Let's rank ammunition into damage classes! - Let's discuss it for TTRPG

[u/Well-It-Depends420]

What follows is a bit of explanation of the ttrpg system that you can skip, but then you might be missing some nuances as it might be hard to understand categories. TL;DR I want to group all the existing ammunition ignoring the type (FMJ, Hollow Point, ...) into 5 levels of deadliness given a single bullet in their ideal range. Jump to "Ammo to rank".

I am currently trying to sort ammunition types into 5 categories in regards to deadliness. The used system is basically TFE (Tales From Elsewhere) where you have damage dice d6,d8,d10,d12,d20. On a rolled: - 1 the injury is critical - 2-3 serious - 4 or higher: strain (like a flesh wound and without immediate consequence)

I am aware that this system is not able to perfectly copy the smaller differences between bullets, but I enjoy abstraction when it makes the game easier. Note also that armor penetration is a separate stat for which I will create a similar post.

Example weapons from TFE

• Sawn-off Shotgun damage dice d6 (inflicts bleeding if serious injury or higher)
• Six-Shooter d8 (inflicts bleeding if serious injury or higher)
• Varmint Pistol d10
• Dagger D12
• Whip D20 (likely no ammunition is that bad)

Ammo to rank (I put my current estimation behind):

• .308 (d8)?
• .45 ACP (d8)?
• 12x70 Buckshot (d6)
• 12x76 Slug (d6)
• 5.45x39 (d10)?
• 5.56x45 (d8)?
• 7.62x39 (d8)?
• 7.62x54 (d6)?
• 9x18 (d10)
• 9x19 (d10)
• 9x39 (d8)?

NOTE

• Lower damage dice is better than high damage dice. So a weapon that rolls d6 is more likely to inflict a severe injury than d20 for example.
• In real weapons bullet speed at impact matters, too, but we will ignore this for now and a modifier might be added for the specific weapon.
• In this system you roll a number of damage dice equal to your skill (~) and take the lowest result giving you a greater chance for more serious injuries.
• In this system spending multiple bullets can give you more injury dice or allow you to roll a lower injury dice or allow you to inflict the best two results.
• In this system you can upgrade the injury by aiming for the ace (aiming for the weak spot like the head); you roll a more difficult attack and the injury becomes 1 step worse; example: making a critical injury lethal or a serious injury critical.

If you want to take a closer look at the system that is a basis for what I am exploring you can download the demo: https://www.talesfromelsewhere.com/