-
The VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
D&D 4E Death and Dying in 4E: Propose Your Own Homebrewed Rule!
- Thread starter Daniel D. Fox
- Start date
Sir Brennen
Legend
You say you don't like negative hit points? You want staggering, disabled characters more often? Then how about:
[D].[/D]
Also note how it might require the use of heavy-duty healing spells just to keep the character alive, without actually restoring any hit points.
So go ahead and whack a character for fifty points of damage. He's got 3 rounds to roll a 20, or hope his friends hit him with enough healing to give him a few more rounds to keep trying...
[D].[/D]
When a character takes damage in excess of her current hit points, she must immediately make a Fortitude save vs a DC of 10 + (damage in excess of current hit points). A successful save means the character is disabled but conscious. Failure means the character is unconscious and dying. In either case, the character's hit points are reduced to zero.
On his turn during subsequent rounds, a dying character must make a stabilization roll. This is another Fortitude save against the original DC. Any additional damage a dying character takes is added to the DC. Three failed rolls indicate the character has died. A natural roll of 20 means the character has stabilized on his own.
Any magical healing a dying character receives will not restore hit points, but instead gives a bonus to the stabilization roll equal to twice the spell level. Successful use of the Heal skill also gives a bonus of +1 to the roll for every full 5 points by which the check result exceeds a DC 15. If the character's Fortitude score plus bonus equals or higher than the current DC, the character stabilizes.
A stable character is no longer required to make Fort saves, and is considered disabled. A stable character may regain hit points through rest or magic as normal. Any bonus to stabilization rolls from healing is reset to zero.
A disabled character may either move or take a standard action. Doing either requires her to make another Fortitude save at the end of her turn, just as if she had taken damage in excess of her current hit points. This is a base DC 10 plus one for a move action, plus 1d6 for a standard action. Each additional round of activity increases the DC by a like amount. Any actual damage the character takes while disabled also adds to the DC.
[D].[/D]On his turn during subsequent rounds, a dying character must make a stabilization roll. This is another Fortitude save against the original DC. Any additional damage a dying character takes is added to the DC. Three failed rolls indicate the character has died. A natural roll of 20 means the character has stabilized on his own.
Any magical healing a dying character receives will not restore hit points, but instead gives a bonus to the stabilization roll equal to twice the spell level. Successful use of the Heal skill also gives a bonus of +1 to the roll for every full 5 points by which the check result exceeds a DC 15. If the character's Fortitude score plus bonus equals or higher than the current DC, the character stabilizes.
A stable character is no longer required to make Fort saves, and is considered disabled. A stable character may regain hit points through rest or magic as normal. Any bonus to stabilization rolls from healing is reset to zero.
A disabled character may either move or take a standard action. Doing either requires her to make another Fortitude save at the end of her turn, just as if she had taken damage in excess of her current hit points. This is a base DC 10 plus one for a move action, plus 1d6 for a standard action. Each additional round of activity increases the DC by a like amount. Any actual damage the character takes while disabled also adds to the DC.
Also note how it might require the use of heavy-duty healing spells just to keep the character alive, without actually restoring any hit points.
So go ahead and whack a character for fifty points of damage. He's got 3 rounds to roll a 20, or hope his friends hit him with enough healing to give him a few more rounds to keep trying...
Last edited:
Jack Daniel
dice-universe.blogspot.com
Betote said:
This is brilliant concept. Now, if only -10 were a meaningful buffer above 5th level or so...
I think the best way to do it is to use a rule like this, but dispense with the concept of negative hit points. Something like:
When you fall to 0 hp or lower, you are dying. There are 10 ticks on your "countdown clock" -- not negative hit points, just a number that represents the amount of time you get to spend hovering at death's door. Your clock counts down by 1d3-1, and if this figure reaches 0 as well, the character is dead. Three rolls of 0 on the d3-1 indicates stabilization. (Alternatively, you could use Con score instead of 10, but that might be too much of a reward/penalty based on Con.)
italianranma
First Post
My problem with HP is that as a DM when I take a character down, I want them to stay down until the end of the battle. Having even a single point of healing bring a character back from unconsciousness seems like a bad idea. My house rule is that once a character goes down, he's out for the remainder of the fight. I might allow powerful once per day abilities to revive a character, but that's it.
