Okay, gamers, question for you: What is the best way to implement hit locations in D&D? I've been fighting with the game for a while now over them evil inflating HP, so I got wondering....

Do I divvy locations like RQ, or do I do it where certain locations add to damage? I'm thinking the latter. Head shots do double damage or some such.

My goal is to tighten up the combat because when HP get too high I shake my head and lose interest in the game, finding fights more tedious than fun. But, much of my thinking is in D&D terms. It's a curse and a blessing. I watch a movie and go - he's a 6th level ranger. Or whatever class I guesstimate. I also don't want to retire all the characters at fourth level before HP gets too superhero-y for me.

Maybe 3 levels of rolling HD and then a point per level thereafter?

Maybe, for simplicities sake, I'll borrow Pundit's way of leveling HD as seen in L&D, except I don't use skills with D&D. I could use skills, but they can become troublesome when the player ends up staring at their sheet indecisively.

I'm spitballing here, so I might be halfway incoherent.

It was done in OD&D Supplement II: Blackmoor.

That's all you need. It is pretty close the RQ2 (probably BM informed RQ2 given the timeline).

Quote from: PulpHerb on April 05, 2023, 04:44:12 PM
It was done in OD&D Supplement II: Blackmoor.

That's all you need. It is pretty close the RQ2 (probably BM informed RQ2 given the timeline).

Holy shit, you're on to something.  Page 7 is where that stuff begins. I don't know why I didn't remember this stuff. It's quite good.

This is a great idea.  How about this?

Using a D12

1-2  Right Leg
3-4  Left Leg
5-6  Right Arm
7-8  Left Leg
9-10 Torso
11-12 Head

Or something like that.

Quote from: GhostNinja on April 06, 2023, 08:58:57 AM
This is a great idea.  How about this?

Using a D12

1-2  Right Leg
3-4  Left Leg
5-6  Right Arm
7-8  Left Leg
9-10 Torso
11-12 Head

Or something like that.

I really like your chart much more than the one Arneson used, which was percentile.

I like that style of table.

Here's one that I use:

1 -    Head
2 -    Neck
3 -    Left Arm
4 -    Right Arm
5 - 6 Torso
7 - 8 Left Leg
9 - 10 Right Leg

Roll a d10.

Roll a d6 if attacked from above/flying monster or if bitten by a standing humanoid.

Roll d6 + 4 if attacked from below or a crawling/prone creature.

I only use it for crits or special attacks like venom. Get bit in the neck? Better amputate that quick!

Quote from: Jason Coplen on April 06, 2023, 12:33:52 PM

Quote from: GhostNinja on April 06, 2023, 08:58:57 AM
This is a great idea.  How about this?

Using a D12

1-2  Right Leg
3-4  Left Leg
5-6  Right Arm
7-8  Left Leg
9-10 Torso
11-12 Head

Or something like that.

I really like your chart much more than the one Arneson used, which was percentile.

Thanks.   You can make it a bit more detailed by making 11 the neck and 12 the head.  Or you can do whatever you want to make it as detailed as you want.  I find the charts that are really over detailed to be annoying.

I've always felt that damage increased with hit points fairly well and this wasn't a problem. However, here's a hit location chart for you:

20 - head
15-19 - upper torso
11-14 - arms
10 - stomach
5-9 - lower torso
1-4 - legs

Quote from: rytrasmi on April 06, 2023, 01:45:24 PM
I like that style of table.

Here's one that I use:

1 -    Head
2 -    Neck
3 -    Left Arm
4 -    Right Arm
5 - 6 Torso
7 - 8 Left Leg
9 - 10 Right Leg

Roll a d10.

Roll a d6 if attacked from above/flying monster or if bitten by a standing humanoid.

Roll d6 + 4 if attacked from below or a crawling/prone creature.

I only use it for crits or special attacks like venom. Get bit in the neck? Better amputate that quick!

Yeah that works too.   I just outlined a basic quick style chart.  Dont like the over detailed ones.  Often have dumb crap that I just ignore on them.

What about double damage for a head hit?  Not going to happen often but it has the opportunity to do some nasty damage.

Quote from: GhostNinja on April 06, 2023, 02:30:41 PM

Quote from: Jason Coplen on April 06, 2023, 12:33:52 PM

Quote from: GhostNinja on April 06, 2023, 08:58:57 AM
This is a great idea.  How about this?

Using a D12

1-2  Right Leg
3-4  Left Leg
5-6  Right Arm
7-8  Left Leg
9-10 Torso
11-12 Head

Or something like that.

I really like your chart much more than the one Arneson used, which was percentile.

