D&D 5E Vitality [homebrew] playtest

[toucanbuzz]

Meant to comment your proposal bypasses the absurd scenarios that arise with death saves.

The unconscious option was a mechanical necessity when a counter to staggered needed to be implemented (otherwise everyone would opt for it). Unless my monsters were trying to take them alive, it puts the narrative a bit more in the players' hands.

Lingering wounds in play are largely inconsequential despite their name. To get back in the fray, a character is going to receive magical healing, which cures pretty much all lingering wounds. It's really the threat of rolling a 1-3 (lose a body part) that adds something lasting into play (other than interesting scars), and as such, it's got to be a rare mechanic. Over an approximately 3-4 year span of using it, we've had 2 players lose limbs (a two-handed fighter lost an arm and a war cleric lost a foot). We turned this into role playing glory, so it can take the story somewhere else. Off topic a bit, but sharing what I've seen.

EDIT: this play pre-dated vitality, and at that time I used the optional rule when a character "fails a death save by 5 or more." That's a 25% chance per death save roll, so we saw the lingering wounds fairly often. But there's not much point in describing a devastating belly wound only to have a cure effect go into play next round that removed it.

 

[dave2008]

Lingering wounds in play are largely inconsequential despite their name. To get back in the fray, a character is going to receive magical healing, which cures pretty much all lingering wounds. It's really the threat of rolling a 1-3 (lose a body part) that adds something lasting into play (other than interesting scars), and as such, it's got to be a rare mechanic. Over an approximately 3-4 year span of using it, we've had 2 players lose limbs (a two-handed fighter lost an arm and a war cleric lost a foot). We turned this into role playing glory, so it can take the story somewhere else. Off topic a bit, but sharing what I've seen.

That is actually good to here. My players feared it would be more substantial. Of course, we have precious little magical healing my groups (no cleric or paladin, 1 druid over 2 groups)

 

[tetrasodium]

Although I like it & it reminds me a lot of starfinder's stamina+hp+resolve, I think that it might be a little too fiddly

 

[dave2008]

Although I like it & it reminds me a lot of starfinder's stamina+hp+resolve, I think that it might be a little too fiddly

I haven't played starfinder and was unfamiliar with the their system, but it is similar. The main difference being no resolve points. So their are only HP and BHP (vitality) to track like your system. Furthermore our system is simpler because 0 BHP = death, not dying.

It is a bit more complex than standard, yet also simplified compared to the death save mechanic. Instead of switching to a new "system" you are still just using hit points. The only added complexity (beside the AC as DR which is a separate thing) is when it comes to rest and healing, which is typical not an issue.

EDIT: It is not for everyone, but it has worked really well for us.

 

[dave2008]

...I think that it might be a little too fiddly

Interesting, from my perspective it less fiddly than your system. We don't have to track death points or the staggered / unconscious conditions to consider, nor do we have a difference in magical healing. It seems like your system has a lot more parts, were our system is essentially just hit points.

EDIT: PS, I like your idea of modifying how magic heals vitality points (BHP), I may see what my players think about that.

 

[tetrasodium]

Interesting, from my perspective it less fiddly than your system. We don't have to track death points or the staggered / unconscious conditions to consider, nor do we have a difference in magical healing. It seems like your system has a lot more parts, were our system is essentially just hit points.

EDIT: PS, I like your idea of modifying how magic heals vitality points (BHP), I may see what my players think about that.

I think it's the unconscious & staggered that makes it feel fiddly. It sounds like you got into how resolve works for both healing stamina as well as certain class abilities, starfinder is very different from 5e so in the case of starfinder that dual use makes stamina even more precious, PCs in d&d would be a lot more cautious if getting hint meant burning fireball, evasion, rage, etc uses; but 5e's not really structured in a way that makes that fuel for ability part of resolve work. I agree that 1:10 vitality:hp recovery & just a bit during a long rest while hp is full works better than burning resolve given how 5e is setup.

 

[dave2008]

I think it's the unconscious & staggered that makes it feel fiddly.

Yes, and the death points (which is part of them really). That being said, I'm sure it becomes second nature once you play with it for a bit.

 

[toucanbuzz]

...That being said, I'm sure it becomes second nature once you play with it for a bit.

Very true.