D&D 4E The problem I've having with 4e.

[keterys]

As a suggestion:

'Being at full hit points does not necessarily mean completely healed'

For example, let's say that you've been bashed around by giants, taken an arrow to the shoulder, and narrowly avoided a dragon's fiery breath. After a five minute rest (or 6 hour rest), you feel returned to your fighting trim.

Is the wound in your shoulder gone? Not necessarily, but it's bandaged. You've got a 'sunburn' going from the dragon's breath and a bruise the size of a breadbasket across your chest, but you're psyched to save the princess and such petty concerns aren't stopping you. You'll worry about how pretty you look in town when you can get a hot bath and the cleric can see to you.

Or maybe never - maybe characters can actually bear their scars proudly now.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I agree with Keterys.

 

[Nebulous]

What in-game mechanism are we supposed to construct to explain this while still retaining the freedom to characterize some injuries as serious in our fighting descriptions?

To address ByronD's points again, it's not any recharacterization of hit points, it's a recasting of how they are recovered that is the fundamental issue as I see it.

I don't know if that can be done by RAW under the current 4e ruleset. I imagine that this game is exactly like playing Icewind Dale or Baldur's Gate: rest for a while, all wounds and spells are recharged. And like the videogame, you don't suffer serious injury until dead.

The only thing that I can think of is that if you're knocked down to unconscious, that represents serious injury, and you can't get back to absolute MAX hitpoints without magical assistance? Healing surges will only grant you so much.

 

[Derren]

The only thing that I can think of is that if you're knocked down to unconscious, that represents serious injury, and you can't get back to absolute MAX hitpoints without magical assistance? Healing surges will only grant you so much.

But you have a 5% chance a turn to simply stand up again with 25% HP left. So even when knocked unconscious it can't represent a serious injury because you can stand up again, in a quite good condition and then, if the encounter is over, trade surges to get back to max health without any outside assistance or magic.

 

[eleran]

But you have a 5% chance a turn to simply stand up again with 25% HP left. So even when knocked unconscious it can't represent a serious injury because you can stand up again, in a quite good condition and then, if the encounter is over, trade surges to get back to max health without any outside assistance or magic.

I wouldnt call at 25% hit points in the middle of a fight necessarily quite good condition. And, based on the fact that you were able to recover on your own and come conscious means it wasnt that serious of a wound. You cant know the seriousness of the wound until all factors are..err..factored in.

 

[Nebulous]

But you have a 5% chance a turn to simply stand up again with 25% HP left. So even when knocked unconscious it can't represent a serious injury because you can stand up again, in a quite good condition and then, if the encounter is over, trade surges to get back to max health without any outside assistance or magic.

That's correct, but what i meant was that AFTER the fight, you cannot use your surges to get to 100% health because you went to negative. Maybe you can only get within 1 healing surge away, and from there on you need rest or magical assistance. Clearly, getting knocked down into negative multiple times in a day, without recuperating, will be bad for your health. Each time, you are another surge away from maximum hit points.

 

[Derren]

I wouldnt call at 25% hit points in the middle of a fight necessarily quite good condition. And, based on the fact that you were able to recover on your own and come conscious means it wasnt that serious of a wound. You cant know the seriousness of the wound until all factors are..err..factored in.

Considering that you were struck down by an enemy with a lethal spell or (natural) weapon and literally struggled with death, 25% HP are quite good in my opinion.
Whats even more strange is that the enemy can continue to attack you while you are unconscious and you still have a 5% chance is turn to stand up and start regenerating by humming "I of the Tiger" or whatever. What did the enemy do the whole time he attacked you while you were unconscious? Did he always miss a unmoving target?

 

[eleran]

Considering that you were struck down by an enemy with a lethal spell or (natural) weapon and literally struggled with death, 25% HP are quite good in my opinion.

I will mention that to the wizard that got dropped negative last night, made her nat 20 roll to recover and was suddenly in the midst of a pitched battle with only 6 HPs. She wasnt feeling all that special, merely alive.

 

[Steely Dan]

Considering that you were struck down by an enemy with a lethal spell or (natural) weapon and literally struggled with death, 25% HP are quite good in my opinion.

Going by the rules for the thingy the other week, they have dropped the natural 20 restoring hp, it is now simply:

1-9: Worsen.

10-20: No change.

 

[Derren]

Going by the rules for the thingy the other week, they have dropped the natural 20 restoring hp, it is now simply:

1-9: Worsen.

10-20: No change.

Link?
That would certainly be a "improvement" (=Throw the believability people a bone?)