The line between K.O.'ed and dead.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

The NPC villain was going to stuff my buddy in a wood chipper! So i snuck up behind him (01. Ain't NO ONE sneakier baby) and punched him in the back of the head. Sneak attack = critical = 2x dmg. Villain drops my buddy, turns to me, initiative is rolled. My buddy wins, i come 2nd, villain 3rd. 3 attacks from behind, 1 missed 2 hit for 2x dmg (he turned his back to my buddy to face me). My turn, punch and the NPC collapses to the ground.

I ask is he unconscious or dead?
Gm says,"you beat him to -1 hp. What do you think?)

My question; how do you know when to stop swinging so as not to kill your opponents?

[The Beast]

The GM has to make an arbitrary point at which he determines the point at which that occurs. For me, it was when all SDC was gone, and the person started taking HP damage. (This point was also where I determined if the NPC would surrender, attempt to flee, or try to continue fighting.)

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

But he took 3 critical hits in a row and a regular hit that did max dmg. Didn't have the chance.

[Killer Cyborg]

You're not dead until you reach (-PE) in HP.

[The Beast]

But he took 3 critical hits in a row and a regular hit that did max dmg. Didn't have the chance.

Well, sometimes that's life... or not, as in this case.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

You're not dead until you reach (-PE) in HP.

Right. You're in a coma on your way to dead in PE hours without medical attention. IIRC.

We dropped his pants and left him (the NPC) sitting in a porta-john to be found like The King. Dead on the toilet for you youngsters.

So for all intents and purposes..he was dead cyborg.

[Nekira Sudacne]

Do the smart thing. Chop off the head of every body and burn them seperately.

[Goliath Strongarm]

Do the smart thing. Chop off the head of every body and burn them seperately.

Someone's having a bit of a vampire phobia.. sheesh...

Come on, you'd know if he was a vamp.. was he sparkling in the sunlight? *ducks* (for the record, I wouldn't fear sparkly vamps.. I'd make fun of them!)

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

The only thing that was sparkly was his magicians outfit. And the glint of cerebral fluid in the moonlight.

[Killer Cyborg]

You're not dead until you reach (-PE) in HP.

Right. You're in a coma on your way to dead in PE hours without medical attention. IIRC.

That depends.
Looking over RUE, if the wounded person has been stabbed or something and is bleeding out, they're losing 1 HP per minute.
In this case, though, wasn't the guy punched?
That'd mean that there's no ongoing blood loss, and he'll just sit there in a coma for a while.

As you said, you have PE hours until you die.
BUT you get to save vs. coma once per hour.
Two successful saves out of three, and you're out of the coma.

[Nekira Sudacne]

You're not dead until you reach (-PE) in HP.

Right. You're in a coma on your way to dead in PE hours without medical attention. IIRC.

That depends.
Looking over RUE, if the wounded person has been stabbed or something and is bleeding out, they're losing 1 HP per minute.
In this case, though, wasn't the guy punched?
That'd mean that there's no ongoing blood loss, and he'll just sit there in a coma for a while.

Umm, actually, people beaten severely with fists routinely suffer internal bleeding if it gets that bad, and if their HP was beaten to 0, Clearly they were beaten that bad. and yes, this internal bleeding has often been the cause of death in cases of heavy beatings.

Not to mention you can be punched so hard the skin breaks externally (you've seen boxers bleed, right?)

[Killer Cyborg]

You're not dead until you reach (-PE) in HP.

Right. You're in a coma on your way to dead in PE hours without medical attention. IIRC.

That depends.
Looking over RUE, if the wounded person has been stabbed or something and is bleeding out, they're losing 1 HP per minute.
In this case, though, wasn't the guy punched?
That'd mean that there's no ongoing blood loss, and he'll just sit there in a coma for a while.

Umm, actually, people beaten severely with fists routinely suffer internal bleeding if it gets that bad, and if their HP was beaten to 0, Clearly they were beaten that bad. and yes, this internal bleeding has often been the cause of death in cases of heavy beatings.

Not to mention you can be punched so hard the skin breaks externally (you've seen boxers bleed, right?)

Yes, but the rules specify cutting attacks as the factor.
And I can kind if see why, because cuts always cause bleeding, but blunt trauma only sometimes does.

