D&D 3E/3.5 Point me towards an alternate Hit Point system for Pathfinder/D&D3.5

[Vyrolakos]

I'm after something that gives wounding results while characters AND monsters are losing Hit Points. The whole, 'you're fine until you hit 0 HP', is just killing me. Excuse the pun.

So far, I'm looking at a 1/3 (total) HP Wound Threshold system, where taking 1/3 of your (total) HP's in one single damage source requires a DC 15 (20?) Fortitude Save to avoid a wound effect.

What optional wounding rules have you come up with?

 

[Penthau]

You could use something like the consequences from FATE. It would let them avoid a HP loss to accept a consequence that has long term affects. So for instance, they could "soak" up 20 hp and take a minor consequence, which would give them some combat penalty (like -1 or -2 to hit) and have some description like pulled muscle. They would have 4 levels (minor, major, severe, extreme) and each severity would absorb more damage (maybe % or absolute hp) and they would last longer as they became more serious (end of combat, end of day, 1 week, 1 month). They are harder to heal than hp.

 

[3catcircus]

How much crunch are you willing to work with?

Here is a previous post I made about a wound-based system.

It is an attempt at describing the damage system used in Twilight:2013, but would require some modification to fit within the bounds of a genre where magic exists.

Essentially, it uses a condition track that includes some linear effects, as well as the chance for a rapid death spiral.

 

[Vyrolakos]

Food for thought, thanks.

My main goal is to try to keep it compatible with the current mechanics. I don't want players to have to learn completely alternate damage rules, just have some possible extra effects when they take a certain percentage of their current HP's from one single source.

I like the idea of suffering penalties from wound thresholds, but it needs to be kept simple so that both the characters and the opponents they fight can use the same system.

 

[darjr]

How about this?

Every wound is a -1 to all d20 rolls. A wound happens on a critical hit, when a character drops to half HP and at zero HP.

A healing spell either does hp healing or heals the number of dice used in would points.

 

[Vyrolakos]

Yeah, I was thinking this sort of thing, not sure about the half HP threshold though. I was wondering whether having an escalating wound severity or a random wound severity is the way to go.

Minor - Light - Moderate - Severe - Critical, or just randomly determine severity on each occurrence, based on the DC15 (20?) success/failure result maybe?

Also, with a wound 'severity', you can theoretically require the correct heal spell to heal the severity of wound.

Cure Moderate Wounds to cure a moderate wound result, and such like.

Trouble is, it's already getting complicated.

 

[darjr]

Yea, it's hard to keep a wound system simple, thus hit points.

Another option that comes to mind. If the to hit roll is over the to hit DC (AC or Touch or Flat Footed) by their con bonus they take a wound.

So a fighter with an AC of 19 and a con bonus of 3 would take a wound if the Ogre got a 22 or higher, plus what ever HP in damage. A 19-20 would just be the HP damage.

A -1 to to d20 rolls for every wound is probably to harsh here.

 

[Vyrolakos]

Maybe I should just dig out my copy of Rolemaster Arms Law & Claw Law?

... or maybe not.

I'm beginning to see why WotC never messed with the HP system.

 

[Enkhidu]

Aside from the complexity, death spirals can be infuriating for most players. That's reason enough for WotC to shy away.

 

[darjr]

Aside from the complexity, death spirals can be infuriating for most players. That's reason enough for WotC to shy away.

uh what?

This was for his game or own edification. Alternate home rules, that's all. And actually I know players that actually like playing under that kind of in game stress. Each to their own.