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| TPKs make good stories, if done sparingly. |
I'm not sure to whom I should attribute this observation, but it seems true: the less time you spend making up a guy, the more willing you and the Referee will be to let him die.
The death rules in later editions are just silly! But the "death at 0 HP" rule is just too harsh for me at this very moment. Maybe tomorrow I'll feel particularly nihilistic and kill dudes at 2 HP or something. But for today I'm looking at something more forgiving.
Here's why: I want my players to feel comfortable being heroic and taking risks when it's warranted.
So here's a suggestion I'm going to make to myself about how to handle death in my Fallen Empire game.
- From -1 to -10, you're on the edge of consciousness, unable to act. You can crawl 10 feet if the situation allows it.
- At The End Of Each Round (1 minute Round) you Save or Die. If you miss it, you're dead. But conceivably you can hang on for a long time. After this check, see what else happens.
- You will be stabilized by someone if they apply Bandages or healing magic. This takes 1 Round. If you are stable, you cannot fight or cast spells, but you can move with the group.
- You can apply your own Bandages or drink a potion if you make a CON check to stay awake and focused enough. This raises you to 0 HP and you don't need to make any more checks. It will not cure poison or something if that's what nearly killed you.
What do you think? Is this too generous?
Its certainly usable. What happens when you stabilize? Get up and kick ass?
ReplyDeleteRight now im using death and dismemberment tables, when you go bellow zero you can keep on trucking but risk immediate death or bad stuff. Bad stuff like loosing limbs.
Oh wow, you're right.
DeleteI think at 0 you can't fight or cast spells but you can move with the group.
Would you please put a link to your website so we can look at what you have?
Bah I think the internet ate my comment.
DeleteIf they would be brought back up with magic form -HP, Id probably allow them to act normal.
For now Ive been lazy enough to not make my own tables of bad outcomes, so Ive been using Skerples instead, they are less gonzo then some Ive seen and I like the distinction of damage types.
https://coinsandscrolls.blogspot.com/2017/07/osr-death-and-dismemberment-table-early.html
Everything Skerples does is amazing.
DeleteYes, I did make up “trade death for horrible dismemberment” tables at one point. Maybe the several players would like that. Thank you for the suggestion!
I'd go with the negative number is the penalty 'to hit' and AC (worse, not better) until negative HP reach the full HP, when the PCs drop dead on the spot.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful idea! Penalties to act rather than immediate incapacity.
DeleteI don't think it is too generous. I do something similar, basically magical healing within a few rounds of hitting 0 hp can bring you back. This is assuming you haven't been disintegrated, fallen into lava, had your head lopped off, etc.
ReplyDeleteThank you - yes, there will be times when the dead person is irretrievable for triage.
Delete"I'm not sure to whom I should attribute this observation, but it seems true: the less time you spend making up a guy, the more willing you and the Referee will be to let him die. " Agreed wholeheartedly! That being said I have less of an issue with 5e PC death as well (since I found a easy peasy online generator). In my games I normally go with - you CON and you are dead (not the modifier the actual con score, so ex Jabalya has a CON of 12, when he hits -12 he's kaputz. 0 or less you are unconscious and need aid.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I find quite convenient is adding the actual armour class to Saves versus Death. After all, armour is designed to protect the vitals.
ReplyDelete[Then again IMG hit points represent the ability to dodge, parry, block, or otherwise deal with an attack that would otherwise be successful. When you run out of hit points you fail to block the attack and are injured (which effectively eliminates you from the fight), since it doesn't take all that much to remove you as an effective combatant. On the other hand, with proper attention, it's possible to recover from most wounds (absent infection, which is the real battlefield killer).]
PS: My favourite clip of fighters running out of hit points is: https://youtu.be/nwn58IVGFqg?t=270 [You will note that there is only one definite failed Death save, but everyone else that ran out of hit points is down and out of the combat.]
That is surprisingly good idea.
DeleteI like what others have said so far,
ReplyDeletebut I'll add a slight variation: 0 hit points is unconscious, but go into negatives make a death save - if save, still unconscious but dying - bleeding out 1 hit point until reach max of negative hit points is death unless stabilized by healing spell, potion or binding wounds.
There are permanent disfigurement & dismemberment charts out there as options, but I don't like to use them randomly. IF I used them, I'd give the player a choice to use them at all, then either roll or possibly choose their malady. Maybe. I'm still undecided on this. (What can I say? I'm an old softie & I've been playing 5e too long. lol)
I'm not a big fan of negative numbers: sure, on the technical side it's all well and good - you've got a time limit to your survival so it feels harsh, but there's still a good window of opportunity for saving your dude.
ReplyDeleteBut as a player I find that these rounds are only spent counting down - I'd much rather either be dead and making a new character, or at least know at the moment I'm brought to 0HP what it's going to be: one save or die at 0HP would be fine, too.
As a referee, I found that death at 0HP is scary but when you actually try it, it makes a lot of sense and forces players to really change how they approach violence.
Hm.
DeleteI'm trying to think about when if ever we actually did death at 0 and not death at some lower level and I can't think of a time we ever did.
Maybe we do it this time and see what happens?
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ReplyDelete