[Nekira Sudacne]

I think it's fair to say that if you've been dropped to 0 HP, your bleeding from somewhere.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

You're not dead until you reach (-PE) in HP.

Right. You're in a coma on your way to dead in PE hours without medical attention. IIRC.

That depends.
Looking over RUE, if the wounded person has been stabbed or something and is bleeding out, they're losing 1 HP per minute.
In this case, though, wasn't the guy punched?
That'd mean that there's no ongoing blood loss, and he'll just sit there in a coma for a while.

As you said, you have PE hours until you die.
BUT you get to save vs. coma once per hour.
Two successful saves out of three, and you're out of the coma.

Playing TMNT&OS. But I think the rules are probably the same. My first hit was for 22pts right to the back of the skull. I don't know how hard a mutant tiger has to punch a diabolical stage magician to crack his head open...but no he didn't get stabbed.

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

I think it's fair to say that if you've been dropped to 0 HP, your bleeding from somewhere.

I think there would have been blood coming out his ears..and possibly his rectum. The buddy I saved from the wood chipper is only 3'3". Those critical hits he landed targeted the sciatic nerve and the ol' brown eye.

[KillWatch]

I think the standard is -PE HP
but I have some thoughts... stop reading now

1) With critical strike to the head why didn't he take at least x3 if not x4 damage? Headshot+Critical.
2) If I was the GM I would have ruled that the villain was KOed right there
3) My game: DC=Str per level, HP=End per level, then I have Spirit (Spirit) which governs Will to Live (WtL). Any serious strike can kill a character with enough bad luck. My general rule is that if it does more damage in a single hit than the character's Endurance, the character has to make a endurance check to not be stunned. if they are stunned they have to roll again or be koed. if koed they have to roll vs come. If comatose they have to roll for death. But the chance of failing all of these rolls is very slim and i have a Luck state jic. but it can happen.
If you are into HP, you are automatically stunned, and each hit on you forces a KO check. If out of HP and into WTL you are automatically KOed and each hit provokes a Coma and then Death check. At this point you are bleeding, either internally or externally and unless you get help you will die. general rule is 1 pt per minute per wound

[Killer Cyborg]

I just had an idea for a house rule:
When you have less HP than you have ME, you're essentially unable to fight anymore; you're not exactly KOed, but you're curled up in a ball, or trying to run away, or otherwise overwhelmed and defeated.

Edit: No, dammit... that won't work.
Let me think on this a bit, and try to get something better.

Edit:
Okay, how about...
When the number of HP you have lost is greater than your ME, and the number of HP you have left is lower than your ME, then you're unable to fight any more.

So a person with 10 HP and 10 ME will fight until they're at zero HP, then be unable to fight any more.
A person with 20 HP and 10 ME will fight until they've lost 11 HP, then be unable to fight any more.
A person with 10 HP and 20 ME will fight until they die.

That sound pretty solid?

[The Oh So Amazing Nate]

I just had an idea for a house rule:
When you have less HP than you have ME, you're essentially unable to fight anymore; you're not exactly KOed, but you're curled up in a ball, or trying to run away, or otherwise overwhelmed and defeated.

Edit: No, dammit... that won't work.
Let me think on this a bit, and try to get something better.

Edit:
Okay, how about...
When the number of HP you have lost is greater than your ME, and the number of HP you have left is lower than your ME, then you're unable to fight any more.

So a person with 10 HP and 10 ME will fight until they're at zero HP, then be unable to fight any more.
A person with 20 HP and 10 ME will fight until they've lost 11 HP, then be unable to fight any more.

A person with 10 HP and 20 ME will fight until they die.

That sound pretty solid?

I like the idea. It is a good concept. Still might need some tweaking to avoid a glut of essentially masochistic suicidal maniacs. Maybe only for crazies?

[Killer Cyborg]

A person with 10 HP and 20 ME will fight until they die.

That sound pretty solid?

I like the idea. It is a good concept. Still might need some tweaking to avoid a glut of essentially masochistic suicidal maniacs. Maybe only for crazies?

lol

That probably should have been "CAN fight until they die."
It's not mandatory, just a measure of how stubborn they can be, assuming that they want to.