he has lots of guards and traps... YAY, we did it! A brand new day!! I'm going to be telling this story of daring do for years to come. Next day: Hey guys, he's back. And now he has twice as many guards and knows our faces... *weeks of additional careful planning later* We killed him again! Now the people are free! Two days later: Fuck this guy - he's back! And this time he has summoned all kinds a crazy beasts, burned all of our allies at the stake, and is stealing babies to sacrifice to dark gods. *weeks of additional careful planning later* Yeah! We defeated Count Evil again! Success! A week later: Him again? Meh - I'm leaving. Count Evil can have them. Yes - like I said - not everyone gets to come back. Also, they may not come back where last killed - depending. The guy you killed at the evil castle this week you might encounter out on a deep space mining asteroid in a few weeks. There is just no telling. It does put a new twist to 'recurring bad guy'. *If* they get to respawn. Again, given the cleverness of the PC's, they'll eventually figure out ways of finding out who gets to respawn and who does not. I actually already have thought about the scenario you put up and ways around it. There are ways around some things. (Note - not so much for PC's. If for example shooting someone with Krypton bullets kept the NPC from coming back I would not want that to work on the PC's. Next weeks special guest star might decide to 'end the campaign' for shits and giggles. Would be bad and I'm not a fan of PVP so much a 'torture and humiliation' by the PC's.)
|
|
|
Death
Feb 2, 2017 20:53:08 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 2, 2017 20:53:08 GMT
If you think about it, knowing the bad guy you killed today might come back tomorrow does make some interesting stuff possible.
Bad guy: "Butler, please go fluff my pillow for me." Butler: "Very good sir."
He leaves. Later, you hear a muffled explosion.
Bad guy: "Hate those fucking PC's. Last time they got me with the ole claymore left under my pillow. No more! I am on to them!"
|
|
matchstickman
Agent
Messiah: Will rise again
Creator of and most frequent player of the Heroic Cthulhu Drinking Game
Posts: 2,939
|
Post by matchstickman on Feb 2, 2017 22:25:38 GMT
Interesting scenario, I was thinking of it from the other end though Logan.
After a long and tricky fight, the PCs prevail and Count Evil is slain. PC 1-3: Huzzah! PC 4: Damnit! Another one? PC 2: Look, we all drew straws, it's your turn to pull the Killin' Wagon this week. PC 4: Yeah, I know. It's just there's already a lot of "possible" corpses on it and I'm exhausted after that fight. PC 3: Well it's been 2 months since Baron Von Badass last came back to life so I think he's dead for good this time around, you can dump him off the wagon. PC 4: Huzzah!
|
|
Scott
DORA
(Scott)
*Sigh*
Posts: 1,919
|
Death
Feb 4, 2017 21:08:06 GMT
Post by Scott on Feb 4, 2017 21:08:06 GMT
With those crippling penalties, presumably everyone will spend all of their poz to avoid death if possible. Will we come back with a new poz pool so that we don't have a situation where you keep getting one-shotted as soon as you "respawn? If you do happen to somehow die with poz left will we keep it?
|
|
|
Death
Feb 4, 2017 21:17:38 GMT
Post by logan9a on Feb 4, 2017 21:17:38 GMT
With those crippling penalties, presumably everyone will spend all of their poz to avoid death if possible. I would not make that presumption. There may be times when you say "Even if I spent a poz chances are excellent I will not make it." Will we come back with a new poz pool so that we don't have a situation where you keep getting one-shotted as soon as you "respawn? Oh heavens no! If you do happen to somehow die with poz left will we keep it? Yes.
|
|