Burrowing Weapons and HP abstraction

[Magikeeper]

So, how would you feel if a PC had an attack - let's say a projectile weapon - that starts burrowing / expanding / etc into stuck foes, dealing continual damage until it is removed? I know there are DMs that view HP as an abstraction and such.

[MrStabby]

Well HP is a bit of an abstraction, but I think it is better in 5th ed than earlier editions.

I don't know what HP are, but they are something that can be recovered by healing spells, healing kits, scale with constitution, are reduced by taking damage and can be reduced by a smaller number if you have resistance to that particular damage type.

I tend to think of HP as the level of physical damage needed to render you harmless. Even a small wound - unlikely to be lethal can take someone out of a fight due to pain. Being tougher and fighting through it represents your ability to stay in the fight regardless of the pain.

As for an attack like that - I would look to Ensnaring Strike for inspiration. Maybe change the save to Con to represent shrugging it off or being too tough to burrow into. Possibly reduce the damage as it wont consume resources and maybe modify the condition as it is quite powerful for an attack.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

Well HP is a bit of an abstraction, but I think it is better in 5th ed than earlier editions.
I don't know what HP are, but they are something that can be recovered by healing spells, healing kits, scale with constitution, are reduced by taking damage and can be reduced by a smaller number if you have resistance to that particular damage type..

I think the official line is that HP are a combination of physical toughness with stamina exerted to roll with attacks so they do less vital damage. High level adventures have tougher bodies that take less damage from things and are more capable of ignoring large wounds, but by far the largest increase is their ability to move just right so that nothing hits as hard as it should. Watch an action movie where the protagonist keeps getting knocked around and bruises and small cuts appear but they should be dead from the beating they've been taking and you'll have an idea.

As to giving a PC a weapon that does damage over time after a successful hit, I think that's fine but you should very carefully look at similar abilities to control A) the amount of damage done B) how often the PC can use it and C) how the target can stop the ongoing damage.