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| From | Jason <jason@deadletter.invalid> |
|---|---|
| Newsgroups | rec.games.frp.dnd |
| Subject | GRIT: A Survival Horror Player Damage Module |
| Date | 2026-04-04 21:05 -0700 |
| Organization | A noiseless patient Spider |
| Message-ID | <87fr5arr03.fsf@deadletter.invalid> (permalink) |
________________________________________
GRIT
A Survival Horror Player Damage Module
________________________________________
April 4, 2026
Table of Contents
_________________
1. Overview
2. The Five States
3. Taking Damage
.. 1. Damage Dice
.. 2. Die Results
.. 3. Resolution Order
..... 1. Carry-Over
.. 4. Worked Examples
..... 1. Example 1 - Check carry-over
..... 2. Example 2 - A 6 clears checks
..... 3. Example 3 - Mixed roll
..... 4. Example 4 - Double 6
4. Damage Reduction
5. Surprise Attacks
.. 1. The Rule
.. 2. Resolution Order
.. 3. Why Conditional?
.. 4. Worked Examples
..... 1. Example 1 - Surprise with a check
..... 2. Example 2 — Damage Reduction blocks the hit
..... 3. Example 3 — Surprise with a natural 6
6. Poison
.. 1. Design Philosophy
.. 2. The Two Types
.. 3. Weak Poison
.. 4. Strong Poison
.. 5. Session Reset
7. Grit
.. 1. Pool Size
.. 2. Spending Grit
.. 3. Grit is a Meta Action
.. 4. Preventing Death
.. 5. Triage
8. Healing
.. 1. Resurrection
9. Grit Refresh
.. 1. Story Beat Triggers (GM Guidance)
.. 2. "Smoke 'em if you got 'em"
10. Quick Reference
.. 1. On Your Turn
.. 2. When You Take Damage
.. 3. Surprise Attacks
.. 4. Poison
.. 5. When You Go Down
.. 6. Grit Spending Cheat Sheet
11. Designer Notes
1 Overview
==========
Grit replaces player hit points with a state-based damage system
inspired by survival horror games. Players no longer track a number -
instead they track their condition. Damage is visceral, recovery is
earned, and every hit matters.
Monsters and NPCs continue to use standard hit points. Only player
characters use this system. This means you can drop this module
directly into almost any game with very little change to existing
rules.
Design Goal: Create the feeling that players are always one bad roll
away from disaster, that healing resources are precious, and that a
tough Fighter and a fragile Wizard feel genuinely, mechanically
different.
2 The Five States
=================
Each player character exists in one of five states. States worsen as
damage accumulates and improve when Grit is spent or story beats
occur. Dead means mortally wounded and dying, but may be prevented by
spending Grit (see Grit).
State Movement Actions Check Slots
-------------------------------------------------
Green Full No penalty ☐ ☐ ☐
Yellow Full No penalty ☐ ☐ ☐
Orange 1/2 speed No penalty ☐ ☐ ☐
Red 1/4 speed -1 to all rolls ☐ ☐ ☐
Dead None None None
Table 1: Player states
Each state has three check slots: [][][]. When all three fill, the
character drops to the next state and checks clear.
3 Taking Damage
===============
When a player character takes damage, the GM rolls a pool of d6s based
on the severity of the attack. Each die is resolved individually.
3.1 Damage Dice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Attack Type Dice Examples
--------------------------------------------------------
Light 1d6 Zombie claw, arrow, dagger, fall
Heavy 2d6 Sword strike, beast claw, hard fall
Brutal 3d6 Boss attack, grab, explosion
Table 2: Damage dice by attack type
GMs will need to map their system damage to 1d6 - 3d6. No attack
should cause more than 3d6. If the narrative requires greater damage
than 3d6 then the GM should narrate the effect and decide how it
affects the players.
3.2 Die Results
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- A roll of 6 drops the character one full state immediately. All
current checks are cleared - the new state starts at 0/3.
- A roll of 1-5 (that is not ignored by Damage Reduction) adds one
check to the current state.
- When checks fill a state, the character drops to the next state and
remaining checks carry over.
