Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 4544734" data-attributes="member: 18280">Again, hit points are now and have always been an abstraction.What is changed is that, while in previous editions, they were an abstraction of how much damage the character can take, in 4e they are an abstraction of an abstraction.  And that, IMHO, is a paradigm shift.Moreover, I didn't claim that "4E damage and healing is "absurd"" -- I claimed that the 4e damage and healing paradigm consistently and frequently gives rise to absurd situations in the narrative unless(1)  One chooses not to describe any damage until it has been healed,(2)  One retcons the narrative, or(3)  One simply chooses to close one's eyes to the absurdity (which does not actually make it go away; though it might make it go away for you).1e has a serious problem with falling damage that leads to absurd results.1e is, however, very clear that non-fatal hit point loss meant that fighter didn't get stepped on by an elephant, and didn't get skewered by arrows from a legion of archers if he survived.The elephant tried to step on you, but you rolled out of the way before his foot came down fully.  He still caught you with it, though, and it hurt, causing some bodily injury.Follow-Up:  As soon as you know how the hit points are healed, you can narrate how the damage was taken, if you wish to both keep your eyes open and avoid absurd results.  At the time the damage was taken?  Not so much.RC</blockquote>

Verification