Jack Daniel
dice-universe.blogspot.com
One thing I've discovered in my own efforts at house-rule design, it's a bad idea to use a PC's Constitution or level (i.e. hit point total and/or saving throws) as a measure for how long it takes them to die. This unduly rewards characters with a high Con (especially dwarves and such), who already have a Constitution bonus expressed in their hit points. Likewise, hit points and saving throws of and in themselves are an adequate expression of how hard it is to kill a character based on their level.
In AD&D games (including 3e), where the tendency is to have characters bleed out round-by-round, I've often gone with a "countdown clock" as I mentioned in my previous post, but in order to keep its results secret from the players, what I actually do is roll 1d10 in secret once a PC reaches 0 hp, and then I reduce the number by 1 every round. If the PC is healed, he can survive (or even get up and fight again, if the healing was magical); otherwise, he'll wind up kicking the bucket at some point unknown to all the players.
In OD&D games, which are characteristically harsher about death, I prefer a more organic method. When a player drops to 0 hp, I roll 1d6 in secret (so many game mechanics in OD&D rely on that d6). On a result of 1, the lucky PC was only knocked out cold. If left alone, he'll wake up on his own after the battle. If healed, he can get up and fight again immediately. On a roll of 2 or 3, the PC is mortally wounded and in danger of bleeding out. The PC has one game turn (which in OD&D is ten in-game minutes, or 60 combat rounds, whichever comes first) to receive some medical attention, or else he dies. If the PC does get healed, he's nonetheless disabled and bedridden for several days. On a roll 4 to 6, the PC is instantly killed. This rule is also exceedingly handy to use on important NPCs and villains, since it adds a degree of randomness to "who survives and has last words" vs. "who just gets killed." And, of course, the DM can always roll the d6, ignore it, and pick a result that fits the situation.
In AD&D games (including 3e), where the tendency is to have characters bleed out round-by-round, I've often gone with a "countdown clock" as I mentioned in my previous post, but in order to keep its results secret from the players, what I actually do is roll 1d10 in secret once a PC reaches 0 hp, and then I reduce the number by 1 every round. If the PC is healed, he can survive (or even get up and fight again, if the healing was magical); otherwise, he'll wind up kicking the bucket at some point unknown to all the players.
In OD&D games, which are characteristically harsher about death, I prefer a more organic method. When a player drops to 0 hp, I roll 1d6 in secret (so many game mechanics in OD&D rely on that d6). On a result of 1, the lucky PC was only knocked out cold. If left alone, he'll wake up on his own after the battle. If healed, he can get up and fight again immediately. On a roll of 2 or 3, the PC is mortally wounded and in danger of bleeding out. The PC has one game turn (which in OD&D is ten in-game minutes, or 60 combat rounds, whichever comes first) to receive some medical attention, or else he dies. If the PC does get healed, he's nonetheless disabled and bedridden for several days. On a roll 4 to 6, the PC is instantly killed. This rule is also exceedingly handy to use on important NPCs and villains, since it adds a degree of randomness to "who survives and has last words" vs. "who just gets killed." And, of course, the DM can always roll the d6, ignore it, and pick a result that fits the situation.
howandwhy99
Adventurer
Bumping for more rules
(damn, this makes my post in the other thread look out of place)
(damn, this makes my post in the other thread look out of place)
Nightchilde-2
First Post
I like the rules as-is, but I have considered some sort of "permanent scarring" set up. Like, perhaps, if you fail two of the three recovery rolls, you've gained a permanent (and nasty) scar.
Wormwood
Adventurer
Paraphrased from my last D&D campaign's house rules:
Characters reduced to to under 1 HP are 'unconscious' until the end of the encounter (when they wake with HP equal to their level).
