D&D 5E Lingering Injuries

[aramis erak]

The lingering hit idea rolling around my brain is that a modified roll more than 10 over AC reduces max HP by the damage, healing that at 1 point per long rest, with a medicine roll (with disadvantage if on self) healing one additional lost max per long rest.

The other version is uglier... excess damage past 0 HP reduces max HP... a failed death save is 1/3 (rounded up) your maximum HP, and death occurs only when Max HP reduced to 0

 

[bmcdaniel]

I'm going to add the following to the Lingering Wounds table:

Sapped Vitality. You always have at least 1 level of exhaustion that cannot be removed until spend ten days doing nothing but resting or you receive magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate.

Concussion. You are unconscious for 1d4 hours (even after receiving healing that would normally wake you). For 24 hours, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, and cannot maintain concentration on any spells. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes this effect.

Armor Destroyed. Your armor is destroyed. Until you can remove your armor (see page 146 of Player’s Handbook), you gain the restrained condition, except that your speed is halved not 0. You may be able to have your armor repaired.

Handheld Equipment Destroyed. Whatever you were holding in your hands is destroyed (determine randomly if you are holding more than one item). You may be able to have the item repaired.

Broken Jaw. Your jaw is broken so that it interferes with your speech. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks. It takes you 10 days to learn to cope with the injury; during this time, any spells with a verbal component are 50% likely to be miscast (you spend slot but there is no effect), and your speech is slow and laborious. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, heals the injury completely.

Psychological Trauma. You gain the flaw "I am afraid of [the situation or creature that almost killed me]." In similar situations, the DM may rule that you have the frightened condition. With the DM's permission, you can have an alternate flaw that represents your trauma (see Madness in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Calm emotions can suppress this trauma, while greater restoration or similar powerful magic can heal the trauma completely.

 

[bmcdaniel]

Here's what I'm putting in my houserules document.

Each time you fail a death saving throw (which occurs when dying), you must roll on the following table (derived from the lingering wounds system on page 272 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
d6 d20 Effect
1-3 - No Effect.
4-5 Minor Wound.
1-2 Minor Scar. The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.
3-5 Limp. Your speed on foot is reduced by 5 feet. You must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw after using the Dash action. If you fail the save, you fall prone. Magical healing removes the limp.
6-8 Strained Arm or Hand. You can’t use either your primary or secondary hand (determine randomly); you can no longer hold anything with two hands. If you are forced to make attacks or ability checks using your secondary hand, you have disadvantage. Magical healing removes the strain.
9-11 Broken Ribs. Whenever you attempt an action in combat, you must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, you lose your action and can't use reactions until the start of your next turn. The injury heals if you receive magical healing or if you spend ten days doing nothing but resting.
12-13 Internal Injury. This has the same effect as Internal Injury above, except that the save DC is 15.
14-15 Festering Wound. Your hit point maximum is reduced by 1 every 24 hours the wound persists. If your hit point maximum drops to 0, you die. The wound heals if you receive magical healing. Alternatively, someone can tend to the wound and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check once every 24 hours. After ten successes, the wound heals.
16-17 Staggered. For one minute, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, and cannot maintain concentration on any spells. The condition is removed if you receive magical healing.
18-19 Weapon or Tool Damaged. Whatever you were holding in your hands is unusable (determine randomly if you are holding more than one item). You may be able to have the item repaired by a competent craftsman.
20 Armor Damaged. Your armor is unwearable. Until you can remove your armor (see page 146 of Player’s Handbook), you gain the restrained condition, except that your speed is halved not 0. You may be able to have your armor repaired by a competent armorer.
6 Major Wound.
1-3 Lose an Arm or a Hand. You can’t use either your primary or secondary hand (determine randomly); you can no longer hold anything with two hands. If you are forced to make attacks or ability checks using your secondary hand, you have disadvantage. Magic such as the regenerate spell can restore the lost appendage.
4-6 Lose a Foot or Leg. Your speed on foot is halved, and you must use a cane or crutch to move unless you have a peg leg or other prosthesis. You fall prone after using the Dash action. You have disadvantage on Dexterity checks made to balance. Magic such as the regenerate spell can restore the lost appendage.
7-8 Lose an Eye. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and on ranged attack rolls. Magic such as the regenerate spell can restore the lost eye. If you have no eyes left after sustaining this injury, you're blinded.
9-11 Horrible Scar. You are disfigured to the extent that the wound can't be easily concealed. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks and advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.
12-14 Sapped Vitality. You always have at least 1 level of exhaustion that cannot be removed until you spend ten days doing nothing but resting or you receive magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate.
15-16 Concussion. You are unconscious for 1d4 hours (even after receiving healing that would normally wake you). For 24 hours, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, and cannot maintain concentration on any spells. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes this effect.
17-18 Broken Jaw. Your jaw is broken so that it interferes with your speech. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks. It takes you ten days to learn to cope with the injury; during this time, any spells with a verbal component are 50% likely to be miscast (you spend the slot but there is no effect), and your speech is slow and laborious. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, heals the injury completely.
19-20 Psychological Trauma. You gain the flaw "I am afraid of [the situation or creature that almost killed me]." In similar situations, the DM may rule that you have the frightened condition. With the DM's permission, you can have an alternate flaw that represents your trauma (see Madness in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Calm emotions can suppress this trauma, while greater restoration or similar powerful magic can heal the trauma completely.

