I haven't had a regular game in a few months, but that hasn't stopped me from tinkering with my house rules. This is an attempt to give 0e fighting-men a bit more oomph. What do you think?
Gruesome Chops
A roll of 20 to-hit or a roll of maximum damage gives the Fighting-Man the opportunity to make a Gruesome Chop. The player chooses the hit location; here are some examples:
- Eyeball run through. Monsters with hit dice fewer than or equal to the fighting-man must Save or be kebab'd. Monsters with more hit dice lose an eye* (-2 to hit, cyclops -4).
- Neck slit. Monsters with hit dice fewer than or equal to the fighting-man must Save or suffer beheading. Monsters with more hit dice loose their voices, and must Save when using a breath weapon.
- Limb chop. Monsters with hit dice fewer than or equal to the fighting-man must Save or be dismembered and bleed out. Monsters with more hit dice (and four or fewer legs) are reduced to zero movement.
- Bifurcation (horizontal or vertical). Monsters with hit dice fewer than or equal to the fighting-man must Save or be bisected.
- Evisceration. Monsters with hit dice fewer than or equal to the fighting-man must Save or spill their guts.
- Ribcage crush. Monsters with hit dice fewer than or equal to the fighting-man must Save or suffocate.
- Sever artery. Monsters with hit dice fewer than or equal to the fighting-man must Save or BLOOD SPRINKLER!
- Break the monster's sword, splinter its shield, sunder its sandals, etc.
- Force the monster to fall back ten or twenty feet to the spot you want them (over pit trap, under portcullis, etc.).
- Impale. Monsters with hit dice fewer than or equal to the fighting-man must Save or wriggle in grotesque death throes. Monsters with more hit dice are pinned (movement zero).
Any monster that survives a Gruesome Chop immediately checks morale.
N.B. — Most monsters do not make Gruesome Chops, but enemy Fighting-Men do.
Thisfeels like something that should be a Referee's narrative call. A 20 or max damage ought to result in something gruesome.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I can see that, but I'm a lazy DM; I'm happy to delegate narrative authority at the level of granularity of the result of a single hit.
ReplyDeleteNice. Comparing Fighter level to monster HD the way you are is cool, and super easy to remember.
ReplyDeleteI like it.
ReplyDelete