magic8BALL
2007-06-07, 12:20 AM
Ok, why fix something that isn't broken, right? Well, this is more for d20 Modern Play than D&D, but I can see this getting used in a low powered campaign where the most damage you'll get given at a time is like d12+8. These rules mean you may no longer be able to cop a greataxe to the face and live.
A bit wordy, but it is a re-write of a section in the d20 Modern Core Rulebook and the D&D Players Handbook, so... yeah.
Please keep in mind this is written for d20 Modern setting, but feel free to change any references to guns to something similar with a sword or axe.
Injury and Death
Your hit points are a measure of how hard you are to kill. A character with more hit points can sustain more and large injuries before being rendered helpless than a character with fewer hit points. Hit points represent physical mass, the ability to withstand pain and an ability to fight effectively by rolling with a blow. Thus, someone with more hit points is effectivly hurt less than someone else delt the same damage.
Massive damage
Any time you take more damage than your massive damage threshold on a single attack, that damage is considered massive damage. A creature’s massive damage threshold is equal to its constitution score. This is increased by 2 or every size category larger than medium the creature is, and reduced by 2 for every size category smaller, and may be increased by taking the Toughness feat.
When you take massive damage that doesn’t reduce your hit points to 0 or lower, you must make a fortitude save or automatically fall to 0 Hit Points. The DC for this save is equal to the amount of damage taken.
The damage taken may be lethal or nonlethal. In the latter case, the attack would knock the target out.
Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to the effects of massive damage.
Fatal Damage
Anytime you take more damage than your fatal damage threshold on a single attack, that damage is considered fatal damage. A creature’s fatal damage threshold is equal to double its constitution score. This is increased by 4 or every size category larger than medium the creature is, and reduced by 4 for every size category smaller, and may be increased by taking the Toughness feat.
When you take fatal damage that doesn’t kill you, you must make a fortitude save or die. The DC for this save is equal to the amount of damage taken.
Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to death from fatal damage.
Nonlethal Damage
A punch to the jaw from someone untrained may not kill, but it still batters, bruises and can knock someone out.
Nonlethal damage does not affect the targets hit points; instead compare the total amount of nonlethal damage the target has with their current hit points. If he has more nonlethal damage than hit points, he is unconscious.
A character regains nonlethal damage at the rate of one point per point of constitution bonus (if he has any) per round. Thus, a character who is knocked out my regain conciousness.
Incapacitation
You may be able to live after you get shot a few times, but you still feel pain. Getting shot in the arm or leg is also painful. This pain incapacitates you, effecting every thing you do. Whenever you take damage you receive a penalty to your defence score (AC) and all d20 rolls.
Penalties for Hit Point Loss
Hit Points
Lost Penalty
1/4 -1
1/2 -2
3/4 -4
All
(0 hp -8
or less)
Example: Bill McTough has 44 hp. When he takes damage, and his hp drop to 33 (or less) he takes a -1 penalty to his defence (AC) and all d20 rolls. If his hp total falls below 22, he takes a -2 penalty, 11 hp or less means a -4 penalty. At 0 hp, he takes a -8 penalty to everything he does, and he is disabled, unless he also has taken nonlethal damage and is unconcious.
Disabled
When your current hit point total is exactly equal your non lethal damage (usually 0), you are disabled. A disabled character can only make a single action a round. Anything more strenuous causes him to lose 1 hit point, rendering him unconscious, and he may start dying.
Dying
A character with fewer than 0 hit points is unconscious and dying. A dying character looses 1 hit point a round, until his is stabilised.
Death
A character dies when his current hit points fall their constitution score below zero. A character with a con score of 14 is dead when his hit point total is -14 or below.
Recovering From Injury
A dying may make a DC 20 fortitude save each round to become stable. Stable characters remain unconscious, but do not continue losing hit points.
Revival form Death
A dead character may be revived with a series of successful heal checks. The DC of the check is 10 minus the patients current hit points (which is a negative number), and increases by one for every round after the character dies. Success means the patient gains 1 hit point. The patient gains an additional hit point for every 5 points the check exceeds the DC. Failure has no effect, other than delaying time. These checks may need to go on for some time. The patient is alive, but unconscious, when their hit point total exceeds the negative of the constitution score. You cannot take 10 or 20 on these checks.
Modified Feat:
Toughness [General]
You are harder to kill than normal.
Benifit: You gain 4 hit points. In addition, your Massive Damage Threshold incereas by 1 and your Fatal Damage Threshold by 2 points.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. It's effects stack.
