How do you describe hp loss?

[Yair]

How do you describe hp loss, in battle and so on? I generally describe it as near-misses, glancing blows, scratches, and so on until the character gets to negative hp - at which point I describe a real hit, a blow that connects and drops the guy unconscious or bleeding and inapacitated. As long as they're not dead, I don't describe severed limbs or spilled intensines or whatnot (and I susually don't anyway, except for a critical hit perhaps). People with low hp are panting, sweating, off-balance, and so on.

Cure spells generally only restore the light wounds associated with lower hp, clear the head, and of course increase the karma that is the heroe's hp pool.

What's your take?

 

[Thanee]

In my PbP I use a translation from hit points to wound levels...

91%+ --- scratched
76%-90% --- lightly wounded
51%-75% --- moderately wounded
26%-50% --- severely wounded (also adds fatigue condition)
01%-25% --- critically wounded (also adds exhausted condition)
zero --- disabled (also adds exhausted condition)
negative --- dying

Then I can describe hits using this as a guideline, depending on how much damage they deal (relative to the total hp of the victim) and in what condition it leaves the victim of the attack afterwards.

But I see hit point damage as actual wounds.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Archade]

I tend to describe most blows as glancing hits, small cuts, the target straining itself to dive out of the way, etc., until it reaches it's last 10-20 hit points, at which point I break out the descriptions of blood, cracking bones, and screams of pain ...

 

[ValhallaGH]

Cuts, scrapes, cracked bones, light singeing and so forth until it's time for a killing blow. Then arteries are severed, blood spurts, limbs are removed and torsos are impaled.

 

[Yair]

zero --- disabled (also adds exhausted condition)

Oh, how I hate the disabled rule. Who ever lands at zero hp anyways?! I think it only happened once in all my gaming.

I won't touch it, as I like keeping house rules simple and if I'd make a change to the hp system I know I couldn't help myself but make a more exhaustive one (the system you suggest sounds very good, actually; although I'd probably just go for a wound system a la True20). So I console myself by hating it with vehemnce

 

[Gold Roger]

My goal is a mix of cuts, strain, light wounds etc.

Currently, characters in my games tend to get lots of wounds on shoulders, arms and legs, because they tend to come to my mind first.

 

[Thanee]

I won't touch it, as I like keeping house rules simple and if I'd make a change to the hp system I know I couldn't help myself but make a more exhaustive one (the system you suggest sounds very good, actually; although I'd probably just go for a wound system a la True20).

Well, the point there is not to change the hp system. I still use it as normal (only actual change is the added fatigued/exhausted conditions, since at some point wounds should have some noticeable effect).

The point is to have a description for what damage and a loss of hit points means.

Also, players do not get to know their own hit points, but rather only know the general condition they are in. This is meant to be a means to make the characters more alive as 'real' persons, not just some numbers on a sheet of paper.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Yair]

Well, the point there is not to change the hp system. I still use it as normal (only actual change is the added fatigued/exhausted conditions, since at some point wounds should have some noticeable effect).

The point is to have a description for what damage and a loss of hit points means.

Yes, don't get me wrong - your system looks very good. It definitely pours meaning into the numbers.

I just prefer to pour a different meaning ("cosmic karma" or "heroes don't get hit by mooks shooting at them"), and keep the official game mechanics. (Edit: I'd say your system is better, but WotC's simpler. In this case, I prefer simplicity if only because I don't like to change things too much.)

Also, players do not get to know their own hit points, but rather only know the general condition they are in. This is meant to be a means to make the characters more alive as 'real' persons, not just some numbers on a sheet of paper.

Managing the NPC's hit points is nightmare enough for me... (another advantage of a wounds system, I suppose)

 

[Thanee]

I just prefer to pour a different meaning ("cosmic karma" or "heroes don't get hit by mooks shooting at them"), ...

That's easy enough to do.

...and keep the official game mechanics. (Edit: I'd say your system is better, but WotC's simpler. ...)

I actually do keep the official game mechanics. The above is just a description.

Managing the NPC's hit points is nightmare enough for me... (another advantage of a wounds system, I suppose)

Guess I have it a little easier there. I don't need to write down a single number when running a battle with like a dozen NPCs or so, usually.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Henry]

Pretty much the same way as Yair does -- except that really high damage hits (20 and up) I'll describe as serious but non-critical cuts to arms, legs, upper body, etc. -- wounds that bleed a lot, but look worse than they are.