Unearhed Arcana death and dying variant
The brake on advancement in current rules is that "death" absorbs a level of experience and/or a chunk of resources slowing progression. {edit} - brake as in something stepped on to slow down, not to stop - sorry if use was unclear.
The variant on page 121 of UA makes it less likely a character dies. However it thus leads to "faster progression". Essentially, when characters' hit points reach 0 they must make Fort saves (modified by how badly damaged they are) to see if they are disabled, dying or dead. They can end up only disabled, dying (similar to being at -4) and recover (avoiding level loss for return) having taken damage that would kill them in standard D&D.
If you don't tweak some things other aspects of rules don't work as expected. For example, creatures that are "disabled" (reach negative hit points) may remain conscious if they make a Fort save but still fall prone, dropping held items and trigger a "cleave" opportunity. Otherwise, "cleave" feat is nerfed.
Similarly, the variant I use includes that a character whose damage had reached -10, acquires an XP deficit to pay off. It's not that they lose a level, but their experience is diverted to paying off this deficit thus they slow down, just as if they had lost a level and had to earn it back, but without losing the level "in advance".
This keeps death "worse", but also less likely, but also makes sure players still work hard to avoid "being saved from death" by these rules.
Objectives:
- from simulationist perspective, create rules where characters are "hurt, need help, have to be carried to safety" more often;
- from narrativist perspective, create rules where characters don't undergo the "concept violence" of dying so often, out of view that even if they are raised too much of that can feel cheesy;
- from gamist perspective, give a last chance to succeed at some balanced cost, and do not violate the rules in place with respect to cost of taking hp+10 damage.
The brake on advancement in current rules is that "death" absorbs a level of experience and/or a chunk of resources slowing progression. {edit} - brake as in something stepped on to slow down, not to stop - sorry if use was unclear.
The variant on page 121 of UA makes it less likely a character dies. However it thus leads to "faster progression". Essentially, when characters' hit points reach 0 they must make Fort saves (modified by how badly damaged they are) to see if they are disabled, dying or dead. They can end up only disabled, dying (similar to being at -4) and recover (avoiding level loss for return) having taken damage that would kill them in standard D&D.
If you don't tweak some things other aspects of rules don't work as expected. For example, creatures that are "disabled" (reach negative hit points) may remain conscious if they make a Fort save but still fall prone, dropping held items and trigger a "cleave" opportunity. Otherwise, "cleave" feat is nerfed.
Similarly, the variant I use includes that a character whose damage had reached -10, acquires an XP deficit to pay off. It's not that they lose a level, but their experience is diverted to paying off this deficit thus they slow down, just as if they had lost a level and had to earn it back, but without losing the level "in advance".
This keeps death "worse", but also less likely, but also makes sure players still work hard to avoid "being saved from death" by these rules.
Objectives:
- from simulationist perspective, create rules where characters are "hurt, need help, have to be carried to safety" more often;
- from narrativist perspective, create rules where characters don't undergo the "concept violence" of dying so often, out of view that even if they are raised too much of that can feel cheesy;
- from gamist perspective, give a last chance to succeed at some balanced cost, and do not violate the rules in place with respect to cost of taking hp+10 damage.
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