Damage/healing over time

[Sho]

This is not entirely a new idea, but I was unable to find any suggestion that wasn't a tangent off of another thread. So here's a new thread where people can discuss this idea without smothering Wichita's poison dart idea (which I prefer to this one, actually).

Damage over time as discussed in the Poison thread is annoying to keep track of: your character could have 17 turns left of 1 damage/turn, 3 turns of 5 damage/turn and 51 turns of 1 damage/turn, and each of those would have to be listed and processed separately. Curing damage over time would have to be either menu-based (choose which injury to heal) or overpowered (instant healing of all damage over time).


Simpler would be a single character state for damage over time; certain attacks raise it and certain healing resources lower it. Each turn a character receives damage equal to the DOT value, and the DOT value decrements by a certain constant amount (0.1, for example).

The DOT value can be negative, in which case you get healed by that value. The default DOT value (the value DOT increments or decrements toward) could be slightly negative, so it would behave like natural healing. Resting on a cot might raise your DOT value by a fixed amount as long as you stay on the cot.

Most healing foods would become DOT healing, making them less useful for combat (healing in a single turn - the scale over which health matters for combat - is small) and more useful for recovering after an animal attack (healing over several Cantr days - the scale over which health matters for working on projects - is large). Most or all damage would remain one-time damage - poison and certain weapons might cause DOT damage, but they would be expensive and single-use.


I don't like "big idea" suggestions that threaten to cause fundamental change or require nontrivial changes in programming. This is one, and I'm ambiguous about it - I'm just posting it because I thought it was an interesting idea. I would oppose it if it weren't mine. So go ahead, tear it up. I might help.

[Talapus]

One way for healing over time that has been discussed (and has quite a bit of support) is as follows: If a character is at 0% tiredness, then all tiredness recovery is fractioned and becomes healing. This factors in doing work and furniture, but nothing else.

[Nalaris]

Sho's idea allows for easier implementation of the poison idea.

[Nakranoth]

As well as other quarks like bleeding and slower healing from the sneezing sickness...

[tiddy ogg]

Um... I'm floundering a bit here, but is the idea that if you have healing food, you don't stuff 10,000g down your throat to heal yourself instantly, but that it is measured out automatically as per normal food? Seems reasonable and might increase the popularity of things like blueberries.
But keep it simple!

[Sicofonte]

I like it

[N-Aldwitch]

Oh god, I hate that, how there'll be no instant healing, no that's one of the highlights of the Cantr universe, that seperates the combat system from other systems. Otherwise, a guy with a battle axe can kill an entire town as they take days to heal! And do little damage when they fight back! (okay, perhaps two or three battle axes)

[Sho]

Um... I'm floundering a bit here, but is the idea that if you have healing food, you don't stuff 10,000g down your throat to heal yourself instantly, but that it is measured out automatically as per normal food? Seems reasonable and might increase the popularity of things like blueberries.
But keep it simple!

You will still eat it all at once, but the effect will be spread out over time. I do prefer the idea Talapus mentioned for its simplicity. I don't really see a need for bleeding or slow poison.

Oh god, I hate that, how there'll be no instant healing, no that's one of the highlights of the Cantr universe, that seperates the combat system from other systems. Otherwise, a guy with a battle axe can kill an entire town as they take days to heal! And do little damage when they fight back! (okay, perhaps two or three battle axes)

Equally the guy with the battle axe will not be able to heal himself instantly. Instant healing is something that usually benefits active and well-equipped raiders more than large towns - the raider has to heal to keep fighting, but the town has years to recover after the raider is out of action. And tiredness would presumably be unchanged.

[deadboy]

This is actually the reason why I don't like it Sho, it is yet -another- thing to put off would be attackers. However ....................................................

God mode! You eat say 20kg of healing foods, which would bump your DOT up to like 100% a turn, and -then- let's see those petty villagers hurt you! MUHAHAHAHA

Anyhow... no, I don't like the idea because, let's put it simply, what army is going to be able to afford 20kg healing food per man?

Oh yes, and by the way, I don't like the way dragging works either, it is another reason to put off would-be attackers, as weak people can defeat strong people so long as they have a locked door to put them behind. I suggest a moveable building that is like a lockable room for an attacker, it would be the equivalent of a slave cage that they used to have in the olden times, and wouldn't allow attacks through it, that way the odds are even between attackers and defenders

[Pie]

I disagree. I don't think that damag should hapen over time, but healing, yes.

[Sicofonte]

DOT will bring more diversity to the combat system.

And several kinds of DOT:

- Bleedings: loss of blood gradually dropping down, can begin being slow or very fast, and can be stopped with a first aids dressing project.

- Traumatisms (fractures, muscular injuries): loss of activity, i.e. malus for the (physics) skills, gradually dropping down (specially resting), and can be attenuated with a first aids dressing project.

- Internal injuries (internal bleedings, serious traumatisms): loss of activity like in traumatisms, loss of health when active (loss of health with tireness)

- Poisoning: different poisons will have different effects. Whole thread needed for this (and it exists)

Different kind of weapons should have different chance to cause each kind of injury. Some fast suggestions:

Spear weapons: Bleeding 20%, Internal injury 30%.
Blade weapons: Bleeding 30%, Internal injury 10%, Traumatisms 10%.
Axe weapons: Bleeding 20%, Internal injury 10%, Traumatisms 20%.
Arrow's weapons: Bleeding 20%, Internal injury 10%, Traumatisms 10%.

The magnitude of the DOT wound should be different too. Depending on the chance would be a simple solution, but more flexible would be to have a different table with different maximum severity:

Spear weapons: 40%.
Blade weapons: 30%.
Axe weapons: 40%.
Arrow's weapons: 20%.

The size of the wound could influence the chance and magnitude too:

Small (knifes and machetes, arrows): -10%
Medium (one handed weapons): +0%
Large (two handed weapons): +10%

[w.w.g.d.w]

We don't need haeling foods.We need bandages and apothecary mixtures.
Haeling foods are the same magic mixtures in fantasy games.
Haeling should be natural(below 85%,5%-1 day) and bandages and mixtures are hastening it.

[Piscator]

I think that's a good point. I never really liked the distinction between healing and nourishing foods. Besides, all those raw onions doing nasty things to my breath.