So there you go. I understand its a bit to read, but I think its worth it. Please: likes, dislikes, modifications... typos (bound to be a few!). Tell me what you think.
A bit wordy, but it is a re-write of a section in the d20 Modern Core Rulebook and the D&D Players Handbook, so... yeah.
Please keep in mind this is written for d20 Modern setting, but feel free to change any references to guns to something similar with a sword or axe.
Injury and Death
Your hit points are a measure of how hard you are to kill. A character with more hit points can sustain more and large injuries before being rendered helpless than a character with fewer hit points. Hit points represent physical mass, the ability to withstand pain and an ability to fight effectively by rolling with a blow. Thus, someone with more hit points is effectivly hurt less than someone else delt the same damage.
Massive damage
Any time you take more damage than your massive damage threshold on a single attack, that damage is considered massive damage. A creature’s massive damage threshold is equal to its constitution score. This is increased by 2 or every size category larger than medium the creature is, and reduced by 2 for every size category smaller, and may be increased by taking the Toughness feat.
When you take massive damage that doesn’t reduce your hit points to 0 or lower, you must make a fortitude save or automatically fall to 0 Hit Points. The DC for this save is equal to the amount of damage taken.
The damage taken may be lethal or nonlethal. In the latter case, the attack would knock the target out.
Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to the effects of massive damage.
Fatal Damage
Anytime you take more damage than your fatal damage threshold on a single attack, that damage is considered fatal damage. A creature’s fatal damage threshold is equal to double its constitution score. This is increased by 4 or every size category larger than medium the creature is, and reduced by 4 for every size category smaller, and may be increased by taking the Toughness feat.
When you take fatal damage that doesn’t kill you, you must make a fortitude save or die. The DC for this save is equal to the amount of damage taken.
Creatures immune to critical hits are immune to death from fatal damage.
Nonlethal Damage
A punch to the jaw from someone untrained may not kill, but it still batters, bruises and can knock someone out.
Nonlethal damage does not affect the targets hit points; instead compare the total amount of nonlethal damage the target has with their current hit points. If he has more nonlethal damage than hit points, he is unconscious.
A character regains nonlethal damage at the rate of one point per point of constitution bonus (if he has any) per round. Thus, a character who is knocked out my regain conciousness.
Incapacitation
You may be able to live after you get shot a few times, but you still feel pain. Getting shot in the arm or leg is also painful. This pain incapacitates you, effecting every thing you do. Whenever you take damage you receive a penalty to your defence score (AC) and all d20 rolls.
Penalties for Hit Point Loss
Hit Points
Lost Penalty
1/4 -1
1/2 -2
3/4 -4
All
(0 hp -8
or less)
Example: Bill McTough has 44 hp. When he takes damage, and his hp drop to 33 (or less) he takes a -1 penalty to his defence (AC) and all d20 rolls. If his hp total falls below 22, he takes a -2 penalty, 11 hp or less means a -4 penalty. At 0 hp, he takes a -8 penalty to everything he does, and he is disabled, unless he also has taken nonlethal damage and is unconcious.
Disabled
When your current hit point total is exactly equal your non lethal damage (usually 0), you are disabled. A disabled character can only make a single action a round. Anything more strenuous causes him to lose 1 hit point, rendering him unconscious, and he may start dying.
Dying
A character with fewer than 0 hit points is unconscious and dying. A dying character looses 1 hit point a round, until his is stabilised.
Death
A character dies when his current hit points fall their constitution score below zero. A character with a con score of 14 is dead when his hit point total is -14 or below.
Recovering From Injury
A dying may make a DC 20 fortitude save each round to become stable. Stable characters remain unconscious, but do not continue losing hit points.
Revival form Death
A dead character may be revived with a series of successful heal checks. The DC of the check is 10 minus the patients current hit points (which is a negative number), and increases by one for every round after the character dies. Success means the patient gains 1 hit point. The patient gains an additional hit point for every 5 points the check exceeds the DC. Failure has no effect, other than delaying time. These checks may need to go on for some time. The patient is alive, but unconscious, when their hit point total exceeds the negative of the constitution score. You cannot take 10 or 20 on these checks.
Modified Feat:
Toughness [General]
You are harder to kill than normal.
Benifit: You gain 4 hit points. In addition, your Massive Damage Threshold incereas by 1 and your Fatal Damage Threshold by 2 points.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times. It's effects stack.
So there you go. I understand its a bit to read, but I think its worth it. Please: likes, dislikes, modifications... typos (bound to be a few!). Tell me what you think.