4e Fan Creations and House RulesWorking on variant powers? Statting up a PC race or your version of a monster? Creating or converting an adventure? Put it here!
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Hi. I'm Johnny Tek - self-proclaimed Defender of Earth.
I am currently setting up a new professional game master business. I'm going to be offering a replacement option for my clients that order DnD 4e sessions and don't like dying in the game.
I want to save some time on this (lots of work to do) so if you would throw your ideas and feedback at this, it would be much appreciated.
Here's the replacement option (optional):
Heroic Death Throes
A character is allowed an unlimited number of death saving throws and does not die unless the circumstances absolutely prevent survival (jumping into lava, getting sliced in half, etc.). When a character makes a death saving throw and fails, a roll on the following list must be made.
When you are reduced to 0 hit points or less, you remain conscious but can not take any actions except free actions.
When you stabilize, you return to 0 hit points but can only perform a single action per turn until your hit points become 1 or more. If you take damage again, you are dying again until you stabilize.
Roll a dX when you've failed a death saving throw.
1. You keep your eyes open for the enemy's attack, warning your comrade in the nick of time. You can give an ally a +2 bonus to all defenses against an attack as an immediate interrupt until the start of your next turn.
2. You pray to your deity for aid. You regain 1 healing surge if you have no healing surges left.
3. You call out to encourage your allies to stand their ground. Your allies regain hit points equal to your Intelligence or Charisma modifier (minimum 1).
4. You call to your allies for help. All allies within 5 squares can shift 1 square towards you.
I need more. I want at least 20 for the final list. If you can help me get this done faster, it would be much appreciated.
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I basically think your idea is very 4e and those are the kinds of house rules I like to see, I would like it not to be a random roll... but rather a set of interesting choices.
Wait a second. So you BENEFIT from failing a death save?
You are still helping the team... is my interpretation. When Frodo fell to the blade of the Nazgul ... it actually inspired more fervent attack and defense from his allies that type of thing.
I think when Frodo is stabbed by the troll and his friends go berserk might be a better example.
It's a storytelling game. Being on the verge of death and making heroic things happen even though the hero is practically disabled is seen often in great stories.
For a 1-shot adventure with a time constraint and people paying, the disruption of having to switch characters can be a very bad thing.
Anyway, the wounds system looks interesting. Perhaps if the death throes list became a mix of both good and bad results it would be more interesting.
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I think when Frodo is stabbed by the troll and his friends go berserk might be a better example.
It's a storytelling game. Being on the verge of death and making heroic things happen even though the hero is practically disabled is seen often in great stories.
For a 1-shot adventure with a time constraint and people paying, the disruption of having to switch characters can be a very bad thing.
Anyway, the wounds system looks interesting. Perhaps if the death throes list became a mix of both good and bad results it would be more interesting.
Looks like an interesting system. Basically we are taking the final fantasy route where unconscious party members just stay there and wait to be revived. No party member dies permanently unless the whole party does. I like the idea of helping your teammates from the ground as long as you are not getting back up. I agree with Garithos that it is probably better to let the players choose what they do rather than rolling. So far the abilities you suggested look pretty good.
Berzerk all allies withing 5 squares may make power blows (as though they have the feat) with an additional 1 point of damage
It occured to me these might written up in some cases as Warlord powers with a triggers when an attack drops a companion. This would give them a normal context in the game. The idea of a fallen ally being inspiration is right in the trick bag for the warlord.
An ally might be able to spend a healing surge to immediately regain and use spent daily or encounter power.
I think in general you might look at the Warlords powers and use them as ideas for what might happen and how the fallen one could influence his friends.
Last edited by Garthanos; 19th May 2009 at 02:35 PM..
The group I DM is now level 10, we have 4-5 PCs per session, and one warlord and one paladin as the healers. They are indestructible. Even when I throw grossly unfair encounters at them, they have never run out of healing.
So I'd be wary of any rule that makes it easier for PCs to survive.
