The Campaign Builder's Guild

Quote from: sparkletwist
I'll playtest too.

It'll be like the normal group. :grin:
(Maybe I could even try making a Sorcha in the new system!)

Sorcha is shaping up to be Cad Goleór's first "Iconic." :D
In other new, I appear to have lost the post I was preparing on Combat and Stress, as my internet completely froze up a little while ago.  So that's a pisser!  :explode:

Stress and Combat
"The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad, For all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad."--G.K. Chesterton

Let's face it: combat is a huge part of adventure RPGs.  It's expected, and it's one of the things we look forward to when playing such games.  Having our characters pick up a blade and lay into their enemies is just plain fun!  Perhaps we all have those violent fantasies, and the legends and history of the Celts certainly does carry an undertone of madness and love of fighting.  But whether your character loves it or not, they will eventually see combat.

Before we begin, it is important to know that in Geas RPG, there are three different forms of "Combat" each involving different skills and Stress gauges.  

Physical combat, the kind we most often think of, is governed primarily by three skills: Melee, Ranged, and Reflex.  A handful of other skills may occasionally see combat application, but these three cover the large majority of combat actions.  Physical combat makes use of the Health (HP) gauge, and damage is cured by the Heal skill.

Mental combat, a test of wills and other mental forms of competition, covers a broad range of skills, from Charm, Deceit, and Intimidation to Willpower and Insight.  Mental combat makes use of the Psyche (PP) Gauge, and damage is cured by Inspire.

Social Combat, contests of rank and social heirarchy operates on some of the same skills as Mental Combat, but follows a different stress gauge called Enech (EP).  Enech needs to be discussed on its own, as it functions just a little differently, but damage can often be healed by Performance or Inspire.

Initiative: Often the first thing to happen in combat is attempting to "get the drop" on your enemy.  At the beginning of Round 1 of combat, all players and the GM roll 1d20+Reflex for initiative.  As would be expected, the highest results go first.

Attack and Defense

The bread and butter of combat is attacking and defending.  In close-quarters, the Melee skill handles both.  Combat at a distance pits the Ranged skill against Reflex.

Attacking: Unless special circumstances dictate otherwise, you can only attack on your turn.  Roll 1d20+Melee (or Ranged)+Misc. and compare your result to your target's defense score.  Tie goes to the PCs, so if your attack roll meets or exceeds your target's roll, your attack is successful and inflicts stress.  Your attack roll can be modified by conditions, class abilities, or magic.

Defending: Unlike attacking, defending is an instant action, meaning you get to do it on your enemy's turn as soon as they start their attack.  Roll 1d20+Melee (or Reflex)+Misc to determine your overall defense against that attack.  If your roll equals or beats your opponent's attack, you have successfully fended off their attack, and take no stress.  Defense rolls can be modified by shields, conditions, magic, or class abilities.
[ooc]Optional rule #1: Each character in combat only rolls defense once per round, and attacks from multiple opponents all use that value as the DC.  This is to speed play.
Optional rule #2: NPCs can instead be given a set defense set at the average of their defense skill roll results.  This speeds play even further by removing the need for NPCs to ever spend time rolling for defense.  It keeps the attention on the PCs.[/ooc]

Stress
[note][/note]Stress refers to any kind of wear on a person, whether it is physical damage to their body, or the mental and emotional strain of arguing with a close friend.  A person can only take so much stress before they collapse.  Each character has a base stress threshold of 6, or the max on one Hit Die in each Stress Gauge.  A character can take additional stress equal to their fortitude in encounters where stress is physical (combat, wilderness survival, etc.) or their Willpower when stress is mental or emotional (political debate, personal argument, or resisting a seduction attempt).  Social health and stress function somewhat differently, so we will talk about that on its own.  When a character uses up all of their stress, they become incapacitated for the rest of the scene, and as long afterwards as is appropriate.

