Monty Python's Black Knight

Role-playing action scenes comes with an adrenaline rush that you can almost believe is akin to the one you’d have if you experienced the same fight in real life.

Thrilling as the associative thrill is, it’s essential to remember that you haven’t really been through the same experience your character has – and that fact might be compromising the integrity of your role playing.

When you take the time to accurately portray the physical and emotional scars your character will suffer in confrontations, you’ll find new facets in your character and bring out truly believable depths and details.

If, on the other hand, you’re prone to sloppiness when it comes to your character’s damage, you’re probably not telling the story as well as you should. That’s going to make your character seem less like a person, and more like a prototype. And that’s the last thing any role-playing enthusiast wants.

Let’s look at some of the common pitfalls gamers get into when their character suffers damage.

“It’s Only a Flesh Wound!”

For those of you who haven’t seen the skit (and if you haven’t, get to the nearest video rental store and rent Monty Python and the Holy Grail, stat – or just view the video clip below), there’s a scene where a knight gets his arm lopped off, only to enthusiastically return to the fray.

When his opponent protests that he is clearly defeated, the knight ripostes, “It’s only a flesh wound!”

This is a surprisingly common tendency among role-players.

With every conflict, your character will receive damage. How well your character rebounds from that damage depends partially on their stats, true. However, there’s no way your character cheerfully bounces back into battle after getting an arm lopped off, even if his strength and endurance stats are up to the task.

Sure, he’s still alive. But he’s not going to carry on as if nothing’s happened.

Using a Guide

After a combat scene, whoever’s in charge of running the game (your dungeon master, your Storyteller, whatever you’re calling it) deals out the character damage. There’s often a certain amount of leeway in these proclamations, which leads many players to think they can let their characters off easy so they can get right back to kicking ass and taking names. It’s too bad it’s such a poor strategy for your character’s integrity – not to mention your own.

Your Storyteller says, “Milo was picked up and thrown hard against a wall, landing in a heap on the pavement.”

Milo has some options. He can say that his character just got some bruised ribs if he wants to leap right back into the fray. He can also go a more realistic route and get himself a concussion and a sprained wrist. It’s on your honor to come up with something that doesn’t only serve your character’s interest in the game.

Remember: conflict is more interesting than the lack of it. If Milo can’t fight with one hand, the next fight’s going to be a LOT more interesting.

But it’s up to him. If he wants to go the easy route, he can do that. It’s sometimes braver to let your character have an obstacle so he can overcome it.

Incapacitating Your Character

The flip side of giving your character too few obstacles is giving them too many. Some players delight in an almost sadistic treatment of their characters. Given the above scenario, Milo might say he busted a few ribs, one of which punctured a lung, and he’s about to just plain die if he doesn’t get to a hospital.

Consider what that means for him. He’d be out of the game for the next few months of game-time while his character recovers in the hospital. What for? Obstacles are great, but bringing the gaming to a screeching halt isn’t productive either.

Unless the Storyteller specifically states that the injuries are this serious, don’t force your character out of play just because it seems more interesting that way. Be realistic without completely incapacitating your character for weeks on end. Remember that you wanted to play realistically – but above all, you want to play.

If your character’s out of commission, you’re not going to be able to.

Weren’t You Bleeding a Few Minutes Ago?

Players who fall into the trap of allowing their characters to sustain more damage than they intended also fall prey to this next problem: healing too quickly.

If your character had a concussion yesterday, he’s not going to be feeling just fine today. Even something as simple as sore muscles needs to be accounted for and worked into the story.

This is a common problem for inexperienced players who aren’t used to depicting a real-life reaction to an injury. Think about the last time you played an especially strenuous sports game, or if you’re one of those people who’s actually been punched in the face sometime, remember how that felt. Odds are you weren’t ready to go jump into the fray the next day.

Give your character the same courtesy. He probably feels like hell. Let him.

Letting your character feel real pain over a realistic period of time is part of the integrity of the game. Don’t let it overshadow the rest of your storytelling, but keep track of where your character’s injuries would be in the healing timeline and make sure you keep that in mind when you allow them to move around the world. If your guy has a shoulder injury and he reaches for a glass on a high shelf, he should feel a twinge.

Character Injury Checklist

Ask yourself these questions the next time your character sustains damage:

• Is my character’s damage within the suggested range suggested by the Storyteller?
• Is the recovery time reasonable? (Use Google to find out the approximate amount of time you’d need to recover from certain injuries, or ask a Storyteller)
• If medication or drugs were given, what are the effects/aftereffects? Consider how long the effects would last and how big of a dose your character received.
• Am I tracking game-time instead of real time? Sometimes it’s been three days in the real world but only a few hours in game. Your character heals in game time, so don’t get confused.
• Are other characters able to keep up with your injuries? If you’re not mentioning them, they won’t know that they should be observing them. A newcomer won’t comment on the huge black eye you have if you’re acting like you can see normally.

Damage is no fun for characters, but it can be a lot of fun to write. Don’t avoid conflict for fear of missing opportunities – damage is a huge opportunity to show the breadth of your character, your own creativity, and your writing. Engage in conflicts fully and above all, realistically.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4&feature=related[/youtube]