D&D 5E 5E Wound/Vitality System

[Xeviat]

Perhaps crits and surprise attacks could always deal 1 Wound point of damage, so that there’s some semblance that the attack connected better than others?

Alternatively, many of you have pointed out that single attack monsters could be really deadly in such a system. I posit that a “realistic” and “gritty” system wouldn’t have monsters of that nature, or you would want to be terrified of them. 1 in 20 chance of death is the dragon bites you? Sounds right, better get the ballista ready.

Just using is as extra hp, harder to heal, potentially instead of death saves, would help HP make sense in a way, but it doesn’t allow for the one shot kills that exist at low levels that feel “real”. This wouldn’t be for typical D&Ding.


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[Stalker0]

but it doesn’t allow for the one shot kills that exist at low levels that feel “real”. This wouldn’t be for typical D&Ding.


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In that case, just lower the hp gained by levels. This is how old school dnd worked, past a certain point most characters only got a few hp a level. That will keep the tension you are looking for

 

[phantomK9]

I've been toying with something like this.....

- Leave hit point as they are.
- A critical hit will not do extra damage, but do damage as normal and then victim takes one level of Exhaustion.
- When character is at 0 hit points, hits inflict one level of Exhaustion, a critical hits inflict two levels.
- Exhaustion is healed as normal, ie. needing a long rest.

Players didn't want to change rules too much on the first campaign and we are still playing it, so haven't implemented the rules yet. There is also the problem that this really wouldn't affect monsters or NPC that much.

 

[dave2008]

We do something like this, but we call it HP and BHP (Bloodied Hit Points). It works well for us. Also our BHP is determined by size & strength not Con. We also use armor as DR for BHP (but not HP - AC works normally there). So it helps mitigate the effects of a crit and makes characters tougher at low levels

 

[Alexemplar]

Most game systems that have this sort of potential for unlucky instant kills also tends to have some way for players to temporarily/conditionally avoid it.

Something like spending an Inspiration Point negates the damage that would be done to your hp. And introduce some class abilities so the folks most likely to take critical hits can keep fighting beyond qhen others would be dead. And a couple reaction spells that protect you from such hits.

Although I too encourage just using less hp per level

 

[Shiroiken]

A simple system I haven't convinced my group to use:

If you take number of wounds equal to your HD type for size (Small 6, Medium 8), you die. If you have more wounds than half your HD type for size you suffer disadvantage on all attacks, checks, and saves, and your speed is reduced by half.

Each failed Death Save causes 1 Wound (ignore all other rules for failed death saves). Each Critical Hit causes 1 Wound. Dropping to 0 HP causes 1 Wound (limit 1/ combat, if desired)

You may spend 1 full day resting (downtime) to remove 1 wound. Lesser Restoration can be used to remove 1 Wound; Greater Restoration removes all Wounds. (Cure Wounds is renamed, if desired)

 

[jodyjohnson]

Most game systems that have this sort of potential for unlucky instant kills also tends to have some way for players to temporarily/conditionally avoid it.

Something like spending an Inspiration Point negates the damage that would be done to your hp. And introduce some class abilities so the folks most likely to take critical hits can keep fighting beyond qhen others would be dead. And a couple reaction spells that protect you from such hits.

Although I too encourage just using less hp per level

I could see switching to 1e/2e style HP only after level 10 or so but with 3e/5e style multiclassing it requires tracking the order levels are gained (+1 hp/level for d6 classes, +2 hp/level for d8 classes, +3 hp/level for d10/d12 classes after 10th).

 

[Hawk Diesel]

I use a variant proposed by Angry DM with Hit Points and Fighting Spirit. But the games I run the players seem to be near invincible, so I can't speak to how it may make things grittier. But it definitely is nice that a player may be at something equivalent to 0 HP and doesn't just fall unconscious. It creates an intermediate step that signals to the players, "Ok, time for tactical retreat!"

Which is nice.

 

[Dausuul]

If your goal is to make combat feel grittier and more dangerous, I would focus on that; VP/WP is designed to take you in the opposite direction, enabling the "cushion" of fast-recovering hit points with less strain on verisimilitude. There are two key elements to grittier combat:

1) Long-lasting consequences to getting hurt.

2) Potential for sudden death, or at least sudden maiming.

Here's how I might go at it (not saying you need to go this direction, just putting it out as idea fodder):

1) Whenever you are reduced to 0 hit points, you gain two levels of exhaustion, which can only be removed by rest, not magical means. Even if you are raised from the dead, this penalty remains*. This puts real bite in being taken to zero.

2) Whenever an enemy crits you, make a DC 5 Constitution save (calibrate the DC for your desired frequency of "sudden death"). If you fail, you are reduced to zero hit points instantly. A natural 1 is an automatic failure.

[SIZE=-2]*Exception: If you died due to having six levels of exhaustion, your exhaustion is reduced to five levels upon being resurrected. Unless your goals for grittier combat include adding a possibility of permadeath. In that case, fatal exhaustion means you're all dead instead of mostly dead, and the only thing left to do is go through your clothes and look for loose change.[/SIZE]

 

[77IM]

I agree with the last two posts. This is a common, and utterly self-defeating, feature of WP/VP systems. The whole purpose of VP is to provide a buffer against instant death. If crits can bypass VP, then the buffer will fail on a regular basis, probably once or twice per encounter. I would strongly suggest keeping crits as they are (bonus damage).

Another alternative: WP are equal to VP, or at least substantially higher than just Constitution. Now, when a crit bypasses VP and goes straight to WP, it's not quite the instant-death threat, but still represents damage to your "meat."

I definitely agree that low WP + crits bypassing VP = high chance of instant death. Somebody did the math for SWd20 and I think a typical character had a 95% chance of being dead by level 7 or something ridiculous like that.