Damage/Health, Supers/Heroes/Normals

While the Classic Marvel RPG has to be one of my favourite RPG systems, and works with wonderful simplicity in regards to high powered supers, there is something that has continued to pop up in my thoughts as I compare stats and which continues to pop up in campaigns.

First lets say we take the at clam strength of the Hulk (Unearthly). That is a blow that is capable of generating enough force to tear the jaw and/or the head off of any normal man. Nevertheless, Captain America falls within human parametres, but statistically, can stand up to an Unearthly punch and keep on functioning at optimum levels, minus the Health points, ie. no sprains, cracks, broken bones, etc.

Now, thats all good and fine. Cap is afterall an experienced fighter, and we can always justify his toughness in terms of rolling with a blow and/or always been in such a position that his opponent can never bring all of the punching force to bare ... even if these things should reduce damage rather than raise health ;-).

However, this is where we get to the probablem that keeps cropping up in campaigns; the willingness of players to metagame and strike with full force when facing wimpy lackeys, knowing that between the lackeys health and body armour they will be able to withstand exactly 1.25357 blows at full strength.

Any thoughts regarding this seeming disparity? Should excess damage that carries one beneath, say, 0 or -10 or something Health, be subtracted directly from Enduarnce with no need for an *immediate* Kill roll to determine ENd loss? you know, so the musclehead that can punch with the force of a piledriver realize that he does indeed punch with the force of a piledriver, with similiar effects on the human body?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2005 03:34PM by Powersurge.

my ruling:
i warn the PC that the opponent they are facing is essentially a normal flatscan human. Holding a gun. Do they wish to attack in the way that they are going to.

eg:
Ok then,
a regular thug has a hostage with a knife to their throat. Are you going to fire your Ama intensity laerbeam at them? They only clear shot you have is part of their head that you can see them looking at you. What exactly are you going to do.

(I normally allow the players a little rethinking time on this matter. If they say yes, they are going to continue on the present course of action with no rethinking on tactics then I proceed.)
If they remain vague and say I am goin to shoot him in the head. Then they will more than likely have to take aim. and fire.

GM: Rolls, tis a kill result.
description.
Your Amazing intensity laser beam hits the Thug in the head. After a breif pause the Thug falls away from the Hostage, You see the hostage look over at the Thug, she screams, faints. Looking further you see, the light pole behind the Thug has a hole in it that is smoking and starting to cool. Behind that you see that there is a hole in the wall and scorch marks. The hole did not penetrate all the way through. You see that there is a neat hole in the eyesocket of the Thug (or half the Thugs Forehead is missing). He is not breathing. You can smell burnt flesh.

Unless they enact some way to save said thug.

Please remove any karma from your Karma pool.

You now get 5 pts for rescuing of the Hostage, 5pts for stopping a crime in action and 5pts for aprehending a villan.

I really only allow deaths if the players are silly enough not to take a hint.
I can always bring the NPC back later as some other form of plot device while maintaining continuity.

I use my own "common sense" rulings. In my campaigns, if a guy has super humn strength and decides to strike with all his power, he better damn well know that his target is super tough enough to take it. Otherwise his blow that can level mountains will splatter his opponent. Period. The End.

I simply use as a general rule hat if Hulk - Unearthly strength - strikes with full force someone who does not have at least one super human physical trait he simply wipes hm out. Also if his endurance is three ranks lower or more there are automatic stun and slam checks. Perhaps even automatic effects depending on whether it suits my purposes or not.

To me the rues are guidlines to use while creating a story. I fudge all the time.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2005 10:43PM by Bricks.

SEE PULLING PUNCHES for related topic.



Personally I use negative health for many reasons but it helped me put to use the pulling of punches rule( the damage aspect not the color shift ) and the results of massive damage vs. PC's or NPC's would have.

(:!P)each to their own. I also fudge on a regular basis. The rules help with the story line. They should not detract from it. (:!P)

Cap's a main character, the protagonist. A PC or a Named PC.

Guy on Street is Red Shirt #235. A mook. A Nameless NPC.

Go with whatever's Dramatically Appropriate. If the theme of the night's game is "With Great Power Comes Great Rsponsibility," describe in agonizing detail how bits of Joe's hindbrain are still stuck in between your knuckles after hitting him in the face with your superhumanly strong fist, and that he falls to the ground like a wet sack of potatoes.

should that be a mashed sack of potatoes:.D