Here is my idea.

Two people with weapons ready to attack each other.

Who goes first?

Each throw a dice when combat is decided. If one rolls a 6 then the other player has no defense.

You only roll a single D6

To hit the head is a 6
The body is a 5 or 6
The limb is a 4,5, or 6 unless it is the arm holding a weapon then it is a 6.

One has a free parry and can get equal to or beat the attacker to parry.

Any hit on limb renders it useless until healed.
A hit on the body or head is death in 1d6 minutes

Light armor stops 1 hit and heavy armor stops 2 hits.

Combat is deadly and bloody but with luck one could survive. 

Comments?

Sounds like your trying to create a fast 1 on 1 fight. Not really RPG, but it does sound kinda cool. I'm sorry I can't really be of much help. Would this all be real time? Would the attacker make the choice of what his roll of "6" hits? Cause if it were me, It would be a head shot every time. Screw hitting their weapon holding arm. I dunno, sounds like it needs a little work, but it could make for alot of fun.

If i played this game, I would try my damnedest to NOT get into combat. That isn't a bad thing as long as you want to discourage combat. I like games that focus on other kinds of conflict, and let conflict be as deadly as it really is. If combat is this deadly though, what is your game going to be about?

Would you incorporate differences in weapons into this?

How would you do so while keeping it fast?

Axes give -1 to parry rolls, but if your attack roll is even you can add +1 to the result.

Certain swords give +1 to parry rolls if you roll an odd number.

Other weapons might ignore armour if an even number is rolled...

Just some ideas.

V

I like it. So, who goes first is not an initiative roll, but based on whoever says they're attacking first?

And hit location isn't random, everything is a called shot? If so, there's no reason to ever call for head shot.

Paul

Sounds like it's a roll off to me, no strategy. Just keep rolling until you knock off the other guy's armor and hit him in the head. I predict that this will take 6 to 12 rolls.

-L

The problem is that you can't have realistic but simple combat.  Deadly but simple combat is a different matter, however.  I think Luke's right, though, there's no strategy to this.  You need to make it a little more complicated than it is.  For one thing, you need actions besides attacking, and they need to be viable.  I think the whole system needs to be reworked to be a little more complicated so that you can add more strategy to it.

Two characters are facing off, Bob and Smith.  Bob has a combat skill of 3, Smith has a combat skill of 4.
Both Bob and Smith have a Stamina of 2.

Bob decides to do a swift attack, while Smith does a power attack.
A swift attack takes the highest number as the hit die and the second highest as the damage die, while the power attack works the other way around.

Bob rolls 3 dice and Smith rolls 4.  Bob gets a 3, a 2, and a 6, Smith gets a 5, 1, 4, 4.
Bob's highest number, 6, beats Smith's second highest number, 4, so he hits first.  His second highest number is a 3, so he hits for three damage.
Smith's stamina is 2, so 1-2 damage is a light wound, 3-4 is a medium wound, and 5-6 is a heavy wound.  Smith takes a medium wound, which removes a die from his dice pool.

Smith now counterattacks with his power attack.  His second highest number is 4, so he does 4 damage.  This also inflicts a medium would on Bob, removing one die from his pool.

Bob needs two dice to fight, if he loses another one he will no longer be able to fight.  Bob makes power attack.
Smith plays cautious and makes a guarded attack.  A guarded attack saves one die for later use, but otherwise acts like a swift attack.

Bob rolls a 5, 1, Smith rolls a 3, 4.  Smith goes first this time.  He inflicts Bob with another medium wound, so Bob is too injured to fight.

Bob's counterattack comes, with a massive 5 damage, which would deal a heavy wound.  Smith rolls the saved die from his guarded attack.
Smith rolls a 2.  This exceeds Bob's to hit roll of 1, so the attack is dodged.

Bob can no longer fight, so he tries to run.  Smith makes a power attack.
Bob rolls a 5, Smith rolls a 3, 3, 4.  Bob's roll was higher than Smith's to hit, so he gets away without getting hit.

This is a little more complicated, but it allows for more strategy.  This system isn't perfect, but you can tweak it or borrow any ideas you want from it.  If combat is a big part of your RPG but you want it to be simple and deadly then something more like the above might be better.  If combat is not a very important aspect then you might want to stick with your system.  I guess the question is, how does combat fit into your RPG?

Hi Eldrad,

In a story making way it seems to say "No, heroes don't win out in the end. People just swing and eventually someone dies". It's a very dire statement to make and provocative. I imagine a player would deliberately enter combat when he plans his characters end - though what happens when he plans his end but survives? A curious bump in his authorship, but a fruitful void no doubt, as well.

In a gamist way, its low handling, cut straight to the chase gambling. Pure guts and apparently proud of it! A ballsy little write up and reminicent of the ballsyness of the T&T melee combat system. It feels a little exciting and scary, to me.

BUT.

I've got the feeling (no one hit me, I claim no god like feeling that apparently knows all and sees all) that your making combat short in order to 'get it over as quickly as possible', like it's a sort of chore that has to be done, and your asking if this way you think you've found of doing the chore real fast, whether this fast way works? I don't think you want to savour combat in the story making or gamist way from above, you just want to get it over with? Or I'm wrong - in which case it sounds good in both the above ways (the story making one is not cuddle up/yes man/give everyone the happy ending they expect - it's cutting edge sort of stuff. I think it really says something! Frankly their both quite ballsy). Or are you looking at a third way?

I'm all for simple and keeping things that way will help to get to a gritting and brutal feel. However in my experience and personally some choice is needed.
As has been said, you are going to aim for the head, you need a 6, 6 means the opponent gets no defence, or are there two rolls?
What are you aiming combat to be in your game?
JW

WOW I 4got I put on this post.!

The point would be a deadly combat system.

or

What about a RPG that was based around a LARP with these kind of deadly rules?

Real life and LARP in conflict?