Fun with Complications

[cunning_kindred]

I am looking for a little input from the forum with regard to what I call 'complications'. Often in star wars damage has secondary effect - you are blinded, lose a limb, etc. I've created a set of rules to codify this sort of thing in our games called 'complications' and I've decided I'd like to put a list of ideas for complications in the write-up.

I'm sure that many of you use similar ideas in your games - I know I did for a long time before I started using the word complication to refer to it - and I was wondering if people would like to contribute their ideas in this thread.

So, for example, this is just a quick list of the types of complications I am talking about. The system is very fluid and flexible but I was thinking of adding a few suggested rules for each complication. I'm hoping that this could be a good "ideas" resources even for those people of who have no intention of using my rules.

Physical Complications
Anything that could result from being physically assaulted.

Energy Damage
Blinded: You become blind and everyone benefits from complete concealment against you until you recover from the complication.

Stiffness: You suffer a -1 penalty to all action involving the effected body part due to burns.

Slashing Physical Damage
Severed Arm: You lose your arm. You cannot attack with that arm or use it to manipulate your environment and you suffer a -2D to -4D penalty to all actions that while possible would usually involve the use of more than one arm.

Bludgeoning Physical Damage

Bruising: will be at -1 to all actions for 1d6 hours after the wound heals due to cauterization/stiffness

Blast Zone Damage

Dark Side Corruption
These consequences are usually the result of over-use of the dark side of the Force. All of the negative effects of a dark side complication abate for one minute each time you get a dark side point.

Rapid Aging (appearance): You suffer a -1D penalty to all interaction skill rolls due to a sudden and hideous appearance of age.

Rapid Aging (osteoporosis): You body is suffering from an advanced and deliberating effect on your bones. You suffer either a -1D penalty to all dexterity and strength related skill rolls that require movement or a -2 penalty to all move speeds.

Rapid Aging (constitution): Your body is beginning to fail and you suffer a -1D penalty to strength rolls pertaining to illness, disease and all uses of the stamina skill.

Blindness: You go blind (see the physical complications above) but you cannot use cyber-eyes to repair this effect and you gain the ability to see normally for one minute each time you gain a dark side point.

Mental Complications
These would be the sorts of problems individuals might develop from psychic or mental dark side powers being used on them or from using the dark side for too long. Everything from mental disease, memory loss to complete mental breakdown could be suitable, depending on how bad you wanted the complication to be.

Mental Trauma/Shell Shock/Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: All skills are at -1D after combat ceases due to "post-combat shakes". Persuasion or Command roll can remove this penalty.

Vehicle Complications

Weapon Hit: One on-board weapon was hit and destroyed; the gunners take damage. The gunner must roll to resist damage equal to the complication roll. Randomly determine which weapon is hit.

Shield Generators: Shield generator suffers a hit and looses 1D points from all arcs and protection pool and all shield operations rolls must beat the complication roll in order to succeed. If the vehicle has no generator or the generator is already disabled roll again.

Destroyed power plant: The vehicle’s repulsorlift generator or motor is completely destroyed. If a ground vehicle is moving at high speed or all-out speed, it crashes. If the ground vehicle is moving at cruising or cautious speed, it simply rolls or bounces to a stop. Flying vehicles plummet towards the ground — the pilot must make a save vehicle roll in order to save his craft.

Overloaded generator: The engine or generator begins to overload and will explode in 1D rounds, inflicting damage equal to the complication to all passengers and the vehicle. (The pilot must make a save vehicle roll in order to save his craft.)

Disabled weapons and shields: All weapons systems and shield generators completely shut down for one round. At the beginning of each round roll 1D. On a 1 the weapons and shields do not work this round.

Passenger injured: Random passenger must roll to resist the complication roll as a damage roll.
Air bags deploy: damage to the vehicle has triggered the vehicle's safety features (air bags, safety harness, foam system (go watch Demolition Man)) and these are now interfering with the driver's ability to control the vehicle



Software Complications
These would be the sorts of complications that happen when software gets mis-programed and such - for when droids hack into computers and get horrible feedback.

Tripped Security: The information has been found, but security has been tripped (slicer may or may not be aware of the trip) alerting the appropriate authorities of the computer security breach.
Virus: see tripped security above. Slicer gets infected with malicious software (slicer may or may not be aware of the virus) effects at GM's whim.
Encoded: The information has been found, but it's encoded. Can be retrieved and decoded later with a V Difficult Communications roll in 1d6 hours. (Dammit, we need the info NOW!)
Crash: Slicing attempt accidentally finds a flaw in the host computer causing the system to reboot/crash/meltdown.



