Re: [BNW] House rules package changes

["D. Jon Mattson" <dmattson@kermode.net>]

> The reasoning being that with armor plus size bonus the
> Goliath could take far more punishment than the package
> designed for that purpose namely the Tough.
> What do people think of this and what other house rules have people come
up
> with to adapt packages?
>

We were kind of wondering about that, too.  Let's look at some examples.  A
Goliath usually has a 5d6+5 Strength, which means that he has 10 wounds in
each location.  He has armor of 10/- and 7 Size, dividing any damage that he
takes.  Now, let's look at the Tough.  He typically has 4d6 Strength, but
for the sake of argument, let's pretend that it's 5d6 (5 wounds in each
location) -- the same base as the Goliath's.  His armor is 20/- and his Size
is 5.  And, as you pointed out, his whole purpose is to survive heavy
damage.  So, some specific examples:

a) They both get hit by a little attack, say 5-10 points.  Both ignore it.

b) They both get hit by a medium attack, say 11-20 points.  The Tough
ignores it.  The Goliath ignores it as long as it is 16 points or less (10
for armor + 6, since only 7 or more points of damage will cause an actual
wound).  Even if he takes a wound, it will only be one -- about 10% of his
total in one location -- so, he's not too worried.

c) They both get hit by a large attack, say 21-30 points.  The Tough takes
between 0 and 2 wounds (0 at 21-24, 1 at 25-29, 2 at 30) or 0-50% of his
total in one location.  The Goliath takes between 1 and 2 wounds (1 at
21-23, 2 at 24-30) or 10%-20% of his total in one location.

d) They both get hit by a really nasty attack, say 40 points or more.  The
Tough is crippled, or nearly so, taking at least 4 points (80%) to one
location (5 points -- 100% -- at 45 damage really does cripple him).  The
Goliath is still chugging along, losing only 4 wounds, as well (40%).  He
would have to be hit for at least 80 damage to be crippled (80 - 10 = 70/7 =
10 wounds).

e) Obviously, things just get worse from there for the Tough.  He's pushing
up daisies long before the Goliath even gets crippled.

Clearly, there is a balance problem here, but I'm not sure about the best
way to fix it -- which is probably why I haven't touched it, yet.  Of
course, the Goliath has a bunch of negative quirks that the Tough doesn't
have to worry about.  His Strength bonus is pretty cool, even aside from the
damage it helps him absorb, but, on the other hand, the Tough has Fast
Healer.  Putting all of this together, I would say that the Goliath is a bit
better than the Tough, but, perhaps, not as bad as it initially looks.  The
real problem is more one of "flavor", i.e. that the package whose real
specialty is damage absorption gets beat out in that department by someone
else.  That kinds of begs the question, though: do you fix the Goliath or
the Tough?  If the former, I'd say knock the armor down to 5/-.  It's still
not perfect, but it's a better balance.  The Goliath already absorbs tons of
damage with his Size and Strength, anyway.  If the latter... well, how do
you make the Tough... er... tougher, without going overboard?  That I'm not
sure about.  The best way might be to tinker with his Tricks to make sure
that they give him an edge in this department.

Guess I haven't really solved anything here, have I?  Oh well, at least the
examples put the problem into perspective...  :)

Cwylric