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General Tabletop Discussion
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Why the HP Threshold on Spells is a Bad Idea
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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6022079" data-attributes="member: 6696971"><p>I'm sure you're referring to option 1 and, assuming that is the case, I agree. But I think you sense that I'm trying to nail it down hard and fast when I'm not. I'm just ball-parking an already abstract concept (HP and what % and when is meat, divine favor, luck, proficiency, etc) and the players can resolve the fiction however they wish. Its a "little less nebulousness" ensconced in an "already nebulous" interpretation for the sake of mechanical expediency. Nothing more. Option 1 is my preferred option and I'll narrate it how I see fit based on fictional context. </p><p></p><p>Clearly something "meat-centric or meat-relevant" happens when your HP gets down to critical levels as that is when you are consistently at risk of going down. Therefore, logically (and it has been stated by devs in the past and I believe Gygax himself), there is a critical threshold of HPs (25 %, 10 %, whatever). Yes, it is "of-level threat relevant". But the game mechanics of percentages, specifically when you're referring to "save or suck" or "save or die" effects will generally be "of-level threat relevant." You're very likely never going to be teetering around 50 % HPs (or definitely 25 %) when you're fighting "below-level threats." They will be walk-over encounters so you won't be at-risk of suffering ill effects that those "below-level threats" may administer due to the % HP threshold/plot armor mechanic. Further, those "below-level effects" coming from "below-level threats" shouldn't be particularly punitive (or shouldn't be if the threats are balanced correctly) relative to your PC's expected level of performance within the HP ablation and action economy mechanics. </p><p></p><p>Simply put, if properly balanced, the 50 % threshold is a number that will invariably come into play when you're fighting L + 1 - 2 encounters and 25 % will often come into play when you're fighting L + 3 - 5. Further, the punitive effects that you may endure should be "threat-level relevant", so again, they should be balanced.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 6022079, member: 6696971"] I'm sure you're referring to option 1 and, assuming that is the case, I agree. But I think you sense that I'm trying to nail it down hard and fast when I'm not. I'm just ball-parking an already abstract concept (HP and what % and when is meat, divine favor, luck, proficiency, etc) and the players can resolve the fiction however they wish. Its a "little less nebulousness" ensconced in an "already nebulous" interpretation for the sake of mechanical expediency. Nothing more. Option 1 is my preferred option and I'll narrate it how I see fit based on fictional context. Clearly something "meat-centric or meat-relevant" happens when your HP gets down to critical levels as that is when you are consistently at risk of going down. Therefore, logically (and it has been stated by devs in the past and I believe Gygax himself), there is a critical threshold of HPs (25 %, 10 %, whatever). Yes, it is "of-level threat relevant". But the game mechanics of percentages, specifically when you're referring to "save or suck" or "save or die" effects will generally be "of-level threat relevant." You're very likely never going to be teetering around 50 % HPs (or definitely 25 %) when you're fighting "below-level threats." They will be walk-over encounters so you won't be at-risk of suffering ill effects that those "below-level threats" may administer due to the % HP threshold/plot armor mechanic. Further, those "below-level effects" coming from "below-level threats" shouldn't be particularly punitive (or shouldn't be if the threats are balanced correctly) relative to your PC's expected level of performance within the HP ablation and action economy mechanics. Simply put, if properly balanced, the 50 % threshold is a number that will invariably come into play when you're fighting L + 1 - 2 encounters and 25 % will often come into play when you're fighting L + 3 - 5. Further, the punitive effects that you may endure should be "threat-level relevant", so again, they should be balanced. [/QUOTE]
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