Being incapacitated is not the same as being killed, even in combat situations, unless it is that kind of game, or such a moment in the "plot" of the adventure.   It can be as simple as becoming winded, or can indicate being knocked unconscious, or suffering any other injury that would take you out of the fight.  Perhaps you have been stabbed, and have to put pressure on the wound to avoid bleeding out.  Enemies are generally assumed to ignore these characters, as they are not currently a threat.  However, if the GM wants a villain to threaten the death of an incapacitated PC, or for that matter if the PCs want to threaten someone a villain cares about, that can be done too.

Health (HP)
Also called "Hit Points" the Health gauge represents all forms of physical strain, not only bodily injury.  Health also tracks Stress from diseases, fatigue, or exposure to elements.  Health is governed by the Fortitude skill.  Each level of Fortitude grants the character 1d6 Health, on top of the standard 6 that all PCs receive, regardless of whether they possess the skill or not.  Short of incapacitation, HP lost during combat typically goes away once the encounter is over.  The results of incapacitation usually carries over into later encounters, and can sometimes result in penalties until PC recovers completely.

Wits (WP)
[ooc]I am playing with a few different terms for this.  The above "Wits" is one of them, but I am also working with "Mentality," "Equilibrium," "Psyche," and "Will."  I am taking suggestions on these options, or other alternatives.[/ooc]
Also to be referred to as "Wit Points" or "Will points," these represent your mental and emotional health, your will, and your sense of self.  This is governed by the Willpower skill, which gives d6es in WP in the same way levels of Fortitude grant HP.  Wits models how well you handle mental strain, whether from attempting to uncover information (Knowledge), resisting temptation (Willpower vs. Charm), or trying to spot lies (Insight vs. Deceit).  Like with Health, stress to this gauge usually evaporates after the encounter is over.  Incapacitation via mental stress can mean one of the following: You have given in to the urging of another, you have had a nervous breakdown and are curled up in the fetal position, you are now having a psychotic episode and are mindlessly destroying things until you can come to your senses, or something you and the GM find appropriate.

Enech (EP)
A form of honor, Enech functions a little differently than Health and Wits.  While it functions similarly as a measure of social "health" Enech is not improved by one particular skill.  Enech Points are gained and lost through deeds and actions.  You can use the Intimidate skill to insult someone, thereby damaging their Enech, but if they perform a feat of valor, that damage can be restored.  All increases and decreases in Enech are considered permanent.  A successful use of the Perform skill (inspired by a feat performed by the subject) can increase Enech, however, only one attempt is allowed per feat.  Note that the feat itself (if there were witnesses to it) can improve Enech.  Performance serves to increase it by spreading the hero's reputation.  Some characters will care more than others about maintaining their Enech, however, losing Enech should not be taken lightly: Incapacitation in this Stress gauge means you have lost all social standing whatsoever, and have no legal rights.   Any of your enemies would be perfectly within the law to kill you, and you would have no legal claim to property, or even yourself is someone should desire you as a slave.

The biggest problem with Enech (or any sort of "social HP" really) is that, unlike physical or mental HP, which are more or less inherent, something like Enech is highly context-sensitive. If you get hurt or psychologically harmed or whatever, and go to another town, you'll still have those injuries. On the other hand, social status is generally not so transferable: people won't instantly know of your triumphs or your disgraces, so to have your "social health" as a number that follows you around seems kind of counterintuitive.

I am not a fan at all of rolled HP. In particular, it wasn't something I had in mind for Q&D at all. Of course, this isn't really Q&D any more, so your mileage may vary with "things that worked for Q&D," but I'll just throw that out there.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure how you're going to handle damage, but one of the big things I've learned through playing Q&D (that I intend to revise in Q&D2 in some way or other) is that pure rolled damage isn't "interesting." Characters should get bonus damage from their stats/skills (like D&D) or overflow success (like WoD, FATE, etc.) or maybe even both (like Asura) because otherwise it feels too randomly swingy and kind of takes the fun out of combat.

