Hit points as Action point currency?

[Yesway Jose]

Can hit points be used as currency to fuel martial and magic exploits, like Action Points?

Hit points have been fluffed as a combo of wounds, stamina, luck, destiny and morale (so much so that "hit points" and "bloodied" are a misnomer IMO and would prefer life points and half-life).

You'd think that stamina and morale is a reserve that you could draw upon in time of great need, yet hit points remain a passive thing only deducted when "hit".

Assuming at-will powers represent your baseline ability in combat, then instead of or in combination with 1/encounter or 1/day limitations to represent a cap, how about deducting hit points to recharge a power or replicate action points?

It's not a gamist only function. There is no combat fatigue mechanic in D&D and this would sort of simulate that. I think it's realistic to deduct hit points (ie stamina) to fuel a powerful left hook but then be winded more (ie., less hit points) making you more vulnerable to a knockout.

It's even biologically accurate. Apparently, animals instinctively make a cost-benefit analysis all the time -- it gets x calories if it catches that prey, but if it'll cost more calories to run it down from here, then nah, it'll continue to nap in the sun and wait for a better moment. Similarly, a fighter wouldn't deduct 10 hit points for a chance to inflict an extra 10 damage, but he might deduct 10 hit points of stamina at a critical moment in battle, or a wizard might expend 10 hits points of morale to bolster that fireball.

Yes, it makes combat more swingy, but I think that's a pro, not a con, to have fast and furious combat.

You could even expand hit points as hero point currency for rituals in combo or instead of gold pieces -- thus a character could cast a ritual and be tired and vulnerable, and a low-level cultist could actually kill himself to cast a mid-level ritual.

I wondered about situational hit points before, but it didn't seem to catch on
http://www.enworld.org/forum/general-rpg-discussion/308612-how-about-situational-hit-points.html

I still fantasize that hit points could be more dynamic than they are now.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Star Wars d20 versions 1 and Revised did something essentially like this, where using Force powers cost you hit points.

It was ... not very good.

 

[Ahnehnois]

The Psychic's Handbook presents a psionics system in which users pay for powers by taking nonlethal damage (called a strain cost; representing the fatigue of mental exertion).

In general, I'd say you should have an idea of what the hit point damage means. A magic system in which sorcerers bleed out of their eyeballs after casting a fireball is fun. A combat system in which a fighter jumps over a chasm and then grabs his chest because he had to take damage to action point the jump check is silly.

There is no combat fatigue mechanic in D&D and this would sort of simulate that.

You're right about that.

 

[Viking Bastard]

What if it's surges? Exerting energy that would've otherwise fueled your Hit Point recovery.

 

[Yesway Jose]

In general, I'd say you should have an idea of what the hit point damage means. A magic system in which sorcerers bleed out of their eyeballs after casting a fireball is fun. A combat system in which a fighter jumps over a chasm and then grabs his chest because he had to take damage to action point the jump check is silly.

I think hit points are abstracted enough that I'm not sure it matters. Depending on the player's vision, class, theme, etc. the sorcerer could feel weaker (ala Raistlin) or bleed out of his eyeballs. If hit points could be fueled to make a jump check, then I'd guess it's fluffed as exhausting stamina and/or using up luck/fate/"story" points.

 

[Yesway Jose]

Star Wars d20 versions 1 and Revised did something essentially like this, where using Force powers cost you hit points.

It was ... not very good.

I'm curious.. why did that play out badly?

 

[Umbran]

Yes, it makes combat more swingy, but I think that's a pro, not a con, to have fast and furious combat.

But swingy does not equate to fast and furious.

 

[Yesway Jose]

But swingy does not equate to fast and furious.

OK, but I thought it did, because you can sacrifice hit points for a harder hit (=furious), and if you use up your own hit points faster you are more likely to drop (=fast) or drop the opponent (=fast), and the battle is less predictable (=swingy), but either way, I hope the spirit of the statement is more or less intact, if not semantically.

 

[Jimlock]

Let's ...just ...leave hit points as they are...

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

I'm curious.. why did that play out badly?

Essentially, it boiled down to having warrior-types (Jedi) who could either not use any special abilities and have a good chance of surviving a combat*, or they could use their special abilities and probably not survive combat.

Thus, using your special abilities was often actively detrimental to continuing to play your character, so you didn't use them. And if you aren't going to use them, why have them?

* Unless they got hit by a stray crit, in which case they probably didn't survive.