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Message: <blockquote data-quote="3catcircus" data-source="post: 6322851" data-attributes="member: 16077">I'm wondering if there is too much emphasis on a binary "hp or vp/wp" and no consideration of other potential systems to handle injuries.I favor a system adapted from Twilight: 2013 where all creatures have a "base hit points" that is determined solely by STR and CON with some factors ([10 + STR + 2 x Con]/4), rounded down.  So, assuming a PC has 14s, his base hit points are 13.  I then assign multiples of that base (1 hp, base hp, base x 2, base x 3); Creatures smaller than small or larger than large have a size modifier (x1.5, x2, x3 for huge, gargantuan, colossal, and x 2/3, x 1/2, x 1/3 for tiny, diminutive, and fine).  A standard Pathfinder sprite's hit points would be 1/4/8/12 and a great wyrm red dragon's would be 1/81/162/243.  Bu-bu-but!?!  A Great Wyrm should have 449 hp per Pathfinder stats, you say?  You'll see why this isn't necessarily a problem by reading further.If a creature suffers a wound that exceeds each of the various multiples of that base, escalating reductions in capability occur, with chances to go into shock or (with more serious wounds), the chance to begin bleeding to death.  The wound levels are Light, Moderate, Serious, Critical and the various "Cure xx Wounds" heal a wound of that level.  If you already have a wound of one level and suffer a second of the same level, the wound level jumps up by one; 3rd and subsequent wounds of that level do not do anything.  I also use Armor as DR with this system.  As an added level of complexity, hit locations can be used.Suffering a light wounds causes a -1 penalty to all actions.  A moderate is at -2 to all actions.  A serious is -5 and a critical is at -10 to all actions.  For wound levels of moderate or higher, a DC 15 Fort save must be made or go into shock (which causes you to be helpless for the rest of the round and must make a DC 15 Will save each subsequent round to act) and, for any additional combats during the day, any action that would make you go into shock makes you unstable instead.  If you fail by 5 or more, you begin bleeding out (wound levels increase by one at the end of each round of combat until stabilized or you exceed critical, at which point you die).  A critical wound results in automatic shock and a Fort save to avoid bleeding out.  Adding in hit locations means that critical heads wounds or wounds causing you to bleed out result in unconsciousness, leg wounds reduce your movement rate, and arm wounds require a check to avoid dropping held items.  If not using hit locations, I've determined that failing a Fort save to avoid bleeding out as a result of a critical wound results in unconsciousness.Sound complicated, but it plays very very quickly.  Best of all is that you don't have to do the "I've got 67 hp right now and just took 29 damage, so my new hp are..." Instead, "I've got thresholds of 1/15/30/45 and took 27 damage.  That's a moderate wound. I'm -2 on all actions and must make a Fort save (at -2 on the roll) or go into shock."  Next round, "I just took 12 damage, so I've got a light wound.  That's my second light wound which makes it a moderate wound, which, combined with the moderate wound I took last round means I've got a serious wound.  My shock save is now at -5.  Crap, I'd better run or get the cleric to drop a cure spell on me."  Non-lethal wounds are very very easy but just a little more complex - instead of shock and bleeding out, it becomes fatigued and exhausted (which means your base hit points are reduced by however much your strength decreased).  I simply have a small table for hit points on character sheets:  normal, fatigued, exhausted, and you shift down as you take sufficient non-lethal damage.As you can see - this makes combat against pushovers end more quickly while combat against BBEGs will still take a bit of time (but not necessarily an hour's worth of time at the game table to resolve a combat that takes umpteen rounds.)</blockquote>

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