D&D 5E Lingering Injuries

[transtemporal]

I scored 3 crits against the same player in one combat last night. This was in no way atypical.

If you are dishing out additional penalties on top of the extra damage, you are either a sadist or you don't understand math.

This is what I was saying. Sure, Lingering Hits sound all realistic and gritty but getting the crap beaten out of you every single fight is not fun for players. It also means you can no longer run a party without a healer (it was merely a good idea before, now it would be mandatory).

 

[transtemporal]

I guess I failed to make clear that these injuries would be INSTEAD of double damage on the crit. That IS an important piece of info.

This makes a world of difference. Then they work more like consequences (mild, moderate, severe, extreme) in Fate. Although I would probably give the PC the option of taking a crit or taking a lingering hit instead, rather than making it mandatory. No one likes to be bulldozed.

 

[Gilladian]

This makes a world of difference. Then they work more like consequences (mild, moderate, severe, extreme) in Fate. Although I would probably give the PC the option of taking a crit or taking a lingering hit instead, rather than making it mandatory. No one likes to be bulldozed.

Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll ask my group if they like that idea; they seemed fine with the wounds today, but I can see situations where you'd rather just take damage than risk an incapacity instead.

 

[JamesonCourage]

If you are dishing out additional penalties on top of the extra damage, you are either a sadist or you don't understand math.

I must be a sadist! In my RPG, you roll on a d% Hit Chart every time you damage someone's HP. It goes against enemies, and it goes against players. Fun will be had by all!

This is what I was saying. Sure, Lingering Hits sound all realistic and gritty but getting the crap beaten out of you every single fight is not fun for players.

You're right (for most groups, I assume). Maybe that's why my players avoid getting the crap beaten out of them now

It also means you can no longer run a party without a healer (it was merely a good idea before, now it would be mandatory).

This wasn't true in my RPG, and I doubt it would be true in 5e. I've run healer-less campaigns for many 3.X parties (years ago, when I still played the game), and have done so for my fantasy RPG. It changes the dynamic, no doubt, but it's nowhere even approaching impossible. While I haven't played 5e myself, I don't see what the big difference would be (especially with some self-healing available via hit dice).

I would probably give the PC the option of taking a crit or taking a lingering hit instead, rather than making it mandatory.

This is a good approach, too. I also like the idea of it applying to "maybe you didn't die after all" for groups that want to avoid a character death or TPK. If you take enough damage and you'd normally die, maybe you can roll on a permanent injury chart instead (lost limbs, etc.). It sucks, sure, but here's hoping you get a Regeneration spell cast on you! It's not too different from hoping someone casts a Raise Dead on you, except you get to play in the meantime.

Oh, and feel of the game, of course. It wouldn't fit every group (and probably not one of my groups), but I thought I'd throw it out there.

 

[transtemporal]

This wasn't true in my RPG, and I doubt it would be true in 5e. I've run healer-less campaigns for many 3.X parties (years ago, when I still played the game), and have done so for my fantasy RPG. It changes the dynamic, no doubt, but it's nowhere even approaching impossible. While I haven't played 5e myself, I don't see what the big difference would be (especially with some self-healing available via hit dice).

Same. In all the campaigns that I've played in or run since basic, I think maybe 5 or 6 people have run a cleric? I'm just saying in a Lingering Injuries campaign where you take on every crit, a healer with lesser restoration/restoration/regeneration becomes mandatory. Otherwise, the party is always going to be spending all their downtime healing from broken bones.

This is a good approach, too. I also like the idea of it applying to "maybe you didn't die after all" for groups that want to avoid a character death or TPK. If you take enough damage and you'd normally die, maybe you can roll on a permanent injury chart instead (lost limbs, etc.). It sucks, sure, but here's hoping you get a Regeneration spell cast on you! It's not too different from hoping someone casts a Raise Dead on you, except you get to play in the meantime.

I'd actually be tempted to make them a bit nastier and a bit more permanent, but only make it an option when a PC reduced to 0 or lower.

And this is my reasoning: Lingering Injuries or Scars or whatever you want to call them are a cool idea because they become part of the characters story but not when they happen with such regularity that it becomes just another type of damage that you have to keep track of.

 

[JamesonCourage]

I'm just saying in a Lingering Injuries campaign where you take on every crit, a healer with lesser restoration/restoration/regeneration becomes mandatory. Otherwise, the party is always going to be spending all their downtime healing from broken bones.

I guess I'm saying I disagree? My RPG has these types of injuries possible on every hit, and yet my players still come up with parties with no healers. Although, yes, sometimes they have to rest. But I guess since I take a more sandbox approach to gaming in my RPG, it doesn't bug them as much. Sure, some time passes. But that means that other things get done: travel times, construction of buildings or custom items, political maneuvering, etc.

I'd actually be tempted to make them a bit nastier and a bit more permanent, but only make it an option when a PC reduced to 0 or lower.

And this is my reasoning: Lingering Injuries or Scars or whatever you want to call them are a cool idea because they become part of the characters story but not when they happen with such regularity that it becomes just another type of damage that you have to keep track of.

Depends on what you like, I guess! I've played both ways, and adding a "hit chart" to my game added a ton of tension (when you take HP damage) and excitement (when you get to roll on the hit chart). But that's just us! You're giving some good advice to people who don't share my view on it

 

[Kryx]

Lingering Injuries or Scars or whatever you want to call them are a cool idea because they become part of the characters story but not when they happen with such regularity that it becomes just another type of damage that you have to keep track of.

This is massively important. It should add to the story and not become mundane extra annoying conditions.

However I feel like falling to 0 is much too common - at least in early levels. But so is my method of Massive damage.

Here was the list of reasons for Lingering Injuries that I've planned it to happen when

• Massive Damage is dealt. (More than half hp in 1 single hit - no death save from the normal massive damage)
• Two 20s (both advantage/disadvantage rolls are 20s - we play on roll20 so we always roll 2).
• Option for players to choose when they fall to 0 instead of taking death saving throws.

I plan on mitigating the massive damage option until lvl 3. Instead have a horrible scar or something similar if the character dies.

 

[Inez Hull]

To the OP, if you are interested in using a table similar to the DMG Lingering Injuries table for when HP drop to zero there are a bucketload around the internets, usually labelled as Death and Dismemberment tables. If you are interested I have recently made some blog posts collecting about 30 such tables http://deathanddismemberment.blogspot.com.au/

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I´d like the medicine skill to play more of a role here..

 

[Riley37]

If you crit-fail a Survival check while gathering cranberries, and injure your hand,

you might apply splints and bandages, wrap them around your finger...

...but do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?