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Message: <blockquote data-quote="LonePaladin" data-source="post: 3877817" data-attributes="member: 6963">Assuming you would be applying these rules to all creatures and NPCs equally, how would it be used for things that do not have vital organs (such as elementals) or generally don't feel pain (such as undead)? Also, how do you account for fast healing and regeneration (the ability, not the spell)?When you are at negative hit points, do you take an additional wound when the cumulative damage equals or exceeds your wound threshold? You stated the latter, but your example doesn't match the numbers you gave. (Specifically, you stated that the wound threshold is your Con bonus × 3; in the example, you had someone with a +2 Con bonus, which should be a wound threshold of 6 — you said 2 in the example. You then have him take another wound at –6 and –9 hp.) If it's actually six, then the example should have either –7 and –13, or –6 and –12. Someone with a 16 Con who is unwounded before reaching 0 hp should be able to last until he's at –36 hit points (and odds are he'll stabilize well before this).If you make it a flat number, like Con + 1, then someone with a 12 Con can only last until –8 or –9 hit points. Your average Joe, with a 10 Con, can only stay alive to –5 hp this way. Maybe make it 2 × Con bonus? It would let average people last about as long as the current rules dictate (unless they take a crit beforehand), while characters with a higher Constitution will have a better chance of survival.Also, in this system, people will start favoring weapons with very high critical multipliers, such as the scythe and pick. While they won't get critical hits very often, the ability to do three wounds — and give their target a minimum of a –5 penalty on all rolls in the bargain — is hard to pass up.There are also some spells that are dependent on the 'save or die' routine to function fully, such as the 9th-level detonate spell from the Spell Compendium. This one specifically causes a fireball-like explosion to burst from the target, which dies in the process. A successful save just inflicts damage to it, but if it dies anyway, it explodes as if it had failed the save.What about spells that aren't necessarily 'save or die' but have a special effect on the victim's death, such as disintegrate? Are they changed by this system?As for the optional rule above? Anyone who gets badly hurt loses even more hit points, and is more likely to end up at 0 hp or less, which means they're more likely to take additional wounds. Coupling a combat penalty with additional hit-point loss seems a little harsh.</blockquote>

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