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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Crazy Jerome" data-source="post: 5709876" data-attributes="member: 54877">This is a half-baked idea <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" /> for keeping the heart of healing surges as in 4E, but making them somewhat more palatable to those with a simulation bent. tl:dr up front: Make surges a very old school, wargaming form of hit points, and leave hit points as the stun/fatigue/luck/morale mechanic. Diverge the usage/recovery model on surges to keep the current gameplay and narrative scope, while achieving some simulation support. Background Reasons Some of these ideas have been suggested in various topics over the last month or so--too many to say it is a forked topics. Merely acknowledging here that this is often more synthesis than original.  Various people lately have expressed their displeasure with surges. With some modest exceptions, this topic isn't about that. Rather, I am assuming that the good parts of the 4E hit point/surge model should and would be preserved in any new model. Those good points, as I see them:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">By limiting the hit points in a fight to some fraction of the total possible hit point usage in a day, this puts some eventual limit on what a character can do, but contributes to making each earlier fight a bit more dangerous (during, not after in the current model).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Surges restoring a set percentage of normal hit point total smooths out some historical rough edges in the healing model.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Widens the scope of the narrative for what hit points can mean, and how they can be restored. Or rather, since D&D has always been this way for those willing to take that slant, makes this more consistent.</li> </ul>The less great parts of the 4E healing model:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Easy overnight recovery, by default.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Rather jarring around zero hit points--i.e. when a character crosses that threshold multiple times in a fight.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Too many bloody hit points, characters and monsters, though obvioulsy manifested differently in the monsters. (Not strictly related to the 4E healing model, but hey, 4E is the most offending version in the batch, since the red dragons gained more than 88 HP.)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Because surges are merely a way to recover a fraction of hit points, and come back so rapidly, they barely justify the extra overhead of those good points above. (That is, I think surges are worth it just for those benefits, but they could do more.)</li> </ul>Outline of Changes So, change the ratio of hit points and surges. Mainly, PCs have less hit points, maybe slightly more surges, and their surge value is slightly smaller. Monsters get their hit points at least halved, and gain a handful of relatively weak surges. (This would require a change to some combat math, obviously.) Some damage goes straight to surges. This is mainly to speed up play, but also to give a bit of oomph to nasty effects. For example, criticals don't do max damage. Instead, you roll damage per normal, and they take out one surge. Coup de grace takes out surges and hit points. A character without a surge is effectively "minionized" by any surge taking hit. They are "out of the fight"--whatever that means for you in the narrative. For many monsters, probably dead. This provides for pseudo minions--monsters that have some modest hit points, but can't take a single surge taking hit.  Using surges works more or less like it always did, except that each usage doesn't do quite as much, and monsters get some minor options to use theirs. The idea here is to make in-combat healing definitely possible in a pinch, but often not the best choice. To fit the somewhat harsher tone of this model, using surges when at zero HP or lower should be harder. Perhaps a heal check is required, or perhaps it takes two surges to get above zero--one to get to zero, and one to get those surge value hit points back. Several things could work here. Recoverying surges is now much harder, by default. Namely, a character in a safe place and resting can recovery 2, period. A character in less optimal conditions, but not being outright hounded, can recover only 1. No matter how much the warlord shouts at you, he can't change this. The heal skill would probably be used to determine whether zero, 1, or 2 was restored, with a modifier based on those parameters. However, certain magic can also be used to restore surges. A handful of appropriate powers can, primarily the ones now that do not use surges (e.g. Cure light wounds). Special, much more expensive healing potions can do this. Kheotoms (sp?) Ointment would be a good candidate. Certainly, a major healing item might do so. This last bit becomes one of the modular ways to regulate the pace within the story. If you want to have something akin to the 4E pace, then you up the natural recovery rate some, and perhaps make the healing potions and other items a bit cheaper. If you want relative grit, you keep the natural rate slow, and get stingy with special healing magic. The point here is that there are two levers that mean something in the healing model, but each one has a different meaning. (That is, how much of the old school "resource hoarding" game do you want in your D&D? Lots, go with items and special magic, and limit accordingly.) Intended Flavor of this Model Surges represent a handful of serious hits that a creature can take before they can't fight much anymore. They may not be dead--and if hit points are still positive, almost assuredly are not. When a creatures pulls upon their hit points to restore their fatigue/luck/morale/etc. they slightly diminish their ability to take future nasty hits. (Technically, this is a very minor death spiral effect that does not in any way affect other capabilities besides taking hits without dying.) Getting surges back is relatively difficult. Hit points are now fully in the realm of fatigue/luck/morale. You can't technically die from lack of hit points. You can die from lack of hit points sucking you dry of surges and/or making you unconscious or otherwise unable to defend yourself.  As such, it probably would make sense to rename "surges" to "hit points" and "hit points" to something else. But I've left them the same here to make the mechanics clear. Gamist/Narrative Concerns (in 4E sense) The 4E narrative can still be played in this model, with very simple optional rules to make overnight healing possible. The most likely alternative for the party with only a warlord for healer is to soup up the natural healing rate based on the heal skill, and make sure someone has that skill. There is an additional gamist element in that now spending a surge during combat is not only less effective (per surge and action use) but there are times when having the surge is better than having the hit points. Note that while similar in some ways to many wound/vitality models, where this differs is in the exchange rate between surges and hit points, as well as the minimalist nature of surge "damage"--more akin to wargaming "hits".</blockquote>

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