Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Closing the Rotating Door of Death
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Scurvy_Platypus" data-source="post: 5530903" data-attributes="member: 43283"><p>It might seem simplistic, but "dead" simply means "taken out". The character is unable to further contribute to the conflict.</p><p></p><p>This might seem strange to some folks, but I've spent the last 20+ years listening to people go on about how Hit Points aren't _really_ "damage points" but a more abstract measurement; despite things like the various healing spells ("I umm... heal his footing so it's more...secure?") and other bits that argue more for them being damage points. So, instead of trying to come up with some other mechanism, I simply leverage what's there: Hit Points and getting bumped out of a fight.</p><p></p><p>Depending on the style of game and what's been discussed with players, getting bumped out of the fight due to loss of Hit Points might be a minor thing, or a major one. For example, in one game it was an exhausted/K.O.ed deal. I just went with the rules for Energy Drain/Negative levels: <a href="http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm" target="_blank">Condition Summary :: d20srd.org</a></p><p></p><p>The 4E game I ran, it was a major injury and had lingering effects; basically it was something that followed the disease track and the character had to put up with the effects until able to get back for a proper healing fix. I can't claim credit for the idea though, as I was inspired by this:</p><p><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/237400-keith-baker-using-d-d-4th-edition-disease-rules-simulate-injuries.html" target="_blank">http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/237400-keith-baker-using-d-d-4th-edition-disease-rules-simulate-injuries.html</a></p><p></p><p>If it's suitable for the style of the game, penalties that a character is suffering from as a result of being taken out (dying) in combat can be treated as _serious_ injuries. Meaning that a couple of quick spells aren't going to cover it, it needs _time_ to eliminate them.</p><p></p><p>And if you're the sort of person that wants mechanics to be a reflection of the way the world works (instead of a method of resolving things), that makes an interesting statement about magic in the world and what it's capable of.</p><p></p><p>I guess my point is, I don't personally see the need to necessarily invent new things, just because I've slightly changed the assumption of the game (0 HP being taken out instead of dead); I like to try and leverage what's already there and see where that leads.</p><p></p><p>"Deathless" doesn't mean "risk-less" or "consequence-less", it simply means finding consequences that are more in keeping with my and my group's sensibilities. </p><p></p><p>Besides, it's kinda funny to have the caster and the fighter both be suffering the same mechanical affect from dying, but the in-game fiction is the fighter broke 3 ribs and a shoulder that's jacked up from having been dislocated and then popped back into place, while the caster broke their thumb. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Scurvy_Platypus, post: 5530903, member: 43283"] It might seem simplistic, but "dead" simply means "taken out". The character is unable to further contribute to the conflict. This might seem strange to some folks, but I've spent the last 20+ years listening to people go on about how Hit Points aren't _really_ "damage points" but a more abstract measurement; despite things like the various healing spells ("I umm... heal his footing so it's more...secure?") and other bits that argue more for them being damage points. So, instead of trying to come up with some other mechanism, I simply leverage what's there: Hit Points and getting bumped out of a fight. Depending on the style of game and what's been discussed with players, getting bumped out of the fight due to loss of Hit Points might be a minor thing, or a major one. For example, in one game it was an exhausted/K.O.ed deal. I just went with the rules for Energy Drain/Negative levels: [url=http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm]Condition Summary :: d20srd.org[/url] The 4E game I ran, it was a major injury and had lingering effects; basically it was something that followed the disease track and the character had to put up with the effects until able to get back for a proper healing fix. I can't claim credit for the idea though, as I was inspired by this: [url]http://www.enworld.org/forum/4e-fan-creations-house-rules/237400-keith-baker-using-d-d-4th-edition-disease-rules-simulate-injuries.html[/url] If it's suitable for the style of the game, penalties that a character is suffering from as a result of being taken out (dying) in combat can be treated as _serious_ injuries. Meaning that a couple of quick spells aren't going to cover it, it needs _time_ to eliminate them. And if you're the sort of person that wants mechanics to be a reflection of the way the world works (instead of a method of resolving things), that makes an interesting statement about magic in the world and what it's capable of. I guess my point is, I don't personally see the need to necessarily invent new things, just because I've slightly changed the assumption of the game (0 HP being taken out instead of dead); I like to try and leverage what's already there and see where that leads. "Deathless" doesn't mean "risk-less" or "consequence-less", it simply means finding consequences that are more in keeping with my and my group's sensibilities. Besides, it's kinda funny to have the caster and the fighter both be suffering the same mechanical affect from dying, but the in-game fiction is the fighter broke 3 ribs and a shoulder that's jacked up from having been dislocated and then popped back into place, while the caster broke their thumb. :) [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Closing the Rotating Door of Death
Top