Does this rule actually exist?

[Mouseferatu]

In one of my games, we've been playing with a rule that states the following:

If a creature is reduced to negative hit points equaling his starting positive hit points, he is not only dead, his body is almost utterly destroyed. For instance, a monster with 112 hit points is dead at -10 like any other, but utterly destroyed at -112.

It never occurred to me to wonder if this was a written rule or a house rule. It sounded familiar to me, but I never stopped to consider whether that's because I'd read it in some obscure source, or simply becuase it's similar to house rules I've seen used in older editions. But it's recently been challenged by someone in the group, and we're trying to figure out if it does actually exist in any official source, since it's certainly not part of any obvious sections of the core rules.

Any of you seen/heard of anything like this? And if so, where?

 

[Sejs]

I'm not familiar with any Body Is Utterly Destroyed rules, nope. Disintegrate comes the closest, but that's all I can think of.

 

[Li Shenron]

Any of you seen/heard of anything like this? And if so, where?

Never heard actually, and I think the consequences of using this rule are rather minimal (could affect which spells would succeed in reviving the creature, but don't know what else).

 

[Teslacoil1138]

It sounds like a house rule to me. I have not read it in any of the core books.

 

[Sammael]

It's a house rule, because, by RAW, you cannot reduce a living creature below -10 hp (which is why the tarrasque-slaying condition was changed in 3.5).

 

[Mouseferatu]

Yeah, I knew it wasn't among the core rules, as I said; I've gotten to know those pretty well, I think.

But it just sounded so familiar, I thought maybe it had appeared in some supplemental source. Guess not; it must just match a house rule I've seen used in other groups.

Thanks, all.

 

[glass]

Any of you seen/heard of anything like this? And if so, where?

GURPS uses something similar.

If you are reduced to -ve some multiple of your Health (which is the same as hp for most characters), you are automatically dead, and IIRC reduced to a gooey mess.


glass.

 

[Ahrimon]

-10 rule

Sorry for the hijack, but where is the -10 rule in 3.5? I didn't know about that one. My players would hack at regenerating creatues into the -50's to buy time until they could figure something out. This changes the scope of things immensely.

Thanks

Ahrimon

 

[Henry]

Mouseferatu, I think your group subconsciously stole that rule from GURPS - remember the "Harry the Hamburger" sidebar example in the combat chapter of GURPS 3rd edition?

 

[Darklone]

That rule applies to undead creatures.