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View Full Version : Who uses the wounds/vitality hp system?



Aeromyre
2010-08-26, 11:23 AM
I read about it when i was planning an avatar campaign, but we decided not to play.

But i like the concept of dieing in one critical hit that way, but I feel like there are too few wound points.
How has it worked for you guys?
Do you like it?

Eldariel
2010-08-26, 11:31 AM
We're running a modified version in our Low-Magic D&D 3.5 Campaign (the one I'm journalling; I go to some detail on the system in the journal so read on if interested). Our additions:
- You gain 1 extra WP per level; stops insta-gibs.
- Basically all bonus damage is dealt to VP if there are any left. This is a mechanical requirement to avoid every WP hit insta-gibbing.
- Every time WP damage is dealt, dice is rolled to determine which bodypart is hit which causes appropriate penalties.
- VPs present physical endurance and "shape"; losing VPs gives you progressive minuses to die rolls.


I'll have to say, I really like how it's working thus far. Of course, since magic items basically don't exist, we make up for lack of weapon enhancements with an expanded weapon manufacturing quality/material list, and use Defense Bonus-variant to make AC scale relevantly.

gomipile
2010-08-26, 11:31 AM
I don't have the Star Wars books, so I'm not sure if this is the way it is supposed to work there (our Star Wars GM is notorious for his stacks of house rules.)

In our Star Wars campaign, damage reduction doesn't apply to damage that goes to vitality. Also, criticals cut through damage reduction. So, the only time DR helps you is when all of your vitality is gone, and you are about to die. This has led to some stupid consequences and also left a sour taste in people's mouths concerning vitality systems.

I don't think the vitality system from Unearthed Arcana works that way though, so YMMV.

jiriku
2010-08-26, 11:31 AM
I've used it extensively and found it quite satisfying. It does what it sets out to do.

The system is A LOT less lethal for the PCs than normal D&D -- once you get a +14 or better Fort save, you essentially can't die from hp damage except by rolling a natural 1 twice in a row. The PC's allies then have ample opportunity to deliver healing and get the fallen player back up.

However, the system is MUCH more lethal for monsters, since once a monster is down, it's usually not getting back up again. You'll find that it's harder to run solo monsters like dragons; even with the extra Vitality Points for their larger size, they're just highly vulnerable to fluke shots.

RandomLunatic
2010-08-26, 12:05 PM
OP: The problem is that you have to come up with all sorts of house rules so that people do not get one-shotted all over the place. Or just live with the fact everybody use Keen or Improved critical to one-shot people 30% of the time.
I don't have the Star Wars books, so I'm not sure if this is the way it is supposed to work there (our Star Wars GM is notorious for his stacks of house rules.)

In our Star Wars campaign, damage reduction doesn't apply to damage that goes to vitality. Also, criticals cut through damage reduction. So, the only time DR helps you is when all of your vitality is gone, and you are about to die. This has led to some stupid consequences and also left a sour taste in people's mouths concerning vitality systems.

I don't think the vitality system from Unearthed Arcana works that way though, so YMMV.Your GM was technically right, but screwed up. While armor DR only applied to WP damage (and thus was nearly useless for the exact reason you describe), the rules for crits bypassing DR only applied to vehicular combat.

Aeromyre
2010-08-26, 12:16 PM
We're running a modified version in our Low-Magic D&D 3.5 Campaign (the one I'm journalling; I go to some detail on the system in the journal so read on if interested). Our additions:
- You gain 1 extra WP per level; stops insta-gibs.
- Basically all bonus damage is dealt to VP if there are any left. This is a mechanical requirement to avoid every WP hit insta-gibbing.
- Every time WP damage is dealt, dice is rolled to determine which bodypart is hit which causes appropriate penalties.
- VPs present physical endurance and "shape"; losing VPs gives you progressive minuses to die rolls.


I'll have to say, I really like how it's working thus far. Of course, since magic items basically don't exist, we make up for lack of weapon enhancements with an expanded weapon manufacturing quality/material list, and use Defense Bonus-variant to make AC scale relevantly.

I really like those adjustments :D thanks

Harris the Ford
2010-08-26, 03:13 PM
I extremely dislike it. I've played two different systems that use it, albeit slightly differently. In Spycraft your DR applied to vitality, and so I made a character who had 9/- dr and he didnt afraid of anything (except an AC130, now I'm dead). Now im in a Star Wars campaign where there is no DR to vitality and I dislike it. I feels so squishy with my 11 CON. 1 crit and Im dead.

the main reason I dislike vitality though is that vitality is described as a "near miss" whereas wound points is actually getting hit. So I can roll 40+ on an attack roll and "hit" but in-game it is still described as a miss.

Eldariel
2010-08-26, 03:23 PM
I extremely dislike it. I've played two different systems that use it, albeit slightly differently. In Spycraft your DR applied to vitality, and so I made a character who had 9/- dr and he didnt afraid of anything (except an AC130, now I'm dead). Now im in a Star Wars campaign where there is no DR to vitality and I dislike it. I feels so squishy with my 11 CON. 1 crit and Im dead.

the main reason I dislike vitality though is that vitality is described as a "near miss" whereas wound points is actually getting hit. So I can roll 40+ on an attack roll and "hit" but in-game it is still described as a miss.

We have a houserule in place that if you exceed target's AC by 10, you automatically threaten. That both, increases the relevance of AC, and fixes that particular issue. As said tho, we run it in 3.5.

It works perfectly; 0 WP isn't death but "disabled" with Fort-saves to either stabilize or begin dying. So a crit might drop you but doesn't kill you. With the extra WP, you should be able to take one hit to WP most of the time; maybe even two.