Thanks.   You can make it a bit more detailed by making 11 the neck and 12 the head.  Or you can do whatever you want to make it as detailed as you want.  I find the charts that are really over detailed to be annoying.

I think your first chart will work just fine. If I wanted it detailed I'd do the HarnMaster route, but D&D is so much simpler. The hit locations is to make it grittier, so to speak. I want to not get crazy. A d12 is very simple and it gives me a reason to use a d12, a dice with very few uses. rytrasmi has a good and easy chart, too.

Double damage for a head shot would speed combat up. Combat gets terribly slow at higher levels.

Quote from: GhostNinja on April 06, 2023, 02:32:19 PM

Quote from: rytrasmi on April 06, 2023, 01:45:24 PM
I like that style of table.

Here's one that I use:

1 -    Head
2 -    Neck
3 -    Left Arm
4 -    Right Arm
5 - 6 Torso
7 - 8 Left Leg
9 - 10 Right Leg

Roll a d10.

Roll a d6 if attacked from above/flying monster or if bitten by a standing humanoid.

Roll d6 + 4 if attacked from below or a crawling/prone creature.

I only use it for crits or special attacks like venom. Get bit in the neck? Better amputate that quick!

Yeah that works too.   I just outlined a basic quick style chart.  Dont like the over detailed ones.  Often have dumb crap that I just ignore on them.

What about double damage for a head hit?  Not going to happen often but it has the opportunity to do some nasty damage.

Oh for sure. Too complex and it won't get used.

Double damage to the head would totally work. I use it to help with crits. Take a mace crit to the head? You definitely take enhanced damage and now you gotta save or get knocked out. It's a happy medium between crazy crit tables (DCC) and systems that just call for a damage multiplier. It's simple enough and adds color.

Quote from: rytrasmi on April 06, 2023, 02:45:02 PM

Quote from: GhostNinja on April 06, 2023, 02:32:19 PM

Quote from: rytrasmi on April 06, 2023, 01:45:24 PM
I like that style of table.

Here's one that I use:

1 -    Head
2 -    Neck
3 -    Left Arm
4 -    Right Arm
5 - 6 Torso
7 - 8 Left Leg
9 - 10 Right Leg

Roll a d10.

Roll a d6 if attacked from above/flying monster or if bitten by a standing humanoid.

Roll d6 + 4 if attacked from below or a crawling/prone creature.

I only use it for crits or special attacks like venom. Get bit in the neck? Better amputate that quick!

Yeah that works too.   I just outlined a basic quick style chart.  Dont like the over detailed ones.  Often have dumb crap that I just ignore on them.

What about double damage for a head hit?  Not going to happen often but it has the opportunity to do some nasty damage.

Oh for sure. Too complex and it won't get used.

Double damage to the head would totally work. I use it to help with crits. Take a mace crit to the head? You definitely take enhanced damage and now you gotta save or get knocked out. It's a happy medium between crazy crit tables (DCC) and systems that just call for a damage multiplier. It's simple enough and adds color.

Crits with D&D? May I ask what you use?

Quote from: Jason Coplen on April 06, 2023, 02:55:03 PM
Crits with D&D? May I ask what you use?

Recently it's been Hyperborea which at its core is AD&D 1e. It has a simple (and optional) d6 table for each class with bonuses/multipliers (from +2 to 3x damage). E.g., fighter rolls a 20 to hit, that's a crit. Fighter now rolls a d6 on the crit table and gets a 5, which IIRC is a 2x multiplier to damage.

Then I use my location table to describe the crit, and hopefully make it more meaningful.

Quote from: Jason Coplen on April 06, 2023, 02:39:06 PM
I think your first chart will work just fine. If I wanted it detailed I'd do the HarnMaster route, but D&D is so much simpler. The hit locations is to make it grittier, so to speak. I want to not get crazy. A d12 is very simple and it gives me a reason to use a d12, a dice with very few uses. rytrasmi has a good and easy chart, too.

Double damage for a head shot would speed combat up. Combat gets terribly slow at higher levels.

Yep I agree.  If you like the chart feel free to use it.

I like easy myself.  Keeps things moving along.

Quote from: rytrasmi on April 06, 2023, 02:45:02 PM
Double damage to the head would totally work. I use it to help with crits. Take a mace crit to the head? You definitely take enhanced damage and now you gotta save or get knocked out. It's a happy medium between crazy crit tables (DCC) and systems that just call for a damage multiplier. It's simple enough and adds color.

I agree.  It makes sense that a hit to the head will do more damage and have more of a effect because getting bashed in the head is a bad thing.