Yet another take on hit points

[kermel]

Here I present my (untested) house rules for hit points and damage:

• All characters and monsters now have half the stated hit points. They also have half the number of healing surges. As they work differently now, this isn't actually decreasing power.
• Hit points are relabeled as Defense points (dp). They represent the amount of damage the character or monster can parry, block, dodge, absorb, deflect or otherwise avoid before being injured. Attacks that hit and deal damage but don't reduce the target's dps to 0 or less are never considered to injure the target (as in no blood spilling).
• When the target is reduced to 0 or less dps, he is unable to defend himself anymore and sustains a wound and is considered bloodied. Non elite or solo monsters, or unimportant NPCs, can be considered killed or KOed now. Elite or solo monsters and important characters can keep fighting by spending a healing surge, which fully renews their dps.
• When bloodied monsters or characters are again reduced to 0 dps or less, they sustain a major wound and are considered dying, as per the normal rules.
• A monster or character who is not attacked for a full round and spends a standard action (refocusing defense) recovers all dps without spending a healing surge.
• Bloodied condition can only be removed during a short rest, with first aid or magical healing and spending a healing surge.

So, basically, I'm dividing the hp bar in two halves. It's now required to spend a healing surge to use the second half (and another to get the first back after combat), but on the other hand you don't need to spend healing surges to get hp back if you can manage to avoid being attacked for a round. This way you can easily tell apart which attacks are merely parried and which do connect and deal damage.


Further ideas:

• Armor save to negate a wound (but not recovering any dps). It could be rolling 21-(armor AC bonus) or more. Some attacks might bypass armor, as to be decided.
• Wound rolls. To be rolled after combat, they would give a description and determine the severity of the wound sustained, and appropiate wound tracks similar to disease tracks.

As this is a draft there might be potential issues. Any opinions?

 

[haran.banjo]

While this is not really bad per-se, it's very difficult to integrate in the current system.

How do you handle Healing Word or Inspiring Word for example?
How do you handle temporary HPs such as those of an Infernal Warlock class feature?

 

[kermel]

Thank you, Haran.Banjo, that's the kind of feedback I'm looking for.

Whenever you spend a healing surge (via second wind, healing word, inspiring word...) the following happens:

• Dps above zero: a number of dps (as usual) are recovered
• Dps zero or below: the full dps are renewed

So, if the fighter's hit points are low, the cleric can cast a healing word to keep him from being wounded. Or he could wait for him to be wounded and then recover all of his dps.

Temporary hit points are a bit tricky. They could be added on top of defense points, but the Infernal Warlock class feature says they are "vitality". Maybe they could be counted after you reach 0 dps, as an additional buffer before being really wounded.