The Universal HP/MP/WP System: Complete with Fatigue/Exhaustion rules [Archive] - Wizards Community

The Universal HP/MP/WP System: Complete with Fatigue/Exhaustion rules [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Xeviat-DM
08-13-05, 07:02 AM I am getting ready to start up a new game soon, and after three years of playing 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons, my players and I are ready to try something more gritty. Rather than turning to other rules, I as DM have turned to my trusty Unearthed Arcana and my circle of fellow DMs to create a system which we all can agree upon.

Additionally, this became a perfect time to perfect the activity/rest rules. Currently, there are no rules dictating when a character needs to rest. Because we were dealing with fatigue and exhaustion rules with our HP/MP system (inspired by vitalizing magic in Unearthed Arcana), we decided to take a stab at this little aspect of the rules. (I am aware of how trivial rest rules are to the system as a whole, but two things made us believe our system required it: 1) one DM ran a game with no spellcasters, players made due with use magic device and cure wands and many potions, the characters had no reason to sleep; 2) in a system where MP naturally restores itself, sleep needs to be required).

We began with one simple motto: What's good for the goose is good for the gander. We decided that we would treat HP and MP the same in almost all cases (except that one is damaged by spellcasting and the other is damaged by attacks).

So without further delay, here is the fruits of our labor.

--------------

HP and HD: HP are determined as usual. When a character's HP total reaches 50%, they are fatigued. When a character's HP total reaches 0, they are exhausted. Additionally, when a character's HP total reaches 0, any damage over the amount that reduced them to 0, and any additional damage they suffer, instead is dealt to their wounds. Hit Points are restored at a rate of 1 point per level per hour.

WP: A character has a number of Wound Points equal to their constitution score. Temporary increases to Constitution grant temporary Wound Points (these points are lost first in the manner that temporary hit points are lost first), but temporary decreases to Constitution do not affect a character's Wound Points. Wound Points are restored at a rate of 1 point per level per day.

[/i]We are considering adding additional wound points to this number, such as by base fort save or possibly by character level. While we want this system to be more dangerous, we only want so to encourage players to be more cautious and to make critical hits more special, not because we want to kill more player characters.

MP and MD: Just like Hit Dice, all characters possess Mana Dice based on their classes and levels. A character determines their mana gain at each level by rolling their mana die and adding their Wisdom modifier to it. Mana Dice at first level are maximized, just like Hit Dice. Each class has the following Mana Dice:
Sorcerer (Psion, Wilder): d12
Cleric, Druid, Wizard): d10
Bard (Psychic Warrior): d8
Paladin, Ranger: d6
Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Rogue (Soul Knife): d4
In our games, Charisma is used to determine spell saves for all casters, but this isn't necessary.

When a character's MP reaches 50%, they are fatigued. When a character's MP reaches 0, they are exhausted. Mana Points are restored at a rate of 1 point per level per hour.

[i]This can be seamlessly added to any XPH caster (Psion, Wilder, or Psychic Warrior) without any problems. PHB casters will need to use the UA spell point system, my augmentation mana point system, or anyone elses spell point system to work properly. The reason we had to choose a single stat for MP for all characters was that multiclass casters would have oddities in their mana; single class casters would be fine.

Critical Hits: When a character suffers a Critical Hit, they suffer normal damage to their hit points as usual, and suffer additional damage to their wound points. Normally, the damage to HP and WP is the same, but some weapons deal double or even tripple damage to wound points. Weapons with x2 multipliers in the current system deal x1 damage to wounds on a critical hit; weapons with x3 multipliers in the current system deal x2 damage to wounds on a critical hit; weapons with x4 multipliers in the current system deal x3 damage to wounds on a critical hit.

When a character has suffered any damage to their Wound Points, even a single point, they are fatigued. When a character's Wound Points are reduced to 0, they are exhausted.