Any healing will wake the character with hit points equal to the amount healed.
Any damage taken while unconscious sends the character into 'dying'. A 'dying' character dies at the end of the encounter.
Any healing brings the character to 'unconscious'.
As usual, Drama Points can be spent to heal---but DP costs are double when 'unconscious', and triple when 'dying'.
NPCs die at 0 hp unless they have Drama Points (or DP are spent on their behalf).
Any healing will wake the character with hit points equal to the amount healed.
Any damage taken while unconscious sends the character into 'dying'. A 'dying' character dies at the end of the encounter.
Any healing brings the character to 'unconscious'.
As usual, Drama Points can be spent to heal---but DP costs are double when 'unconscious', and triple when 'dying'.
NPCs die at 0 hp unless they have Drama Points (or DP are spent on their behalf).
Pbartender
First Post
I might suggest...
The 4E rule works exactly as stated, except:
Unconscious becomes Staggered.
Death becomes Unconsciousness.
Actual death effectively requires a coup de gras.
The 4E rule works exactly as stated, except:
Unconscious becomes Staggered.
Death becomes Unconsciousness.
Actual death effectively requires a coup de gras.
Bladesong
Explorer
This is what we have been doing for a while now:
Any effect that drops your hit points to 0 (or less) you are staggered/disabled (save or die spells take you to this point). Yes, this means everyone becomes disabled before dying unless...see below.
If you were brought to 0 (or less) due to massive damage or a "save or die" spell you make a Con check vrs DC 10, if you fail you die (die hard feat adds +4 to this roll). If you make the roll you are disabled for 1 round then you drop unconscious and dying if you are not treated.
You follow the normal rules for being disabled; if you take a standard action you drop (unless it was healing). If you take another hit (of any kind) you drop unconscious and dying.
Each round you are unconscious and dying you make a Con check vrs DC 12 and keep track of how many you fail and how many you succeed. Whichever result you hit first 5 times dictates your condition.
Succeed 5 times and you are stable, fail 5 times and you are dead. If you roll a natural 20 at any time you stabilize, if you roll a natural 1, you die.
There are a couple of feats that can help with this roll, and an action/hero point can be used to stabilize automatically.
Everyone has been happy with it, and there has only been one death from massive damage and his total roll was a 9 (missed it by one) and 2 from normal rolls (one rolled a 1 and the other had four fails and four successes and then one more fail. Considering characters have been in this condition a couple dozen times, the results are pretty good.
Negative hit points are not used, and all healing is added to 0. No one can discuss their condition with anyone (except DM of course) until the battle is over.
Any effect that drops your hit points to 0 (or less) you are staggered/disabled (save or die spells take you to this point). Yes, this means everyone becomes disabled before dying unless...see below.
If you were brought to 0 (or less) due to massive damage or a "save or die" spell you make a Con check vrs DC 10, if you fail you die (die hard feat adds +4 to this roll). If you make the roll you are disabled for 1 round then you drop unconscious and dying if you are not treated.
You follow the normal rules for being disabled; if you take a standard action you drop (unless it was healing). If you take another hit (of any kind) you drop unconscious and dying.
Each round you are unconscious and dying you make a Con check vrs DC 12 and keep track of how many you fail and how many you succeed. Whichever result you hit first 5 times dictates your condition.
Succeed 5 times and you are stable, fail 5 times and you are dead. If you roll a natural 20 at any time you stabilize, if you roll a natural 1, you die.
There are a couple of feats that can help with this roll, and an action/hero point can be used to stabilize automatically.
Everyone has been happy with it, and there has only been one death from massive damage and his total roll was a 9 (missed it by one) and 2 from normal rolls (one rolled a 1 and the other had four fails and four successes and then one more fail. Considering characters have been in this condition a couple dozen times, the results are pretty good.
Negative hit points are not used, and all healing is added to 0. No one can discuss their condition with anyone (except DM of course) until the battle is over.
Last edited:
