AverageCitizen
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[h=3]Optional Rule: Vitality Dice[/h]Some DMs find hit points bothersome. A fighter’s high hit points supposedly indicates he can survive a fireball, a troll’s rending claws, and a one‐hundred‐foot fall by virtue of not only his toughness but also by his experience and skill. Counter-intuitively, the only way for him to recover more than a handful of those hit points is through healing magic, suggesting that the damage to his hit points represents wounds. However, he then recovers all lost hit points after a long rest, suggesting that his loss of hit points represented flagging muscles and minor injuries. Some DMs handle this problem by being flexible as they describe damage, interpreting a wound that is potentially lethal in combat as one that can be largely overcome through bandaging and a night’s rest. This kind of flexible interpretation of the default 5e system lends itself well to larger-than-life heroes who quickly recover from mortal damage, like John Wayne shrugging off bullet-wounds to impress a lady or Batman ignoring cracked ribs to return to his patrol the day after a brutal beat-down. Unfortunately, it requires some mental discipline to maintain: most DMs and players merely see the HP pool as a red bar that falls when a character gets whacked with a sword and fills when he takes a rest or is healed by magic. This variant system helps more accurately reflect the kinds of problems a character encounters during a battle that may lead to defeat, namely; wounds and overwhelming attacks, along with separate solutions for both.
[h=3]Defense[/h]In this variant, Dexterity and shields no longer contribute their bonus to armor class. Instead, they combine to form a new stat called Defense. Defense represents your character’s deliberate efforts to avoid harm; the position of his shield, the posture of his sword, keeping his feet, his position relative to his enemies, etc. A character’s Defense equals 10+Dexterity Modifier+Shield Bonus. Any effect that would remove your Dexterity modifier from your AC calculation also removes it from your Defense. As a reaction, a character that is targeted by a melee attack and is armed with a melee weapon or a shield with which he is proficient may add his proficiency bonus to his Defense. If the attack roll is equal to or higher than the target’s Defense, the attack hits and the attacker rolls for damage as normal.
[h=3]Vitality Dice (VD)[/h]Instead of hit points, each character has a pool of vitality dice equal to the number of hit dice he would normally have. When an attack hits and the attacker rolls damage, the defender can choose to roll any number of available vitality dice to attempt to negate the damage. This represents your character's last-ditch attempts to avoid harm when his conventional efforts have failed; a desperate turn to reduce the severity of an attack, a flailing parry, or a sudden dodge. These efforts may avoid the damage, but it was close, and they take their toll in exhaustion or positioning. A character forced to expend many vitality dice to stay alive each round is a character who is hard pressed and in trouble. For each die he rolls, he adds his proficiency bonus and then subtracts the total from the incoming damage. Any damage that remains is applied to his Constitution score as wounds. This is tracked as a temporary reduction from the maximum score, e.g. Constitution: 11/14. If a character is hit by an attack and has no remaining vitality dice, the damage is applied directly to his Constitution. If a character’s Constitution drops to 0, he falls prone, drops what he is holding, and is dying. If the damage from a single attack is enough to reduce a character’s Constitution to 0 and the remaining damage exceeds the character’s maximum Constitution, the character immediately dies. The character’s effective Constitution score is the temporary score, including any wounds. This reduced score and modifier is used for Constitution checks and saves.
[h=3]Recover Action[/h]As an action on your turn, you can recover 1 of your spent hit dice. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). You regain spent uses of this ability after a short or long rest.
[h=3]Armor Class (AC)[/h]Armor Class reduces any wounds (Constitution damage) you take by an amount equal to your the indicated armor class -10. For example, leather armor reduces incoming damage by 1, the Mage Armor spell reduces it by 3, and plate armor reduces it by 8.
[h=3]Healing and Recovery[/h]
[h=4]Short Rest[/h]At the end of a short rest, you make a DC 15 Constitution check. If you succeed, you recover all of your spent vitality dice. If you fail, you recover only half of your expended vitality dice, rounded down. If you are wounded, you make this check with disadvantage. During a short rest, a character can attempt a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check to administer to a number of allies equal to his wisdom modifier, including himself. If the character expends a use of a healing kit, he makes this check with advantage. For each check that succeeds, that ally regains Constitution equal to his Constitution modifier. If it fails or if the ally has a Constitution modifier of less than +1, the ally instead regains 1 Constitution.