Random Occurrences

Although I originally asked about injuries people have also suggested a lot of random incidents and difficulties that could occur during combat, especially when a 1 is rolled on the wild dice, so I've decided to include those:

* target knocked away from the blast 1d6 meters... (potentially into something far worse than a grenade.) Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say

*Power pack out of ammo "Click! Click!"
*Forgot to take safety off
*Short circuit- Blaster won't work until repaired (Difficulty determined by GM)
*Overload- Blaster becomes hot to the touch, starts overloading and will explode (like a grenade) in 2D seconds (recommend a secret roll by the GM)
*Colatteral damage- fellow PC or innocent bystander hit instead
*Miss and ricochet- blaster bolt bounces back towards firer or firer's companions
*As you swing your hand/foot, you push yourself out of balance and tumble over
*As you spin for your kick, you strain yourself
*As you kick high, you hear a 'RIPPPPP' from down below (had happen twice)
*As you go to block his blow, your arm actually bounces back from the force of the blow giving you a bloody nose
*as you swing your sword it flops out of your hand
*as you swing your stun baton, the switch for turning it on clicks off.




Anyway, I thought I would put this up as I'm working on it, adding to the list as I go and I thought people might enjoy the opportunity to contribute their own ideas or similar things that have been inflicted on them by malicious Game Masters in their own games so I might share the joy with others in the final draft of my chapter for Game Masters Oh, yeah, and suggestions for categories would also be appreciated.

[garhkal]

Your loss of arm and blindness imo is more of a maim than an complication.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[cunning_kindred]

I use the term complication to refer to any secondary effect that can result from an injury. They can be very severe. They should be something that hinders healing. So I suppose in the case of conventional injuries I'm using the term in the sense of 'medical complication'. i.e. it can kill you.

[Ankhanu]

[cunning_kindred]

[Ankhanu]

Personally, I've been comfortable enough sticking with the traditional concept of complication (WD 1 followed by 6) and haven't really felt the need to make combat more difficult than it already is.

My players don't walk simply through combat, and more often than not, the come out the other side with something to think about... if they come out the other side at all. Adding in extra punishment hasn't seemed necessary to convey the idea that combat's dangerous.

As for maim results, people have lost arms, legs, gone blind, lost toes or fingers... each causing their own difficulties; -1D or more for certain actions, loss of movement/Dexterity, whatever fits the injury.

For Dark Siders, well, my players have only managed to encounter one or two in the past 15 or so years, and most of their corruptions have been more flavour text than mechanical (not everything needs a die based mechanic); most of the dark siders have managed to stay pretty well hidden orchestrating from the shadows.

Generally when I have to use a complication like you describe, it's tailored to the situation. I'm not one for tables, generally.
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[Rerun941]

[cunning_kindred]

[cunning_kindred]

[garhkal]

[Luwingo_Spince]

hey cunning_kindred,

We are working on something similar to this on Star Wars Universe Sourcebook thread in the tools section.

We are compiling a injury chart for gamemasters to use when players get injured. Be sure to check it out and give us some feedback or join us if you like what you see.

It is a massive project and anybody who wants to be involved, we would love to have you.

[TheDoctor]

Some Blaster Complications:
----------------------------------
*Power pack out of ammo "Click! Click!"
*Forgot to take safety off
*Short circuit- Blaster won't work until repaired (Difficulty determined by GM)
*Overload- Blaster becomes hot to the touch, starts overloading and will explode (like a grenade) in 2D seconds (recommend a secret roll by the GM)
*Colatteral damage- fellow PC or innocent bystander hit instead
*Miss and ricochet- blaster bolt bounces back towards firer or firer's companions
*The possibilities are limitless....
_________________
"We attack under cover of daylight. Yes it's the last thing they'll be expecting, a daylight charge over the minefield." - Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC SSC

[Luwingo_Spince]

Just seeing if any progress was being made on the complication chart.

[garhkal]

Some brawl/melee complications..

*****************
As you swing your hand/foot, you push yourself out of balance and tumble over
AS you spin for your kick, you strain yourself
As you kick high, you hear a 'RIPPPPP' from down below (had happen twice)
As you go to block his blow, your arm actually bounces back from the force of the blow giving you a bloody nose
as you swing your sword it flops out of your hand
as you swing your stun baton, the switch for turing it on clicks off.
_________________
Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[cunning_kindred]