We reinstituted critical multipliers because we didn't like weapons being so similar. We tested adding in multipliers like this without having critical hits deal vitality damage, but that made weapons with multipliers better than weapons with higher ranges. This method made it so a 19-20/x1 weapon was just as good over all as a 20/x2 weapon, and likewise 18-20/x1 weapons are as good as 20/x3 weapons.

Death and Dying: As the alternate Death and Dying rules in Unearthed Arcana (found on page 121), except for the following changes:
Negative Wound Points: Characters can suffer so much damage as to have their Wound Points reduced to negative numbers. When an attack reduces a character's Wound Points to -1 or lower, they must roll a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1 per -5 wp). A successful Fortitude save means the character is now Disabled. A failed Fortitude save means the character is now Dying. If a character fails this save by 10 or more, they are dead.
Disabled: While disabled, a character can act normally (except because their wound points are below zero, they are exhausted and suffer from the appropriate penalties), except any strenuous action risks further injury. If a disabled character performs a strenuous action (such as attacking or casting spell), they take one point of wound damage and must roll a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1 per -5 wp). A successful or failed save reduces the character to the Dying state; a save failed by 10 or more indicates the character dies.
Dying: As the rules presented in Unearthed Arcana, except if the character suffers damage, they must roll a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1 per -5 wp). A successful or failed save means the character remains dying; a save failed by 10 or more means the character dies.
Stable: As the rules presented in Unearthed Arcana, except if the character succeeds a stablization roll by 5 or more, they become conscious and disabled, but do not regain any wp or hp.

Our reasons for rewriting the alternate death and dying rules like this is because we want the game to be less lethal than other WP systems are, but we still want critical hits to have the chance of incapacitating people. In real life, and in historic media, people can live through incredible injuries; this fortitude save mechanic represents that well in our eyes.

Endurance: The Endurance feat's +4 bonus to certain constitution checks and fortitude saves applies to the saves to reduce dying.

Die Hard: Because of the changes to the death and dying rules, the Die Hard feat was also changed. Its benefits are changed to the following:

Die Hard feat Benefits: When your character is reduced to the dying state, they automatically become stable and unconscious.
When reduced to negative wound points and fail your Fortitude save, you may choose to act as if you were disabled, rather than dying. You must make this decision as soon as you are reduced to negative wound points (even if it isn’t your turn). If you do not choose to act as if you were disabled, you immediately fall unconscious, but you are stable.
While disabled, you now are not reduced to dying if you succeed your Fortitude save vs. damage taken while disabled. You still suffer 1 point of wound damage when ever you perform a strenuous action. If you fail a Fortitude save vs. damage while disabled, you immediately fall unconscious, but you are stable.

Non-Lethal Damage: Non-lethal damage deals HP damage, but when a character fails a Fortitude save vs. damage that reduces them to negative wound points, they are knocked unconscious but are stable and do not have to make additional saves. Non-lethal damage does deal wound damage on a critical hit, and its damage is treated normally if it reduces a character to negative hit points with a critical hit.

Fatigue: This state means a character is physically and mentally tired, and cannot perform up to their full potential. Fatigued characters cannot charge or run, cannot enter into a rage, and they suffer a -2 penalty to all ability scores. Penalties to Constitution and Wisdom reduce characters' HP and MP maximums, but do not affect their current totals except to reduce them to the new maximum.

Exhaustion: This state means a character is so physically and mentally tired that it greatly affects their ability to function. Exhausted characters can only take a single standard or move action each round, though they are still allowed their usual free actions and swift or immediate actions (DMs may limit free actions to shorter durations, such as talking or others which may be disrupted by breathing).

