Aria's HitPoint Modification

[Aria Silverhands]

Hit points have long been viewed by many players and dm's as pools of blood to be depleted by attacks and spells that actually wound the character, despite descriptions of hit points in the PHB and DMG that they are merely abstractions of combat. This houserule is an attempt to divorce that view on hit points and add some consequences to being wounded. The one consequence to this system is that it adds an extra roll to crits. Shouldn't be that big of a deal however.

Endurance

This is equal to hit points in every way that matters. Any ability, power, ritual or spell that heals hit points, affects endurance. Healing Surge is renamed Recovery and can be described as catching your breath, a moment's respite, taking a breather, adrenaline rush or something similar. Second Wind remains the same. DM's should take care to adequately narrate minor wounds and injuries at some points so that a character can't die without suffering any injuries at all from physical combat. These narrative injuries are merely there to maintain a suspension of disbelief.

In addition, when a PC is dropped to negative endurance, they may have merely had the wind knocked out of them or dropped to the ground in exhaustion or delirium, leaving them as vulnerable and unable to attack or cast as if they were unconscious. At the DM's option, the negative endurance characters can mutter a last word or two, maybe even a short dialogue if you're nice, for an appropriately cinematic death. ^_^​

Wounds

Wounds represent physical injuries the character has suffered. Characters suffer wounds when they lose endurance from a critical hit. Minions and creatures wielding standard weapons deal 1d6+Str wounds on a crit. Those with high crit weapons deal 2d6+Str wounds on a crit. Divide the number of total wounds a character has by ten, round down, and apply the result to the character as a penalty to all attack rolls and skill checks. Example: Hathor has 24 wounds, which causes her to suffer a -2 penalty to her attack rolls and skill checks. Currently there is no limit on the number of wounds a character can be suffering from.​

Healing Wounds

Wounds can only be healed by rituals or bed rest. The rituals require ten minutes of casting and cost a minimum of 10gp plus supplies per wound point healed. Once I have access to a statblock for rituals, I can create them for this houserule. Bedrest allows a character to heal two wound points per full day of bed rest. A heal check by another character, with a DC equal to the number of wounds, allows the wounded character to heal an additional three wounds from bed rest.​

Optional

For people insane enough to want to do so, keep track of each critical hit separately. This option should only be used if you are truly insane and like bookkeeping. The benefit of doing this, even if it's just as a player, is it provides something to add to descriptions of actions and your character. For example, "Aria leans against the doorjamb, holding a blood darkened bandage with her left hand against the ten inch gash along her ribs." Astute players may remember the encounter or scene where Aria was wounded thus. Again, this option should only be used if you're as insane as I am! ^_^; For the really, really crazy option, don't allow rituals cast by spellcasters with a level less than the total amount of the specific wound to be able to heal it. Bed rest in this case, heals these wounds slowly, but only at a rate one one point per day and any strenuous activity has a chance of breaking open these wounds or making them worse.​

 

[keterys]

I'd really suggest against using the '1d2' there - the 1d3 isn't so hot either, frankly, but the 1d2 just feels silly. 'Okay, I rest 10 days... let me roll my, uhh, quarters, to see how it goes'

I'd probably suggest just doing 2 and 2, to be honest. That way you know how many days it takes to rest and can move on.

 

[Aria Silverhands]

Yeah, good point.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

1d2 is the bane of tired players and DMs alike. "What... What do you mean roll a 1d2, how can a dice be just two sides, I don't understand!" "Ohh... A coin toss"

 

[Aria Silverhands]

First post updated with 2/3 for healing from bedrest.

 

[Aria Silverhands]

So does no one else have any opinions on this?

 

[keterys]

Seemed pretty straightforward on first pass, though I suspect the gp cost will be in complete handwave territory by high levels.

It is perhaps somewhat odd that someone could actually die without ever taking any wounds, if they just never got crit.

 

[Aria Silverhands]

Seemed pretty straightforward on first pass, though I suspect the gp cost will be in complete handwave territory by high levels.

That's when the npc's start using epic level poisons and diseases that require expensive rituals and components to remove. ^_~

It is perhaps somewhat odd that someone could actually die without ever taking any wounds, if they just never got crit.

Hrm, true. The crits are specific wounds usually. Even if you don't track them they should be described that way. Endurance will include minor scrapes and cuts and when you drop below zero endurance, you've been hurt in some way that threatens your life. Maybe that last attack knocked the wind out of you and you're not really unconscious, but you're pretty much as good as since you're unable to do anything.

I'll add something to that effect to the post.

 

[Aria Silverhands]

- Added strength modifier to wounds from crits.

Still trying to come up with a way to allow for additional wounds from non-crit attacks in cases where it would make sense to receive actual wounds, like being burned by fire or acid, and the like.

 

[Lackhand]

By choice?

The recipient of an attack may always choose to take the attack against his or her wounds instead of his or her endurance. Mooks always make this choice; most NPCs do not.

The last hit (which drops an entity) is always against wounds and not endurance, or else they would not be bleeding out.