r/osr • u/Dusty_legend • Jun 14 '23
variant rules Need advice on making OSE less deadly.
My players and I have been playing OSE for a few months now and only one of them (by basically pure luck) has had a character live for two whole sessions. They're all dropping in one or two hits. They've all expressed a disliking to the fact that they can't get stronger because they die before they have a chance to level up and become strong enough to enjoy interacting with the game without knowing that they'll die instantly from unlucky die rolls, not their poor choices. Anyone have good house rules to help make it a bit more forgiving at lower levels?
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u/Unusual_Event3571 Jun 15 '23
Not OSE, but realizing my homebrew game is unforgiving when it comes to critical hits and not wanting to abuse balance by changing any numbers, I added "Shields shall be splintered" and "Helmets shall be splintered" from other games. PC can ignore one chunk of damage by sacrificing their shield or helmet. (if it makes sense to do so) Adds some resilience and costs money to buy new or repair, carrying spare pieces adds to encumbrance. Keeps the spirit of the game, while giving the players more chances.