Awesome Flavor for HP & Healing Surges

[Truename]

Let me start by saying that this thread is not for complaining about 4e's healing surge mechanic. It's not for complaining about 3e's wands of CLW, either. This thread is for Awesome.

So... what Awesome do you bring to 4e's hit points and healing surges? Here are some ideas to get the thread started:

Gritty flavor:

hit, pre-bloodied:
"You strain with the effort of parrying the blow."

hit, post-bloodied:
"Your vision blurs with fatigue. Your opponent slips inside your guard and slams you across the jaw with the pommel of his sword."

martial healing surge:
"'Suck it up, soldier! Get back in there and fight!' You shake the cobwebs from your brain and face the monster with a grimace."

magic healing surge:
"A cool, numbing sensation floods over you, washing away the pain. You'll regret it in the morning, but for now, there's monsters to kill."

below zero hit points:
"Exhaustion overwhelms you. Detached, you watch in mute horror as the mace slams into your side. You hear rather than feel the cracking sound. 'Was that my armor? Or my rib?' you wonder as oblivion carries you away on sharp pointy sticks."

short rest:
"Grunting in pain, you cinch the bandages tight, then settle the chain shirt over your shoulders. It'll take that rib weeks to heal, but Lord Ivel isn't gonna sit around and wait. Good thing you're used to fighting through the pain."

extended rest:
"Your side is a mass of purple and yellow, and even a mother would have a hard time loving your swollen eye and lip. But it's amazing how much good a full night's sleep has done. You've been better, but you're ready to fight, and the world isn't gonna save itself."

I was going to give some examples of Cinematic and Fantastic to go along with the Gritty, but this is long enough already. Add your own! (And remember, this thread is for Awesome. Put your thoughts on Fail in a different thread.)

 

[munkeywrench]

Here's what I wrote to allow myself to view HP and damage in a bit less abstract way:

Within every creature there is an abstract substance that can only be described as “vital essence”. Vital essence allows all creatures to exist and be what they are. Without vital essence, the universe would have no insects, no trees, no animals, no humans, no elementals, even no gods. The universe would simply be a void populated with inanimate matter and energy.

Healing surges are a manifestation of surplus vital essence. Most creatures do not have healing surges, but it is not rare for intelligent races to be able to have them in abundance. However, the difficulty comes in how to harness one’s healing surges. Sometimes they can be accessed through sheer guts and hot-bloodedness. More commonly, they are accessed through magical means.

Spending a healing surge in a non-magical way to regain HP – You dig down deep within yourself and find the drive to keep on living despite your injuries.

Spending a healing surge in a magical way to regain HP – The magical effect taps into your vital essence to heal the damage that has been done to you.

While you are not bloodied – The attacks you receive are jarring and hurt, but you’re mostly okay.

While you are bloodied – The attacks you receive are beginning to wear you down. Fight or Flight has set in and you’re running off of adrenaline to stay in the fight.

While you are below 0 HP – Death is knocking at your door.

 

[Rel]

I've talked with my players about how to envision Healing Surges and Hit Points. What I've told them is that, if they want some logic to build from, Hit Points represent one thing: Will To Fight. And of course that "one thing" is made up from a lot of small things but they can be summed up in that manner.

This explains why the inspiring words of a leader can help you just as much as the magical healing of a Cleric. It explains why steeling yourself to continue (by using Second Wind) helps you go on with the battle just as much as drinking a Healing Potion does. It explains why taking a few minutes to catch your breath, bandage a few cuts and let the terror of battle subside can get you feeling "like yourself again". And it explains why a "few hours of shut-eye" lets you feel renewed and continue your campaign against whatever malevolence you seek to thwart.

4e PC's are like action heroes and I'm ok with that.

However I will say that I desire a mechanic so that, once in a while, you sustain a wound that you don't completely recover from by morning. So I've implemented a "Wound" system to accomodate that.

 

[senna]

So I've implemented a "Wound" system to accomodate that.

Care to elaborate? It apears to be a good compromisse. Do you use the desease condition table?

 

[Rel]

Care to elaborate? It apears to be a good compromisse. Do you use the desease condition table?

http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/244442-how-i-fixed-d-d-4th-edition.html

Check the first post about halfway down. That's the system I plan to use and it has been discussed and debated quite a bit with some people I think are pretty smart about game design. But it hasn't been playtested yet (my new campaign starts in two weeks).

 

[Truename]

Riculously Over the Top flavor:

hit, pre-bloodied:
"The force of the blow sends you flying. With a back-flip, you leap to your feet and charge back into the fray."

hit, post-bloodied:
"The poison dart rips through your eye socket! Two damage!"

martial healing surge:
"You pull the dart out and fling it to the ground. 'Bring it on!' you snarl."

magic healing surge:
"Flickering sparks of lightning surround your body as your wounds close and your eye pops back into its socket."

below zero hit points:
"The blow severs your leg at the knee. The last thing you see is the hobgoblin swinging your own armored foot at your face."

short rest (martial):
"You grab a tree branch and lash it in place. First hobbling, then walking, then sprinting, you quickly learn to fight as well as you did before the hobgoblins beat you over the head with your severed leg."

extended rest (magical):
"You gaze at the gnarled tree branch that served as your prosthetic limb. 'Farewell, friend,' you say as Bahamut answers your prayer."

 

[Truename]

High Magic flavor:

hit, pre-bloodied:
"Sparks fly as you channel your energy into your armor, repelling the blow."

hit, post-bloodied:
"The glow of your armor flickers and dies as the monsters' claws rends a great hole in the scales protecting you. A line of fire burns across your side."

martial healing surge:
"Falling back a step, you compose your mind as the Adepts of Som'Wr taught you. The bleeding slows, then stops."

magic healing surge:
"The skies open for a moment and a shaft of light pinpoints your body. You hear a brief chorus as the edges of your wound knit together."

below zero hit points:
"The sorcerous laughs as inky smoke floods into your lungs. Eyes bulging, you fall to the ground, unable to act as she prepares to destroy your friends."

death saving throw:
"Channeling your energy, you force the smoke from your body. Gasping, you lie there, trying to regain your strength."

short rest:
"Drawing on the energy of the wind and sky, you flush the last of the sorceress' foul taint from your body."

extended rest:
"With meditation and sleep, you recharge your reserves."