Fatigue and exhaustion are removed when ever the condition that caused then ends. For instance, a character who is fatigued because their HP was reduced to 50% has their fatigue removed when their HP raises to 51% or more. A magical effect that restores fatigue only does so temporarily, based on the spell in question:[list]
Heal and regenerate only remove fatigue and exhaustion caused by temporary spells (such as touch of fatigue or ray of exhaustion), temporary effects (such as after a barbarian's rage), or by hp or wp damage if the spell increases the character's hit points to a level where their condition would improve.
Restoration, greater restoration, and lesser restoration only remove fatigue and exhaustion caused by temporary spells (such as touch of fatigue or ray of exhaustion), or temporary effects (such as after a barbarian's rage).

Work, Rest, and Fatigue: Strenuous activity is tiring, but even staying awake for prolonged periods of time without activity can tire a person out. Certain activity, such as running, have short durations in which they begin to grow tiring, and these effects are restored through minimal rest. But over time, even light activity, such as walking, can grow tiring.

DMs will have to monitor character activity levels; I recommend making a chart with each character's names and their endurance check modifier (con modifier plus bonuses such as the Endurance feat) with a row of boxes to make checks or simply space to make tallies. Characters can work for 8 hours a day without tiring themselves (work is defined as anything as exerting or more than walking, such as any hour in which you engage in combat, craft an item, enhance an item, cast spells, or other similar things). Characters can remain awake for 16 hours without tiring themselves (this time includes their 8 hours of work).

When a character has worked for more than 8 hours, they must succeed a Fortitude save (DC 10 +2 per previous check) for each hour of work or become fatigued; each additional failed save imposes a further -2 exertion penalty to all ability scores. After failing three saves (increasing their exertion penalties to -6), they become exhausted. Failing subsequent saves continues to apply -2 exertion penalties to all of their ability scores. When these exertion penalties effectively reduce one or more ability scores to 0, the character falls unconscious and sleeps. This fatigue and/or exhaustion cannot be removed except through sleep.

DMs may require characters to make Will saves (DC 10) to continue on against their own will if it would be appropriate. Also, a DM can allow a character to push other characters to continue, making diplomacy or intimidate checks as appropriate. This could represent a character's desire or motivation to continue on; but since characters are heroic and in charge of their own destiny, requiring player characters to make will saves to enter into a forced march may not be appropriate (just as forcing player characters to make morale saves in war scenarios).

For each hour a character naturally sleeps, first check off one hour of work for each hour of sleep (not rest; for creatures who sleep for less time, change the ratio appropriately); once they have slept off their activity, each additional hour of sleep will remove a -2 exertion penalty from all of the character's ability scores. A character will naturally sleep until all of its exertion penalites and checks or tallies on their "rest" and "work" headings are recovered, unless otherwise bothered. Succeeding a Listen check while sleeping awakes the character unless they succeed a Will save (DC equal to the DC of the Listen check); characters can voluntarily fail this Will save if they wish. If a character wishes to wake up before they would normally, they must succeed a Will save (DC equal to 10 + 1 per hour of work not slept off and + 2 per -2 exertion penalty the character is suffering).

We created these rules because our system, which restores MP throughout the day, would otherwise allow characters to never sleep. If characters do not work more than 8 hours a day and always get their 8 hours of rest, these rules do not even need to be consulted. If players attempt to do more than this, then these rules are neccessary to enforce the natural needs of their characters. We had to add the required amount of "rest" checks or tallies before being able to sleep because it became aparent that astute players could work for eight hours, then sleep for eight hours, and continue this cycle, effectively giving them 12 hours of activity each day; it also wouldn't make sense realistically since it is very hard to sleep when one is not tired.

----------

I hope you enjoyed the read. We'll appreciate any and all feedback, and I'll be here to answer any questions.
OmiKapSi
08-13-05, 02:39 PM I'm pretty sure that under core rules, if a character is awake and active for more than 16 hours, they become fatigued.

Other than that, it looks like a pretty decent system.
Xeviat-DM
08-13-05, 04:27 PM I'm pretty sure that under core rules, if a character is awake and active for more than 16 hours, they become fatigued.

