Vitality / WP - What does it mean?

[Roman]

Could somebody explain how does the Vitality / WP system work instead of hit points? Thanks.

 

[Ranger REG]

Vitality Points represent a combination of luck factor and superficial wounds (grazes, near-misses). Vitality Points are determined by your vitality die and Con modifier, much like hit points are determined by your hit die and Con modifier.

Wound Points represent your actual health and the ability to take serious wounds. Wound Points are determined by your Con score and only increase by feat or by ability score increase.

Normal hits are applied to VP first. When VP is down to 0, remaining damage is then applied to WP. Critical hits bypasses VP and applies to WP.

Anytime you take damage to your WP, you suffer a fatigued condition (see Player's Handbook or any Wizards' Core Game Books). Anytime you take damage to WP, you must also roll a Fort Save or pass out (KO). If your WP is down to 0, you are disabled. If your WP is between -1 to -9, you are dying and suffer 1 points of damage until you are stabilized. At -10, you are dead.

BTW, this is from recollection, as I have not peeked in my rulebook for fear of copying the text.

 

[Roman]

Thanks, this was helpful.

Anyway, I think you needn't fear the rulebook as I recall reading somewhere that Wizards is going to make this OGL. I am just too impatient.

One more thing. Do your Vitality points increase with level and if so at what rate (compared to hit points). Is it easier to die using Vitality points / WP than hit points? Are there any forms of attack/damage that affect the WP only, ignoring VP?

 

[Squire James]

Vitality Points are figured exactly like Hit Points... for most purposes they can be considered the same thing. Critical hits are deducted directly from Wound Points rather than being multiplied.

As I mentioned elsewhere, much care should be taken if you want to change your D&D system over to VP/WP. There are issues with (1) healing magic, (2) compensating factors for x3 and x4 crit weapons, and (3) if you really want your players killing your greatest villains with a single lucky hit.

IMO the VP/WP system works best in a setting with few "monsters" and customized healing systems, like Star Wars.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Basically, Vitality Points are like normal hit points. Wound Points are equivalent to your Constitution, and don't really change, unless your Con changes.

 

[Roman]

Interesting. I assume damage from falling, being immersed in lava, etc. deals directly WP damage?

The problems with healing and critical weapons modifiers do seem to be an issue, but the concept is nevertheless intriguing.

 

[RangerWickett]

I don't like forcing spellcasters to heal each other all the time, so I use a variant of VP/WP in my D&D games. Critical hits do -not- hit Wound Points directly. Instead, you just lose VP until you're down to 0, and then any damage thereafter goes to WP. Actually, I don't even call them Vitality points. I just use the name Hit Points.

See, with the VP rules, you heal 1 VP per level per hour. This way, even if they don't heal each other, the party will recover within a few hours, usually. You only heal 1 WP per day, though, so if the fight is really nasty, you'll be banged up for quite a while.

I let magical healing heal VP the same way it heals HP. Additionally, for every die of healing, you also heal 1 WP. It works fairly well, and makes the game less reliant on magical healing, letting the spellcasters go nuts. And spellcasters are cool.

 

[hong]

I don't like forcing spellcasters to heal each other all the time, so I use a variant of VP/WP in my D&D games. Critical hits do -not- hit Wound Points directly. Instead, you just lose VP until you're down to 0, and then any damage thereafter goes to WP. Actually, I don't even call them Vitality points. I just use the name Hit Points.

See, with the VP rules, you heal 1 VP per level per hour. This way, even if they don't heal each other, the party will recover within a few hours, usually. You only heal 1 WP per day, though, so if the fight is really nasty, you'll be banged up for quite a while.

I let magical healing heal VP the same way it heals HP. Additionally, for every die of healing, you also heal 1 WP. It works fairly well, and makes the game less reliant on magical healing, letting the spellcasters go nuts. And spellcasters are cool.

This is pretty much what I do as well. Two things I've noted:

- Low-level critters become much tougher. Where before you could be confident of taking down a 4 hp orc with one sword blow, now it might take two or three hits. This could impact the attractiveness of feats like Cleave/GC, among other things.

- The other healing-type functions are still important, in particular removing ability damage and level drain. Thus you might still want to have a healer around.

 

[333 Dave]

I just realized something. Con damage poison is super deadly in a VP/WP system. First, for every point of con you lose, you lose 1 WP. Second, for every two points of Con you lose, you lose 1VP/level. Ouchies.

 

[Ranger REG]

Interesting. I assume damage from falling, being immersed in lava, etc. deals directly WP damage?

Well, one can allow a saving throw. If the save succeed, then you apply damage to VP (something breaks or cushions your fall, you landed on a ledge inside the volcano, etc.). If the save fails, ouch! Nothing short of a miracle is going to save you (like the DM rolling all 1's on damage).

The problems with healing and critical weapons modifiers do seem to be an issue, but the concept is nevertheless intriguing.

It is a challenge.