[h=4]Long Rest[/h]At the end of a long rest, you you make a DC 15 Constitution check. If you succeed, you regain Constitution equal to your Constitution modifier or 1, whichever is higher, and all of your expended vitality dice. If you fail, you regain half of your maximum vitality dice, rounded down. During a long rest, a character may attempt to aid the recovery of another by making a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. If you expend two uses of a healing kit, you makes this check with advantage. If you succeed, the character receiving your aid makes his Constitution check at the end of the long rest with advantage, and can use your Wisdom modifier in place of his Constitution if he chooses.
[h=3]Case-by-case interpretations[/h]This variant system requires some special consideration of specific spells and abilities. Those which have been reviewed are listed here.
[h=4]Barbarian [/h]Unarmored Defense adds your Constitution modifier, if positive, to your Armor Class, not your Defense.
[h=4]Bard[/h]Song of rest: At the end of a short or long rest during which you perform, allies gain an extra vitality die equal to the die you would have rolled for healing.
[h=4]Fighter[/h]Second wind restores one of your vitality die. At level 10, it restores two.
[h=4]Monk[/h]Unarmored Defense adds your Wisdom modifier, if positive, to your Defense, not your Armor Class.
[h=4]Monsters and NPCs[/h]Any character that does not have a class can only suffer Constitution damage equal to the average of a single one of their hit dice, rounded up, before they are defeated. Their hit dice are converted into vitality dice. If they reach their minimum Constitution, they die or are unconscious (attacker’s discretion), or they use the normal rules for dying (DM’s discretion). Their Constitution modifier is calculated from their temporarily reduced Constitution score.
At the GM’s discretion, a monster may forgo conversion partially or wholly to the vitality dice system and instead treat some or all of its hit points as wound points. This is appropriate for monsters that do not avoid damage but instead absorb a large amount of punishment, such as a flesh or clay golem.
[h=4]On-hit Effects[/h]These effects must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, using the following guideline: is an on-hit effect meant to apply to a character that has been actually touched or injured, such as a poison dart or paralysing grasp? If so, the effect should only apply if the character is wounded by the attack. Also, if such an effect deals damage each round, it may instead sap vitality dice each round or deal an proportionately small amount of damage directly to the character’s Constitution. These effects are comparatively harsh, so be careful when determining their severity. Remember, though, the severity of the effect may need to be increased relative to it’s original strength in order to encourage player’s expend vitality dice to avoid them, helping the effect retain its potency even though the players can completely negate them.
[h=4]Resistances and Vulnerabilities[/h]Resistances and Vulnerabilities are applied to incoming wound damage to Constitution.
[h=4]Spells[/h]Cure Wounds is renamed Rejuvenating Touch, and bestows vitality dice equal to type and number of dice you would normally roll to determine the amount healed, including any bonuses. For example, a Cleric of the Life domain with a Wisdom of 16 who casts Rejuvenating Touch as a 1st level spell bestows the target with a vitality die of 1d8+6. These dice are temporary and restorative, meaning they only last until the end of the encounter and count toward your maximum number of vitality dice. If a target has only spent 2 vitality dice and this spell is cast on it as a 4th level spell, the target gains 2 vitality dice and the rest are lost.
Healing Word is renamed Rejuvenating Word and bestows vitality dice equal to type and number of dice you would normally roll to determine the amount healed, including any bonuses. For example, a Cleric of the Life domain with a Wisdom of 16 who casts Rejuvenating Touch as a 1st level spell bestows the target with a vitality die of 1d4+6. These dice are temporary and restorative, meaning they only last until the end of the encounter and count toward your maximum number of vitality dice. If a target has only spent 2 vitality dice and this spell is cast on it as a 4th level spell, the target gains 2 vitality dice and the rest are lost.
A new spell named Cure Wounds is introduced. It is a level 1 spell and is on the same spell lists as the original Cure Wounds. It has a range of touch and a casting time of 1 action, or it can be cast once as a ritual as part of a short rest. You touch a target and attempt to heal its wounds. Make a Wisdom (Medicine) check DC: 10+the target’s missing constitution. If you succeed, you restore 1+your spellcasting ability modifier Constitution, up to the target’s maximum. If you fail, you restore 1 Constitution. At higher levels: For each level beyond 1st this spell restores 1 more Constitution.
