Wound System

[Dayspire]

I have this thread on my list of 'favorites'. The systems here I've liked, but not loved, and I've been hard pressed to figure out where they went wrong. Your ideas here 77IM are great, and I'll probably use this with only minimal change (specifically, like what you refer to, the difference between being slowed vs ongoing damage).

Thanks!

 

[77IM]

However, using "critical misses" means that the stress of casting a fireball depends on the number of targets?!

Really good catch -- I hadn't thought of that at all.

How does this sound:

Stressing a Wound: When you roll low on an attack roll, skill check, or ability check, you suffer the wound condition again. If the natural roll on the d20 die, before any modifiers, is less than or equal to your number of wounds, you immediately suffer the condition again (if you have multiple different wounds, randomly determine which). Permanent wounds can't be stressed and don't count towards your total number of wounds. If you are making an attack which requires multiple attack rolls, only the first one can stress a wound (subsequent attack rolls as part of the same attack don't count).

-- 77IM

 

[Garthanos]

77IM, I do like how your wound system uses very 4E methods

 

[eriktheguy]

I love the wound system you have suggested. I don't think it needs much modification at all. Some people suggested to make it a little simpler. I concur. The only thing I suggest is that the healing surge cannot be regained until you recover the wound (three wounds? three less healing surges...). Other than that I don't think you should EVER give the characters a permanent injury. They will hate you forever and want the character to die so they can make a new one.

Someone suggested that you always take at least one damage, even if you take a wound. That just makes it more complicated, so I wouldn't bother.

Edit: I realized that permanent wounds can still be recovered by heal checks according to your description. In that case I do not think they are a problem. You might want to change the name to 'lasting' to avoid confusion. Also clarify that 'the player can no longer make endurance checks for this wound, only heal checks can recover it'.

 

[77IM]

Thanks Garthanos and erik for your kind words!

Other than that I don't think you should EVER give the characters a permanent injury. They will hate you forever and want the character to die so they can make a new one.

Under the latest version of the system (this one) you never "give" the characters any injury -- it's always voluntary on the part of the player. I changed it for the reasons you mentioned (injuries are annoying so they should not be forced on players).

Edit: I realized that permanent wounds can still be recovered by heal checks according to your description. In that case I do not think they are a problem. You might want to change the name to 'lasting' to avoid confusion. Also clarify that 'the player can no longer make endurance checks for this wound, only heal checks can recover it'.

The intention is that they can't make Endurance checks or Heal checks (called "recovery checks") to cure the permanent wound; only the Cure Wound ritual (a level 6 ritual) will do it. I could probably clean up that wording, though.

-- 77IM

 

[Garthanos]

I think the idea of "Stressing the Wound" really puts some heroic flavor in to the picture.

 

[eriktheguy]

Hey, I read your new version of the wound ability and love it. I like the removal of the inflict wound because most monsters only appear in one combat (hence the players would not use it).

If you wan't to put a balanced inflict wound power in your campaign, I suggest making it a class power above level 6 (that way if it becomes permanent, the players are probably high enough level to afford the cure wound ritual).
For example, a rogue power you create could have the ability:
Special: If you have combat advantage, you may forgo sneak attack damage to inflict a wound of your choice. The recovery DC for this wound is 10 + 1/2 your level + Dex
This power is best suited to recurring NPCs. It does not suit the PCs as well because they usually fight each foe only once. Note that these wounds are more likely to become permanent than voluntary ones.

Edit: For balance and aesthetic reasons, wounds inflicted by powers do not daze, and are effective immediately.

The only suggestions I want to make are for convenient bookkeeping:
Gut wound. Maybe ongoing damage could be 2 for heroic wounds, 4 for paragon, 6 for epic?
Check DC: remembering the damage inflicted for each wound is tedious. I preferred your original system with DC based on level.

 

[Garthanos]

Under the latest version of the system (this one) you never "give" the characters any injury -- it's always voluntary on the part of the player. I changed it for the reasons you mentioned (injuries are annoying so they should not be forced on players).
-- 77IM

This actually for me brings home the idea that hit points are not wounds they are various resources heros use to stave off taking a wound. There is a heroic archetype for whom avoiding the wound with luck and skill and energy doesn't fully match... ie the tough hero, the "die hard" movie fans and those who liked Borromir bristled with arrows will recognize it this is the hero who really seems to just "take it" he can be slightly incapacitated by his injuries and still be effective because it is his schtick.

A wound system supports him.. it is not so much about being realistic... Allowing the player to decide if his character is the the agile hero, the lucky hero or tough hero or whatever.. could be seen as more allowing the player to skin his characters powers.

Hitpoints could be seen as one of the unsung powers... and can also represent mages using last second reserves of magical energy to block real injury with a shield of magic, phasing out your body part even when you werent quite prepared for it or some other basic magic effect.

 

[Garthanos]

Gut wound I think needs worked on... it sort of defeats the purpose of the "accepting" of a wound, the bleeder needs to be similar amount of total damage as the attack which caused it or just spread out over multiple rounds or maybe a tad more to balance it out?

 

[Blackbrrd]

This was a great addition to 4e.

I hate killing characters, but I love combat with lots of tension - i.e. imminent death.

This system makes perfect sense. Combat will feel gritty, but at the same time, it isn't directly deadly. It makes the danger zone larger, and characters in a danger zone makes for more tension.

It ENABLES the characters to make heroic last stands to protect the other characters at high future cost. I really love this, both as a DM and player.

(Some balancing needs to be done during play I guess, but that is to be expected.)