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Message: <blockquote data-quote="UncleSquirrel" data-source="post: 5017660" data-attributes="member: 86655">Addressing HP indirectly through Death/Dying/DisabledHi all,Great conversation.  Thought I'd mention one approach I've used:- Players are disabled at 0 to -9 hit points (previously at 0 hp only)- Players are dying at -10 to -19 hit points (previously -1 to -9 hp)- Players are dead at -20 hit points (previously -10 hp)...where definitions of disabled, dying, and dead are otherwise unchanged (PH3.5 pg 145, PH3.0 pg 129).  All other rules pertaining to death and dying (including stability, etc.) apply accordingly.The net result is that all characters effectively gain an additional 9 hp or so buffer (which benefits 1st level characters most and decreases in relevance as levels increase), albeit at limited functionality.  Low-level characters are still bloodied (disabled) easily, but tougher to kill.It can also serve to create opportunities for gameplay, i.e. a hit-point window in which PCs and NPCs can escape, surrender, be captured, or make a last ditch effort toward victory.  Also, psychologically-speaking, players' max hit points aren't numerically higher, and "going negative" does seem to lend a sense of gravity that simply adding 10 more hit points to PCs' totals probably wouldn't convey (not to mention the ill effects of being disabled).  Which makes players overall still feel wary, but die less.  And near-death is generally much more fun than death.Lastly, this is a "minimally invasive" and easily conveyed rules change, in the sense that players still write the same number on their sheets and everything still deals the same damage (no significant reformulation); it's only the special death & dying "edge case" that is technically being modified.Separate from this, I also happen to give max hp for PC hit dice (only), in certain gaming groups.  While this effectively devalues damage dealt by non-renewable sources (such as spells), in the case of NPCs this is easily rebalanced any number of ways (more or more powerful enemies or encounters, etc).  For PvP / PC vs. PC, this is somewhat counteracted by virtue of our house-rule spell system (Clerics/Druids/Paladins/Rangers/Wizards cast spontaneously as Sorcerers; Sorcerers/Bards use a spellpoint system to retain their flavor and flexibility).cheers,-sqp.s. The above modification (changing disabled/dying/dead thresholds) would also work with some of the Con-based suggestions posted in this thread, e.g.:- Players are disabled at 0 to (1 - Con) hit points- Players are dying at -Con to (1 - 2xCon) hit points- Players are dead at -2xCon hit points</blockquote>

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