3.3 Resolution Order
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Important: Always resolve 6s first, then apply check results in
order. 6s fire before checks accumulate.
1. Apply all 6s - each drops one state. If multiple 6s occur, each
drops an additional state.
2. Apply all check results to the current state, with carry-over as
needed.
3.3.1 Carry-Over
----------------
When checks overflow a state, the excess carries into the next
state. A character at Green 2/3 receiving two checks fills Green,
drops to Yellow, and carries one check - ending at Yellow 1/3.
3.4 Worked Examples
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
3.4.1 Example 1 - Check carry-over
----------------------------------
Fighter at Green 2/3. Hit by 2d6. Rolls 4, 3.
- Both dice are checks. Green fills (3/3) - drops to Yellow. One check
carries over.
- Result: Yellow 1/3
3.4.2 Example 2 - A 6 clears checks
-----------------------------------
Fighter at Green 2/3. Hit by 1d6. Rolls 6.
- 6 fires first - drop to Yellow. Pre-existing Green checks are wiped.
- Result: Yellow 0/3
3.4.3 Example 3 - Mixed roll
----------------------------
Rogue at Yellow 1/3. Hit by 3d6. Rolls 6, 5, 3.
- 6 fires first - drop to Orange 0/3.
- 5 and 3 - two checks.
- Result: Orange 2/3
3.4.4 Example 4 - Double 6
--------------------------
Wizard at Green 0/3. Hit by 3d6. Rolls 6, 6, 2.
- Both 6s fire - two state drops: Green → Yellow → Orange 0/3.
- 2 - one check.
- Result: Orange 1/3
4 Damage Reduction
==================
Tougher classes are not merely harder to hurt - they shrug off small
hits entirely. Each class has an ignore range: rolls within that range
are discarded without effect.
Note: A roll of 6 always drops a state. It cannot be ignored by Damage
Reduction, regardless of class or level.
Listed below are reference classes. Exact classes will vary by
system. GMs should map their classes onto the sample below. If in
doubt, model your class off the Paladin / Ranger / Monk.
Class Ignores Rolls Of Check Triggers
------------------------------------------------------------
Barbarian 1, 2, 3 4-5 add a check
Fighter 1, 2 3-5 add a check
Paladin / Ranger / Monk 1 2-5 add a check
Wizard, Bard, Civilian — 1-5 add a check
Table 3: Damage reduction by class
A Barbarian facing a 3d6 attack that rolls 1, 3, 6 ignores the 1 and
3, then has the 6 drop a state. A Wizard facing the same roll takes
two checks and a state drop - a drastically different experience from
the same attack.
5 Surprise Attacks
==================
A character caught off guard by an ambush, backstab, or trap is
already hurt before they know it. To reflect this, any surprise attack
that deals damage carries a bonus 6 in addition to its normal damage
dice.
5.1 The Rule
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any surprise attack, backstab, or trap that deals damage includes a
*bonus 6*.
The bonus 6 follows all standard rules for a 6 in the damage system:
it fires first, drops the character one full state, and clears
existing checks. Damage resolution then continues normally from the
new state.
If the attack deals no damage — because Damage Reduction discards all
dice — the bonus 6 does not apply.
5.2 Resolution Order
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. Bonus 6 fires first — drop one state, clear checks.
2. Apply all remaining 6s from the attack dice.
3. Apply remaining dice, ignoring those within Damage Reduction.
4. Add one check per remaining die; carry over as needed.
5.3 Why Conditional?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The bonus 6 only triggers if damage lands. Damage Reduction still
protects tougher characters — a Barbarian who shrugs off a Light
attack entirely is not punished for being surprised.
5.4 Worked Examples
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
5.4.1 Example 1 - Surprise with a check
---------------------------------------
Fighter at Green 1/3 is backstabbed for 1d6. Goblin rolls 4.
- Normally: one check → Green 2/3.
- With bonus 6: drop to Yellow 0/3, then add the check.
- Result: Yellow 1/3
5.4.2 Example 2 — Damage Reduction blocks the hit
-------------------------------------------------
Fighter at Green 1/3 is backstabbed. Goblin rolls 2.
