Massive Damage and temporary HP's

[Vahktang]

So, Hit Points are hit points, right?
The Massive Damage rules say:

Have 50+ pts of damage in one hit, make a Fort save or die.

But my players contested since the top HP's are temporary, those don't count towards the total for the Massive Damage rule.
Some supported, some contested, I said I'd take it to the wise folks up on the boards (that's you people )

So, what say you all:

Hit points are pretty much hit points, and if a monster takes down your even 51 pts of temporary Hit Points, you make the roll.

More later,

Vahktang

 

[Dandu]

You make the save regardless.

The massive damage rules are kind of stupid anyways. I would not enforce them.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

I'd rather just not use the massive damage rule. Which definitely biases my answer in saying I'm with the players. Temp hp are not in any way tied to the PC's bodily health. A Con 3 Wizard could end up with +60 temp hp and have more than the fighter, and yet he'd still seem physically frail. So I would agree they shouldn't count for the massive damage rule. Compare with Con increases liek a Barbarian's Rage, which are more closely tied to your character, in that they dissapear when the con bonus goes away.

But again, I hate massive damage rules. Getting hit for 50+ damage already sucks enough.

 

[Dandu]

At higher levels, enemies can easily deal 50+ damage per attack, which would mean that players would have to roll saves every round of every combat and hope that a natural 1 does not happen.

 

[pawsplay]

It's massive damage, not massive loss of of hit points. If you receive 50+ points of damage in one hit...

 

[billd91]

I'd say count 'em. The massive damage rule is basically getting hit so hard it doesn't matter how many hp you've still got left - the hit was so hard it was instantly deadly, period.

 

[Vegepygmy]

But my players contested since the top HP's are temporary, those don't count towards the total for the Massive Damage rule.

That's utter nonsense.

But so is the Massive Damage rule in the first place.

 

[Dandu]

If followed, your PCs will be rolling fort saves fairly often and the dice will eventually end up on a 1, in which case they will be forced to roll new characters for a really poor reason.

Unless they took Steadfast Determination.

 

[irdeggman]

Per RAW - hit points are hit points regardless of the source - whether it is by class, racial, con bonus (or temporary Con bonus - see raging effects) or spell like effect.

If the character is "frailer" than his hit point total reflects because they are "temporary" than they would suffer more from such a massive damage blow.

But like the others, I don't like the massive damage rules and don't use them.

 

[StreamOfTheSky]

If the character is "frailer" than his hit point total reflects because they are "temporary" than they would suffer more from such a massive damage blow.

How do you figure that? Especially if "hit points are hit points"?

If a character has 10 temp hp, and is shot with an arrow for 3 damage, do all of you actually describe him as being wounded? What happens a minute later when the hypothetical temp hp vanish because the duration's up? He's now (still) at full normal hp. Did the ending of the effect visually heal him?