Quote from: sparkletwistThe biggest problem with Enech (or any sort of "social HP" really) is that, unlike physical or mental HP, which are more or less inherent, something like Enech is highly context-sensitive. If you get hurt or psychologically harmed or whatever, and go to another town, you'll still have those injuries. On the other hand, social status is generally not so transferable: people won't instantly know of your triumphs or your disgraces, so to have your "social health" as a number that follows you around seems kind of counterintuitive.

I think there are three ways around this problem:

1) Make it so that Enech is only gained or lost through truly impressive/dishonourable deeds and actions - deeds of valour or wickedness that are so significant they will follow someone around, because they generate rumours and stories.  Like, for example, in A Song of Ice and Fire Jaime Lannister would have low Enech due to the Kingslaying (everyone knows of this deed - so much so that he is known as the Kingslayer) while Barristan Selmy, as one of the greatest knights the Seven Kingdoms have ever seen, would have high Enech (mention the name "Barristan Selmy" and everyone knows you're talking about one of the most chivalrous men the realm has ever seen).  Here, Enech represents not only the greatness/awfulness of your deeds, but also how well you are known.  Just doing a nice thing for someone or screwing someone over wouldn't necessarily improve or drain Enech... but slaying a powerful monster (with witnesses) or burning a village to the ground would.

2) Make it so that the consequences of having high or low Enech only apply in context-appropriate circumstances - like when your legal standing is important.  In this sense people really did have "social health" of a certain kind.  There are lots of examples of this throughout history - excommunicates during the middle ages, for example, were shunned, banished, and shamed.  In circumstances where the character is able to conceal their identity, their Enech simply isn't relevant because it's effectively being obfsucated.  This could lead to some very interesting roleplaying situations (disguises, aliases, etc).

3) Incorporate visual markers of Enech i.e. brands, tatoos, trophies, badges, etc.  I'm not sure whether this solution fits well with the historical feel of the setting.

And of course some/all of these could be combined...

Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Optional rule #1: Each character in combat only rolls defense once per round, and attacks from multiple opponents all use that value as the DC.  This is to speed play.

While that makes no difference at all to a character who is the target of an attack at most once in a round, it makes enormous difference when a character is attacked several times during a round. A single exceptional roll could leave the character practically defenseless against all the attacks coming his way, or make him nearly invincible for the round. This would certainly make misc modifiers to defense rolls worth a lot more than modifiers to attack rolls.

Quote from: Seraphine_Harmonium
Each level of Fortitude grants the character 1d6 Health, on top of the standard 6 that all PCs receive

When are these HP dice rolled? At character creation/when increasing the skill? Or every time when combat begins? Why should HP be randomized at all, instead of eg. making it a flat +3/Fortitude bonus?

The same goes for the WP (which I'd prefer naming "Will Points" over "Wit Points")

One easy way to solve the roll vs. flat bonus issue is to just present two options (i.e. you can roll 1d6 or just pick +3).

Yay comments!  Ok, let's see...

Quote from: sparkletwist
The biggest problem with Enech (or any sort of "social HP" really) is that, unlike physical or mental HP, which are more or less inherent, something like Enech is highly context-sensitive. If you get hurt or psychologically harmed or whatever, and go to another town, you'll still have those injuries. On the other hand, social status is generally not so transferable: people won't instantly know of your triumphs or your disgraces, so to have your "social health" as a number that follows you around seems kind of counterintuitive.

Ok.  I get this.  I think you mentioned this the last time I brought up the idea of social HP, and it's totally a valid concern.  However, the world this system is designed for places such a high value on honor and reputation--and indeed, in a metaphysical sense often links these traits with general health--that "Social Hit Points" really AREN'T counter-intuitive, at least not in principle.

I think the way Steerpike talked about it is totally appropriate.  It applies pretty much just to actions that follow you around, creating rumors and wide-spread reputation, and the benefits or penalties only apply when contextually appropriate.  I may also provide a scale showing how well known you are outside your own area based on your Enech.

Quote from: Steerpike3) Incorporate visual markers of Enech i.e. brands, tatoos, trophies, badges, etc.  I'm not sure whether this solution fits well with the historical feel of the setting.

Interesting idea.  I mean, there is some precedence for this: the torc (neck ring) was a symbol of authority, and therefore might be something that can only be worn by someone with a high enough Enech to warrant it.  Thereby, having one would be a visible marker wherever you go, of your honor and "Social Health," allowing it to transfer over. 

Not going off of a real practice here, but there could be something in the idea of branding as well.  I am thinking of the face that "Enech" comes from an Old Gaelic word meaning "face."  What if those who lost their enech (and this would have to be ALL of it) were branded on the face.  It would be a very visceral "defacing" of the dishonorable, and a permanent mark of shame.

Quote from: sparkletwistI am not a fan at all of rolled HP. In particular, it wasn't something I had in mind for Q&D at all. Of course, this isn't really Q&D any more, so your mileage may vary with "things that worked for Q&D," but I'll just throw that out there.

Speaking of which, I'm not sure how you're going to handle damage, but one of the big things I've learned through playing Q&D (that I intend to revise in Q&D2 in some way or other) is that pure rolled damage isn't "interesting." Characters should get bonus damage from their stats/skills (like D&D) or overflow success (like WoD, FATE, etc.) or maybe even both (like Asura) because otherwise it feels too randomly swingy and kind of takes the fun out of combat.

Quote from: GhostmanWhen are these HP dice rolled? At character creation/when increasing the skill? Or every time when combat begins? Why should HP be randomized at all, instead of eg. making it a flat +3/Fortitude bonus?

The same goes for the WP (which I'd prefer naming "Will Points" over "Wit Points")

Quote from: SteerpikeOne easy way to solve the roll vs. flat bonus issue is to just present two options (i.e. you can roll 1d6 or just pick +3).

Randomized HP is not something that is crucial to my conception of the system, so I am willing to entertain flat HP advancement.  I am totally willing to go with Steerpike's suggestion of the choice between rolling and taking a flat +3, at least for the time being.  That said, to answer Ghostman's question, I had intended for the rolls for HP (and WP) gained to take place when the skill was taken/increased.  That had been included in my first draft of the post (which I lost when my internet crapped out) and I forgot to include it this time around.

Now, speaking of damage: this is another thing I forgot to include, and will soon go back and fix.  I do not plan to have a separate set of "Stats" as in D&D.  What I WAS planning to have, however, is a set of traits, so that someone can choose "Strong" if their character is particularly strong, and that trait would provide a bonus of 1 or 2 on damage rolls (and other relevant situations).  I appreciate the simplicity of the Q&D model of damage determined by importance of character, or basic weapon size.  I want something in between the latter, and the D&D model, where every weapon's damage die is charted individually.  I really like all my crazy dice.  I love rolling d4s, d10s, and d8s.  So I want weapons to deal a range of damages. 

I like the idea that Enech tracks overall social influence of a sort.  Perhaps it might best be considered as a combination of social status and your reputation in the world.  Perhaps EP can be positive or negative and serve directly as a modifier to social rolls?  So a person of average social status with a moderate reputation might have EP +1 or +2, which serves as a bonus when he wants to assert some of that social influence, but if he's a known coward, he might have EP -3, which serves as a penalty to his social skill rolls because people don't like him from the get-go.

The only issues I see GMs having to adjudicate with EP are situations where a PC's Enech might not be known (somewhere no one has heard of Arngrim Faebane might just see a big dude instead of the guy who cuts down unseelie for giggles) or similarly, when someone's social clout is not readily visible (a ruler could just take off his torque and go unnoticed).  Depending on how fluff works, the latter is a voluntary and temporary downgrading of one's Enech (removing the symbols of his station), but I'm not sure how to handle the former outside of just winging it.

Now, at the risk of MOAR STATS to track, you could break Enech into Social Standing and Reputation, which could simply apply or not apply based on the situation.  You could also have social traits (Band of Brothers, You Can Crash Here Anytime, I Owe You One, etc.) that tie into Enech but are too specific for a general rating like EP.

Will there be rules for...

1) Fighting with two weapons?
2) Two-handed weapons?
3) Sneak attacks/Surprise?
4) Called shots?
5) Wounds or injuries/maiming (beyond just losing HP)?
6) Maneuvers like disarming, sundering, tripping, etc?
7) Reach weapons?
8) Mounted combat?
9) Morale/fear?
10) Critical hits?
11) Fatigue?
12) Mass combat?

Quote from: Steerpike
Will there be rules for...

1) Fighting with two weapons?
2) Two-handed weapons?
3) Sneak attacks/Surprise?
4) Called shots?
5) Wounds or injuries/maiming (beyond just losing HP)?
6) Maneuvers like disarming, sundering, tripping, etc?
7) Reach weapons?
8) Mounted combat?
9) Morale/fear?
10) Critical hits?
11) Fatigue?
12) Mass combat?

Some yes, some no, some will be abstacted, but I guess you leave me no choice but to go down the list. 
1.  Maybe.  I hate how complicated it got in D&D to fight with 2 weapons, and tracking ambidexterity, two weapon fighting, weapon size, and so forth.  I like the idea of having the option, but given the choice between complicated rules and no rules, I'd go with no rules.  I guess 2 attacks in exchange for lack of a shield might work, though it feels overpowered.
2. Yes, I will work something out.  It will probably give a slight bonus to damage.
3. I do plan on having a "rogue" class, so yes, there will be sneak attacks in some form.
4. There will PROBABLY be called shots of some kind, taken at a penalty or at a higher DC.
5.  At current, injuries and maiming are looking like they will be optional, and would be incurred as possible consequences of being dropped to 0 HP.   Or, alternatively, as possible results of a critical hit.
6.  Yes, I think there will be maneuvers, and they will probably function pretty much like Q&D.
7.  Not sure.  None of the rules so far involve a grid, or anything that gets specific enough about distance for "reach" rules to become relevant.  If I recall, ORE has reach weapons provide a bonus to initiative, since you can attack them before they attack you.  I don't especially love that way of modeling reach, but it would fit in a bit better than the way D&D does it.
8.  To some extent, but they probably won't be very intricate.  The Animals skill would cover riding, keeping your horse under control, and things like that.  Not sure how detailed this will get though.
9. Well, I do know that you would use the Willpower skill to defend against fear, and Inspire can provide what could be called a "morale bonus" so in some form yes.  And there will probably be magic that causes panic. 
10.  Absolutely!  Critical hits are just the combat application of "Epic Success."  (No messing around with "critical threats") They typically double the damage dealt (though I may include consequence injuries and maiming as possibilities)
11.  As mentioned briefly under health, fatigue is one form of physical stress, and is represented by a simple loss of HP. 
12.  Mass combat will probably just be abstracted.  Like a general roll for one group vs. another.  If the PCs were involved, the "mass combat" might just be in the background, while a smaller more personal immediate combat allowed them to fight normally.

Quote from: Humabout
I like the idea that Enech tracks overall social influence of a sort.  Perhaps it might best be considered as a combination of social status and your reputation in the world. Perhaps EP can be positive or negative and serve directly as a modifier to social rolls?  So a person of average social status with a moderate reputation might have EP +1 or +2, which serves as a bonus when he wants to assert some of that social influence, but if he's a known coward, he might have EP -3, which serves as a penalty to his social skill rolls because people don't like him from the get-go.

