Author Topic: Making your own critical tables  (Read 1743 times)

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Offline GMLovlie

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Making your own critical tables
« on: January 09, 2017, 08:48:19 AM »
Hey community!

How many of you have tampered with making your own critical tables, for new weapons or just tweaks and changes to the existing ones.

I'm contemplating a few new weapons I'm not sure/don't feel is covered by the HARP SF critical tables, and as such I need to make something of my own. Has anyone made some guidelines of their own about how to distribute stuns, hits, bleeding, other injury effects (losing limbs, internal bleeding, organ damage) ...?
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Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Making your own critical tables
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2017, 11:14:45 PM »
I've done it (officially and unofficially).  Not sure if I still have the formula I used, but I assigned each critical 'effect' (Stun, bleed, penalties, extra hits, etc) a point value, laid out the overall point value total for each progressively nastier crit, then selected the equivalent amount (overall point value) of effects.  I basically reverse engineered that point value system by 'eyeballing' the existing charts.
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Offline Witchking20k

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Re: Making your own critical tables
« Reply #2 on: January 15, 2017, 07:44:50 AM »
I have done it too, using the same method as Cory.  It's actually a great way to customize the game for a campaign. 
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Offline GMLovlie

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Re: Making your own critical tables
« Reply #3 on: January 15, 2017, 12:13:26 PM »
Thanks guys. I had some similar thoughts.

I better get to work  :working:
"What about the future...? We can only hope, we cannot however account for the minutiae of the quanta, as all accidents in an infinite space are inevitable."

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Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Making your own critical tables
« Reply #4 on: January 15, 2017, 04:06:26 PM »
Have fun with the color text if you're going to include it... that's probably the most grueling part.  At first you'll be thinking "This is fun!" then move on to "I'm running out ideas." then finally reach "Ok, I need to get my friends to help me finish this...".
- Cory Magel

Game design priority: Fun > Balance > Realism (greater than > less than).
(Channeling Companion, RMQ 1 & 2, and various Guild Companion articles author).

"The only thing I know about adults is that they are obsolete children." - Dr Seuss

Offline GMLovlie

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Re: Making your own critical tables
« Reply #5 on: January 16, 2017, 03:53:53 AM »
First I intend to distribute hits, bleeding, stuns, penalties, and "other" - bone, organ, muscle, tissue damage.

I've started using the hit-location rules by the second or third session, so I adapt each crit according to that - I started doing this after the player with the recoilless assault rifle regularly hit dmg cap 110 when aimed bursting ... we got tired of perforated intestines. So, now we have perforated thighs and groins, shoulders and lungs, mouth and necks, and so on ... I do sometimes adjust the crit slightly to fit the new location, like say increase penalty, but perhaps decrease hits or stuns. Depending on severity and location. And on whether or not they rolled a 66.*

This is what I intend to do really, make the critical tables less location specific - in order to allow more location-specific results. If that makes sense. This means that the flavour text in some tables would be less specific - and you know, some weapons just are less location specific, like shotguns and flamers at a few range increments beyond the 1st.


*Side-note: I must admit that in the old days of playing this game, the fantasy version, I never got into the unmodified roll of 66-spirit. After having played Star Wars from FFG and Numenera from MCG, and other games of similar designs, I ... well, I do now.  :pirate:
"What about the future...? We can only hope, we cannot however account for the minutiae of the quanta, as all accidents in an infinite space are inevitable."

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Offline Cory Magel

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Re: Making your own critical tables
« Reply #6 on: January 16, 2017, 10:43:29 AM »
Yeah, I've gone back and forth with how to create new charts to take hit location into account.   Either keep the location the same going left to right across the chart (so all 75 results across A, B, C, D, and E hit the same location) or not do color text, just the effects, and let the GM come up with the color text based on a separate location hit roll.  I think with a creative GM the second is preferable, but it does take longer in-game.
- Cory Magel

Game design priority: Fun > Balance > Realism (greater than > less than).
(Channeling Companion, RMQ 1 & 2, and various Guild Companion articles author).

"The only thing I know about adults is that they are obsolete children." - Dr Seuss

Offline GMLovlie

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Re: Making your own critical tables
« Reply #7 on: January 16, 2017, 05:20:57 PM »
I'm not saying I can do the following, but I was considering a bit more generic flavour text, referring to [location] and give some description. Of course, organ damage in a hand doesn't work, but broken bones or crushed hand does... so ... yeah. I'm not sure if it is doable, but I'll give it a shot.

Also considering a version of the condensed combat system for this, but that's long-term.
"What about the future...? We can only hope, we cannot however account for the minutiae of the quanta, as all accidents in an infinite space are inevitable."

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Offline Witchking20k

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Re: Making your own critical tables
« Reply #8 on: January 16, 2017, 07:21:39 PM »
I added a few more results at the lower end if I remember correctly and kinda squeezed the colour text up.
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