Nevill said:
Since this CYOA seems to be more dependent on mechanics than the others I've seen here, being based on GURPS and all, I'd like to know just how much of a one-hit wonder are we? Do we have some sort of hit points system in place? Or do you use additional factors to determine how lethal certain actions are, sort of "I don't care how much damage it does by the rules, no one would survive that".
I take into account the lethality of what is thrown at you and any defenses you may have to determine whether or not the character will be unharmed, wounded, severely wounded or killed. This usually involves a number of checks (or in a very bad situation a single check).
As a mechanical abstraction hitpoints work fine but they have always been something that has bothered me. I do not like how they can often allow a character to survive things that are truly ridiculous. A knife to the throat for example, mechanically the won't do that much damage most of the time (there are exceptions) but in reality it should kill the character the majority of the time. So in all the games I run I take these sorts of additional factors into consideration. It makes it more lethal for the players but I rarely get complaints as the same system applies to the NPCs and villains. I find that as long as both sides are bound by the same rules, and everything is fair, most people are fine with a little extra realism.
So yes, there are situations where a character will simply die if things get bad enough though I almost always allow a single roll for luck if nothing else, sometimes people make it through things that no one should...
It seems there is a lot of things that can kill a character instantly. The spider that bit Ari, the thrall's axe that almost killed Thais, the spell the Oneiroi used on us to get to Melete. Our own side doesn't shy from employing some devastating spells either, slinging firebolts that tear limbs apart and make people go pop. It is not something you see in the games - for example, one hit from an axe could never end anyone by itself, - but again, game mechanics never translates well into a serious CYOA.
That is also a function of getting into extraordinarily lethal situations. If you decide to fight an army with twenty people or so then some of them are very likely to die even if you succeed. The spider that bit Ari is an example of that. It was a randomized roll to determine who would get attacked and then a second roll by the victim to see if they could avoid getting bitten. She 'won' the targeting roll and failed her DEX check so she went down. It is worth noting though that if you still had mandrake roots Serpent probably could have saved her so it was only a death sentence in that particular situation.
With Thaïs, that instant death situation was largely the result of attacking a force fifty times your size. By all rights your group should have been wiped out, simple as that, so the checks there were quite high. To my amazement your group rolled well to perfectly throughout the battle so you came out ahead there but it was a very dangerous route to take. It is also worth noting that a character like Uttu would have recieved a check since she has a nine DEX and is quick enough to dodge the axe, of course if she failed it she would die. Finally a character like Argus who has a very high CON, a very high DEX and very nice armour probably could have taken that hit without suffering much more than broken bones at worst.
So the character's stats do come into play when determining how lethal a situation is for them. A warrior type character can walk out of situations that would kill your average unprotected mage or social character.
The Oneiroi spell is much like the thrall example. If it had hit you, you would have had to roll to dispel it (a very difficult check considering you know nothing about it), if you failed then Thaïs would have tried, if she failed then Meletē could have tried, if everyone failed then you would likely have suffocated. It was dangerous but the bracelets made avoiding it fairly easy for the two of you and you were in a very dangerous situation so it seemed warranted.
So, the question is, does the concept of HP exist in this CYOA and they are just another one of the hidden parameters, or do some other rules determine whether the character lives or dies?
I had my doubts about this since I first saw Heaven Stones identified. By its description, it only adds +10% magic protection, yet it made all the difference in our fight with Miosguinn where he gave us all he has got - some of these spells we use now to explode people and one-shot thralls - and we only ended up with several broken ribs. Judging by the spells he used previously in a fight, normally this should have killed us twice over.
With the Miosguinn fight there were a few things working in your favour. Those two stones shielded you from twenty percent of the spell that hit you, that probably kept your organs from rupturing. Miosguinn also was not using the sort of spell that shaves off limbs and the like. He was using something the Spider Goddess taught him to squeeze the life out of you and you were resisting with your very high WIS. Additionally, Christine did not let you suffer for a second longer than necessary. As soon as she had her opening she attacked and it was over. You were probably under direct assault for less than half a minute.
If you had been without the stones or if you had an average WIS or you were alone. Well things probably would have gone differently. He was channeling quite a bit of power. As it was though you had the skills, allies and resources to pull through. It was a risk but not an unreasonable one and it won you a lot of respect from your group.
Anyway to answer the question, there are no hitpoints but there are rules (or at least guidelines) I follow.
The process begins when a character does something stupid/heroic/unlucky enough to get themselves killed.
I then run through a number of steps:
1. Does the character have the stats/skills/spells neccesary to survive this?
If yes, then determine what, set the difficulty of the checks and roll for them.
If they fail or if no then see 2
2. Does the character have a renewable item that can allow them to survive this alone or in combination with their stats/skills/spells? (Naturally with all steps after one the time wasted by the character, if any, is taken into account and the checks tend to get more difficult with each attempt.)
If yes then roll the checks.
If no or in case of failure then see 3
3. Does the character have a non-renewable item that if used will allow them to survive this alone or in combination with their stats/skills/spells?
If yes then roll the checks.
If no or in case of failure then see 4.
4. Does an ally have the stats/skills/spells/items necessary to save this character and are they willing and able to make the effort?
If yes then roll the checks.
If no or in case of failure then see 5.
5. Roll for luck if the character has not rolled up to this point, (everyone should get at least one chance to save themselves).
If yes then roll.
If no or in case of failure then see 6.
6. Does the enemy have any reason to keep this person alive? Note: this applies to both you/your allies and the people you fight. Those options to save Biliku, Uttu, and Caoilainn were this principle but applied to them so you got to choose.
If yes then determine what rolls (if any) are needed and roll for them.
If no or in case of failure then the character dies.
If the character in question is Derryth at this point I would probably present you with the situation, the cause of your death and the like, and ask if any of you have ideas on how to avoid it. In case I missed something. If you can come up with a way to save her I will roll for it and see if she makes it. If not, she dies and we would have to figure out what to do from there.
So I do not kill characters lightly, they are all given a chance to save themselves but the more lethal the situation the lower their odds will be.
Alright, I am going to close the voting now. Ci takes it. The update will be out in twelve to fourteen hours probably.