I was not able to find this. Perhaps it's hidden away somewhere where I didn't carefully look.

By the way, I edited the rest requirement system since my previous one was complicated and could be abused.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Xeviat-DM 08-13-05, 07:02 AM	I am getting ready to start up a new game soon, and after three years of playing 3rd Edition Dungeons and Dragons, my players and I are ready to try something more gritty. Rather than turning to other rules, I as DM have turned to my trusty Unearthed Arcana and my circle of fellow DMs to create a system which we all can agree upon. Additionally, this became a perfect time to perfect the activity/rest rules. Currently, there are no rules dictating when a character needs to rest. Because we were dealing with fatigue and exhaustion rules with our HP/MP system (inspired by vitalizing magic in Unearthed Arcana), we decided to take a stab at this little aspect of the rules. (I am aware of how trivial rest rules are to the system as a whole, but two things made us believe our system required it: 1) one DM ran a game with no spellcasters, players made due with use magic device and cure wands and many potions, the characters had no reason to sleep; 2) in a system where MP naturally restores itself, sleep needs to be required). We began with one simple motto: What's good for the goose is good for the gander. We decided that we would treat HP and MP the same in almost all cases (except that one is damaged by spellcasting and the other is damaged by attacks). So without further delay, here is the fruits of our labor. -------------- HP and HD: HP are determined as usual. When a character's HP total reaches 50%, they are fatigued. When a character's HP total reaches 0, they are exhausted. Additionally, when a character's HP total reaches 0, any damage over the amount that reduced them to 0, and any additional damage they suffer, instead is dealt to their wounds. Hit Points are restored at a rate of 1 point per level per hour. WP: A character has a number of Wound Points equal to their constitution score. Temporary increases to Constitution grant temporary Wound Points (these points are lost first in the manner that temporary hit points are lost first), but temporary decreases to Constitution do not affect a character's Wound Points. Wound Points are restored at a rate of 1 point per level per day. [/i]We are considering adding additional wound points to this number, such as by base fort save or possibly by character level. While we want this system to be more dangerous, we only want so to encourage players to be more cautious and to make critical hits more special, not because we want to kill more player characters. MP and MD: Just like Hit Dice, all characters possess Mana Dice based on their classes and levels. A character determines their mana gain at each level by rolling their mana die and adding their Wisdom modifier to it. Mana Dice at first level are maximized, just like Hit Dice. Each class has the following Mana Dice: Sorcerer (Psion, Wilder): d12 Cleric, Druid, Wizard): d10 Bard (Psychic Warrior): d8 Paladin, Ranger: d6 Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, Rogue (Soul Knife): d4 In our games, Charisma is used to determine spell saves for all casters, but this isn't necessary. When a character's MP reaches 50%, they are fatigued. When a character's MP reaches 0, they are exhausted. Mana Points are restored at a rate of 1 point per level per hour. [i]This can be seamlessly added to any XPH caster (Psion, Wilder, or Psychic Warrior) without any problems. PHB casters will need to use the UA spell point system, my augmentation mana point system, or anyone elses spell point system to work properly. The reason we had to choose a single stat for MP for all characters was that multiclass casters would have oddities in their mana; single class casters would be fine. Critical Hits: When a character suffers a Critical Hit, they suffer normal damage to their hit points as usual, and suffer additional damage to their wound points. Normally, the damage to HP and WP is the same, but some weapons deal double or even tripple damage to wound points. Weapons with x2 multipliers in the current system deal x1 damage to wounds on a critical hit; weapons with x3 multipliers in the current system deal x2 damage to wounds on a critical hit; weapons with x4 multipliers in the current system deal x3 damage to wounds on a critical hit. When a character has suffered any damage to their Wound Points, even a single point, they are fatigued. When a character's Wound Points are reduced to 0, they are exhausted. We reinstituted critical multipliers because we didn't like weapons being so similar. We tested adding in multipliers like this without having critical hits deal vitality damage, but that made weapons with multipliers better than