One question, hoping I don’t sound too dumb: while first playing Slave Pit of Drahzu we kept/used the base damage die for PC even while unarmed, even if the fighter’s d10 seemed a bit uneven.
How do you guys handle weapon less damage?
(probably playing Drahzu again tonight and would need some hints)
Thanks!
I recall there being a rule that says “if unarmed, you do 1 damage” but a) I can’t find it now and b) I wouldn’t use that rule anyhow.
I have the player roll class damage anytime their attack could legitimately wound/kill/disable their foe. So I probably wouldn’t have the fighter roll 1d10 if he was boxing against an ogre, but would if his described action was braining the ogre with a cauldron. Against other human-sized humanoids… yeah, I’d probably let the fighter box for 1d10. He’s the fighter.
When a foe drops to 0 hp, the foe is out of th eaction but I describe the effects based on the damage source. If it was the fighter braining the ogre with a cauldron, the ogre’s either dead or KO’d and bleeding from a head wound. If it was the fighter kicking a guard in the knee, the guard is down writhing on the ground and clutching his shattered joint.
My $0.02.
It indeed keeps using the same dice but the fiction matters too. If your fighter was fighting against an armored enemy with a mace or axe or w/e it makes sense when he attacks him to hack&slash but it would be much more difficult for him to do so barehanded having to get in range and finding a nice spot to punch the foe.
You did it right. After all, the fighter is definitely capable of killing humanoids with his bare hands. The way this should be reflected is, as usual for DW, in the fiction. For example, it’s not easy to get inside the guard of an opponent with a sword or spear when all you’ve got is your hands – there is definitely some defying of danger there unless the PCs have a cunning plan or surprise or teamwork or something.
The Fighter can and will snap necks bare-handed, but they can’t really “hack and slash” a stone golem with bare hands… or maybe they do, if it’s that kind of fiction.
Did you ever see He-Man worrying about punching stone blocks into rubble?
Even in less supernatural settings, I’m seeing the fighter lifting the golem over his head and smashing it to the ground, or pushing it out of balance with a tackle towards a corner between two corridors… I guess that’s MORE effective than using a metal, easy-to-snap-over-stone sword.
Use the fiction, Luke!
Thank you, guys! Will keep your suggestions in mind. The cauldron example by Jeremy Strandberg pretty much cleared all my doubts, but Ezequiel Zarate and Mike Pureka advices made it all better.
And Mattia Bulgarelli your punchline just rocked! 🙂
[bows]
From the handbook:
Other sources of damage—like being struck by a chunk of a collapsing tower, or falling into a pit—are left to the GM based on these options:
* It threatens bruises and scrapes at worst: d4 damage
* It’s likely to spill some blood, but nothing horrendous: d6 damage
* It might break some bones: d8 damage
* It could kill a common person: d10 damage
Thanks, Billy Barnes . I was really just puzzled about the “barehanded” situation, but even the d4 damage level (bruises scrapes) could be a basic benchmark for a good ol’ fistfight done right. 🙂
Matteo Casali : these are for other sources of damage.
That means: “anything that’s not a PC or a monster/NPC” (opposing NPCs during a fight are, according to the manual, “monsters”).
For Monsters/NPCs, the guidelines are at the beginning of the “Monsters” section of the manual.
Let’s create a group of ill-meaning drunks for a tavern brawl, as monsters.
(I’m not sure about the tags’ names in English, I have the Italian edition.)
They are social (hit one, others will back him up) and in a group (3 to 6).
Has no size tags: they’re humans, even if they’re big guys.
Their Move is “to look for troubles”.
Instinct: “fight boredom with action”.
They “hunt” in small pack: group, d8 damage, 6 H.P.
Human sized calls for melee (?) range.
They wear common clothes, no armor for them.
No supernatural abilities or skills good enough to add any change.
You might want to add “small, fragile weapons: reduce the damage die size by one”, since they fight with impovised weaponry such as chairs and beer mugs, bringing them down to d6.
They’re intelligent since they’re humans (even if drunk, they can be scared, bargained with, manipulated, etc.).
Here they are!
Mattia Bulgarelli Sure, but unless the fighter has had training in unarmed combat in his backstory, I don’t think I’d let him do his damage unarmed. If he got creative I’d use the ones I listed.