Random optional rules

Ear (-7) Damage over HP/4 is crippling and is lost, but if twice that amount of damage is rolled the ear is cut off

Jaw (-6) A crushing blow gives an extra -1 to knockdown rolls

Joints (-5 [knee or elbow]/-7 [ankle or wrist]) HP/3 to cripple the knee or elbow, HP/4 to cripple on the ankle or wrist

Nose (-7) HP/4 is crippling; twice that with a cutting attack will chop it off, which is just plain rude

Spine (-8 ) DR 3; there is no damage bonus, but if more than HP in damage is taken, the spine is crippled. That is very bad when it happens.


There are also rules given for hitting the veins and arteries at -8 to the neck or -5 to a limb. This increases the wounding modifier for cutting and impaling attack by .5 (e.g. a cutting attack to the veins/arteries in the neck would cause 2.5 times damage). Also, there is no damage limit on hits to veins/arteries! This has the potential to make combat very deadly! If the players want to use this rule, we'll use it; if not, we won't.

Alpha Centauri wrote:Yeesh. These rules for new hitting locations make combat seem like fine surgery. Run into a warrior who is depressed and tired of life? Dispatch him or her to the other world quickly by aiming for multiple veins.

Realistically, such injuries can cause almost instant unconsciousness, with death coming in seconds.

Random Hit Location

You never have to target a hit location – you can always just strike at “whatever target presents itself.” To do so, attack with no modifier for hit location. If you hit, and your foe fails to defend, roll 3d on the appropriate hit location table to find out where the blow fell; see Hit Location Tables (p. 552). The GM decides what table to use for non-humanoids.

Use random hit location for a Wild Swing (p. 388), shooting blind (p. 389), suppression fire (p. 409), fragmentation damage (p. 414), and any other situation where the GM feels targeting a location is unrealistic. If a random attack comes from directly above, treat “feet” as "hands” and “legs” as “arms.”

Notes for Existing Hit Locations

For greater consistency when using this level of detail [i.e. the extra hit locations above], alter the hit locations in the Basic Set as follows. The GM may reserve extra die rolls for randomly targeted attacks.

Arms and Legs: On any arm or leg hit, roll 1d. On a 1, a cutting, impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack hits a vein/artery, while a crushing attack hits a joint.

Face: On a hit from in front, roll 1d. A 1 means a skull hit if the attack was impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning, a nose hit otherwise. When attacking from behind, the face is at -7 to hit, not -5.

Hands and Feet: On any hand or foot hit with a crushing, cutting, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack, roll 1d. On a 1, the attack hits a joint.

Neck: On any neck hit with a cutting, impaling, piercing, or tight-beam burning attack, roll 1d. On a 1, it hits a vein/artery. Also roll 1d for crushing attacks from behind; a 1 indicates a spine hit. Crippling the spine this far up – a “broken neck” – causes Quadriplegic (p. B150), not merely Lame (Paraplegic). This occurs automatically if Neck Snap (p. 77) or a throw from a Head Lock (p. 74) inflicts injury over HP to the neck!

Skull: When attacking from behind, the skull is at -5 to hit, not -7.

Torso: On a hit with a crushing, impaling, piercing, or tightbeam burning attack, roll 1d. On a 1, it hits the vitals. Also roll 1d for a cutting blow from behind; a 1 indicates a spine hit.

Vitals: Crushing attacks can target the “vitals” – e.g., the solar plexus from in front or the kidneys from behind – at -3. Wounding modifier is only x1, but shock requires a HT roll for knockdown, at -5 if a major wound.

Notes for Existing Hit Locations

For greater consistency when using this level of detail [i.e. the extra hit locations above], alter the hit locations in the Basic Set as follows. The GM may reserve extra die rolls for randomly targeted attacks.

Alpha Centauri wrote:Man, we're going to need to compile an additional GURPS book just to keep track of all these additional house rules.

Alpha Centauri wrote:Either that or a knowledgeable brain in a jar.

I will be allowing all Extra Effort in Combat options. Frankly, I really like what it can add to combat. Currently, Fatigue is a mostly useless stat. I can't remember when it has ever been useful to a non-mage. This will add balance and make warriors with more endurance somewhat more powerful in combat.

The Son of Dior wrote:

I will be allowing all Extra Effort in Combat options. Frankly, I really like what it can add to combat. Currently, Fatigue is a mostly useless stat. I can't remember when it has ever been useful to a non-mage. This will add balance and make warriors with more endurance somewhat more powerful in combat.

Excellent. Do all these maneuvers cost one fatigue point or do some of them cost more than that?  

So we're going to go with the 3rd Edition rules, modified to fit 4th Edition maneuvers.

The Son of Dior wrote:I take this to mean we're going to be swarmed by an army of wargs in the not so distant future.

The Son of Dior wrote:These new rules would probably put the odds of knocking us over and having our guts for garters in their favor.

Do you actually prefer the 4th Edition rules?

If your Weapon Master advantage specifically includes the shield, then your block penalty is halved, rounding up: -3 on the second block, -5 on the third, etc.

The Son of Dior wrote:The Son of Dior was here.