Or maybe you burn CON points to roll death saves/last gasp spells/actions and getting them back is not easily done.
How about characters .... Paladin lay on hands (basically how it worked in 4e)My first thought was "if they're a currency, they can be exchanged between players".
How about characters .... Paladin lay on hands (basically how it worked in 4e)
Personally- in play I find it far more interesting than typical "resource management" like Vancian Casting, or per X rest, etc. It's much more simple . . .
Doesn't sound simpler anymore, does it?HP could be called HP or Vitality or Endurance or whatever- Fighter maneuvers, Spells, Rogue maneuvers, some kind of crazy skill maneuver (a huge leap, etc) would be fueled by HP.
Once you are at 0 HP/Endurance/Vitality, whatever- you are now in trouble. i.e. into "meat". You now have a small "reserve" of points-maybe equal to your level, or level + con mod, or con mod + cha mod..something like that. These are used on a 1 for 1 basis for death saves to stabilize and/or as further HP to get in a last heroic spell, or lunge or what have you. You might be able to get off a Magic Missle (or fireball if you are high enough level and/or have the stat mods) and still make a death save or two. Do you dig into your PC's last reserves of power and potentially risk death? (due to lack of points to power death saves) or go out of action and play it safe rolling multiple death saves/stabilization rolls?
Or maybe you burn CON points to roll death saves/last gasp spells/actions and getting them back is not easily done.
Clerics would not cast spells that cure HP/E/V- instead they would be casting healing spells that cure conditions/ afflictions- poison, ghoul fever/paralysis, diseases, etc. They could cast "stabilizing" spells (and thus use their own HP to power a death saving throw for the PC), but with a per day limitation- maybe once per day
If you go unconscious but save/stabilize, maybe that gives you 1HP or maybe you are just OOA for the duration. Since you only have 1HP you wouldn't be able to pull much off anyway, but...
You...just described my game. So if anyone's curious about what the schneeland's idea might look like as a full game, you're welcome to explore it here. To wit, making casting exhausting adds to immersion, a body attribute works better, and rest (specifically naps) is the best thing ever!I have contemplated a similar system - the main appeal being that it really adds to the immersion when casting spells is an exhausting thing (and similarly, special combat maneuvers and feints are), sometimes even leading to nose bleed or worse; it would IMO also work very well with 5e's fast healing (since you really recover from physical/mental stress than wounds).
Two things you might want to consider are:
I would indeed say you should burn your attribute scores and recovering them requires a doctor/cleric or extensive rest. That way there's no need need for another resource in the game. I'm inclined to say this might work better if you merge strength and constitution into a single body attribute, though.
- Maybe not all actions should require expending hit points/stamina (e.g. a simple attack or casting a cantrip doesn't) - then you would need less hit points overall
- Maybe powerful spells that exceed the level you can comfortably wield directly also physical harm (at least to some extent); similarly for desperate combat maneveurs
You know, they did this with force users in the first wotc Star Wars, and I gotta say I didn’t enjoy it.A few months ago, I came across a Dungeon World hack that was designed for Kids and people new to RPGs
The "Dungeons RPG" free download can be found HERE . It has proven itself in providing a non intimidating RPG experience for my wife and young daughter where other games such as very basic versions of D&D have failed. But on to the main point-
In "Dungeons"- Hit Points are not just traditional hit points but are also "effort" used to fuel die rolls, spells, etc. For example-. The spellcasters have "at wills" but spend hit points to fuel more powerful spells. Fighters can spend a HP to fuel great feats of strength , or a Thief on "sneaky" abilities (and the HP provides a bonus to the roll that will eliminate complete failure). Druids spend a HP to shapeshift, etc etc.
Personally- in play I find it far more interesting than typical "resource management" like Vancian Casting, or per X rest, etc. It's much more simple, and the resource pool is much more valuable to players and raises the dramatic tension "I can spend a HP now to make sure I do X, but I'm going to be lower than I want for that fight I know is coming"
So what do folks think about a D&D game where class abilities/maneuvers/feats/stunts/ spells etc were all fueled by ONE easy to track resource- Hit Points? Then certainly the "idea" of hit points as drive/luck/endurance and their loss and quick return upon resting would make compete sense in the context of the game (though the term "hit" still does not).
P.S- Happy New Year all!
What is it like in general?As others have said, there is a system that does exactly this, it's called numenera/cypher system
A few months ago, I came across a Dungeon World hack that was designed for Kids and people new to RPGs
The "Dungeons RPG" free download can be found HERE . It has proven itself in providing a non intimidating RPG experience for my wife and young daughter where other games such as very basic versions of D&D have failed. But on to the main point-
In "Dungeons"- Hit Points are not just traditional hit points but are also "effort" used to fuel die rolls, spells, etc. For example-. The spellcasters have "at wills" but spend hit points to fuel more powerful spells. Fighters can spend a HP to fuel great feats of strength , or a Thief on "sneaky" abilities (and the HP provides a bonus to the roll that will eliminate complete failure). Druids spend a HP to shapeshift, etc etc.
Personally- in play I find it far more interesting than typical "resource management" like Vancian Casting, or per X rest, etc. It's much more simple, and the resource pool is much more valuable to players and raises the dramatic tension "I can spend a HP now to make sure I do X, but I'm going to be lower than I want for that fight I know is coming"
So what do folks think about a D&D game where class abilities/maneuvers/feats/stunts/ spells etc were all fueled by ONE easy to track resource- Hit Points? Then certainly the "idea" of hit points as drive/luck/endurance and their loss and quick return upon resting would make compete sense in the context of the game (though the term "hit" still does not).
P.S- Happy New Year all!
You know, they did this with force users in the first wotc Star Wars, and I gotta say I didn’t enjoy it.
I think I’d prefer to have a resource like vitality, and then have getting taken out of a fight be totally parallel to that resource, or indeed any point resource.
that is, let vitality fuel action, and let injury, something like a condition track, and saves against being knocked out, fuel “taking hits”.
The more I think on it, the more I think, why use hit points for taking damage, in such a system?If you change the HP totals it doesn't have to be a death spiral. It would take some tinkering but I dont think it has to be the case, it just could be the case with poor design decisions. Other systems manage it just fine.
If you could spend the resource in question on defense then that could work, sure.The more I think on it, the more I think, why use hit points for taking damage, in such a system?
you get hit, you record that you’ve been hit. If you get hit by a stronger success (whatever that means in the system. In a dnd hack, it’d be a damage threshold?) you take an injury, and move down the condition track. If it’s a light hit, you move down the track every 3 hits. The end of the track is unconscious, at which point it works just like having 0hp.
You have three pools of "points" representing int, body and mind (I don't remember the names)
If you could spend the resource in question on defense then that could work, sure.