Take a moment to imagine a world where both camps who enjoy HP = slowly recovering meat and HP = stamina/fatigue/moral/luck/etc can play the same game and not have any issues with how the game portrays HP. Yeah, that is a lofty goal, but I think we can reach it, or at least get close. So bear with me here.
Step 1: HP
Hit Points (HP) represent your body's endurance, "meat", and your ability to take a hit. They are not 100% meat so don't get the impression that losing HP means you suffer massive gaping wounds, but losing HP does imply at least some physical contact with a source of harm. A skilled warrior is able to roll with the blows he receives so HP damage usually only results in minor scrapes, scratches, and bruises.
Your HP are not determined by your class, rather they are soley determined by your character level. At level 0, your base HP are equal to your Constitution score. You gain additional HP each level equal to 1 + your Con mod. You always gain at least 1 HP per level, even if your Constitution is 8 or less.
HP recover very slowly without the aid of magic. With a long rest, you recover an amount of HP equal 20% of your maximum HP. So if you are 10th level and have a 16 Con, you would have 56 HP and your would recover 11 HP per long rest.
Optional: If you rest in a comfortable and safe location such as an inn, you recover twice as many HP each night.
Step 2: HD
Hit Dice (HD) represent a combination of your fighting skill, stamina, toughness, luck, and general combat capability. HD represent your ability to dodge out of the way, parry a blow, block an attack, or otherwise avoid bodily harm. You gain 1 HD each level based on your class. For example, a 10th level fighter would have 10d10 hit dice.
You may spend HD whenever you take damage to attempt to reduce the damage taken. Roll any amount of your remaining HD and add the result together; reduce the damage you would take by an amount equal to the total rolled. If you reduce the damage to 0, you completely avoid the attack suffer no secondary effects (such as being paralyzed by a ghoul's touch).
Here is an example of how this would work. A 5th level fighter is ambushed by an evil wizard. The wizard launches a 21 damage fireball at the fighter. The fighter decides to spend 3 of his HD to reduce the damage and rolls a 4, 5, and 7. He would reduce the damage taken by 16 points, so he would still lose 5 HP. The wizard's partner then attempts to attack the fighter with a poisoned dagger hiting for 6 damage. The fighter decides to spend another HD and rolls a 7. Since the fighter reduced the damage to 0, the fighter does not even need to make a saving throw against the poison.
HD are primarily recovered through rest. A short rest or a long rest recovers all spent HD. Inspiration, magic, potions, and a few other sources (such as the barbarian's rage or the fighter's second wind) can also recover hit dice. For example, the warlord doesn't heal HP, he instead inspires his troops recovering their HD. Healing potions are another way to recover spent HD. Most healing potions recover HD and not HP. Only the truly powerful magical healing potions are able to restore your Hit Points. Herbal remedies, ointments, and salves merely replenish your lost energy reserves.
Step 3: Heroic Effort (Optional)
There are other used for HD besides merely reducing damage taken. You can spend a single HD whenever you would make a saving throw or in a contest to attempt and add the result to your total. For example, an 18 Strength fighter is arm wrestling with an Ogre and really wants to win. He decides to spend a HD when he rolls his d20 for the Strength contest. He rolls a 12 on the d20 and a 5 on the d10, for a total result of 21, soundly beating the ogre's total of 17. You may not spend more than a single HD whenever you use Heroic Effort.
Step 4: Modify It
Not everyone will want to play in a game where you have to actively avoid sword swings much the same way as you actively dodge fireballs, and that is ok. This method is very highly customizable. Here are some suggested options:
1. Static HD: Don't roll HD, just use the average rounded down. If your fighter would take 12 damage from an attack, spend 2 HD and simply reduce the damage taken by 10.
2. Slower Recovery: Some people will probably feel that regaining all your HD back with a short rest is too much. With this option, you only regain 1/2 your total HD with a short rest instead of all of them. If you want a really slow recovery, reduce it to 1/4 your total HD per short rest.
3. Old School: Instead of regaining HP equal to your Con mod + your level each night, you only regain HP equal to your level. If you want to go real Old School, you only heal 1 HP per night!
4. Stamina: Instead of rolling your HD to avoid taking damage, you instead roll all your HD (or use the average) at the end of each rest. The total rolled is your "stamina". Stamina are similar to temporary hit points. You lose stamina just like you would lose HP, and you lose your stamina first.
