Deadly Consequences

Looking for an easy-to-grok death/dismemberment system for my GLOGhack, I stumbled upon this post from Wizard Thief Fighter, then retooled it a bit for my own purposes. I'm not completely sold on the system below (a little too much reading and rolling), but it's certainly a start.

 

Jose Segrelles

Deadly Consequences

When you take damage in excess of your HP, you come face to face with a consequence based on how much damage you took: either risky, deadly, or career-ending.

Choose or roll from the available options. The same consequence can’t be chosen twice in one session. If all options are chosen, reset the table or add more.

Any Death Dice (DD) you have are rolled and added to the next instance of damage you take. (Death Dice are d6s.)

1-5: Risky Consequence. Your chances of surviving this fight just went way down.

1. Knocked out for the rest of the fight. When you wake up, some of your memories are missing.
2. Items held in your hands are sundered, then drop 1d6 more items. +1DD
3. Throw a nearby ally in front of the blow. If they’re a PC, they suffer a deadly blow. +1DD
4. A near miss which will become a horrible scar. Gain 1d6 trauma. +1DD
5. Close shave. You lose 1d6 fingers. +1DD
6. You make a heroic stand. +3DD

6-10: Deadly Consequence. Permanent injuries, physical and emotional.

1. Your arm is permanently disabled. +2DD
2. Your leg is permanently disabled. +2DD
3. You go deaf. +2DD
4. You go blind. +2DD
5. You can’t speak. +2DD
6. Your spirit is broken. You have disadvantage to combat-related rolls permanently. +2DD

11+: Career-Ending Consequence. Prepare your final words

1. Absolutely obliterated. Your body is impossible to recover.
2. You’re on the brink. The next hit you take results in ridiculous, gruesome death.
3. You make your final stand. You are invincible for 3 combat rounds, then die.
4. Too old for this shit. Your hair turns grey. You retire at the earliest possible opportunity.
5. “I quit.” Your PC retires immediately and tosses 3 of their items to a nearby ally. The ally immediately levels up. If it’s a hireling, they may become a level 2 PC.
6. You survive miraculously, but the universe will punish your good fortune. You fail all checks forever.

Ariel Perez