 

[Psikerlord#]

Here's what I'm putting in my houserules document.

Each time you fail a death saving throw (which occurs when dying), you must roll on the following table (derived from the lingering wounds system on page 272 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
d6 d20 Effect
1-3 - No Effect.
4-5 Minor Wound.
1-2 Minor Scar. The scar doesn't have any adverse effect. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.
3-5 Limp. Your speed on foot is reduced by 5 feet. You must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw after using the Dash action. If you fail the save, you fall prone. Magical healing removes the limp.
6-8 Strained Arm or Hand. You can’t use either your primary or secondary hand (determine randomly); you can no longer hold anything with two hands. If you are forced to make attacks or ability checks using your secondary hand, you have disadvantage. Magical healing removes the strain.
9-11 Broken Ribs. Whenever you attempt an action in combat, you must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, you lose your action and can't use reactions until the start of your next turn. The injury heals if you receive magical healing or if you spend ten days doing nothing but resting.
12-13 Internal Injury. This has the same effect as Internal Injury above, except that the save DC is 15.
14-15 Festering Wound. Your hit point maximum is reduced by 1 every 24 hours the wound persists. If your hit point maximum drops to 0, you die. The wound heals if you receive magical healing. Alternatively, someone can tend to the wound and make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check once every 24 hours. After ten successes, the wound heals.
16-17 Staggered. For one minute, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, and cannot maintain concentration on any spells. The condition is removed if you receive magical healing.
18-19 Weapon or Tool Damaged. Whatever you were holding in your hands is unusable (determine randomly if you are holding more than one item). You may be able to have the item repaired by a competent craftsman.
20 Armor Damaged. Your armor is unwearable. Until you can remove your armor (see page 146 of Player’s Handbook), you gain the restrained condition, except that your speed is halved not 0. You may be able to have your armor repaired by a competent armorer.
6 Major Wound.
1-3 Lose an Arm or a Hand. You can’t use either your primary or secondary hand (determine randomly); you can no longer hold anything with two hands. If you are forced to make attacks or ability checks using your secondary hand, you have disadvantage. Magic such as the regenerate spell can restore the lost appendage.
4-6 Lose a Foot or Leg. Your speed on foot is halved, and you must use a cane or crutch to move unless you have a peg leg or other prosthesis. You fall prone after using the Dash action. You have disadvantage on Dexterity checks made to balance. Magic such as the regenerate spell can restore the lost appendage.
7-8 Lose an Eye. You have disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight and on ranged attack rolls. Magic such as the regenerate spell can restore the lost eye. If you have no eyes left after sustaining this injury, you're blinded.
9-11 Horrible Scar. You are disfigured to the extent that the wound can't be easily concealed. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks and advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes the scar.
12-14 Sapped Vitality. You always have at least 1 level of exhaustion that cannot be removed until you spend ten days doing nothing but resting or you receive magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate.
15-16 Concussion. You are unconscious for 1d4 hours (even after receiving healing that would normally wake you). For 24 hours, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, and cannot maintain concentration on any spells. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, removes this effect.
17-18 Broken Jaw. Your jaw is broken so that it interferes with your speech. You have disadvantage on Charisma (Persuasion) checks. It takes you ten days to learn to cope with the injury; during this time, any spells with a verbal component are 50% likely to be miscast (you spend the slot but there is no effect), and your speech is slow and laborious. Magical healing of 6th level or higher, such as heal and regenerate, heals the injury completely.
19-20 Psychological Trauma. You gain the flaw "I am afraid of [the situation or creature that almost killed me]." In similar situations, the DM may rule that you have the frightened condition. With the DM's permission, you can have an alternate flaw that represents your trauma (see Madness in the Dungeon Master's Guide). Calm emotions can suppress this trauma, while greater restoration or similar powerful magic can heal the trauma completely.