You can use RPGA's method with dealing with death since they deal in a series of one shot games. After all, the chance of failure and "death" is what makes the game exciting.
Character Death
• Pay the component cost for the ritual. If the group chooses this option, the cost should be divided evenly amongst the group (500 gp for heroic tier, 5,000 gp for paragon tier, and 50,000 gp for epic tier). Using a source outside the group to cast the ritual costs 20% more than
the component cost. Total cost when using an outside source is 600 gp for heroic tier, 6,000 gp for paragon tier, and 60,000 gp for epic tier. A PC that dies and chooses this method of return gains full (or half, if the party was defeated) experience points from the encounter in which the character died, but no experience points for any encounters that were missed while the character was dead. If there’s still more of the adventure remaining, the PC continues to earn experience as normal, and receives a normal cut of the rewards at the end of the adventure.
•Invoke the Death Charity clause. If the group cannot afford to pay for the ritual, doesn’t desire to pay for it, or doesn’t have access to the body, the PC can choose to return back to life at the end of the adventure. Doing so forfeits all rewards (including treasure and story rewards) earned for the adventure except experience points gained prior to the character’s death (the character receives the experience point award for the encounter in which they died). The PC cannot participate in the same adventure a second time.
Last edited by Nebten; 20th May 2009 at 12:00 AM..
The group I DM is now level 10, we have 4-5 PCs per session, and one warlord and one paladin as the healers. They are indestructible. Even when I throw grossly unfair encounters at them, they have never run out of healing.
So I'd be wary of any rule that makes it easier for PCs to survive.
-- 77IM
I think the original poster, might actually want it certain they will survive ;-), but even moreso he wants play to stay interesting for a character even if they are "out of the fight". That seems the nature of his house rule.
House rules can be explicitly defined to affect the tone of the campaign for instance the wound house rules I mentioned above maintain a rather cinematic flavor of heroic perseverance without making things grittier than the players/dm wants.
For instance making the berzerk rule I mentioned was designed to make the remainder of the fight go faster and if you spend a healing surge to reuse a daily well hmmm that daily might be a healing power ... and yeah that might not be on target... or it might be that is tone.
I think as a DM you need to pay attention to the composition and nature of your group... and just assuming the default is not useful (unless you are just writing modules).
I mean that group with half being healers, that is going to have an impact on sense of game deadliness.
It occurs to me that half healers might not be abnormal but it might be overly prevalent due to people being used to previous editions of the game.
Last edited by Garthanos; 20th May 2009 at 12:50 AM..
I think the original poster, might actually want it certain they will survive ;-), but even moreso he wants play to stay interesting for a character even if they are "out of the fight". That seems the nature of his house rule.
Well, that is an interesting spin on things... here's how I'd do it.
When you drop to 0 or fewer hit points, you don't fall unconscious, you become crippled. While crippled,
You are weakened.
You are slowed.
You grant combat advantage to all enemies.
Powers and effects that affect unconscious creatures can affect you.
You don't make death saving throws.
If you take any damage while crippled, and there is no ally within 10 squares of you who is not crippled, unconscious, or petrified, you fall unconscious. While unconscious, you don't make death saving throws, and can be revived as normal.
So... you are still in the game, but kind of suck (so now is the time to use defensive maneuvers, healing powers, utility powers, and Aid Another). But when everyone is crippled, the enemies can then start dropping party members. So a total party wipe is still possible, but the implication is that the group would then be taken captive or something.
While unconscious, you don't make death saving throws, and can be revived as normal.
Being unconscious still takes the character out of play and as a result the player. That's what I'm trying to avoid. Why pay for a session if you end up twiddling your thumbs for a potentially long length of time?
If a character gets hurt while "disabled", then perhaps a random penalty could be added. The "heroic death throes" rolls could be all beneficial but getting hit could have dire consequences by the time you get up.
Perhaps two separate tables then - one for heroic acts of desperation and one for unfortunate injuries acquired while in a weakened state.
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