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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Laurefindel" data-source="post: 7579613" data-attributes="member: 67296">No, but I am thinking of slowing it down past 10th level. But back to what could be done, here's a few option right of my head.- Slow down hit point regeneration.Rather than changing hit point maximums, change the frequency at which hp can be recovered to bring the hp budget from a daily basis to a three-day basis, weekly basis, or cyclic basis. The Slow Healing variant from the DMG is a good start. Perhaps all hit points only come back after a lazy weekend back at home base?Potential issue: unless you also slow down long-rest abilities recovery ( such as lay of hand and spell slot recovery), magical healing becomes disproportionally beneficial.-Reduce hp gain per level.There are several ways to do this. Put a HD maximum (e.g. 10HD cap). Reduce HD progression (i.e. gain hp every second levels, reduce a character's HD max to proficiency bonus). Give diminishing returns on HD (e.g. cut all hp by half after 1st level, divide each hp gain by proficiency bonus, reduce HD size as the character gains level (The fighter only gain 1d8 hp per level after level 3, 1d6 after 7, 1d4 after 11, and only 1hp after level 17)). I'm sure I could come up with a few more.Potential issue: other than the lower hp itself, certain methods could make Constitution bonus to HP disproportionally beneficial.- Introduce a type of death spiral.Don't change hp maximums, but tie mechanics to low hp (e.g. tie hp to exhaustion levels, bring back "bloodied" type effects at 50% hp). Note that not all "steps" of the death spiral need to be negative. A low hp rogue could have a boost to move at low hp, encouraging flight. A low hp fighter could gain advantage on attack rolls as despairation adrenaline kicks in. The new Seventh Sea is a good example of that.Potential issues: there are a few, but the main one is encouraging more rests after each battles.- Remove HP altogether.Introduce a damage-as-saves mechanic as in Mutants & Masterminds, like you suggested. You could tie that to a death spiral mechanics (e.g. give exhaustion levels for each failed save) or hit location chart à la Warhammer RPG, with appropriate repercussions.Potential issue: repercussions on the system at large are getting greater and less predictable. Players may not "feel" like playing D&D anymore.- Tie hp to a universal resource.Make a single pool of resources for characters to use as hp, spell points, and abilities recharge points etc.Potential issues: so many. I bring this suggestion for the sake of completion, but I don't know how I would implement this in D&D...- introduce some kind of "travel fatigue"Have more of the environment affect hp. Travel in rain? Take damage. Rest uneasy because goblins might be  in the area? Take damage. Alternatively, suffer exhaustion levels, or regain less hp/HD.Potential issues: this make travel even more dangerous at low level, and it may not even solve your problems.Conclusion: to make D&D work with anything else than hp is difficult. I feel your solution lies in introducing a non-linear hp progression, or insist on the attrition of hp over longer periods of time by slowing hp regeneration somehow.'findel</blockquote>

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