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Good points. I think things like lava should just be instant death and not even deal damage. You could have a lethality dial where you reduce this to one death save instead of three, or any additional damage is death instead of being an auto-fail. I found the 4e model worked for me, but I...

Actually I think it would add excitement. As long as you have 1 Wound, you'll have full Vitality and can always risk pressing on and checking out that next room. It makes the choice of going forward or camping a meaningful one instead of a no-brainer. It makes it easier for DMs to add time...

I disagree. Assuming casters get only 4 HP per level, their total HP and thus their Vitality pool will be lower than a martial PC, so it takes fewer successful attacks to get them into Wounds than it would for a martial PC. But I still don't think a successful attack should represent actual...

Some additional rules to round out the system. Temp HP: Any effect that adds Temp HP instead adds directly to your Vitality pool and can take your Vitality above your normal maximum Vitality. Any additional points above max Vitality are lost when the effect granting Temp HP ends. Non-Lethal...

Good points. Yes, a percentage instead of flat numbers does make more sense. Since I don't have surges in this system and am trying to stay away from those, there could be a spot on the sheet for your Total HP, Vitality pool, Wound pool, and maybe a Heal pool (or call it a Recovery pool)? And...

Good points. Though in my opinion this is a feature not a bug. :) Wouldn't it make sense that the melee types are going to be the ones getting physically hurt more? And isn't that how it works now in a straight up HP system? In editions 1e through 4e, the melee types are always taking more...

I fleshed out my system here.

Here is my fleshed out 5e healing model. The terminology of course can change. Base System: So all PCs have HP but its divided into two health pools. Half of their HP, round up, goes into the "Vitality" pool. The other half goes into the "Wound" pool. So a 1st level PC with 11 HP would have 6...

I'd like to keep it simple. Everyone divides their HP into two pools. So a fighter who might now have 50 HP at level 5 or whatever, now has 25 HP and 25 Wounds. HP represents all that abstract stuff (luck, stamina, dodging blows, etc) only. Wounds represent a mix of actual damage, but still some...

This really comes down to two core issues. Magic items do two things that impact game balance. They affect the math of the game, and they allow players a measure of control over the narrative space that can have unpredictable results. Usually, the sole domain of the DM. The first issue is +X...

Right, I don't think clerics should have to prepare their spells. I know thats how its always been done, but its never made sense to me that divine casters have to pre-choose their miracles. I think there can be holy rituals for certain powerful long term effects, but generally speaking I think...

There is a certain amount of playstyle already embedded into certain classes, but I hope there is some optional complexity as well. I cringe whenever I hear the notion that fighters should be the noob class, and wizards should be for advanced players. A complex fighter, and a simple wizard...

There are two big issues with daily resources for me. Aside from an exception for Vancian casting, X per day abilities need to be purged from 5e. First of all, its pervasiveness across so many classes is the reason the game has a 15 MAD problem in the first place. Get rid of X per day class...

Very interesting. It takes the base concept of the 4e Skill Challenge mechanic and folds into the skill system. I quite like this idea. I think it has a lot of potential. :) It took me a couple of times reading your post before I got what you were going for, though.

BRILLIANT! I can't XP you right now, but that is a fantastic idea. I love it when game mechanics are elegant and intuitive and fit in perfectly with existing mechanics. This idea nails it for me! Well done! :) I could absolutely accept a save or die that works this way. Even better is it...

The problem with save or die is it brings a lot of baggage with it. It assumes that you want a level of lethality and threat that may not jive with your particular playstyle and necessitates easy resurrection. I like death to be rare and dramatic. Not something that can occur in the first round...

Group XP or whenever the DM feels a level is appropriate is the only way to go for me. Everyone levels together. I loathe individual XP awards and won't tolerate it in any game I play in ever again. I have played in far too many games where the DM had their favorite pet players and something as...

Actually a 4e fighter can start with nearly 30 HP. But people who freak when they look at the number, do so because their expectations are grounded in prior edition math. HP in a vacuum are meaningless. If I have 30 HP, but a kobold can do 50 HP of damage on a hit, then I'm playing a game more...

Randomness in an RPG should exist to provide variability, excitement and tension whenever there is an element of doubt as to success. Or when an arbitrary method for choosing among otherwise equal discrete elements is needed. Randomness should never be used as a method of balance, IMO.

There are many assumptions in this thread for people's preferred playstyle. I've never felt it heroic that level 1 parties are expected to gang up on and slaughter lone orcs and kobolds. Even at level 1, a fighter PC should be able to duel and defeat a monster of equal level by themselves at...