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L&L December 16th Can you feel it?
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<blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 6234639" data-attributes="member: 2067"><p>There's a lot of great points above, but where the rubber meets the road for me here is this:</p><p></p><p>Running out of HP kills you. So if something deals HP damage, it's possibly deadly. So if that illusion deals 15 damage, it would have given some lesser mortal a fatal heart attack. Jack's no wimp -- he had a heart attack, but he's still pushing on. Still, he can't deny that spell had an effect on him...he's a little more winded, a little more cautious, a little less able to exert himself. He'll power through (he's a big dang hero, so we don't need a death spiral mechanic or anything), but maybe if he jumps from the roof of the inn tonight, before he gets some rest, his reaction time will be slower, his muscles will be more tense, his mind more prone to making a mistake...and there's a good chance he won't land right, this time. If that illusion hadn't have stopped his heart for a moment earlier, he probably could take that fall. It'd hurt, but yeah, he could take it. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>I don't think all that is really necessary. HP is your resistance to things that might kill you. A gal who slays dragons and takes their stuff probably has a rough idea about what it would take to kill her. So does the person at the table pretending to be her. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>A sprained ankle doesn't need to slow down a big fantasy hero who can push their limits and give it their all 'till the moment they drop dead, though. Lost HP, in a sense, *is* the sprained ankle. It's how you know that the goblin's blade is going to bite deeper than it otherwise would. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>So far so good! The player and the character are thinking the same way, because they are both brave and bold and ready to step into danger, but if they've had some trouble already, maybe they are a little more cautious. </p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Personally, this still seems fine to me. Falling damage doesn't break my verisimilimeter -- someone who is "just that good" can also be "just that good" at surviving a faceplant from 50 feet. </p><p></p><p>But I think this is more a case for HP damage not being the right way to get the "feel" of falling. Similar to what [MENTION=69074]Cyberen[/MENTION] is saying. If the feel you want is that both the player and the character are afraid of dying from a significant fall, you might want something more like <a href="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/55269/Lava-Rules-Fire-and-Brimstone" target="_blank">lava rules</a> rather than traditional dice of damage ("you fall more than 40 feet, you die"). Rolling damage is a great feel for something potentially deadly. For something DEFINITELY deadly, rolling damage is inappropriate.</p><p></p><p>I'm cool with falling being something that is only potentially deadly. I get that reasonable people might not be cool with that. Rolling damage probably isn't the best way to represent a fall if you're in that camp.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="I'm A Banana, post: 6234639, member: 2067"] There's a lot of great points above, but where the rubber meets the road for me here is this: Running out of HP kills you. So if something deals HP damage, it's possibly deadly. So if that illusion deals 15 damage, it would have given some lesser mortal a fatal heart attack. Jack's no wimp -- he had a heart attack, but he's still pushing on. Still, he can't deny that spell had an effect on him...he's a little more winded, a little more cautious, a little less able to exert himself. He'll power through (he's a big dang hero, so we don't need a death spiral mechanic or anything), but maybe if he jumps from the roof of the inn tonight, before he gets some rest, his reaction time will be slower, his muscles will be more tense, his mind more prone to making a mistake...and there's a good chance he won't land right, this time. If that illusion hadn't have stopped his heart for a moment earlier, he probably could take that fall. It'd hurt, but yeah, he could take it. I don't think all that is really necessary. HP is your resistance to things that might kill you. A gal who slays dragons and takes their stuff probably has a rough idea about what it would take to kill her. So does the person at the table pretending to be her. A sprained ankle doesn't need to slow down a big fantasy hero who can push their limits and give it their all 'till the moment they drop dead, though. Lost HP, in a sense, *is* the sprained ankle. It's how you know that the goblin's blade is going to bite deeper than it otherwise would. So far so good! The player and the character are thinking the same way, because they are both brave and bold and ready to step into danger, but if they've had some trouble already, maybe they are a little more cautious. Personally, this still seems fine to me. Falling damage doesn't break my verisimilimeter -- someone who is "just that good" can also be "just that good" at surviving a faceplant from 50 feet. But I think this is more a case for HP damage not being the right way to get the "feel" of falling. Similar to what [MENTION=69074]Cyberen[/MENTION] is saying. If the feel you want is that both the player and the character are afraid of dying from a significant fall, you might want something more like [URL="http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/55269/Lava-Rules-Fire-and-Brimstone"]lava rules[/URL] rather than traditional dice of damage ("you fall more than 40 feet, you die"). Rolling damage is a great feel for something potentially deadly. For something DEFINITELY deadly, rolling damage is inappropriate. I'm cool with falling being something that is only potentially deadly. I get that reasonable people might not be cool with that. Rolling damage probably isn't the best way to represent a fall if you're in that camp. [/QUOTE]
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