I posted this on Reddit, but I thought it might get more discussion here:
“Stun Damage” and “Debility: Stunned”—connection or coincidence?
The text of the “Stun Damage” section says anyone “who takes stun damage is defying danger to do anything at all, the danger being ‘you’re stunned.'” I’ve always read that to mean the character can’t take action if she fails to defy danger, for whatever reason. But The “Debilities” section uses the same term for temporary brain damage.
Is there meant to be any connection between the conditions? Like if someone takes “stun damage” and fails to defy danger, does he suffer the “Stunned” debility? Or is it just a coincidence of language, with the conditions being independent? In the latter case, a character could be both “stunned” in the jaw-hanging-open sense and then be knocked in the head and suffer -1 INT too. Is that right?
What kinds of attacks cause “stun damage” in your game? Would a blinding flash do it? A goblin suddenly dropping onto your helmet, making it get stuck over your eyes? Or is mainly for blackjacks and Vulcan nerve pinches?
Can you think of examples of how you’ve used “stun damage” and the “Stunned” debility? Thanks!
It’s an unfortunate reuse. A lot of stun damage could totally make you Stunned, sure.
Thank you, Sage!
Hmmm, during the Slave Pits of the Undercity module there’s that big honking trap of a statue swinging a giant sword down on the unfortunate character triggering it. I pondered the failed defy danger move over that one and decided on the stunned debility as even though it is a great honking sword and all it’s well, blunt rather than sharp and just seemed appropriate rather than just dealing damage.
I’ve stunned a wizard on a spellcasting backlash as he had racked up so many -1’s going forward cause he was having a bad spellcasting day and finally I stunned him and advised him that his brain was basically pudding and his nerves were shot from overextending himself.
I don’t know how other game masters feel about debilities in regards to them being soft versus hard moves.
I think debilities are a pretty hard move since they are difficult to remove and can potentially have a significant impact on the character’s performance. Thrown about too freely, they can start to ruin the player’s fun.
That being said, they make a great hard move for those very reasons.
HP come back pretty quick. If the fight is effectively already won and the party hasn’t used enough resources I tend to throw a debility at the next opportunity, specifically because they hurt more.
Usually they chug a potion, rather than wait three days. I’m okay with that because those things are expensive.