Hey Alex, I like this set of rules on the subject best so far. My critical thinking:
WOUND POINTS AND MORALE POINTS
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I like 5 being the base for man-sized creatures. It works well with the Con modifier (-3 to +3) for a range of 2-8 “hp” for a human. Also, the way I view it, based upon that humans would have a d8 hit die, with an average of 4-5 hp for an adult… that compares well with an orc (which I have always wanted to consider overall equal to a 0-level human warrior). It also compares well with weapon damage dice IMO.
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I’m wondering how it works overall with monsters. Horses are a good example I think:
Light Horse
ACKS hp = 2-16 hp
WP/MP = 2-10 wp, 0-6 mp (averge wp: 9, average mp: 0)
Medium Horse
ACKS hp = 3-24 hp
WP/MP = 3-10 wp, 0-14 mp (average wp: 10, average mp: 3.5)
Heavy Horse
ACKS hp = 6-27 hp
WP/MP = 6-10 wp, 0-17 mp (average wp: 10, average mp: 6.5)
Considering verisimilitude, this idea gives the impression that a heavy horse technically isn’t any more likely to survive an injury than a light horse, but it does have more stamina, is more resistant to pain, and is less fearful.
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When I’ve considered the concept of “wound points” for my house rules, I’ve been tempted to say that they’re equal to half Con score which is very close to 5 + Con mod.
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APM: “Classed characters gain their Hit Dice and Con Modifier as additional Morale Points on top of their Wound Points.” This is a boost to PCs and NPCs. The alternative to keep it compatible with current ACKS assumptions is your mp = HD/level -1. In other words, 1st level characters have no mp. I guess that makes it incompatible with ACKS’ healing assumptions however. It looks like you’re choosing the lesser of 2 evils if you get what I mean. I think assuming 2nd level to be the default starting point for PCs is worth considering since then, the 1st HD can represent wp, and 2nd and subsequent HD can represent mp… and magical healing isn’t so bad then.
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In my house rules, I’ve assumed that hp represent “fatigue, pain, and fear” (and superficial wounds) and that 0 or less hp represent real wounds. In other words, 2 states of injury. WP/MP has 3 states of injury: morale points, wound points, 0 or less wound points. I bring it up, because I’ve been contemplating how to handle a “knife to the throat” or “critical hit” scenario and do not have a satisfying solution yet.
HEALING
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I don’t have any meaningful input for magical healing (except see above about starting at 2nd level).
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For natural healing, I like going with a % of max for mp. You would come up with a number based upon two things:
- how fast do you think a person can naturally heal enough to be “adventure ready”?
- is it easy for players to calculate?
I personally add a third criterion:
- will it help me and the players recreate the feel of player characters like Conan, Aragorn, Perseus, Gandalf, etc? (because for the most part, these characters don’t spend weeks or months in the infirmary).
Again from a standpoint of verisimilitude, I can’t wrap my head around, a wizard returning to full health quickly and and a fighter with 18 Con taking “forever”. Ditto for magical healing… after a while, a cure light wounds spell is more like cure serious wounds on a wizard and a bandage on a fighter.
ATTACK THROWS
I’m wondering if armor wearing classes take too large a hit from these rules. There is a drawback to wearing armor in that it slows movement. Armor wearing warriors could often be easier to hit and slower! If I had to endure a blow from Dumbo, I think I’d fare better in a suit of armor, than none at all. Maybe to mitigate that, allow Str mod to affect encumbrance limits?