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ludonarrative dissonance of hitpoints in D&D
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<blockquote data-quote="DND_Reborn" data-source="post: 7840297" data-attributes="member: 6987520"><p>Jeez, I hate long posts... so, I will be blunt. I didn't read it all as I have never had an issue with out how HP function in D&D. The concept of abstract understanding of the combination of things that comprise the HP mechanic makes sense in the framework that is D&D.</p><p></p><p>As I have done a few times now, if you think of HP not as physical damage but the <em>effect</em> damage, exhaustion, conditions (such as cold, fire, poison, etc.) has on a creature's ability to act (mainly in combat). Some of the effects manifests as physical injury (cuts, wounds, bruises, etc.) and the rest is loss of energy (growing tired), luck running out, or whatever.</p><p></p><p>In a recent session, a hill giant rolled a critical hit for a thrown stone attack, and the DM narrated it as the character throwing themselves to the side as the boulder crashed into the wall next to him, shards of stone stinging his face and arms. It was something like 25 hp of damage. That "close call" would have killed a normal man if hit squarely. For a character with about 100 hp, it is still very scary and he had to spent a good amount of energy, luck, and skill to avoid getting crushed. That is a perfectly good narrative of how a critical hit can result in loss of hp with little physical injury or damage. The character's combat effectiveness is not stunted in any way, but the close call took its toll in other ways, as represented by the loss of HP.</p><p></p><p>Now, as those HP are depleted things change, so let's say the character only had 10 hp at the time. Suddenly, he is too tired, worn down, scared, whatever, and those 25 hp remove the last 10, dropping him to 0. Now, that critical hit might be narrated as "The giant's boulder speeds through the air. You try to turn in time, but your should is caught and slammed against the wall. As your head hits the stone wall, everything turns black as you fall forward, losing consciousness." Net result: combat effectiveness is gone. You are down and dying. If someone uses magic to revive you, you probably won't have a lot of HP and well continuing to fight in your weaker condition probably isn't a great idea.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, if you want a system that is more discrete in the type of effect the damage has (actual injury, growing tired, etc.) then have fun with it. I've done it. Ultimately, it slows down game play and doesn't really add any element of fun that the realism might create. It's a trade-off, one that our table really didn't find worth the cost. So, best of luck with it. (This post is already getting too long as well...)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DND_Reborn, post: 7840297, member: 6987520"] Jeez, I hate long posts... so, I will be blunt. I didn't read it all as I have never had an issue with out how HP function in D&D. The concept of abstract understanding of the combination of things that comprise the HP mechanic makes sense in the framework that is D&D. As I have done a few times now, if you think of HP not as physical damage but the [I]effect[/I] damage, exhaustion, conditions (such as cold, fire, poison, etc.) has on a creature's ability to act (mainly in combat). Some of the effects manifests as physical injury (cuts, wounds, bruises, etc.) and the rest is loss of energy (growing tired), luck running out, or whatever. In a recent session, a hill giant rolled a critical hit for a thrown stone attack, and the DM narrated it as the character throwing themselves to the side as the boulder crashed into the wall next to him, shards of stone stinging his face and arms. It was something like 25 hp of damage. That "close call" would have killed a normal man if hit squarely. For a character with about 100 hp, it is still very scary and he had to spent a good amount of energy, luck, and skill to avoid getting crushed. That is a perfectly good narrative of how a critical hit can result in loss of hp with little physical injury or damage. The character's combat effectiveness is not stunted in any way, but the close call took its toll in other ways, as represented by the loss of HP. Now, as those HP are depleted things change, so let's say the character only had 10 hp at the time. Suddenly, he is too tired, worn down, scared, whatever, and those 25 hp remove the last 10, dropping him to 0. Now, that critical hit might be narrated as "The giant's boulder speeds through the air. You try to turn in time, but your should is caught and slammed against the wall. As your head hits the stone wall, everything turns black as you fall forward, losing consciousness." Net result: combat effectiveness is gone. You are down and dying. If someone uses magic to revive you, you probably won't have a lot of HP and well continuing to fight in your weaker condition probably isn't a great idea. Anyway, if you want a system that is more discrete in the type of effect the damage has (actual injury, growing tired, etc.) then have fun with it. I've done it. Ultimately, it slows down game play and doesn't really add any element of fun that the realism might create. It's a trade-off, one that our table really didn't find worth the cost. So, best of luck with it. (This post is already getting too long as well...) [/QUOTE]
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