Hit location damage question and comments

[trystero]

On p. 148, in the Damage Equals or Exceeds Double the Location's Hit Points and Damage Equals or Exceeds Triple the Location's Hit Points sections, it looks to me as though the rules for limb hits apply only if a limb suffers damage ≥ twice or thrice its location HP in a single hit. So if my 3-point arm suffers a 1 HP hit and is then hit again for another 5 HP, I suffer 6 total HP damage, but I'm not incapacitated, because the arm didn't take 6+ HP in one hit, and I can continue fighting (albeit without the use of that arm since it's taken damage ≥ its HP).

By contrast, the rules for the head, chest, and abdomen appear to apply whenever one of those locations takes cumulative damage ≥ twice or thrice its location HP, regardless of whether this happened in one blow or many.

This is a change from RQ3, the version I'm most familiar with; I'm just checking that I'm properly understanding the intent. All of the examples on this page describe single-hit results, so they don't really confirm the difference in behavior.

I've also just realized that RQ:G doesn't have the CON ×5 rolls to avoid bleeding, or the CON ×1 rolls to stop bleeding or be Heroic and keep fighting, that RQ3 had for some locations. Adventurers can still bleed to death if struck in the torso or head; they just do so at consistent rates, without any variability or chance to clot on their own. I'll see how the new rules play with my group; I suspect players will miss having a chance to roll something for their injured adventurers, but I've been wrong before…

[Pentallion]

I would sorely miss the CONx1 be heroic rule if that's the case.  We had an epic battle where one stood against many and in the end vanquished them all, only to have a giant slarge make a con roll, stand back up and whack the hero, then drop to the ground and die afterwards.  When the rest of the party arrived, they found their friend dead, surrounded by 20 dead slarges.  of course they ressed her and she had an epic tale to tell.  In other battles, it has come down to people making CONx1 rolls on both sides of the battle to keep being heroic and save the day.  Those were all epic battles that would have never happened without one of the best rules in RQ3.

So I hope the devs reconsider what a great rule that was.

Edited June 11, 2018 by Pentallion

[Sean_RDP]

I can see where it may not seem clear. They way I read it, it all sounds like a single hit to me, because the locations can take more hits than they have HP.  As opposed to cumulative damage for those locations. Hrmm. I thought it was cut and dry until just right now. 

[Atgxtg]

Looking over my old rules books it seems like you have right. That is how it is presented in RQ2, except that head chest and abdomen hits will disable you when that location goes to 0 HP not twice.

 

CON rolls to be heroic and all that were from RQ3.