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View Full Version : Hit Points and Death [PF]



Skaraker
2013-09-18, 04:40 AM
A while back in the Roleplaying Games Forum I saw someone say that in their game, getting "killed" in combat meant getting incapacitated, and your character only actually got killed if the enemy took the time to finish off a downed opponent. This seemed a little too lenient to me, but I liked the premise, and liked the potential affects this could have on player mentality if done right, so I devised a slightly harsher version of the same idea. The text is presented in the spoiler, for your viewing (and reviewing) pleasure.

A character is not killed outright by being reduced to negative Constitution hit points. All other methods of killing a character function as normal. When a character is reduced to negative Constitution or fewer hit points, they are no longer able to participate in the current encounter. After the encounter is over, someone may attempt a Heal check to revive the character. If the check succeeds, the character is stable at negative Constitution +1 hit points. The DC of this check is 15 + Time Modifier. The Time Modifier is equal to +1 for every minute after the character was reduced below negative Constitution hit points for the first 10 minutes, and +1 for additional hour after that. When the DC of the check reaches 50, the character is dead, although depending on the skill level of characters available to attempt the check, the character may be effectively dead long before that point.

Even if the check is successful, there is a high chance that the character will sustain some lasting injury that inhibits their ability to continue adventuring. The penalties incurred from these injuries are permanent unless appropriate magic or other means are used to heal the injury. To determine which body part is affected, roll a body die, or roll a d12 and consult the following table.

{table=head] d12 | Body Part
1 | Left Hand
2 | Right Hand
3 | Left Arm
4 | Right Arm
5 | Left Foot
6 | Right Foot
7 | Left Leg
8 | Right Leg
9 | Stomach
10 | Chest
11 | Whole Body
12 | Head
[/table]

To determine the severity of the injuries, roll a d%. Add the damage dealt by the blow that put the character below negative constitution hit points, and the Time Modifier. Subtract the character’s Constitution Modifier and the result of the Heal Check to revive the character, and consult the following table.

{table=head] d% | Arms/Hands | Legs/Feet | Chest/Stomach | Whole Body | Head
1 | No Injury | No Injury | No Injury | No Injury | No Injury
2-30 | -1 to use | -2 Acrobatics | -1d4 Con | -1d4 Str/Dex** | -2 Perception
31-55 | -2 to use | -5 ft. Speed | -1d6 Con | -1d6 Str/Dex** | -1d4 Mental**
56-75 | -3 to use | -4 Acrobatics | -1d8 Con | -1d8 Str/Dex** | -4 Perception
76-90 | -4 to use | -10 ft. Speed | -2d4 Con | -2d4 Str/Dex** | -1d6 Mental**
91-99 | Useless | Useless | -2d6 Con | -2d6 Str/Dex** | Blind/Deaf*
100 | Severed | Severed | -3d4 Con | Paralyzed | Coma
[/table]
*Remove blindness/deafness is not sufficient to restore the character's sight or hearing, as the impairment is caused by physical damage to the sensory organ, not a magical effect.
**The Ability Score to be affected should be determined randomly.