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In an effort towards realism in game, it can be useful to attribute the loss of ability/mobility due to injury to pain itself and let individual GMs decide about arms, legs, etc. being damaged beyond use. So, if we simplify and use "pain" as the main obstacle towards continued optimal performance than we can finally have some use for all those save vs. pain bonuses people get from their M.E. (N&SS right?). So from here, if we desire (which I do...), we can generate some rules for the steady loss of mobility and such during combat due to injury. I have always found it very strange how people in the Palladium Megaverse can fight with all of their ability and skill when down to 4 S.D.C. and a what never seems to be enough HP. I don't know about other people's GMs but mine never made any adjustments, simply because there were no clear cut rules for doing so. So, after all of that long windedness, that is what I intend to do. As one takes more and more damage it becomes harder and harder to move, fight, concentrate, or do much of anything. Hopefully, these penalties will reflect that without screwing up game balance too much. % Damage Taken Pain Difference Move Modifier Skill Modifier 10% 3 -1 -0% / -15% 20% 5 -2 -5% / -25% 30% 7 -4 -15% / -35% 40% 9 -5 -25% / -45% 50% 11 -6 -35% / -55% 60% 13 -8 -45% / -65% 70% 15 -10 -55% / -75% 80% 17 -12 -65% / -85% 90% 20 -15 -75% / -90% Okay, so this is how I envision this working. First, when you make your character, take his total S.D.C. and mark down how much 10% of it is, how much 20% is, etc. Just follow the percentages on the chart. Secondly comes the mechanics of it all. So, at the beginning of each round(or sequence of actions...) you make a roll to save vs. pain. The difficulty of your roll is determined by how much damage you currently have. If you have save vs. pain bonuses(use ME bonus chart) you subtract the bonus from your difficulty to get your new, modified difficulty. You then roll an ordinary 20 sided die to see if you save. If you save then all is well and you continue fighting as normal. If you fail, then you are out of luck and receive the accompanying negatives. The Movement(Move for short...) Modifier is a negative given to things like combat maneuvers, maintaining balance, and SPD. Basically, almost any physically oriented thing that you roll a die for. Now the Skill Modifiers are negatives given to performing skills. The first percentage is a negative given to physical activities, such as swimming, climbing, etc. The second percentage is given to skills that require precision, concentration, and steadiness. Example: Joe the Terrorist hates capitalist pigs. He is holding a bank at gunpoint and setting his bomb on the vault so he can sock it to the man. Little does he know that Frank the off-duty Cop was busy cashing a pay check and is always ready to defend life, liberty, and the American Way. With their weapons drawn the two men enter combat... Both men, being fresh and uninjured, need not bother rolling vs. pain and immediately go at it. Frank rolls a 18 on initiative!! which beats out disgruntled Joe's 5. As he fires off a couple of shots, which he believes will plug one more for the good guys, Joe takes them with a smile. Frank was unaware of Joe's kevlar vest. With his vest having taken all the damage Joe is free to fire. Not being too stingy, Joe fires off a fairly large burst from his uzi at our poor unarmored hero Frank, which to Frank's regret, hits across his knee, legs, and chest. Having just lost 90% of his S.D.C., Frank falls to the ground and is not getting up to quickly. Assuming things are over with Frank, Joe takes Franks gun and turns back to his bomb and setting of the timer. Unnoticed by Joe, Frank stirs. He knows if he doesn't stop Joe that everyone will die. He wants to get up and sneak over to the large blunt looking fire extinguisher on the wall. Since he is beginning a sequence of actions, he rolls to save vs. pain. He is a pretty strong headed cop and has a +3 vs. pain. His difficulty is 17. HE ROLLS A 20!! He sneaks over to the extinguisher quietly and confidently and deftly takes it off of the mount without a sound. Now he wants to sneak up behind Joe. This is(GM's discretion...) a new sequence of actions so he rolls again. Difficulty is still 17. This time he is not so lucky. He rolled a 12. So, he can still try but he is at a -75%. Frank, being a veteran cop, has prowl at 80%. There is still a chance he could make it. He rolls to prowl ... A 3!!! The gods must be on his side, because he successfully sneaks up behind Joe. Now he wants to hit Joe in his uncovered head with the extinguisher. This is still the same sequence(or not GM discretion...) which means he is -15 to strike. He swings ... but rolls a 1. Looks like luck caught up to Frank. His knee(which he was shot in earlier...) buckles as he swings the extinguisher over his head and he falls to the floor as his knee folds the wrong way underneath him. Now taking notice, Joe ends Franks pain quickly with a shot to the head and in a terrible tragedy the Suicide Anarchist Bomber takes the lives of 25 people along with 35 million dollars in a fiery inferno. The End. NOTE: You can treat the psionic Deaden Pain, and any good pain killers, as negating the need to roll. Just make sure they aren't like mine. A lot of pain killers make it hard to walk a straight line, let alone flying hook kick someone.

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