Emphasis mine.  This is basically what was planned for it already.  Now, the idea of negative enech is interesting.  I mean, I definitely want there to be a clear "No Enech" point, as that is what the Fuidir are (people who are enslaved for breaking the social codes to the point where they have no honor left).  Though I do like the idea of a mirror-imaged "infamy" that could serve as a form of "street cred" in the seedier underbelly of society.  Having highly negative Enech could therefore result in bonuses with certain very specific types of people you would never get attention from with normal "positive" enech, but would make you be avoided like the plague by polite society.  I'll play with the idea.

Quote from: Humaboutonly issues I see GMs having to adjudicate with EP are situations where a PC's Enech might not be known (somewhere no one has heard of Arngrim Faebane might just see a big dude instead of the guy who cuts down unseelie for giggles) or similarly, when someone's social clout is not readily visible (a ruler could just take off his torque and go unnoticed).  Depending on how fluff works, the latter is a voluntary and temporary downgrading of one's Enech (removing the symbols of his station), but I'm not sure how to handle the former outside of just winging it.

Now, at the risk of MOAR STATS to track, you could break Enech into Social Standing and Reputation, which could simply apply or not apply based on the situation.  You could also have social traits (Band of Brothers, You Can Crash Here Anytime, I Owe You One, etc.) that tie into Enech but are too specific for a general rating like EP.

No, I don't want to split it up Enech into more things that mean less.  I like the trio.  Now, some application of the traits you mention though, might be possible. Traits are definitely something I had in mind.  I just have to figure out where to draw the line between Traits and Class features (which i currently plan will also be "pick-and-choose").

I might also give characters ways of conveying their Enech when it is not known.  If there is a bard in the party an appropriate perform skill to relay the deeds would be sufficient, I think, though there may be other ways if no such bard is present.  Having a local there who knows you introduce and vouch for you would also work, if that local was of sufficient Enech of their own. 

Quote from: Humabout
The only issues I see GMs having to adjudicate with EP are situations where a PC's Enech might not be known (somewhere no one has heard of Arngrim Faebane might just see a big dude instead of the guy who cuts down unseelie for giggles) or similarly, when someone's social clout is not readily visible (a ruler could just take off his torque and go unnoticed).  Depending on how fluff works, the latter is a voluntary and temporary downgrading of one's Enech (removing the symbols of his station), but I'm not sure how to handle the former outside of just winging it.

Now, at the risk of MOAR STATS to track, you could break Enech into Social Standing and Reputation, which could simply apply or not apply based on the situation.  You could also have social traits (Band of Brothers, You Can Crash Here Anytime, I Owe You One, etc.) that tie into Enech but are too specific for a general rating like EP.

There could be a mechanic for recognizing someone by name/reputation. Such a rolling a Knowledge check, with the DC based on how "foreign" the character you're trying to recognize is. Someone from the same village as you might require no check, while someone from a little-known location on the opposite end of the landmass could be quite obscure.

Quote from: Ghostman

Quote from: Humabout
The only issues I see GMs having to adjudicate with EP are situations where a PC's Enech might not be known (somewhere no one has heard of Arngrim Faebane might just see a big dude instead of the guy who cuts down unseelie for giggles) or similarly, when someone's social clout is not readily visible (a ruler could just take off his torque and go unnoticed).  Depending on how fluff works, the latter is a voluntary and temporary downgrading of one's Enech (removing the symbols of his station), but I'm not sure how to handle the former outside of just winging it.

Now, at the risk of MOAR STATS to track, you could break Enech into Social Standing and Reputation, which could simply apply or not apply based on the situation.  You could also have social traits (Band of Brothers, You Can Crash Here Anytime, I Owe You One, etc.) that tie into Enech but are too specific for a general rating like EP.

There could be a mechanic for recognizing someone by name/reputation. Such a rolling a Knowledge check, with the DC based on how "foreign" the character you're trying to recognize is. Someone from the same village as you might require no check, while someone from a little-known location on the opposite end of the landmass could be quite obscure.

