Being set on fire aint what it used to be.

[Vrecknidj]

If someone has tons of hit points, he could always say "I can take the d6 every round, I'll just ignore the fire." This is, quite frankly, a complete violation of the idea that we need to keep metagame thinking out of the game. So, maybe the person who is on fire needs to make a Fort save every round or take Constitution damage. After all, being burned isn't good for your health.

Even so, of course, a fighter with a great Fort save could say something similar. So, make the save such that a successful Fort save means half damage. This isn't a Ref save for half damage (else the rogues could say what the fighters had been saying).

Make the damage enough to make it worthwhile to put out the flames, and then have things get worse each round.

So, something like this.

Round 1: Set on fire
Round 2: d6 fire damage, if victim is trying to put out flames, no Fort save needed, if victim ignores the fire, then Fort save DC 15 for 2d4 Con damage (1d4 if successful)
Round 3: d6 fire damage, if victim is trying to put out flames, no Fort save needed, if victime ignores the fire, then Fort save DC 17 for 2d6 Con damage (1d6 if successful)

Each round thereafter, increase the DC by 2 more, and increase the die type of the damage. It won't take long before even the hardiest metagamer decides to stay in character and put out the flames.

Dave

 

[Psimancer]

I do like the idea of Con damage; even the most hardened warrior will balk at the concept of being incinerated then…

What about changing the damage from 1d6 HP to 1d4 HP plus 1d4-2 Con damage (min 0)… It’s bad, just not un-playably so…

...but be warned…

If you make the Con damage too high, you risk your players wanting to adopt it as their favoured mode of attack…

As it is, the change in damage will alter the game…

One of the first questions your players may ask is, “Why can’t our Fireballs do Con damage too?”

And then it will snowball, “But if Fireballs do Con damage, why can’t my Lightning Bolts???”

And may even end up with, “But if our Magic Missiles do Con damage, why can’t we do it with a Great Sword…”

You may want to look at Arcana Unearthed… I think they have an option for Critical Hits doing Con damage… at least with that, the Con damage is applied across the board in a way that it doesn’t tip the balance of power in favour of one type of attack over another…

 

[Hanuman]

I think that the rules do great justice to burning the enemy. Remember, most of the world consists of 1st level commoners with 1D4 hps. Immolating a peasant is a fast, smelly death. Immolate a PC and at best you have a dead PC, at worst you have a PC who is busy doing something non-combative for a round. During which you ensure he is kept lit![/QUOTE]

You do make a very good point. You reminded me that it's not about saying take a d6 of damage but saying somthing like "Searing pain envelops your body and the stench of burnt hair fills the air around you as the flame's hot breath whispers the promise of hellish destruction".

Thanks



The worlds costliest coffee, at $130 a pound, is called Kopi luwak. It is found in the droppings of the Luwak a type of marsupial that eats only the very best coffee beans.Plantation workers track them and scoop the precious poop.So if your coffee tastes like crap, smile you just saved yourself 130 bucks.

 

[Vrecknidj]

If you make the Con damage too high, you risk your players wanting to adopt it as their favoured mode of attack…

As it is, the change in damage will alter the game…

One of the first questions your players may ask is, “Why can’t our Fireballs do Con damage too?”

And then it will snowball, “But if Fireballs do Con damage, why can’t my Lightning Bolts???”

And may even end up with, “But if our Magic Missiles do Con damage, why can’t we do it with a Great Sword…”

You may want to look at Arcana Unearthed… I think they have an option for Critical Hits doing Con damage… at least with that, the Con damage is applied across the board in a way that it doesn’t tip the balance of power in favour of one type of attack over another…

Ah yes, the old "what if the players ask about . . ." issue. Just tell the players "no."



Specifically, a fireball is a flash of flame, it doesn't last long enough to burn deep enough to do Con damage (same with any other instantaneous-duration spell).

And, I think this is a good player tactic.

Dave

 

[Psimancer]

Just tell the players "no."

I’m sorry, but I don’t believe in saying ‘no’ to my players automatically. If someone asks a question, I will give it due consideration, and answer them fully. I respect my players enough for that, and they me.

If I have to say ‘no’ during a game (on a rules question, for instance), I will research my answer after the session is over. If I am wrong, I apologise, we all know for next time and have learned something from the experience.

The point I was trying to make, if you were astute enough to pick it up, is if you change one thing within the game, it will have consequences on the rest of the game. No rule should be tampered with unless you analysis what impact it will have on the game holistically… By increasing the lethality of one attack, you in fact decrease the relative lethality of all other attacks…

I’m not saying that the WotC rules team is perfect and that everything is balanced, I’m just saying nothing like this should be changed flippantly… just think about the consequences of it… talk to your players, they are (most likely) intelligent adults who may have a different (but equally valid) perspective on any change you may want to introduce…

At our table we discuss any changes to the system and vote on whether or not it is to be implemented. As the DM, I do not consider it to be MY game, but rather OUR game…

After all, a DM with no players is just geek sitting at an empty table…

 

[Allanon]

...The worlds costliest coffee, at $130 a pound, is called Kopi luwak. It is found in the droppings of the Luwak a type of marsupial that eats only the very best coffee beans.Plantation workers track them and scoop the precious poop.So if your coffee tastes like crap, smile you just saved yourself 130 bucks.

Thanks dude, that quote just made my day