Changing the Bloodied Condition

[Warrior147]

Bloodied

• You are bloodied when your hit points drop to your bloodied value or lower. Your bloodied value is equal to one half your total hit points.
• Bloodied creatures are weakened.
• Bloodied creatures take a -1 penalty to all defences and have vulnerable 1 all.
• Certain powers and effects work only on bloodied creatures or work better against bloodied creatures.

 

[angille]

So... the first and last points are already how it works. Unless you mean giving more powers bloodied modifiers. Perhaps you're just being thorough.

If you are looking for a grittier game with an added sense of urgency to the bloodied condition, I say this is a fantastic addition that should make your game more fun.

As for me, I play DnD for the sheer absurdity and kill-kill-kill. Spirals of death appeal to me with Call of Cthulhu or GURPS or whatnot, but in a system with practically limitless out-of-battle healing and no lasting conditions from high damage, it seems like extra bookkeeping.

So if it works for you, and other gritty-game forum goers, awesome. Seems balanced and consistent.

 

[Warrior147]

The first and last were just to be through. I like more risky games, where once you're bloodied, you're in serious trouble.

 

[weem]

I like the idea - it makes sense, and I could see a motivation for the cleric to heal much sooner rather than putting it off until someone is down to a quarter health (for example).

With that said, it wouldn't be a good fit for our game, but good idea

 

[Mesh Hong]

This rule is not going to work very well with Solo creatures, or even Elites.

My general design rule is that a creature should get more dangerous when bloodied (to increase the excitement) not less dangerous. Wouldn't this just lead to your PCs bloodying a creature then moving on to the next non bloodied creature?

Sorry but it just seems......wrong, pretty much anyway I look at it.

 

[Sporemine]

Why do you want to change the bloodied condition in the first place? It's fine as it is. I also agree with mesh that many monsters have abilities that rely on the bloodied condition. For example, here is a creature I recently made for one of my other threads.

Bone Dragon
Level 9 Solo Skirmisher
Huge Natural Animate (Undead)
XP 2,000
Initiative +9
Senses Perception +12, Darkvision

Chilling Presence aura 3;
All living creatures in the aura take a -2 penalty reflex defense.

Chill of Death (Cold, Necrotic) aura 1;
All creatures in the aura at the start of their turns take 5 cold and necrotic damage.

HP 388; Bloodied 194
AC 23; Fortitude 21, Reflex 21, Will 21
Resist 15 Necrotic, 15 Cold; Vulnerable 15 Radiant
Saving Throws +5
Speed 6 (8), Fly 8 (See Tatters)
Action Points 2

Bite (Standard; at-will) ♦ Cold, Necrotic
+14 Vs. AC, 2d6+5 cold and necrotic damage.

Dead Chill (Standard; recharge ) ♦ Cold, Necrotic
Burst 2, +12 Vs. Reflex, 3d8+5 cold and necrotic damage.

Corrupted Breath Weapon (Standard; recharge ) ♦ Cold, Necrotic
Burst 2 within 10, +12 Vs. Reflex, 3d10+5 cold and necrotic damage.

Roar (Standard; recharge )+12 Vs. Will, the target is Dazed and slowed and takes ongoing 5 (10 when bloodied) cold and necrotic damage.

Tatters (Immediate Reaction, When bloodied) ♦ Cold, Necrotic
When bloodied, The Bone Dragon loses it's ability to fly as it's wings desintigrate (It lands safely if it was flying at the time), all of it's attacks deal an additional 5 ongoing necrotic and cold damage (save ends) And gains the chill of death aura.

Death Throes (None, When reduced to 0 HP) ♦ Cold, Necrotic
Burst 5, +12 Vs. Reflex, 4d8+5 cold and necrotic damage and ongoing 10 cold and necrotic damage.

Alignment Chaotic Evil
Languages Draconic
Skills Diplomacy +12, Intimidate +12
Str 17 (+7) Dex 17 (+7) Wis 17 (+7) Con 17 (+7) Int 17 (+7) Cha 17 (+7)
Equipment None

This change strikes me as a bad idea

Kudos

-Sporemine

 

[Garthanos]

gimping player characters when bloodied is terribly a bad idea too... there are plenty of builds where the going get tough when the tough get bloodied even paragon path selections based on spending as much time as possible bloodied because they are souped up...
Bloodied for heros is a far less extreme state than some people seem to think of it as.. .I have several names... winded / frazzled / worried ... that are appropriate to lucky heros and skilled heros.. bloodied is the barbarians favorite.. and frazzled the halflings.

The purpose I see people making changes like this is to accelerate conflict?

 

[JoeNotCharles]

If the general rule is that bloodied = weakened (I'd leave it at that, dropping the defenses too seems like overkill) then having a solo that gets stronger when bloodied would be a surprise reversal (at least, the first couple of times). So it's even cooler under this system!

That said, I'd probably apply this to the PC's but not to monsters (if the PC's complain, counter that monsters are usually killed at 0 hp while PC's get death saves, so it evens out). That way things are even more gritty...

 

[Mesh Hong]

That said, I'd probably apply this to the PC's but not to monsters (if the PC's complain, counter that monsters are usually killed at 0 hp while PC's get death saves, so it evens out). That way things are even more gritty...

I think it is counter intuitive and more than slightly unfair to have a rule (or in this case a condition) that works differently for players than monsters.

Why would a player be weakened while bloodied and a monster not?

[EDIT] Oops the following is nothing to do with this thread! I have mentally merged two similar threads in my tiny mind.

Warrior147

My main points of advice for someone who wants to make the game grittier would be to:

1) increase the damage dealt by monsters.
2) add some sort of long term damage system, probably based on recieving serious wounds when you are subject to a critical attack, or an attack that has been designed to do a specific wound (as a primary or secondary effect).
3) Remove or seriously discourage resurrection.
4) Run the game with a gritty attitude. This would probably be more than 50% of the vital element needed. If the world you create is gritty and harsh then everything is going to feel gritty and harsh (as long as your players buy into it).

 

[Warrior147]

This rule is not going to work very well with Solo creatures, or even Elites.

My general design rule is that a creature should get more dangerous when bloodied (to increase the excitement) not less dangerous. Wouldn't this just lead to your PCs bloodying a creature then moving on to the next non bloodied creature?

Sorry but it just seems......wrong, pretty much anyway I look at it.

You could give certain creatures special bonuses or powers they can only use when they're bloodied.