I like it! I definitely think the DMG table is too simple. I have made something similar myself (an "Injuries & Setbacks" table, with 1-16 individual wounds/setbacks (incorporating the wounds already in DMG and adding others), and leaving 17-20 as minor scar).

 

[Inez Hull]

I mentioned upthread a while ago that an alternative to the DMG Lingering Injuries table is a Death & Dismemberment table, which is similar only it goes further to include death as an outcome and is used to replace any existing rules (such as Death Saves) when a PC drops to 0 HP. I mention this because I have just put a Death & Dismemberment table tweaked for 5E into the downloads section

 

[Amatiel]

I have introduced the following changes with lingering damage. For me, only being dropped to 0 or less hp's will incur the possibility of lingering damage.
Effects of Damage
When your current hit point total is half or more of your hit point maximum you typically show no signs of physical damage and are considered to be suffering light damage (strained muscles, tiredness, minor bruises, etc.).
When you drop below half your hit point maximum you begin to show signs of physical damage (cuts, severe bruising, torn muscles, ligaments and tendons, etc.) and are considered to be suffering from moderate damage.
Any attack that reduces you to 0 hit points strikes you directly, leaving a bleeding injury and or possible trauma, and knocks you unconscious. This damage is considered severe and requires a Constitution saving throw versus the damage dealt to negate the severe damage Condition.

Condition - Severe Damage
The creature is suffering severe damage. Only magical healing can restore such injuries to light damage..
Roll on Lingering Injuries table (DMG. 272). If the saving throw fails by 5 or more the rolled injury is as described in the table. If the roll fails by less than 5, the injury is only temporarily crippling and can be healed normally via magical healing..

Short Rest
Characters Rest Dice = character level
One rest dice heals hit points equal to the character class HD plus constitution modifier.


Long Rest
All rest dice are regained at the end of a long rest.

 

[Khasimir]

Here's a table that I built. There is some short hand in there but you get the picture really. At this point, I only use it for when a player gets below zero, which seems to happen about once or three times an encounter (they have no healer and I try to challenge them in combat).


1 Your weapon is notched or your bow string broke. -1 to damage or can't use bow until fixed
2 Your armor is dinged up and needs some repair work. -1 to AC until fixed.
3 Minor Scar
4 Hand/Foot Mangled up -1 to CHA
5 Arm or Leg is gimpy. -1 to attack.
6 Permanent Scar
7 Mangled up nose -1 CHA
8 You've lost your sense of smell - disadvantage on all smell based perception checks.
9 You've permanently lost most sense of taste
10 You have experienced an otherworldly vision of chaos in a black void. Roll on the short term horror table
11 You have lost quite a lot of blood. -3 to hit unless magically healed to more than 50% of your total HP
12 You have taken a significant amount of damage to several body parts. You lose an extra 2 hp each time struck until you are fully healed.
13 You have two broken ribs. Disadvantage on attack rolls. Non attack combat actions, require a DC 15 Con roll or double over in pain, losing action and reactions until next turn.
14 Lose an eye: Disadvantage on perception (sight) and ranged attacks. Regeneration only.
15 You have broken the arm you use for your primary weapon, -2 to hit and any primary bonus gone.
16 Your stomach, bowels and bladder all emptied themselves while you were dying. -3 to persuasion until you can change/bathe. -1 to hit due to weakness until a short/long rest
17 <Nothing> stray dogs will start following the PC around where he goes until restoration has been cast
18 Your constitution just hasn't recovered from your time down. -1 to CON unless a restore is cast
19 You've lost something of your constitution (-2). You feel weaker. Can be restored by restoration. A shadow is made, birthed by the loss of CON.
20 You've changed. Your world view isn't quite the same. D20 (1-10, 11-20) for alignment change. LN goes to either N or CN based upon the roll.