Death and Dying (HP and Con scores)

[Cbas10]

Personally, I would love to go to a Vitality/HP system. If that barbarian with the great axe chops square into your chest (symbolized by rolling a Critical hit and taking damage directly from Vitality), you die. This is not a video game. However, I don't feel like blowing my time on tweaking and fixing the Critical Threat ranges of dozens of weapons so the system is still balanced and fair.

Commonly, we have toyed with the idea of characters dying when they reach a -HP equal to their Constitution Score. Since I'm not a big fan of house rules, I just stick to the basics and stay with the normal -10 point of death.

However, when it comes to the point regarding magical healing from Negative Hit Points, standing up, and fighting on normally....that is just silly video game crap. Without getting too complex, this is my system. After you come back from negatives, you are Stunned for a number of rounds equal to twice the number of Hit Points below Zero you were at at the worst time (i.e. if you slowly healed/regenerated back from -7, once you get back to 1 or more hit points, you are stunned for 14 rounds) and then Dazed for the same number of rounds after that. A spell equivalent to Heal or better will negate the Stun, but you'll still be Dazed at the least. This is still very generous, considering the fact that literally knocking on death's door (-10 hit points) and then recovering with a spell allows you to act without penalty in 4 minutes.

 

[dkilgo]

Kreynolds is currently working on a system that resembles the vitality/wp system, but with a much more balanced method of showing damage taken in combat.

We also, have devised a new critical hit system that we are soon to be play testing.

 

[Johno]

For combat purposes to a player all that matters is that the opponent is down, once down most opponenets will not heal, and thus the differintation will not matter.

As such downed equal kill at the players leasure, no matter the method. This is one reason why I consider GMs that Coup de Grace players that are downed to be playing foolishly. After all, why the heck are the enemies fighting if they don't plan to win? And if they plan to win wasting a turn killing a player is just plain stupid. It is more time for the enemy to turn the tide. The only time this changes in when a person is killed.

While I might agree with the rest of your post, I find the assumption that CDG:ing a downed PC is a waste of time, incorrect. My players CDG opponents all the time, and get CDG:ed fairly often themselves. Why? Because they are fighting Humanoid foes with Clerics. IF they don't kill that temporarily [held[/i] but hasted Berserking Fighter with a Great Sword, they are in for a world of pain. And the NPCs see which PCs are the greatest threat, and see that there are divine spellcasters.

Now if all you are facing is Dire Turnips, or Foes with the Brain size of a germ, then your assumption is correct, it IS a waste of an action. However, I also feel that certain foes are MORE likely to stop and chew on the remains of a downed character: Ghasts, Ghouls, Barghest, to name but a few.

YMMV

I now return you to your regular schedule: Death and Dying.