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Chunky Salsa Rule: Difference between revisions
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An exception to the [[Hit Points]] system common to virtually all role playing games, in that massive head trauma is automatically lethal to a character regardless of the number of hit points they have. This is a fairly common house rule in many [[Tabletop Games]] groups, but a few systems have it explicitly built in, particularly those on the cynical side of the [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]].
The '''Chunky Salsa Rule''' may also refer to rules specifically describing the effects of taking much more damage than is required to kill a character, which is to say reducing the [[Nightmare Fuel|entire character]] [[Ludicrous Gibs|to the consistency of chunky salsa]]. In addition to the grotesque visual, this may also negatively impact attempts to bring the character [[Back
The '''Chunky Salsa Rule''' exists specifically to avoid [[Critical Existence Failure]]. Compare [[Boom! Headshot!]].
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* The [[Arms Law]] combat system used by ''Role Master'', ''Space Master'', and ''[[The History of Middle Earth|Middle Earth]] Role Playing'' had a elaborate critical hit/miss system that included numerous automatically lethal injuries. One of the more humorous entries was for a piercing injury -- "Strike through ear destroys brain. The unfortunate lummox dies instantly, and any ear wax is removed."
** Another hilarious, though wince-inducing result from a crushing injury (don't remember exactly where it was) was "Blow to [[Groin Attack|foe's groin]] pulverizes the pelvis and any squishy bits. Foe is immobilized and unable to do anything except writhe in pain for THIRTY rounds, then dies as a relief."
* Though noted for a system that increases hit points for every level, ''[[Dungeons
** In 3rd Edition it forces a Fortitude save if a character suffers massive damage, which is any single attack or other source of damage (such as a long fall) that does fifty or more [[Hit Points]] of damage to a character. Failing the save kills the character regardless of hit points. Of course, by the time any character reaches the point where 50 [[Hit Points]] of damage isn't sufficient to kill them, they're likely to have a fairly decent fortitude save.
*** Averted for constructs, plants, undead and other creatures without discernable anatomies though, along with them being immune to [[Back Stab|sneak attacks]] and [[Critical Hit|critical hits]].
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** They also have Vorpal Blades. Regardless of how many hit points you have, removing your head will kill you (Unless you're a zombie or golem or something else that isn't strictly speaking alive to begin with or have extra heads)
** There are also Illithids, who can extract the brain of an enemy when grappling (assuming it has one, and actually uses it - Zombies, Golems and such are excluded again) as an instant-kill and an snack between meals.
* While most models in any given ''[[Warhammer Fantasy Battle]]'' or ''[[Warhammer
** Averted for anyone with the "Eternal Warrior" special rule.
** The above is only 40K. In WFB many high-strength attacks do a random (usually D3 or D6) amount of damage instead. Which means yes, a level 1 mage with 2 wounds can survive being hit with a cannonball. Chariot bodies, on the other hand, go pop when hit with one. There's also an Instant Death rule - Killing Blow - in FB, but that is a special rule, not a general one.
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* In the ''[[Baldur's Gate]]'' series, characters who take amount of damage significantly higher than their current hit point total, or suffer a one-hit kill due to obscene damage or a vorpal weapon, will often be "chunked" (i.e., explode messily). While this is simply a cooler death animation for your enemies, allied characters who get chunked on harder difficulty levels can't be resurrected and force a reload - and better tactics the next time around - if you want to keep them in your party.
** Ditto for characters who fail their saving throw against the spell 'Disintegrate'; no matter how much health you had left, if you blow that roll, you ([[Disadvantageous Disintegration|and your equipment]]) are dust in the wind.
* In ''Wasteland'', a [[After the End|post-apocalyptic]] [[Role
** [[Spiritual Successor]] ''[[Fallout]]'' continues the tradition; [[Critical Hit]]s regularly produce [[Ludicrous Gibs]] - every now and then an enemy with 50 HP will take 5 damage and instantly die. It also introduces a perk that should at least be a ''reference'' to [[Bloody Hilarious]] -- '''Bloody Mess'''; Every time something dies, even by [[Cherry Tapping]], it produces a specialized "critical" death animation; bullets blow fist-sized holes, [[Frickin' Laser Beams]] slice the target in half, plasma weapons melt them to goo, pulse weapons burn them to ash.
*** Instant death critical hits, which are the highest result from the critical hit table, can also happen if you do 0 damage in ''[[Fallout]]'' and ''[[Fallout 2]]''. This can lead to a [[Game Breaking Bug]] since the game engine will consider the character dead, meaning that you can no longer interact with him/her, but scripting which depends on the death of the said character will not fire. Examples include the boxing ring in Fallout 2 where the fight will never end if you kill your opponent with a 0 damage instant death critical.
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{{quote|Hahahaha! I've defeated Sonic! That annoying hedgehog is now gone forever! He's nothing but floating chunks in space now!}}
* In ''[[Dead Island]]'', a point-blank shotgun blast tears extremities off zombies and humans alike, even if it deals proportionally small amounts of damage. This means that one 420-damage shot to the face can kill a 2000 hp Walker zombie by turning his head into brain salad.
* The medics in [[Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas]] can revive dead people, unless their heads have been blown off
{{reflist}}
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[[Category:Injury Tropes]]
[[Category:Laws and Formulas]]
[[Category:Chunky Salsa Rule]]▼
[[Category:Video Game Tropes]]
[[Category:Tabletop Game Tropes]]
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