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<blockquote data-quote="TwoSix" data-source="post: 8626765" data-attributes="member: 205">I can sympathize with that argument.&nbsp; Not going to say this appropriate for everyone, but here's I've been handling hit point rules since late 4e, and I've carried it into 5e (which is pretty similar to 4e in terms of its healing rules).1)&nbsp; Characters in a fantasy setting (PCs and NPCs) simply heal faster than us weak Earthlings do.&nbsp; Lacerations and bruises heal up in a few hours, broken bones and damaged organs are functional within a few days.&nbsp; Not troll-level regeneration of severed limbs, but just faster healing.&nbsp; Since that's simply part of the setting background, it doesn't really get brought up in the narrative, but a background explanation of &quot;divine blessing&quot;, &quot;residual ritual magic&quot;, or &quot;alien biology&quot; is good to have for the DM.&nbsp; (For what it's worth, OSR deity-level designer Kevin Crawford uses very similar logic in his OSR game Worlds without Number, so I feel pretty good about using the same idea.)2)&nbsp; Hit points represent overall combat readiness and general endurance.&nbsp; Actual health is represented by Healing Surges/Hit Dice.&nbsp; A character mostly depleted of Healing Surges/Hit Dice is generally narrated as bruised and battered, although still ready to fight if needed.&nbsp; 3)&nbsp; Bloodied condition/low HP is generally narrated as the first time the character has taken a real injury.&nbsp; The emotional narrative, that the character is feeling vulnerable, afraid, fatigued, in some pain is generally emphasized.4)&nbsp; My major house rule is that 0 HP (or below in 4e) doesn't put the character at immediate risk of death.&nbsp; At 0, the character is now not in an emotional/physical state to act (they're briefly stunned, or overwhelmed, or doubled over in pain), although I generally let them take a small action (talking briefly, moving slightly, chugging a potion).&nbsp; The player still rolls death saves, and failing their death saves makes the character fall unconscious.&nbsp; (Once they're unconscious, simply getting the character to positive hit points doesn't remove the condition, they need OOC medical attention, time, or revivify.) Failing death saves due to damage (like if an enemy gives a coup-de-grace, or throws the character into a pit) can cause death.5)&nbsp; Healing magic and potions are more of an overall cleansing effect with a shot of adrenaline; closing small wounds, numbing larger ones, and providing regained focus and willpower.&nbsp; The major difference between 4e and 5e is that in 5e these effects are purely beneficial, while in 4e they come with a cost of the loss of reserve and general fatigue.&nbsp; (Represented by declining healing surges.)&nbsp; This doesn't work for everyone, of course, but it's how I've run 4e/5e mostly as-is but also maintained a coherent narrative around injuries and healing magic.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="TwoSix, post: 8626765, member: 205"] I can sympathize with that argument. Not going to say this appropriate for everyone, but here's I've been handling hit point rules since late 4e, and I've carried it into 5e (which is pretty similar to 4e in terms of its healing rules). 1) Characters in a fantasy setting (PCs and NPCs) simply heal faster than us weak Earthlings do. Lacerations and bruises heal up in a few hours, broken bones and damaged organs are functional within a few days. Not troll-level regeneration of severed limbs, but just faster healing. Since that's simply part of the setting background, it doesn't really get brought up in the narrative, but a background explanation of "divine blessing", "residual ritual magic", or "alien biology" is good to have for the DM. (For what it's worth, OSR deity-level designer Kevin Crawford uses very similar logic in his OSR game Worlds without Number, so I feel pretty good about using the same idea.) 2) Hit points represent overall combat readiness and general endurance. Actual health is represented by Healing Surges/Hit Dice. A character mostly depleted of Healing Surges/Hit Dice is generally narrated as bruised and battered, although still ready to fight if needed. 3) Bloodied condition/low HP is generally narrated as the first time the character has taken a real injury. The emotional narrative, that the character is feeling vulnerable, afraid, fatigued, in some pain is generally emphasized. 4) My major house rule is that 0 HP (or below in 4e) doesn't put the character at immediate risk of death. At 0, the character is now not in an emotional/physical state to act (they're briefly stunned, or overwhelmed, or doubled over in pain), although I generally let them take a small action (talking briefly, moving slightly, chugging a potion). The player still rolls death saves, and failing their death saves makes the character fall unconscious. (Once they're unconscious, simply getting the character to positive hit points doesn't remove the condition, they need OOC medical attention, time, or [i]revivify[/i].) Failing death saves due to damage (like if an enemy gives a coup-de-grace, or throws the character into a pit) can cause death. 5) Healing magic and potions are more of an overall cleansing effect with a shot of adrenaline; closing small wounds, numbing larger ones, and providing regained focus and willpower. The major difference between 4e and 5e is that in 5e these effects are purely beneficial, while in 4e they come with a cost of the loss of reserve and general fatigue. (Represented by declining healing surges.) This doesn't work for everyone, of course, but it's how I've run 4e/5e mostly as-is but also maintained a coherent narrative around injuries and healing magic. [/QUOTE]

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