Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The_Puppetmaster 02-05-07, 12:42 PM	I would like to house rule for death and dying, but can't seem to fully flesh out what I want to have happen. I could use some ideas for how to make this work. It is somewhat similar to UA rules, but I didn't like them as much, because I don't want my players to be harder to kill, I just want it to be a different rule. I am trying to eliminate the negative hit points. Also, I am considering not having massive damage rules. Once you are reduced to 0hp, you can only take a move action at half speed each turn. Any further damage (including from the hit that reduced you to 0 or lower) and you take CON damage per hit instead of hp. Once your CON drops to 0 (or below) you must make a fort save, and again for each turn at zero Con. Failed save = death Help me tweak this, please? :D (I also need a good, difficult fort save DC)
gorckat 02-05-07, 02:38 PM	I see this as more bookeeping than negative hp...if I lose 8 points of CON, and am healed, does CON soak up the healing? Do I have to refigure my hp until I rest and get the CON back? If you want people to be able to move around while on death's door, just let them make partial actions/half moves in negative hp and ignore the 'lose another hp each round'. I'd probably also have any more damage knock them prone unless they make a Fort save at 10 + |(hp)| (at -5 need to pass DC 15 Fort save to stay standing). Or 15 + |(hp)|...that'd run 15 to 24 vs 11 to 19. At -10 hp save or die. Consider that DC 20 means even first level PCs can remain alive (assuming no negative modifiers), while anything higher means certain classes will be able survive a near death experience sooner. One way to avoid that is to make a d20 roll vs a target of 20 using Character Level/4 rounded down as a modifier- gives higher level PCs a better chance to live versus lower level ones, but everyone gets a fair shake- at that point its really about how hard is your soul willing to fight, not Will or Fort, imho. BBEGs probably need to be extended this benefit as well.
Wayside 02-05-07, 02:54 PM	I have a similar system. Any damage you take beyond 0 hp transfers to CON damage at a rate of 1 CON dmg for every 2 hp dmg. Each round the character must make a DC 10 fortitude save. Failure means they take 2 additional con damage, success means there is no change, and success by 5 or more means the character stabilizes. A roll of a 1 means you take 4 CON dmg instead of 2, and a roll of a natural 20 means you regain consciousness. This system makes getting taken out in combat kill characters less often, but still leaves it as a very serious condition. Any healing applied raises you to positive hit points, but does nothing to repair your CON.
Xeviat-DM 02-07-07, 01:49 AM	I use a modification on the WP/VP system. Crits are treated as they are in the standard HP system, and HP are determined normally. You also have WP equal to your Con score; HP cannot be reduced below 0, and damage taken above and beyond your HP goes to WP. WP can be tracked infinitely into negatives. When you suffer 1 point of WP damage, you're fatigued. When you reach 0 WP, you're exhausted (and exhausted is amplified to limit you to a single standard or move action). When you reach negative WP, you have to make saving throws (DC equals negative WP). If you succeed the save, you're fine (though you're exhausted). If you fail the save, you're unconscious and dying. If you fail the save by 10 or more, you're dead. While at negative WP, any strenuous action causes you to take 1 WP damage and make another save. If you succeed the save once, and then take further damage, you're dying even if you succeed the save (and you're dead if you fail by 10). Diehard makes it so you stay on your feet if you succeed the save. So, WP serve more as a descriptive element, and extending death's door.