Uh, I'm not quite dead yet, sir...

[Pbartender]

One thing that's always bugged me about the D20 dying rules, is how difficult it is to fall into that "disabled" category. Either you're fully capable, or your unconscious, or your dead. Very rarely, do you have that "mortally wounded, but struggling on to accomplish something, before dying tragically in a friend's arms" sort of scenario. Even when you do, the wounded character is going from 0 hps to -1, and is by no means in immediate mortal danger... Haven't died yet, and so long as you don't sit there moping over them for the next minute, they'll likely recover.

Blah.

While Iron Hero's Death's Door rules help out a bit, it still doesn't satify me. The rule did gave me an idea, however. Tell me what you think...

DEATH'S DOOR:

At 0 hit points or lower, you're disabled, and dying.

Each round, when dying, your character loses 1 hit point, and then makes Fortitude saving throw with a Difficulty Class equal to + your negative hit point total. If this save fails by 9 or less, you fall unconscious and can take no actions, but you survive for a short while longer. If this save fails by 10 or more, you die. If it succeeds, you remain disabled, and survive for a short while longer. This continues until the character dies or becomes stable.

While disabled, you can take only a single move or standard action each round, but not both. If you are stabilized, you can take move actions without further injuring yourself, but performing any standard action (or other strenuous activity) makes your character dying. Immediately after performing the standard action, you lose 1 hit point, and must make a Fortitude save as if you were dying.

Healing that raises the dying character’s hit points to 1 or more makes him fully functional again, just as if he’d never been reduced to 0 or lower.

Stabilizing rules would work as normal... 10% chance per round of stabilizing on your own, or a friend can stabilize you with an action.

What do you think?

 

[genshou]

I like characters having a longer buffer. It just sucks when you roll low on that very first save, especially if you have a really high bonus.

 

[Ilium]

I like it. In my own game I've just expanded the range at which you are disabled, but I like this mechanic better. Thanks.

 

[reanjr]

I prefer to extend disabled to -Level and death at -(Level + 10)

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

This is an interesting rule.. I presume that you add in disabled has an automatic -1 hp per round?

This would mean you could either rest, losing 1 hp per round, or act..losing 2 hps per round.

I also read this to mean that Gort, a 3rd level Half Orc with a Fort Save of 5, would be able to act for 2 rounds of disabled before risking failing the save?


Not sure about using two dice rolls..one for KO/Death and the other for stabalize... perhaps just add that a success by 10 or more points autostablizes?

Of course, this means Gort would have a 75% chance of stabilizing when dropped to 0.

?

 

[Pbartender]

This is an interesting rule.. I presume that you add in disabled has an automatic -1 hp per round?

No. Losing one hit point per round is a function of the dying condition, not the disabled condition. You can be disabled and stable, and therefore not losing any hit points.

But if you do something strenuous (like a standard action) while disabled and stable, you start dying (and bleeding out hit points) again.

This would mean you could either rest, losing 1 hp per round, or act..losing 2 hps per round.

No. It means take it easy (only ME actions) and stabilize yourself... or forego stabiling, take standard actions and risk bleeding to death.

I also read this to mean that Gort, a 3rd level Half Orc with a Fort Save of 5, would be able to act for 2 rounds of disabled before risking failing the save?

Gort would likely be disabled from 0 to -6 hit points, would have an increasingly difficult chance of staying conscious from -7 to -25 hit points, and an increasingly difficult chance of staying alive from -17 to -35 hit points. All along, he'd be losing 1 hit point per turn, unless he stabilized.

Of course, in D&D, there's always the chance of auto success or auto failure on those saving throws, if you happen to roll a natural 20 or a natural 1.

Assuming he never managed to stabilize after a mortal wound, Gort, on average, would stay conscious for about a minute and a half, and die about a minute after that, if left alone.

Not sure about using two dice rolls..one for KO/Death and the other for stabalize...

This whole scheme is actually based off the standard Iron Heroes (the game that I'm actually desgining this houe rule for, though there's no reason you couldn't use it with D&D) rule for falling below -10 hit points.

perhaps just add that a success by 10 or more points autostablizes?

That's not a bad idea. I was thinking the same thing last night, but...

Of course, this means Gort would have a 75% chance of stabilizing when dropped to 0.

Right... And it also means that Gort has no chance of stabilizing once he gets past -15 hit points. I'm not sure yet if that's a bad thing or not... It trades a much better chance of stabilizing and simplifying the rule for a threshold past which stabilization is impossible.

 

[Mr. Draco]

What I do is just have the whole range from 0 to -9 allow only a move equivalent or a standard action (but not both). 50% chance to remain concious each round (succeed and get your action, fail and black out. Hit -10 and die.

 

[green slime]

hmmm.... interesting. Interesting indeed. 14th level fighter types are going to keep crawling along for some time... (Those IMC have Fort saves at +17) to fail by 10, they're going to have to be at -28 hp.

I actually think I like this alot.

 

[TheNovaLord]

Personally i really like the 'on 1 hp n im fully functional' on less than that im down and need my companions to assist or fluke a stabilise roll. Seems more heroic.

Having played rolemaster (which is pretty much the opposite) where you can have 80% of your hit points left but you cant move for 8 hours because you will bleed, or a fluke high roll on your 6th level charcater by a 0th level beastie has put you at -40 because the party healer doent have bone law is just cr*p to play and not heroic.

Also just using hp cuts down on major amounts of paperwork n GM scribbling.

JohnD

 

[dante58701]

I just use crit charts and the diehard feat. I also allow characters to go to negative constitution before they start to die. They finally die at negative constitution + their will save modifier.

It would work like this...

1.Character has diehard...character is a bit tougher than most, remaining concious until negative constitution (18 con = -18 and stil concious).

2.Character goes below neg constitution due to blood loss and/or further injury...character loses conciousness and keep bleeding, if their negative hit point total exceeds their constitution score + will save modifier (their will to live) ....they die.

It allows for very heroic battles.