Cookiemobsta
2010-10-19, 05:17 PM
Ok. So here's two issues I have with dnd combat
1) Hit points just go up and up, and characters quickly become superhuman Hit points just go up and up, to the point where attacks from basic weapons (without modifiers) are insignificant. I don't care if you the greatest warrior the world has ever seen, someone hitting you with a greataxe is going to REALLY hurt. And even someone sticking you with a longsword should still slow you down quite a bit.
2)The difficulty of dungeons is generally determined by the amount of healing magic you have (whether from potions or a cleric.) If you have enough magic to heal up after every encounter, you'll bounce back from near-death and be completely fine. If you can't heal up, even simple encounters can kill you.
To solve these two problems, I want to propose some changes to the combat system that will make combat faster, more realistic, and higher-stakes. These changes will also reduce dependence on healing magic, and will make non combat oriented classes more viable. As a final note, these changes are designed for level 1-5 characters; higher levels than that would probably not work.
Here's the changes:
1) At level 1, all characters have their max HP according to their hit dice. For instance, a wizard has 4 hp and a paladin has 10.
2) At each level beyond that, characters gain 1 hp for d4 and d6 hit dice, 2 hp for d8 and d10 hit dice, and 3 hp for d12 hit dice. In addition, they gain an extra HP for each point of constitution bonus they have (but see rule 3) So a level 3 wizard with no constitution bonus would have 6 HP.
3) Attribute bonuses are halved. So if you have a constitution of 14, you will only gain 1 hp each level up. If you have a strength of 18, you will only gain a +2 to attack.
The result of rules 1-3 is that everyone is a lot more fragile and a lot less superhuman. No more 20 strength half-orcs tearing through the battlefield while bards plink away pointlessly with heir rapiers.
4) If you are wielding a one-handed weapon, 1/2 of your BAB is now added to your AC. This represents your skill at parrying and blocking. If you are wielding a light one handed weapon (or any weapon that allows combat finesse), you get your full BAB added to your AC. If you are wielding a 2 handed weapon, you don't get your BAB added to your AC (since parrying with a massive two handed weapon is harder, and to balance the extra damage you're getting.)
The effect of rule 4 is that you now have to make a tradeoff between attack and defense. In general, the more damaging your weapon, the more AC you sacrifice.
5) If the party is able to rest for 15 minutes, everybody regains full hit points. This includes characters who were at negative hit points (although not characters who are fully dead.) If a character was at negative hit points, they regain full hit points BUT they receive an injury
6) For each injury the character receives, they gain a -2 to their total HP, and a -2 modifier to every d20 roll that they make.
7) A full night's rest will heal the character of all injuries
8) Injuries are cumulative, so if you become injured 3 times, you will have a -6 to your total HP, and a -6 to every d20 roll you make
9) If the penalty from your injuries is greater than your total HP, you fall into a coma and are unconscious until you can rest for a full night. (So if you have 5 HP and 3 injuries, you will have -6 to your HP and will be unconscious)
The point of the injury rules is to get away from the need to cart around a cleric or a bunch of healing magic, while still letting the party be penalized for falling unconscious in battle. It's based of Dragon Age's system for handling combat.
So.
The end result of this is that the party will have much fewer hit points, and will do less damage because of their lower attribute points. It means that a thug with a dagger becomes a threat, and that a 1st level bard can kill a higher level fighter if he lands a few lucky hits. That means that each point of damage becomes more significant, and each combat become more significant. It also means that party members can bounce back from damage without relying on clerics or potions.
Thoughts?
1) Hit points just go up and up, and characters quickly become superhuman Hit points just go up and up, to the point where attacks from basic weapons (without modifiers) are insignificant. I don't care if you the greatest warrior the world has ever seen, someone hitting you with a greataxe is going to REALLY hurt. And even someone sticking you with a longsword should still slow you down quite a bit.
2)The difficulty of dungeons is generally determined by the amount of healing magic you have (whether from potions or a cleric.) If you have enough magic to heal up after every encounter, you'll bounce back from near-death and be completely fine. If you can't heal up, even simple encounters can kill you.
To solve these two problems, I want to propose some changes to the combat system that will make combat faster, more realistic, and higher-stakes. These changes will also reduce dependence on healing magic, and will make non combat oriented classes more viable. As a final note, these changes are designed for level 1-5 characters; higher levels than that would probably not work.
Here's the changes:
1) At level 1, all characters have their max HP according to their hit dice. For instance, a wizard has 4 hp and a paladin has 10.
2) At each level beyond that, characters gain 1 hp for d4 and d6 hit dice, 2 hp for d8 and d10 hit dice, and 3 hp for d12 hit dice. In addition, they gain an extra HP for each point of constitution bonus they have (but see rule 3) So a level 3 wizard with no constitution bonus would have 6 HP.
3) Attribute bonuses are halved. So if you have a constitution of 14, you will only gain 1 hp each level up. If you have a strength of 18, you will only gain a +2 to attack.
The result of rules 1-3 is that everyone is a lot more fragile and a lot less superhuman. No more 20 strength half-orcs tearing through the battlefield while bards plink away pointlessly with heir rapiers.
4) If you are wielding a one-handed weapon, 1/2 of your BAB is now added to your AC. This represents your skill at parrying and blocking. If you are wielding a light one handed weapon (or any weapon that allows combat finesse), you get your full BAB added to your AC. If you are wielding a 2 handed weapon, you don't get your BAB added to your AC (since parrying with a massive two handed weapon is harder, and to balance the extra damage you're getting.)
The effect of rule 4 is that you now have to make a tradeoff between attack and defense. In general, the more damaging your weapon, the more AC you sacrifice.
5) If the party is able to rest for 15 minutes, everybody regains full hit points. This includes characters who were at negative hit points (although not characters who are fully dead.) If a character was at negative hit points, they regain full hit points BUT they receive an injury
6) For each injury the character receives, they gain a -2 to their total HP, and a -2 modifier to every d20 roll that they make.
7) A full night's rest will heal the character of all injuries
8) Injuries are cumulative, so if you become injured 3 times, you will have a -6 to your total HP, and a -6 to every d20 roll you make
9) If the penalty from your injuries is greater than your total HP, you fall into a coma and are unconscious until you can rest for a full night. (So if you have 5 HP and 3 injuries, you will have -6 to your HP and will be unconscious)
The point of the injury rules is to get away from the need to cart around a cleric or a bunch of healing magic, while still letting the party be penalized for falling unconscious in battle. It's based of Dragon Age's system for handling combat.
So.
The end result of this is that the party will have much fewer hit points, and will do less damage because of their lower attribute points. It means that a thug with a dagger becomes a threat, and that a 1st level bard can kill a higher level fighter if he lands a few lucky hits. That means that each point of damage becomes more significant, and each combat become more significant. It also means that party members can bounce back from damage without relying on clerics or potions.
Thoughts?