If you’ve read anything from U20 before, you probably know I have some pretty specific ideas about the type of game I want to play in and run. Generally, I want something with a lot of drama, unique characters bursting with customization, and a strong dose of grit and realism (which is why I shy away from 4E, but let’s not have *that* conversation again).

Naturally, grit comes with a price. The more accurately a game models the very unglamorous truth of war—especially war as it was fought with swords—the clunkier the game can become. Rules stack upon rules, and eventually you end up with systems like Rolemaster, which I understand tickles some people somethin’ fierce, if you kennit.

I believe that adopting two simple house rules can offer your game a great deal of grit, capturing a portion of the chaos of blades, fangs, and unfettered blasts of magic, without being cumbersome. The results? Greater excitement and dread in your players. Greater customization, more encouragement to roleplay, thus a stronger connection between players and their characters, and an ultimately richer game world and experience.

The costs? Well, we’ll get to that in a minute.

Here are the House Rules

1. Magical healing is not perfect, and those harmed bear their scars even when blessed by the most powerful restorative spells.

2. Rolling two natural 20s deals critical damage as normal, and then forces the defender to roll percentile dice on the Maiming table, a version of which I have included below. It's a little rough, but serviceable.

Melee Attack Table

I believe rolling two natural 20s should be a momentous occasion. Like any critical hit, it has the power Got grit?to completely turn a battle around, or seal the fate of the defending side, but by adopting this house rule you turn every natural 20 into an additive ability (like the troll’s rend). No one wants to be hit with the first claw (or natural 20), but if they are, suddenly it is deadly important that the second one hits (or doesn’t). Players lean forward in their seats, DMs call attention to the roll (and in my game, I roll the second one over the battle mat for all to see and be invested in). The instantaneous effects are terribly gratifying, and I believe beneficial to the game.

The Aftermath

The effects of being maimed are as varied as you would like them to be. Some of them are minor, and some, like losing a hand, is an extremely big deal.

Our party ranger/rogue—a dual-wielding half-orc—had his arm ripped off by a hyaenadon in a recent Legacy of Fire session. The results of this were not immediately clear to me—a severed limb is a great loss to most PCs, but especially so in the case of a melee-focused warrior. His skills, weapon choices, and combat options (no more two-handing anything, for example) were all literally slashed in a matter of moments.

Once the session wound down I realized that few players would want to continue playing a character who had been so severely weakened. In my quest for greater fun, I had dealt such a blow that the player might have preferred instant death. What to do?

The short version of the story ends with us refactoring the PC’s feats and developing new talents and strengths for this character, both over a short period.

Over two levels the character grew to cope with losing a hand, and adopted a near-permanent scissor on his stump. As in real life cases of lost limbs, the character’s remaining hand and arm grew stronger and more dexterous, and his training earned him a free proficiency in the replacement scissor. The player was happy—he could have fun playing the character he had invested time and effort into—and I was happy for the same reasons, but also because the character is now a grizzled veteran of the battles of the Legacy of Fire campaign world, which comes up more and more as the Desert Orcs (the name of the PC group) grow in power and renown.

Kursk is still paying for the loss of his forearm and hand, but he’s still adventuring with the party, and he has a whole new focus, set of talents, and a badass look. Win win win.

The Lesson

If there is a lesson, it’s that the fun factor has to remain your top priority when DMing. Duh, right? Yeah, yeah, I know, but it’s easy to lose sight of that in the midst of couple of natural 20s.

Add some extra grit to your game today, and please share your own experiences with grit and game balance. Happy gaming.