That's true!  Actually that's pretty good.  I love it in principle, though it sounds like something that would want mathematical calculation.  Enech itself seems like it should be a factor, as should distance/foreignness....  Well, I'll have to work on it so it's not complicated to determine, but thanks Ghost!  Take a review badge!

And Humabout, let's be honest, you earned a review badge for Cad Goleor a long time ago.  You deserve one too!

Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumHowever, the world this system is designed for places such a high value on honor and reputation--and indeed, in a metaphysical sense often links these traits with general health--that "Social Hit Points" really AREN'T counter-intuitive, at least not in principle.

I understand that, but the thing about honor and reputation is that they require context. People have to know something about you and know something about the context to know anything about your reputation, and that reputation is context-sensitive.

For example, if Village A really hates Village B, and you've led a successful attack against Village B, then you're probably a hero in Village A, a hated foe in Village B, and in Village C that is unconnected to the conflict, they might not even know or care who you are. How does that translate into a numerical Enech?

I also think that this broader "reputation" is more of a persistent stat than something like HP-- like where you get into a fight, you lose HP, and you recover and they get better. Like, it seems like we're talking more about a maximum level of Enech rather than something that gets temporarily reduced when you get into a social conflict or whatnot. (Which may be one way of handling it, then it'd work like FATE's stress boxes where it gets reset at the beginning of every conflict)

Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumI am totally willing to go with Steerpike's suggestion of the choice between rolling and taking a flat +3, at least for the time being.

That's essentially just saying some people always roll a 3. It doesn't actually solve any of the issues with rolled HP.

Quote from: Seraphine_HarmoniumI love it in principle, though it sounds like something that would want mathematical calculation.  Enech itself seems like it should be a factor, as should distance/foreignness....

If you use Enech as a bonus/penalty itself, you can simply add it to the Knowledge roll - the more influencial you are, the more widespread knowledge of you would be.  A simple table should suffice for "foreignness":
+5......Someone you know (why are you rolling this???)
+2......A casual acquaintance.
+0......Someone from your town who doesn't frequent the same social circles as you
-2......Someone from the next town over/from the local region
-5......Someone from a distant city within your country
-10.....Someone from a neighboring country
-15.....Someone from a distant country
-20.....From the other side of the known world.

Warning: I've not done d20 in a while; penalties may not be fitting, but the idea is there.

Quote from: sparkletwistFor example, if Village A really hates Village B, and you've led a successful attack against Village B, then you're probably a hero in Village A, a hated foe in Village B, and in Village C that is unconnected to the conflict, they might not even know or care who you are. How does that translate into a numerical Enech?

In theory (if not always in practice), a code of honour can exist independently of political/personal motivations - in fact, there's often a conflict between "doing what's honourable" and doing what's advantageous for your family/liege-lord/monarch.  Village A and Village B may be fighting, but Village B may recognize that Village A's heroes are perfectly honourable combatants.  They're still enemies, but enemies with a respect for one another.  This might have all sorts of consequences - if your enemies consider you honourable, for example (because your deeds are measured against a sort of "objective" code of honour), they might be more inclined to treat you well if they capture you, or be more willing to conduct diplomacy with you, or believe your word even though you're enemies.  If they know you're an honourless dog with no legal rights they're more likely to just cut your throat.

For example, if you lead a very successful attack on Village B for Village A but are careful to avoid killing children or descrating their sacred grove, Village B might consider you a foe, but an honourable one, whereas if you burnt down their grove and left the heads of their children piled outisde the village gates they might see you as both a foe and as dishonourable.

Quote from: sparkletwistThat's essentially just saying some people always roll a 3. It doesn't actually solve any of the issues with rolled HP.

I don't understand your point.  By giving two options, you're setting a standard, fixed amount, but giving players a chance to gamble, and be rewarded or punished for their choice to leave things to the hands of fate.  What's the issue exactly?  That some combatants are going to have more hp than others, and thus luck becomes a factor in combat?  Some people like that.  Those that don't could just choose the fixed amount.