Wounds and Vitality in D+D (UA)

[sfgiants]

I have heard rumors that wounds and vitality will be in Unearthed Arcana. What impact would this system have on a d+d combat? For instance a critical from a dragon's bite would probably do in most characters. I know its realistic, but...

 

[Nightfall]

Have to ask Andy Collins. He'd know since he's the author.

 

[Angcuru]

Wounds and vitality is one of the best Health systems I've seen. Reflects a character's increasing ability to defend her/himself, and how they are still physically vulnerable. I'm tired of having characters have boulders fall from on high DIRECTLY onto their heads, and brushing it off like a mosquito. BRING ON the W&V system, I say!

 

[takyris]

I should really just write a rant about the concept of hit points, and how you don't just brush off a boulder falling onto you, how that really means that you dodged out of the way, just like you would if you were taking vitality point damage, maybe just getting hit by a few stray bits of rock as it crashes to the ground or something like that.

But I won't write that rant, because we all know what I'm going to write anyway, right?

With appropriate flavor-text, normal hit points work pretty well, and you don't actually have the problem you just described, Angcuru. That said, I like the idea of VP/WP, because I like the idea of a poisoned weapon that only does its dastardly badness if it actually hits the person -- meaning WP damage, as opposed to VP damage. That's much better than trying to tell a person that they got the enormous debilitating poison into their system after taking 3 hp damage from their max of 190 -- "Yes, that's a scratch that didn't really even break the skin, but the poison just killed you. Sorry."

Not a horrible problem -- the "little scratch" theory does well enough -- but I'm looking forward to seeing how VP/WP works in D&D.

And really, a dragon getting a good-sized chomp on you SHOULD kill you, no?

 

[Bendris Noulg]

For instance a critical from a dragon's bite would probably do in most characters. I know its realistic, but...

I'm sure UA will include what ever changes WotC suggests.

As someone that uses a system similar to W/V, my way of handling this is that only the first damage roll applies to Wounds; All additional rolls gained from the multiple hits Vitality. Extra damage points (like Vile Martial Strike) apply to wounds directly; Extra damage dice (like Sneak Attack) either applies to Wounds (+1 per die rather than a die roll) or Vitality (rolled as normal). This works fairly well for my group, who agree that it's somewhat riskier (Criticals do suck, although I've seen more NPCs/Monsters die from them than PCs) but prefer having seperate representations of physical wounding and luck.

 

[Romus]

The thing I don't like about wp/vp s that in order to get a real hit (to the wound points) it has nothing to do with your skill on the first roll, you have to get that lucky 20. Maybe something like a roll over their AC +10 could go directly to wounds??

And what about area effect stuff? Does that auto go to one or the other?

 

[s/LaSH]

The thing I don't like about wp/vp s that in order to get a real hit (to the wound points) it has nothing to do with your skill on the first roll, you have to get that lucky 20. Maybe something like a roll over their AC +10 could go directly to wounds??

And what about area effect stuff? Does that auto go to one or the other?

I've always been fond of the AC +10 (or +15, adjusted by critrange adjustments?) becoming an auto crit. It makes killing goblins much easier when, instead of doing most of their HP with one hit, you almost always do more than their HP with one hit.

Area effects, I think, would have to be treated like any other damage, unless you failed your save. In which case you're, well, in trouble, unless you start using margin of failure to determine how much gets through... The idea is, of course, that instead of being incinerated by that fireball, you go flying through the air, arms and legs flailing, and land roughly but safely and look over your shoulder at the flames boiling into the air behind you. Just like in Bond movies.

I should really make a page with my positive energy saturation theory of hit point realism for whenever it crops up... later, later. Anybody who hasn't heard it, mention it here and I'll put it in a post.

 

[Storminator]

The significant thing is, if wound and vitality points are in UA, they will be OGC (already said the whole book was) so other publishers can use the system without stepping on any toes.

That's a whole lot more meaningful than details of implementation. Because no matter how they set it up, some one will be unhappy, and a bunch of other publishers will put out variants.

PS

 

[Bendris Noulg]

Because no matter how they set it up, some one will be unhappy, and a bunch of other publishers will put out variants.

Or fans like me can finally post theirs.

 

[Agback]

Wounds and vitality is one of the best Health systems I've seen.

It is essentially a copy of the fatigue-endurance damage system from DragonQuest, which was published in 1981 (and enjoyed great success while it remained in print). Several other systems in DragonQuest are just as good as its damage system. Try to get the second edition: first edition had some bugs, and third edition was overhauled (and bowdlerised) by a TSR staffer who changed several important systems without realising how they worked.

Regards,


Agback

Edited: "overhauled", not "overhauls".