weapons with higher ranges. This method made it so a 19-20/x1 weapon was just as good over all as a 20/x2 weapon, and likewise 18-20/x1 weapons are as good as 20/x3 weapons. Death and Dying: As the alternate Death and Dying rules in Unearthed Arcana (found on page 121), except for the following changes: Negative Wound Points: Characters can suffer so much damage as to have their Wound Points reduced to negative numbers. When an attack reduces a character's Wound Points to -1 or lower, they must roll a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1 per -5 wp). A successful Fortitude save means the character is now Disabled. A failed Fortitude save means the character is now Dying. If a character fails this save by 10 or more, they are dead. Disabled: While disabled, a character can act normally (except because their wound points are below zero, they are exhausted and suffer from the appropriate penalties), except any strenuous action risks further injury. If a disabled character performs a strenuous action (such as attacking or casting spell), they take one point of wound damage and must roll a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1 per -5 wp). A successful or failed save reduces the character to the Dying state; a save failed by 10 or more indicates the character dies. Dying: As the rules presented in Unearthed Arcana, except if the character suffers damage, they must roll a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1 per -5 wp). A successful or failed save means the character remains dying; a save failed by 10 or more means the character dies. Stable: As the rules presented in Unearthed Arcana, except if the character succeeds a stablization roll by 5 or more, they become conscious and disabled, but do not regain any wp or hp. Our reasons for rewriting the alternate death and dying rules like this is because we want the game to be less lethal than other WP systems are, but we still want critical hits to have the chance of incapacitating people. In real life, and in historic media, people can live through incredible injuries; this fortitude save mechanic represents that well in our eyes. Endurance: The Endurance feat's +4 bonus to certain constitution checks and fortitude saves applies to the saves to reduce dying. Die Hard: Because of the changes to the death and dying rules, the Die Hard feat was also changed. Its benefits are changed to the following: Die Hard feat Benefits: When your character is reduced to the dying state, they automatically become stable and unconscious. When reduced to negative wound points and fail your Fortitude save, you may choose to act as if you were disabled, rather than dying. You must make this decision as soon as you are reduced to negative wound points (even if it isn’t your turn). If you do not choose to act as if you were disabled, you immediately fall unconscious, but you are stable. While disabled, you now are not reduced to dying if you succeed your Fortitude save vs. damage taken while disabled. You still suffer 1 point of wound damage when ever you perform a strenuous action. If you fail a Fortitude save vs. damage while disabled, you immediately fall unconscious, but you are stable. Non-Lethal Damage: Non-lethal damage deals HP damage, but when a character fails a Fortitude save vs. damage that reduces them to negative wound points, they are knocked unconscious but are stable and do not have to make additional saves. Non-lethal damage does deal wound damage on a critical hit, and its damage is treated normally if it reduces a character to negative hit points with a critical hit. Fatigue: This state means a character is physically and mentally tired, and cannot perform up to their full potential. Fatigued characters cannot charge or run, cannot enter into a rage, and they suffer a -2 penalty to all ability scores. Penalties to Constitution and Wisdom reduce characters' HP and MP maximums, but do not affect their current totals except to reduce them to the new maximum. Exhaustion: This state means a character is so physically and mentally tired that it greatly affects their ability to function. Exhausted characters can only take a single standard or move action each round, though they are still allowed their usual free actions and swift or immediate actions (DMs may limit free actions to shorter durations, such as talking or others which may be disrupted by breathing). Fatigue and exhaustion are removed when ever the condition that caused then ends. For instance, a character who is fatigued because their HP was reduced to 50% has their fatigue removed when their HP raises to 51% or more. A magical effect that restores fatigue only does so temporarily, based on the spell in question:[list] Heal and regenerate only remove fatigue and exhaustion caused by temporary spells (such as touch of fatigue or ray of exhaustion), temporary effects (such as after a barbarian's rage), or by hp or wp damage if the spell increases the character's hit points to a level where their condition would improve. Restoration, greater restoration, and lesser restoration only remove fatigue and exhaustion caused by temporary spells (such as touch of fatigue or ray of exhaustion), or temporary effects (such as after a barbarian's rage). Work, Rest, and Fatigue: Strenuous activity is tiring, but even staying awake for prolonged periods of time without activity can tire a person out. Certain activity, such as running, have short durations in which they begin to grow tiring, and these effects are restored through minimal rest. But over time, even light activity, such as walking, can grow tiring. DMs will have to monitor character activity levels; I recommend making a chart with each character's names and their endurance check modifier (con modifier plus bonuses such as the Endurance feat) with a row of boxes to make checks or simply space to make tallies. Characters can work for 8 hours a day without tiring themselves (work is defined as anything as exerting or more than walking, such as any hour in which you engage in combat, craft an item, enhance an item, cast spells, or other similar things). Characters can remain awake for 16 hours without tiring themselves (this time includes their 8 hours of work). When a character has worked for more than 8 hours, they must succeed a Fortitude save (DC 10 +2 per previous check) for each hour of work or become fatigued; each additional failed save imposes a further -2 exertion penalty to all ability scores. After failing three saves (increasing their exertion penalties to -6), they become exhausted. Failing subsequent saves continues to apply -2 exertion penalties to all of their ability scores. When these exertion penalties effectively reduce one or more ability scores to 0, the character falls unconscious and sleeps. This fatigue and/or exhaustion cannot be removed except through sleep. DMs may require characters to make Will saves (DC 10) to continue on against their own will if it would be appropriate. Also, a DM can allow a character to push other characters to continue, making diplomacy or intimidate checks as appropriate. This could represent a character's desire or motivation to continue on; but since characters are heroic and in charge of their own destiny, requiring player characters to make will saves to enter into a forced march may not be appropriate (just as forcing player characters to make morale saves in war scenarios). For each hour a character naturally sleeps, first check off one hour of work for each hour of sleep (not rest; for creatures who sleep for less time, change the ratio appropriately); once they have slept off their activity, each additional hour of sleep will remove a -2 exertion penalty from all of the character's ability scores. A character will naturally sleep until all of its exertion penalites and checks or tallies on their "rest" and "work" headings are recovered, unless otherwise bothered. Succeeding a Listen check while sleeping awakes the character unless they succeed a Will save (DC equal to the DC of the Listen check); characters can voluntarily fail this Will save if they wish. If a character wishes to wake up before they would normally, they must succeed a Will save (DC equal to 10 + 1 per hour of work not slept off and + 2 per -2 exertion penalty the character is suffering). We created these rules because our system, which restores MP throughout the day, would otherwise allow characters to never sleep. If characters do not work more than 8 hours a day and always get their 8 hours of rest, these rules do not even need to be consulted. If players attempt to do more than this, then these rules are neccessary to enforce the natural needs of their characters. We had to add the required amount of "rest" checks or tallies before being able to sleep because it became aparent that astute players could work for eight hours, then sleep for eight hours, and continue this cycle, effectively giving them 12 hours of activity each day; it also wouldn't make sense realistically since it is very hard to sleep when one is not tired. ---------- I hope you enjoyed the read. We'll appreciate any and all feedback, and I'll be here to answer any questions.
OmiKapSi 08-13-05, 02:39 PM	I'm pretty sure that under core rules, if a character is awake and active for more than 16 hours, they become fatigued. Other than that, it looks like a pretty decent system.
Xeviat-DM 08-13-05, 04:27 PM	I'm pretty sure that under core rules, if a character is awake and active for more than 16 hours, they become fatigued. I was not able to find this. Perhaps it's hidden away somewhere where I didn't carefully look. By the way, I edited the rest requirement system since my previous one was complicated and could be abused.