Wounds and Combat First Aid

[lordvankar44]

I have come up with some house rules as an alternate and slightly more realistic version of Gruntz getting wounded in combat.

WOUNDS and COMBAT FIRST AID
If using realistic version in your force with each Gruntz model only having 1 wound, then you can use these rules.

Advanced Version
Whenever a unit takes hits and some models become waxed, they are put on their side and marked with a Waxed counter. Usually, if there is a Medic nearby they can heal up to 1d3-1 Gruntz without a Skill roll. However, if you do not have a Medic, you will need to do first aid within the abilities of the Gruntz squad.

Every soldier knows Combat First Aid (CFA) So when a unit has taken casualties, as long as there is still one Gruntz soldier remaining in the squad that has not been suppressed or panicked, he can perform CFA on his buddies. The regular soldier must roll his Skill or less on 2d6 for each soldier he needs to perform CFA on. For every other soldier that assists in CFA, add 1 to the Skill roll. For every Waxed soldier after the first that is given first aid, subtract 1 from the Skill roll.

Each time the player rolls equal or less than the Skill, the Waxed soldier is healed enough to be combat effective. Otherwise, he is combat ineffective due the severity of his wounds, or has died of his wounds.

Also, part of the surviving members of the squad can do Overwatch while the others do CFA. You do not want to be doing CFA without cover and/or fire support. Usually, the squad attachments would do the Overwatch as they have the better firepower, and you do not waste the resource of a support weapon to cover for you when you are doing first aid or movement towards the enemy. However, if there are no SA’s in the squad, then use a couple of members from within the squad or another nearby squad to do Overwatch for them.

Example, a squad of 8 with 6 Riflemen and 2 with SAW’s, are shot at and 3 riflemen go down as Waxed. That leaves 3 riflemen and 2 SA’s. The player can have the 2 SA’s go on OVerwatch automatically while the other three Gruntz conduct CFA on their buddies. As there are three doing CFA, the modifier is +2 (+1 for each soldier after the first). The squad is Seasoned, so their Skill is at 4. With +2 modifier, the skill is now at 6. They need to roll for each Waxed soldier individually. The first one is at 6 or less, and is saved. The second one is at 5 or less, and is saved. The third one is at 4 or less and is not saved. That model is actually combat ineffective or dead, and is removed from the battlefield.

In order for the squad to do CFA and Overwatch, they must use up their two actions to do so for the turn. If they have activated already that turn, then they will have to wait until the start of thier next turn to conduct CFA and Overwatch.

Note that this does not necessarily take away a Medic's ability. After all, a Medic has a 4 in 6 chance (66%) to automatically heal anywhere from 1-3 Gruntz per turn, whereas, the Gruntz using CFA, have to roll their Skill to succeed. The odds are as follows for a Gruntz squad with one Gruntz healing one other Gruntz.

Quality Skill Ratio to Heal 1 Gruntz
Green 2 2:12 (16%)
Trained 3 3:12 (25%0
Seasoned 4 4:12 (33%)
Veteran 5 5:12 (42.5%)
Expert 6 6:12 (50%)
Elite 7 7:12 (59.5%)

As you can see, the ratios are roughly anywhere from 16% chance to 59%. Still not very good odds for one soldier unless you are Expert or Elite. Obviously, as more Gruntz are involved in CFA the odds improve, but they will also reduce when there are multiple casualties.

A Medic still has 16.5% to heal 1 Gruntz, and 33% chance to heal 2 or 3 Gruntz depending on the die roll. And this is not even taking his actual Quality into consideration, but it would seem to be as a Seasoned Medic.

I will also be adding some more advanced Combat First Aid rules in the Campaign rules I added on the Campaign Rules and Unit Replenishment thread.

[lordvankar44]

For Power Armoured Gruntz, they would normally have autoinjectors and other medical first aid devices to assist in keeping the Grunt combat effective.
Therefore, my house rules for Power Armour infantry is as follows:

Power Armour and First Aid
When a Power armoured Grunt is Waxed, on its next activation, roll as for the Medic rules. So you would roll 1d3-1, and if he rolls less than 1, then he is dead. Otherwise, he survives, and continues the fight. The next time the PA Grunt is Waxed, he rolls again at 1d3-2 this time. This can keep happening at a further -1 mod each time until, he fails the roll. So it would be as follows:

Using 1d6 die
1st Waxed D3-1 (roll of 2-6)
2nd Waxed D3-2 (roll of 3-6)
3rd Waxed D3-3 (roll of 4-6)
4th Waxed D3-4 (roll of 5-6)
5th Waxed D3-5 (roll of 6)
6th Waxed Dead

Alternatively, you could make it simpler for rolling but more difficult to survive by rolling 1d6 and succeed on 4+ on first waxed, 5+ on second Waxed, and 6 on third Waxed result. This way he definitely cannot survive past 3 Waxed hits. Besides, after getting hit this many times, it would be very difficult to continue the fight.

I was going to give this as an automatic Perk for Power Armour, but it would still allow them to have as much as 2 perks anyway.
You could just give it as a regular perk to purchase, either using the normal Medic Perk at D3-1, or a PA Medic Perk at 4+ or D6-3, ffor say 2 pts.

Any thoughts. I have yet to play this out, but will probalby be playtesting it this weekend.

