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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GM Dave" data-source="post: 5841626" data-attributes="member: 6687992">Lots of thoughts from 11 pgs of reading.1>  I agree with having hit points being an affect on SOD mechanics.  We discussed several ideas in the previous SOD thread.  I proposed that SOD mechanics would put a 'flag' on the character that would go into effect when they received enough physical damage and 'affliction' damage to total their hit points.2>  The suggestion to change the hit point limit when SOD effects occur is an interesting way to still cause players to worry (I can now be knocked out of the fight when I still have 25 hit points left!) but reduce the lethality from every SOD is a deadly event.3>  I like that people have pointed out the threshold for where the SOD mechanics could kick in is in the control of the DM.  DM's liking more lethality can have no upper limit on the threshold and people with no desire for SOD could put the limit down to the floor of 0 hit points.  Different threshold for different groups and different playstyles.4>  I do agree with several of the people that one mechanic does not fit all the SOD situations.Look at your basic 100' pit trap.  It makes little sense that a group of players can dance a congo line around it because they have enough HP to avoid it.You could make a ruling that every round being on the edge of the pit 'inflicted' damage as you were 'sliding' over the edge.  The problem would be that many would call gamist foul and ask where were the swords or Sarlock teeth that were sucking you down to your doom.There are also many SOD mechanics that are related not to death (or its sub-forms like petrification) but to horrible conditions like Blindness and Deafness (death is often easier to fix then blindness in DnD).5>  I also agree that SOD does have a place in game play.  Players don't feel 'danger' unless they have a risk of losing something.  I just recently dealt with my players not respecting the hints of danger they were in.I repeatedly warned them (sounds of animals growing more numerous), mentioned in a in-between game post when I asked on further plans that I had plenty of resources still in the temple, and asked whether they were staying and fighting or making a run for it with what they could grab.  Two left with the suggestion and seven stayed.  Of those seven, two invited trouble by shooting missiles at the Four PF Summoners with Brood option (who had spent the last 5 rounds summoning level 1 summons).If players feel they are going to always get a 'fair' fight or be coddled then they will treat things as a Sunday picnic.  I swept the 20 creatures down on the Seven players that were remaining to fight (five of which in later rounds went screaming for the exit after the first two).  The last two were on last legs (but my summons were on last legs only having a round or two left).  I still didn't inflict the 'worst' I could do with my resources but it was enough to make them realize they needed to play smart or they could get killed.A SOD encounter is nasty but it teaches play lessons and gets players to treat 'danger' and hints of warning as serious things to pay attention.6>  I also agree that one mechanic is not the solution.  Mike Mearles idea is great for adding another tool to the tool box.  The more tools the better.I recently ran a Carrion Crawler encounter and replaced the tentacles of paralysis with each hit removing 5' of base speed.  When a character was reduced to 0' of speed then they were paralysed.  It worked well as a mechanic for that game and allowed me to use a dangerous monster in a way that was 'scary' and memorable (several players lost speed and went into the next encounter moving slow).One of the strengths of DnD has been the richness of the monsters with their different mechanics.  This is why I liked the Monster Vault because it listed many monsters with different versions of essentially the same attack allowing the monsters to be used in a variety of ways.Overall ConclusionIt is great to have a suggestion for a new way to use SOD and implement the rules but it is also great the many other suggestions in this thread for other possible mechanics and ways to handle other SOD situations.</blockquote>

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