Ones Digit Hit Boxes

10 Oct, 2026

What if we used hit boxes instead of hit points?

💥 a hit location table

The internet is full of hit location tables for TTRPGs, but let’s make a new one!

Now let’s get funky and ignore the tens digit. This way you can use a D20, which is much more common than a D10

🎯 a targeting system

Completely random tables are neat, but the whole point of hit boxes is to aim for them. We can achieve this through dice of different sizes and player selected modifiers

When making your attack, first select any number as your modifier, then roll your chosen die. Add the modifier to the die result, and ignore everything except the ones digit

For example, D4 + 7 would look like this

You can do this with any size die, but something weird happens when a D12 is used with this method. If my math is correct, eight of the results would have a 1/12 chance, and two of the results would have a 1/6 chance

💔 an HP alternative

Treat the hit locations as a checklist. Once a location has been hit on a character, all subsequent hits to that same location are considered a “miss”

If at any point you can add up a combination of successful hits to equal exactly 10, that character is knocked out of combat / dead

If a character has their 1 and 4 already checked off, you could aim for their 5, 9, or 0 to knock them out

🪖 an armor rule

Unarmored characters will get knocked out from any combination of hits that = 10

Lightly armored characters will get knocked out from any combination of hits that = 20

Heavily armored characters will get knocked out from any combination of hits that = 30

🔄 a trap card

Let’s add a deck of UNO cards to this game. Each player will get a set of 0-9 cards to keep in their hand, and a reverse card to place face up in front of them

Instead of checking your hit boxes off on a piece of paper, whenever one of your hit boxes is hit, remove the matching card from your hand and place it face up in front of you in a way that is visible to all players

At the end of each turn, place one card from your hand face down on top of your reverse card. This is your trap card. If an opponent hits your trap card, reveal it and redirect the same attack toward the attacker before returning your trap card to your hand

You will also return your trap card to your hand at the beginning of your next turn, if your trap card was not activated

⏰ a snooze mechanic

Lets add stamina, rest, and a game clock to this game

Each player begins with six dice: D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, and D20. Also, each player will add an UNO skip card face up to their play space. Each die represent one stamina, and the skip card represents exhaustion

Making an attack costs one stamina. Select one of your unspent stamina dice and aim it by modifying it with any number. Ignore everything except the ones digit to determine which hit box you are attacking. Regardless if the attack hits, misses, or is redirected by a trap card—the die has been spent. Set spent dice next to your UNO skip card

At any point during your turn, you may take a brief rest. Exhaust one spent die by placing it on your skip card, then return the rest of your spent dice to your control. Regain exhausted dice from a long rest

⚔️ a weapon rule

When making an unarmed-attack, you will spend exactly one stamina

You may assign one weapon to one of your hit boxes. When your assigned hit box has been hit by an opponent, the weapon is removed from combat

When making an armed-attack, you may choose to spend one, two, or three stamina. Die results are never added together, each has its own chance of hitting a hit box. The modifier you chose before rolling will apply to all dice you roll this turn

If your activated trap card happens to be your weapon-assigned hit box, you may select any character (within reason) to redirect the attack. Warning, redirecting an attack to someone who is not the attacker might activate their trap card!

RECS

I don’t know how to end this post in a way that doesn’t add more mechanics, so here are some neat things you should check out!

IRON on IRON on IRON by Shurebis

A Roll-to-Move Monster Hunting Engine by To Be Resolved