- Damage Reduction (Fighter ignores 1–2) discards the die entirely.
- No damage dealt. Bonus 6 does not apply.
- Result: Green 1/3 — unchanged.
5.4.3 Example 3 — Surprise with a natural 6
-------------------------------------------
Rogue at Yellow 2/3 is caught in a trap (Heavy, 2d6). Rolls 6, 3.
- Bonus 6 fires: drop to Orange 0/3.
- Attack die 6 fires: drop to Red 0/3.
- Die 3 adds one check.
- Result: Red 1/3
6 Poison
========
6.1 Design Philosophy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Poison in most RPG systems is simply damage with a different label. It
moves the same numbers in the same direction using the same
mechanic. It is redundant by design and uninteresting by consequence.
Grit poison is qualitatively different. It does *not* deal damage. It
does *not* add checks or drop states directly. Instead it changes the
ceiling — the maximum state a character can recover to.
A poisoned character is not hurt more. They are *limited*. Their
resilience is compromised in a way that no amount of Grit spending or
healing can fully overcome until the poison is addressed.
*Core Rule:* Poison caps recovery. Grit and healing still function
normally but cannot raise a poisoned character above the poison's
ceiling. The poison must be treated first.
6.2 The Two Types
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Type State Cap Duration Cure
--------------------------------------------------
Weak Yellow 0/3 1 hour table time Time
Strong Orange 0/3 Until cured Antivenom
Table 4: Poison Types
6.3 Weak Poison
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Weak Poison caps the character at Yellow 0/3 for one hour of
*at-table* time — not game time, not in-world time. Real minutes
passing while players argue, explore, and roll dice.
- The character cannot be raised above Yellow while poisoned.
- Grit spent raising them above Yellow is wasted — the cap immediately
reasserts.
- Healing flows into the pool normally but cannot lift that character
past Yellow.
- After one hour of table time, the poison clears naturally.
Weak Poison is always fair to use. Time solves it. The clock creates
urgency without permanent consequence.
6.4 Strong Poison
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Strong Poison caps the character at Orange 0/3 until an antivenom is
administered. There is no clock. There is no natural recovery. The
character is in penalty territory — half movement — for the duration
of the adventure unless the party finds the cure.
- The character cannot be raised above Orange while the poison is
active.
- Orange carries a movement penalty — half speed. The entire party
moves at their pace.
- The -1 to all action rolls at Red remains in effect if they drop
below Orange.
- Only antivenom, Neutralize Poison, or equivalent magic clears Strong
Poison.
- rit and healing function normally within the Orange ceiling.
GM Ethics: Strong Poison must only be used if an antivenom can
reasonably be found. It must already exist somewhere the players can
reach — bought from an alchemist, carried by the enemy who deployed
it, hidden in the dungeon's deepest room. Strong Poison without a cure
is not a challenge. It is a sentence. If no antivenom exists in the
world, use Weak Poison instead.
The antivenom becomes the most important item in the dungeon. Not the
legendary sword. Not the treasure hoard. A small bottle the party will
tear every room apart to find. The poison creates the quest. The
antivenom waits at the end of it.
6.5 Session Reset
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unless there is a compelling narrative reason to continue it, poison
status clears between sessions. The character found a moment between
Saturdays to recover. Time passed. The world moved while the players
were living their lives.
- Weak Poison almost always clears between sessions. An hour of table
time is rarely unresolved across a session boundary.
- Strong Poison clears between sessions unless the antivenom quest is
the engine driving the next session forward.
- If the party fled the dungeon without finding the antivenom and the
GM wants that to matter next session, keep it. The story earns the
exception.
GM Principle: The session reset serves the players. The exception
serves the story. Read the table and decide which the moment needs.
7 Grit
======
Grit is the party's shared pool of narrative resilience. It represents
collective willpower, cinematic luck, and the bonds between
characters. It is not a measure of physical toughness - it is the
reason protagonists survive things they shouldn't.
7.1 Pool Size
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each player contributes 1 + their level to the shared pool at the
start of each game. This assumes a D&D style leveling system.
Party of 3 Players Initial / Maximum Grit Pool Size
------------------------------------------------------
Level 1 7 Grit
Level 5 18 Grit
Level 10 33 Grit
Level 20 63 Grit
Table 5: Example Grit pool sizes (party of 3)
If your game does not include levels then try to map as best you can
to this system.
The Grit pool cannot exceed its initial size. Healing that would push
the pool above this ceiling is capped at the maximum.
The minimum size of a Grit pool is 7 Grit. This ensures that single
players or small parties still have enough Grit to effectively play
the game, since 7 Grit allows 1 death save and 1 state improvement.
The examples below show team compositions and difficulty ratings by
Grit amount from Monte-Carlo testing. This assumes total Grit,
e.g. Grit pool plus healing. Use these as needed to tune your game to
the desired flavor, i.e. Survival Horror, Epic Adventure, etc.
Team ~75% Survival ~90% Survival ~95% Survival
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fighter (solo) 7 10 13
Barbarian + Ranger 9 13 17
Barbarian + Fighter + Wizard 12 17 22
Full Party (B/F/R/W) 15 21 25
Wizard + Wizard 18 21 24
Table 6: Survival rates by team and total Grit
7.2 Spending Grit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grit Cost Effect Notes
-------------------------------------------------------
1 Grit Erase 1 check Any player, any time
3 Grit Raise one state Clears current checks
4 Grit Prevent death Same round only → Red 0/3
Table 7: Grit spending options
7.3 Grit is a Meta Action
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grit can be spent at any time, by any player, without consuming a
turn, action, reaction, or bonus action - with one exception. It sits
almost entirely outside the action economy.
- Grit can be spent on another player's turn.
- Grit can be spent as a response to a hit, before the round fully
resolves.
- Grit can be spent by an incapacitated or downed player.
- Grit cannot be counterspelled, blocked, or interrupted by any game
mechanic.
Exception: After the game master has rolled the attack dice, but
before rolling the damage dice, Grit is locked and cannot be spent.
7.4 Preventing Death
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a character reaches *Dead*, their allies have until the end of the
same round to spend 4 Grit and pull them back to *Red 0/3*. Once the
round ends, it is too late.
Timing: If the character dies on initiative 15, any player may spend
Grit before initiative resets. The GM should be generous with the
fiction - the sword dug into their armor, etc.
7.5 Triage
~~~~~~~~~~
If multiple characters die in the same round, the party must decide
who to save with their remaining Grit. 4 Grit per person means triage
is always a real decision.
8 Healing
=========
Healing comes in three tiers and can be delivered as a potion, a
spell, or any other form the fiction calls for. In each case, the
effect is the same: Grit is restored to the party's shared pool rather
than to any individual character's hit points.
Healing Type Effect
--------------------------------
Minor Restores 7 Grit
Major Restores 14 Grit
Full Restores 21 Grit
Table 8: Healing tiers
Single-target healing follows the table above directly. The player
administering the potion or casting the spell chooses which tier
applies - or the GM determines it based on the item or spell in
question.
Area healing - any spell or effect that restores health to multiple
party members simultaneously - should be treated as at least Full
Healing. The GM may increase this further based on the power of the
effect: 28 Grit for a notably strong area spell, or 35 Grit for
something truly exceptional.
For example: a cleric casts a major healing spell on all members of
the party. The GM determines this heals 35 Grit, which for a party of
4 level 10 players is approximately 80% of their Grit Pool.
Extremely powerful healing magic may completely fill the party's Grit
pool. That is perfectly fine and should be treated like a
player-initiated Grit Reset.
Please note that the player drinking the potion may not necessarily be
the player receiving the immediate benefit. That is fine. Front line
players take damage and spend Grit. Support players manage resources
and support combat specialists.
For example: the fighter is tanking damage and needs Grit to heal
while the wizard is drinking a potion to restore the Grit pool.
8.1 Resurrection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lesser resurrection spells restore a dead player to *Red 0/3*
state. Greater resurrection spells may restore to higher states,
including Green, at GM discretion according to the needs of the
fiction.
9 Grit Refresh
==============
Grit does not refresh on a long rest. It does not track bodily
recovery. Grit refreshes when the story earns it - at GM discretion,
tied to narrative momentum and cinematic beats.
