The Alexandrian: Death and Dying Rules

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

I recently ran across some interesting Death and Dying Rules by Justin Alexander that I'm thinking about adopting into my own games. I'd appreciate it if you'd read them and let me know if you think that they are solid.

Death and Dying Rules by Justin Alexander​

 

[Starbuck_II]

I recently ran across some interesting Death and Dying Rules by Justin Alexander that I'm thinking about adopting into my own games. I'd appreciate it if you'd read them and let me know if you think that they are solid.

Death and Dying Rules by Justin Alexander​

Interesting idea: Dead characters automatically lose 1 hp per round.
Coupled with there are no raise dead spells because you can heal someone dead.
A Dead person healed to above death threshold is alive.

Meaning PCs should rarely die (assuming they have a wand of CLW or a Cleric).
In addition: he upgrades Clerics by this
"Clerics may spontaneously cast lesser restoration, restoration, and greater restoration spells as if they were cure spells."

Death effects don't kill they deal Con damage (which may kill).
"Any special ability or spell that results in death instead causes 4d6 points of Constitution damage. On a successful save, the special ability or spell causes 2 points of Constitution damage (instead of whatever effect a save would normally have)."

It is a interesting answer if you want assassin to be feared more (assuming Mr. King forgets to have a local clergy who can cast a simple healing spell... unless he was some atheist king).

Also instead of preparing revive spells: just cure them. Which makes party revives easier (plus no level loss).

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

It is a interesting answer if you want assassin to be feared more (assuming Mr. King forgets to have a local clergy who can cast a simple healing spell... unless he was some atheist king).

Might make the assassin a little less feared, actually, since the assassin's death attack would cause Constitution damage instead of outright death. Though, it would take more than a simple healing spell from a member of the local clergy to bring the assassinated king back. It would take, at least, lesser restoration, assuming the Constitution damage from the assassin's death attack is considered temporary ability score damage. If it's considered permanent ability damage, then it would take a regular restoration spell, which is harder to come by in a world where sixth level is considered "unthinkably high level." Most kings wouldn't have a clergy member standing by of high enough level to cast restoration.

Question: Should the 4d6 Constitution damage frome death effects be treated as temporary or permanent ability damage? Or, should there be two different kinds of death effects? One that causes temporary Constitution damage and another that causes permanent Constitution damage?

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Also instead of preparing revive spells: just cure them. Which makes party revives easier (plus no level loss).

Right. It makes revives easier, if the healing is quickly applied. The hit point loss of one per round for dead characters adds up fast and would quickly surpass the ability of most clerics to reverse after just a few minutes (100hp per ten minutes elapsed).

 

[Michael Silverbane]

Question: Should the 4d6 Constitution damage frome death effects be treated as temporary or permanent ability damage? Or, should there be two different kinds of death effects? One that causes temporary Constitution damage and another that causes permanent Constitution damage?

Ability damage is the term for temporary debilitation, while ability drain is the term for more permanent debilitation.

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Ability damage is the term for temporary debilitation, while ability drain is the term for more permanent debilitation.

Thanks, Michael.

Let me rephrase the question:

Should the 4d6 Constitution damage frome death effects be treated as ability damage or ability drain? Or, should there be two different kinds of death effects? One that causes Constitution ability damage and another that causes Constitution ability drain?

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I think that there probably should. The lowest level death effects, phantasmal killer and slay living, I think, should do ability damage, and the higher levels ones should do ability drain.

I would peg spells of 8th or 9th level as drain, and 7th and lower as damage, probably.

 

[CAFargo]

Hit Point Damage for Being Dead

Doesn't this seems a little weak. This means that by the time a character can be reached, they can sometimes have too little hit points to heal, or, alternately, that even a low-level (0th or 1st) could easily kill them.

 

[Hrothgar Rannúlfr]

Hi, CAFargo,

Forgive me if I misunderstand some of your post. I'll try and answer as I understand it.

Concerning Hit Point Damage for Being Dead:

Doesn't this seems a little weak. This means that by the time a character can be reached, they can sometimes have too little hit points to heal...

If you mean that their hit point total can be so far below their death threshhold that it's impossible to heal them with the present resources, the answer is yes. That's an absolute possibility and one of the features of this set of optional rules, as I see it.

Dead characters continue to lose 1hp per round. This makes them harder and harder to bring back the longer they are dead. To me, this is a feature of this system.

...or, alternately, that even a low-level (0th or 1st) could easily kill them.

This part, I'm having difficulty understanding. Low level characters are already vulnerable to low level spells. And, actually, this system effectively doubles character hit points because you have your normal hit points and you have the same number of negative hit points.

Perhaps the problem your referring to is that plight of low level characters in this system. Some of them will be more vulnerable because they won't automatically survive to -10hp. It will vary from character to character depending on Constitution score.

A first level wizard with a 8 constitution will only four hit points and will only be able to survive to -8hp before dying. But, while that sounds harsh, that same first level wizard can still be brought back if enough healing is administered in a short enough period of time. I believe this is superior to the standard -10 death threshold of the SRD rules because it would require a raise dead or resurrection to get this lowly wizard back to life. And, in my campaign, that would be impossible for a low level group. But, in this system, this wizard might be brought to -25 hit points and then with a few healing potions and cure light wounds, he could be brought back. At least, as long as the healing were administered while it was still able to overcome the accumulated negative hit points.

A first level wizard with a 16 constitution would be able to survive down to -16hp (which is better than the standard -10). And, even then, she could still be brought back with healing potions/spells/etc... after falling below -16, if enough healing were applied.

For a 1st level barbarian with an 18 constitution (16hp), this system means that the barbarian will be able to survive to -16hp before dying and they may or may not become unconscous before reaching that point.

Does that help? Please, clarify if I've misunderstood any of your questions.

Thanks!

 

[ValhallaGH]

Note that according to the text, characters have negative HP equal to the larger of their maximum HP or their Consititution score.

So a lvl 1 Wizard with Con 10 has 4 hp and a death threashold of -10.