Bringing Combat to Life Part 2

I’d much rather describe the scene and let the players figure it out for themselves. In real life, opponents don’t have a health bar above them, you just have to guess how well you did. A good idea is to find a thesaurus and look up words to describe attacks and wounds. Not only can it be fun (or I think so at least) but it will help bring the action to life. Keep words like graze and glancing for the small damage and save words like gouge, sunder, and decimate for when the players really give ‘em hell. Not only do these words better inform the players, they tend to smile more when you can add some dramatic verbiage.

Depending on much health the character has left you can loosely tell your players by describing the after effects of the attack. If they just cuss and swing back in a furious rage then they know that the attack wasn’t effective but if he wobbles on his feet, breathing labored while he steadies himself then they know he’s on the ropes. The after effects are what really bring the reality of the situation home as people always react to the things around them. No matter how bad ass the antagonist might be, they will notice if they are injured. This is also a good chance to bring up extra details of the setting and additional action, further elaborating on the scene.  By narrating the mechanics rather than just repeating results you’ll get a more interactive scene. To tie this all together, let’s look at the first example if done properly.

Player: I’m shooting that guy *rolls dice*

GM: Okay, now damage

Player: *rolls dice*

GM: You steady yourself, trying to get a bead on the man. The gun barks as the bullet collides with his shoulder, knocking him off his feet, swearing as blood erupts from the wound. He steadies himself against a wall, leaving a dark crimson mark against the wallpaper. Desperately, he raises his hand in a gesture of surrender.

See how much better that sounds while providing more information. This way your epic action scene remains epic and not just a series of numbers that drags down the feel of the game. I can promise you that by heeding this advice your players will talk about their battles like old soldiers and you will enjoy writing these scenes just as much.