5. Static Damage: Don't roll for damage, just use the average. Rolling for HD to reduce damage already creates enough variance.
Step 1: HP
Hit Points (HP) represent your body's endurance, "meat", and your ability to take a hit. They are not 100% meat so don't get the impression that losing HP means you suffer massive gaping wounds, but losing HP does imply at least some physical contact with a source of harm. A skilled warrior is able to roll with the blows he receives so HP damage usually only results in minor scrapes, scratches, and bruises.
Your HP are not determined by your class, rather they are soley determined by your character level. At level 0, your base HP are equal to your Constitution score. You gain additional HP each level equal to 1 + your Con mod. You always gain at least 1 HP per level, even if your Constitution is 8 or less.
HP recover very slowly without the aid of magic. With a long rest, you recover an amount of HP equal 20% of your maximum HP. So if you are 10th level and have a 16 Con, you would have 56 HP and your would recover 11 HP per long rest.
Optional: If you rest in a comfortable and safe location such as an inn, you recover twice as many HP each night.
Step 2: HD
Hit Dice (HD) represent a combination of your fighting skill, stamina, toughness, luck, and general combat capability. HD represent your ability to dodge out of the way, parry a blow, block an attack, or otherwise avoid bodily harm. You gain 1 HD each level based on your class. For example, a 10th level fighter would have 10d10 hit dice.
You may spend HD whenever you take damage to attempt to reduce the damage taken. Roll any amount of your remaining HD and add the result together; reduce the damage you would take by an amount equal to the total rolled. If you reduce the damage to 0, you completely avoid the attack suffer no secondary effects (such as being paralyzed by a ghoul's touch).
Here is an example of how this would work. A 5th level fighter is ambushed by an evil wizard. The wizard launches a 21 damage fireball at the fighter. The fighter decides to spend 3 of his HD to reduce the damage and rolls a 4, 5, and 7. He would reduce the damage taken by 16 points, so he would still lose 5 HP. The wizard's partner then attempts to attack the fighter with a poisoned dagger hiting for 6 damage. The fighter decides to spend another HD and rolls a 7. Since the fighter reduced the damage to 0, the fighter does not even need to make a saving throw against the poison.
HD are primarily recovered through rest. A short rest or a long rest recovers all spent HD. Inspiration, magic, potions, and a few other sources (such as the barbarian's rage or the fighter's second wind) can also recover hit dice. For example, the warlord doesn't heal HP, he instead inspires his troops recovering their HD. Healing potions are another way to recover spent HD. Most healing potions recover HD and not HP. Only the truly powerful magical healing potions are able to restore your Hit Points. Herbal remedies, ointments, and salves merely replenish your lost energy reserves.
Step 3: Heroic Effort (Optional)
There are other used for HD besides merely reducing damage taken. You can spend a single HD whenever you would make a saving throw or in a contest to attempt and add the result to your total. For example, an 18 Strength fighter is arm wrestling with an Ogre and really wants to win. He decides to spend a HD when he rolls his d20 for the Strength contest. He rolls a 12 on the d20 and a 5 on the d10, for a total result of 21, soundly beating the ogre's total of 17. You may not spend more than a single HD whenever you use Heroic Effort.
Step 4: Modify It
Not everyone will want to play in a game where you have to actively avoid sword swings much the same way as you actively dodge fireballs, and that is ok. This method is very highly customizable. Here are some suggested options:
1. Static HD: Don't roll HD, just use the average rounded down. If your fighter would take 12 damage from an attack, spend 2 HD and simply reduce the damage taken by 10.
2. Slower Recovery: Some people will probably feel that regaining all your HD back with a short rest is too much. With this option, you only regain 1/2 your total HD with a short rest instead of all of them. If you want a really slow recovery, reduce it to 1/4 your total HD per short rest.
3. Old School: Instead of regaining HP equal to your Con mod + your level each night, you only regain HP equal to your level. If you want to go real Old School, you only heal 1 HP per night!
4. Stamina: Instead of rolling your HD to avoid taking damage, you instead roll all your HD (or use the average) at the end of each rest. The total rolled is your "stamina". Stamina are similar to temporary hit points. You lose stamina just like you would lose HP, and you lose your stamina first.
5. Static Damage: Don't roll for damage, just use the average. Rolling for HD to reduce damage already creates enough variance.
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