[h=3]Example[/h]For example: a level 2 Barbarian with a Constitution of 14 takes 8 damage from a goblin’s shortsword. He decides to roll 1 his 2 available vitality die to attempt to avoid the damage. Unfortunately, he rolls a 3. Adding his proficiency bonus to the roll, he avoids 5 of the 8 damage. Additionally, his Unarmored Defense ability gives him an AC bonus equal to his Constitution modifier, negating 2 of the 3 remaining damage. He takes 1 wound damage and reduces his Constitution to 13/14. He has been stabbed by the Goblins sword, but it is only a flesh-wound, and though the blood flows freely, his preternatural toughness allows him to largely ignore the injury. However, he can’t keep this up forever. Next time he rolls a Constitution check or Constitution save, he will only have a +1 ability modifier, and now he only has one vitality die left. He must end this battle soon, or risk much more severe injury.
[h=3]Defense[/h]In this variant, Dexterity and shields no longer contribute their bonus to armor class. Instead, they combine to form a new stat called Defense. Defense represents your character’s deliberate efforts to avoid harm; the position of his shield, the posture of his sword, keeping his feet, his position relative to his enemies, etc. A character’s Defense equals 10+Dexterity Modifier+Shield Bonus. Any effect that would remove your Dexterity modifier from your AC calculation also removes it from your Defense. As a reaction, a character that is targeted by a melee attack and is armed with a melee weapon or a shield with which he is proficient may add his proficiency bonus to his Defense. If the attack roll is equal to or higher than the target’s Defense, the attack hits and the attacker rolls for damage as normal.
[h=3]Vitality Dice (VD)[/h]Instead of hit points, each character has a pool of vitality dice equal to the number of hit dice he would normally have. When an attack hits and the attacker rolls damage, the defender can choose to roll any number of available vitality dice to attempt to negate the damage. This represents your character's last-ditch attempts to avoid harm when his conventional efforts have failed; a desperate turn to reduce the severity of an attack, a flailing parry, or a sudden dodge. These efforts may avoid the damage, but it was close, and they take their toll in exhaustion or positioning. A character forced to expend many vitality dice to stay alive each round is a character who is hard pressed and in trouble. For each die he rolls, he adds his proficiency bonus and then subtracts the total from the incoming damage. Any damage that remains is applied to his Constitution score as wounds. This is tracked as a temporary reduction from the maximum score, e.g. Constitution: 11/14. If a character is hit by an attack and has no remaining vitality dice, the damage is applied directly to his Constitution. If a character’s Constitution drops to 0, he falls prone, drops what he is holding, and is dying. If the damage from a single attack is enough to reduce a character’s Constitution to 0 and the remaining damage exceeds the character’s maximum Constitution, the character immediately dies. The character’s effective Constitution score is the temporary score, including any wounds. This reduced score and modifier is used for Constitution checks and saves.
[h=3]Recover Action[/h]As an action on your turn, you can recover 1 of your spent hit dice. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1). You regain spent uses of this ability after a short or long rest.
[h=3]Armor Class (AC)[/h]Armor Class reduces any wounds (Constitution damage) you take by an amount equal to your the indicated armor class -10. For example, leather armor reduces incoming damage by 1, the Mage Armor spell reduces it by 3, and plate armor reduces it by 8.
[h=3]Healing and Recovery[/h]
[h=4]Short Rest[/h]At the end of a short rest, you make a DC 15 Constitution check. If you succeed, you recover all of your spent vitality dice. If you fail, you recover only half of your expended vitality dice, rounded down. If you are wounded, you make this check with disadvantage. During a short rest, a character can attempt a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check to administer to a number of allies equal to his wisdom modifier, including himself. If the character expends a use of a healing kit, he makes this check with advantage. For each check that succeeds, that ally regains Constitution equal to his Constitution modifier. If it fails or if the ally has a Constitution modifier of less than +1, the ally instead regains 1 Constitution.
[h=4]Long Rest[/h]At the end of a long rest, you you make a DC 15 Constitution check. If you succeed, you regain Constitution equal to your Constitution modifier or 1, whichever is higher, and all of your expended vitality dice. If you fail, you regain half of your maximum vitality dice, rounded down. During a long rest, a character may attempt to aid the recovery of another by making a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. If you expend two uses of a healing kit, you makes this check with advantage. If you succeed, the character receiving your aid makes his Constitution check at the end of the long rest with advantage, and can use your Wisdom modifier in place of his Constitution if he chooses.
[h=3]Case-by-case interpretations[/h]This variant system requires some special consideration of specific spells and abilities. Those which have been reviewed are listed here.
[h=4]Barbarian [/h]Unarmored Defense adds your Constitution modifier, if positive, to your Armor Class, not your Defense.
[h=4]Bard[/h]Song of rest: At the end of a short or long rest during which you perform, allies gain an extra vitality die equal to the die you would have rolled for healing.
[h=4]Fighter[/h]Second wind restores one of your vitality die. At level 10, it restores two.
[h=4]Monk[/h]Unarmored Defense adds your Wisdom modifier, if positive, to your Defense, not your Armor Class.
[h=4]Monsters and NPCs[/h]Any character that does not have a class can only suffer Constitution damage equal to the average of a single one of their hit dice, rounded up, before they are defeated. Their hit dice are converted into vitality dice. If they reach their minimum Constitution, they die or are unconscious (attacker’s discretion), or they use the normal rules for dying (DM’s discretion). Their Constitution modifier is calculated from their temporarily reduced Constitution score.
At the GM’s discretion, a monster may forgo conversion partially or wholly to the vitality dice system and instead treat some or all of its hit points as wound points. This is appropriate for monsters that do not avoid damage but instead absorb a large amount of punishment, such as a flesh or clay golem.
[h=4]On-hit Effects[/h]These effects must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, using the following guideline: is an on-hit effect meant to apply to a character that has been actually touched or injured, such as a poison dart or paralysing grasp? If so, the effect should only apply if the character is wounded by the attack. Also, if such an effect deals damage each round, it may instead sap vitality dice each round or deal an proportionately small amount of damage directly to the character’s Constitution. These effects are comparatively harsh, so be careful when determining their severity. Remember, though, the severity of the effect may need to be increased relative to it’s original strength in order to encourage player’s expend vitality dice to avoid them, helping the effect retain its potency even though the players can completely negate them.
[h=4]Resistances and Vulnerabilities[/h]Resistances and Vulnerabilities are applied to incoming wound damage to Constitution.
[h=4]Spells[/h]Cure Wounds is renamed Rejuvenating Touch, and bestows vitality dice equal to type and number of dice you would normally roll to determine the amount healed, including any bonuses. For example, a Cleric of the Life domain with a Wisdom of 16 who casts Rejuvenating Touch as a 1st level spell bestows the target with a vitality die of 1d8+6. These dice are temporary and restorative, meaning they only last until the end of the encounter and count toward your maximum number of vitality dice. If a target has only spent 2 vitality dice and this spell is cast on it as a 4th level spell, the target gains 2 vitality dice and the rest are lost.
Healing Word is renamed Rejuvenating Word and bestows vitality dice equal to type and number of dice you would normally roll to determine the amount healed, including any bonuses. For example, a Cleric of the Life domain with a Wisdom of 16 who casts Rejuvenating Touch as a 1st level spell bestows the target with a vitality die of 1d4+6. These dice are temporary and restorative, meaning they only last until the end of the encounter and count toward your maximum number of vitality dice. If a target has only spent 2 vitality dice and this spell is cast on it as a 4th level spell, the target gains 2 vitality dice and the rest are lost.
A new spell named Cure Wounds is introduced. It is a level 1 spell and is on the same spell lists as the original Cure Wounds. It has a range of touch and a casting time of 1 action, or it can be cast once as a ritual as part of a short rest. You touch a target and attempt to heal its wounds. Make a Wisdom (Medicine) check DC: 10+the target’s missing constitution. If you succeed, you restore 1+your spellcasting ability modifier Constitution, up to the target’s maximum. If you fail, you restore 1 Constitution. At higher levels: For each level beyond 1st this spell restores 1 more Constitution.
[h=3]Example[/h]For example: a level 2 Barbarian with a Constitution of 14 takes 8 damage from a goblin’s shortsword. He decides to roll 1 his 2 available vitality die to attempt to avoid the damage. Unfortunately, he rolls a 3. Adding his proficiency bonus to the roll, he avoids 5 of the 8 damage. Additionally, his Unarmored Defense ability gives him an AC bonus equal to his Constitution modifier, negating 2 of the 3 remaining damage. He takes 1 wound damage and reduces his Constitution to 13/14. He has been stabbed by the Goblins sword, but it is only a flesh-wound, and though the blood flows freely, his preternatural toughness allows him to largely ignore the injury. However, he can’t keep this up forever. Next time he rolls a Constitution check or Constitution save, he will only have a +1 ability modifier, and now he only has one vitality die left. He must end this battle soon, or risk much more severe injury.
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