[lordvankar44]

I know that there is the Auto Heal Perk that heals on 5+ on 1d6 and costs 3 pts. This could also be used as an option for Power Armoured troops either as a bonus Perk for free, or to be bought like any other Perk.
Either way this Perk makes the PA trooper no different than any other race that has it. I was thinking of something a little more special for the PA trooper. Hence, saving on 4+. But if that were to be used, then the cost would have to be at 3 or 4 pts, vice 2 pts in order for it to match with the Auto Heal and Medic Perkz.

[lordvankar44]

Okay, a correction on the Medic Perk when I listed the chances of htting each time using D3-1. As the best a Medic can heal is 2 Gruntz, the chances would be as follows if using a -1 mod each time the PA trooper has already been Waxed:

D3-1 (1-2 is 1, 3-4 is 2, 5-6 is 3)
1st Waxed (roll of 3-6)
2nd Waxed (roll of 5-6)
3rd Waxed (Dead)

So it still amounts to two chances of survival before finally succombing to death.

However, it is easier to just use the Auto Heal style with saving on 5+ for PA Troopers.

[Mr. Harold]

Looks great, I'll have to run it though a couple of times to see how it works! Thanks!

[inrepose]

I like it. I had in the early development wanted something to reflect a possible 3 stage, lightly wounded, wounded, dead type approach but that was a bit closer to skirmish, smaller scale battles.

This looks like a great option for more granular healing / field medic type operations.

[lordvankar44]

It may be more appealing for a campaign style setting. I mainly thought of this because I am planning on doing a simple campaign of mini missions involving a platoon of troops. Almost like a tactical RPG using Gruntz rules. Kind of like the new RPG Core rules for Warmachine.
To add more to the wounds for this campaign, when a Grunt has been wounded in battle the player rolls on a Wound Chart to determine if the wound is fully healed or will reduce the soldier's skills.

WOUND RESULT CHART 2d6
2-3: Wound is too severe to heal and you die from loss of blood/tissue damage.
4: Wound is severe enough that you will be out of the next battle. All of your stats including Move will be permanently reduced by 1 point, even when you go up to next Quality level. (if you were Trained at 3, and go to Seasoned at 4, your stats are reduced to 3. If you had gone to Veteran at 5, the stats would actually be at 4.
5: You suffered a head injury. Your Mental, Shoot, Assault, Guard and Skill stats are at -1 permanently.
Wound iwas a severe leg injury. Your Movement is reduced by 1.
6: You suffered a severe arm injury. Your Shoot and Assault stats are premanently reduced by 1, even if you go up to next Quality level.
7-9: Wound is healing slowly. For the next battle, your Shoot, Assault and Guard are at -1.
10-12: Wound has healed well. You are combat effective and can participate in the next battle.

If the soldier is wounded again in the next battle he participates, roll again on the Wound Result Chart.
Results are cumulative. Therefore, if he rolls the same injury as before, then it will be at -2 for the permanent injuries, but only -1 again if he rolls 9-10.
If the soldier continuously gets injured each battle to the point that the negative modifiers reduce any of his stats to below 2, then hs is combat ineffective and is removed from the platon permanently. A replacement will be required.

[renlegunvrs]

well i must say that i do like your medic rules (being an actual medic myself and having combat experience) I have a few points i would like too add in my two cents if thats ok? I love the wound chart its great but i would suggest that if a grunt has above a -2 permanent injury he would be replaced as his wounds would take him off the front line. also if he had a total of -3 or 3x -1 he would also be taken off the front lines. as for non medics treating more than one patient at a time i have seen it done but it turns into a shit show (excuse expression) so the chance of success should drop by at least half if not more. one non medic working on one patient is acceptable another non medic helping him works well. a non medic on more than one patient is a disaster. I like the idea of the power armour but i think it should only allow the wearer too stay in the waxed condition longer say on its side 2 or 3 turns instead of 1 as the suit keeps him alive until someone gets too him. but thats just my 2 cents. otherwise keep up the great work and im very happy too see this! one other thing i cant remember off the top of my head but i think that medical skills should be in place of shooting. im pretty sure they were though. also waxed models should be able too be dragged at half the moving models movement so they can get patients closer too the medic.

[darebear]

Personally, I would use the First Aid rules from Tomorrow's War. All troops use the Standard Table. Medics/Commanders/Power Armor units/Elite troops use the Advanced Table


Standard First Aid Rules - roll d6: 1=dead, 2-3=Serious Wound; 4-5=Light Wound, 6=OK.
Advanced First Aid Rules (Medics and say Veteran/Elite Troops) - roll d6: 1=dead, 2=Serious Wound; 3-4=Light Wound; 5-6=OK

Light Wounds: model can still participate in combat, but cannot make a double move unless it passes a Mental Check.
Serious Wounds: model can no longer participate in combat and must make a Mental Check to make a Double move.

Wounded troops can split off from their squads in an attempt to move off the board to safety (they do not count as dead). Lightly wounded models can move on their own. Seriously wounded models must be escorted by either a healthy model or a lightly wounded model.

Casualties can be abandoned to their fate by their squads however the squad loses 1 point from all attributes for the remainder of the game. If any attribute is reduced to zero the Gruntz squad is eliminated. At the end of the game roll d6, on a 4+ the model is considered captured/slain.

The first aid rolls are made at the start of the units next activation. There must be at least one non-waxed/seriously wounded model in the squad to make a first aid roll. If all models in the squad have been hit/are seriously wounded then the squad remains in place and immobile/inactive (consider it like a super-pin/suppressed state) until either a) a friendly squad comes within 2" of them, in which case first aid rolls can be immediately made; b) an enemy unit comes into contact with them in which case the squad is eliminated or captured.

See Tomorrows War for more information.