9.1 Story Beat Triggers (GM Guidance)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These are prompts, not rules. The GM decides when a refresh is
warranted and how significant it is.
- Completing a major objective - escaping a dungeon, defeating a boss,
rescuing a prisoner
- A dramatic character moment - a meaningful sacrifice, a rousing
speech, confronting a backstory
- A tonal shift - moving from a horror sequence into a safe haven,
tension breaking
- A lucky break or unexpected act of mercy from the world
9.2 "Smoke 'em if you got 'em"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the GM says this phrase, the party knows the Grit pool will fully
refresh at the end of the current scene. This is both permission and
signal.
- *Permission:* Any Grit remaining at the refresh is wasted. Spend
freely - erase those lingering checks, pull someone back from Red,
take the risk.
- *Signal:* The GM is telling you this scene is wrapping up. A story
beat is landing. The tone is about to shift. Hear the phrase and
exhale - briefly.
The GM should resist saying it too often. When it lands, it should
feel like a reward.
10 Quick Reference
==================
10.1 On Your Turn
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your state tells you what you can do. Check your state card - that's
it.
10.2 When You Take Damage
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1. GM announces the attack type (Light / Heavy / Brutal) and rolls the
damage dice.
2. All 6s resolve first - each one drops you one state, clearing
checks.
3. Remaining dice: ignore those within your class's ignore range, add
one check per remaining die.
4. If checks fill your state, drop to the next state and carry over
the remainder.
10.3 Surprise Attacks
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If caught off guard, any damage includes a bonus 6 that fires before
all other dice. If Damage Reduction discards all dice, the bonus 6
does not apply.
10.4 Poison
~~~~~~~~~~~
- Weak Poison: caps recovery at Yellow 0/3 for 1 hour of table
time. Clears naturally.
- Strong Poison: caps recovery at Orange 0/3 until cured with
antivenom.
- Grit and healing still work normally but cannot raise a poisoned
character above the cap.
10.5 When You Go Down
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any player may spend 4 Grit before the round ends to bring you back to
*Red 0/3*. If no one spends the Grit in time, proceed with standard
death saving throws.
10.6 Grit Spending Cheat Sheet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- 1 Grit - erase 1 check (any player, any time, no action required)
- 3 Grit - raise one state, checks clear (any player, any time, no
action required)
- 4 Grit - prevent death, same round only → Red 0/3
11 Designer Notes
=================
Grit is built around one core feeling: you are never as safe as you
think, and resources that feel plentiful now might be desperately
scarce later.
The state track creates the illusion of safety in Green and Yellow -
players feel fine, act boldly, and push their luck. Orange is the
first moment the body begins to fail. Red is survival mode: every roll
is compromised, every step is agony, but the character is still in the
fight. That tension is the point.
Grit exists to simulate cinematic plot armor - the reason action
heroes survive things they shouldn't. It is deliberately communal
because survival horror is about what the group sacrifices for each
other. Burning Grit to save the Wizard means the Fighter might hit Red
alone later. Those decisions are the heart of the system.
Poison introduces a second axis of threat: not just how much damage
you absorb, but how far you can recover. A poisoned frontliner is a
liability the whole party manages, creating pressure that outlasts any
single combat round.
Surprise attacks punish complacency. A party that walks into every
room the same way will learn quickly that the bonus 6 is not a nudge -
it is a consequence. Tougher classes are still protected by Damage
Reduction, so the rule rewards smart play without punishing character
builds.
"Smoke 'em if you got 'em" is table culture, not a rule. Use it well
and it will become a sound your players are conditioned to love.
Back to rec.games.frp.dnd | Previous | Next — Next in thread | Find similar
GRIT: A Survival Horror Player Damage Module Jason <jason@deadletter.invalid> - 2026-04-04 21:05 -0700
Re: GRIT: A Survival Horror Player Damage Module Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> - 2026-04-05 15:06 -0400
Re: GRIT: A Survival Horror Player Damage Module Jason <jason@deadletter.invalid> - 2026-04-05 18:57 -0700
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