My Modified Mook Rule & Hard to Subdue

I use a modified mook rule, as discussed in these two posts:

My Modified DF Mook Rule
Reflections on my Modified Mook rule in play

I still use these in play, although they don't come up as often as you'd probably expect; unsure of what foe is a mook or not, PCs generally fight as if everyone is a potential boss monster and go for random hit locations hoping for a cripple or lucky vitals/neck/skull shot, or "aim for the hit points" and try to just force the foe down to -5xHP as fast as possible. In effect, going for the surety of eventual death but skipping the possible quick knockout by forcing lots of rolls, penalized or otherwise. But still, they are there.

I am considering modifying the effect of Hard to Subdue, however.

Instead of an off/on switch for the auto-fail of HT rolls, each level of Hard to Subdue pushes the auto-fail threshold down 1xHP.

So a mook auto-fails at 0 HP or below.

One with Hard to Subdue 1 auto-fails at -1xHP or below.

Hard to Subdue 2 fails at -2xHP or below.

Etc. Only 4 levels matter as -5xHP is automatic death without certain advantages - none of which you'd find on something that counts as a mook!


This can allow Hard to Subdue to have its normal effect, but not act as such a big swing between automatic failure and a tough fight - especially since HT 12 is pretty common on the kind of foes that have Hard to Subdue 1+, and HT 13 is likely to keep a foe up for a long, long time.


I'm not sure if I'll do this, but I'm leaning toward it pretty heavily.