Tangleweed
2020-06-14, 02:13 AM
Hi. I am about to DM for a somewhat new player group. All players are experienced role players but have not played together and on a whole we have more experience with other systems than DnD. I am next in DM rotation and I will be using DnD5e. However, a lot of the player hav expressed that they are not entirely happy with the HP-system. Main complaints being the ridiculous amount of damage one can withstand, the unclear definition of what HP actually is, and that the bubble wrapping it provides reduces tension and drama. They also expressed that its a bit ridiculous that pretty much no matter what beating you took, you can just sleep it of during a long rest. Well, I have been DMing for beginners a bit and have been making using the HPs more as guidelines for narration rather than absolute rules. So I have tried to formulate my ideas into rules. Ill present them here along with my reasoning. If there is anything you feel is strange, unfair or just straight up dumb, let me know. My ambition is to change as little as possible, keep things fair and not add to much book keeping.
Added this: if my players had not expressed unhappiness with the HP system I would not change it. I also intend to write this up in my native language and send to my players. English is not my first language and I suspect that some of the wording in here is going to be a bit of. Hopefully I can still get my ideas across.
- HP at start is class max roll + con mod. At lvl up its average roll + con mod. I want the game to show that some characters, the ones who invested in con and a sturdy class, actually benefits from it. And I also want it to be a separation between the hardier characters and those who are not. I realize this is not hack, but relevant information.
- HP will be capped at level 8, i think. Maybe 10? I want the characters to get pretty sturdy while avoiding absurd amount of HP. It is unclear if we will get this for though. Also, I usually run my monsters with lower hit points than presented in the books. Usually I go for low roll plus mod for monsters.
- The starting hit points, that is class max roll + con mod, is your physical sturdiness. The rest represents rolling with blows, turning enough not to take the full force of a blow or maybe just being tough enough to weather some damage. All this HP is one pool and taken from the "top". That means that the extra-non bodily HP will run out first and then the last will be the physical HP. This has no real game impact, this is just to make it easier for my players to visualize what the numbers represent. I could just narrate this myself, but I prefer to tell the result to the player and lett de narrate it. IE; DM: "goblin swing for 17, 5 damage" Player "****, Kim takes that spear straight through her right shoulder, howling in pain".
- In a situation where a character can not or choose not to defend them selves, damage will be dealt to the physical HP. Examples are a tied up hostage, a sleeping character or a scene where a character some reason is choosing not to defend them self.
- If a player receives more damage in one blow than their constitution stat, that is considered an injury. An injury means getting a level of exhaustion. I looked at a bunch of other systems solution for this. Many of them had a flat damage threshold, usually 10. But I felt that was unfair as some characters have invested in con and should be sturdier. I also feel its not true to the narrative that the character who maxed out con and is described as a full on warrior takes an in jury as easily as the character who dumped con and is described as a glass statue.
- Regaining HP works almost as normal. Expend hit dice on short rest to regain HP, and all HP back on long rest. But, not all your physical HP are back. My idea here is that you get back one physical HP per rest, long or short, but you still get topped up to your max HP with the bubble wrap HPs. in stressfull situations, magic healing provides bubble wrap HP and in calm conditions they heal up Physical HP first and then add to the bubble wrap.
- Long rest cures a level of exhaustion. A long rest with magical healing aid, from a character with magic and access to someone proficient in medicine cures two levels.
- Non magical medical aid, such as bandags or what not cures one hit die for the character it is applied to without expening a hit die. Cant be done mid combat.
- 0 hit points means out of action. Was reading and toying with different ideas for negative HP and whatnot, but in the end I felt like it was needles bookkeeping. However, being knocked out of commision means one level of exhaustion.
All in all, I am pretty happy with this.
Please, if you will, I would be really happy if you would share your thoughts on this. I really want to make my players happy.
Added this: if my players had not expressed unhappiness with the HP system I would not change it. I also intend to write this up in my native language and send to my players. English is not my first language and I suspect that some of the wording in here is going to be a bit of. Hopefully I can still get my ideas across.
- HP at start is class max roll + con mod. At lvl up its average roll + con mod. I want the game to show that some characters, the ones who invested in con and a sturdy class, actually benefits from it. And I also want it to be a separation between the hardier characters and those who are not. I realize this is not hack, but relevant information.
- HP will be capped at level 8, i think. Maybe 10? I want the characters to get pretty sturdy while avoiding absurd amount of HP. It is unclear if we will get this for though. Also, I usually run my monsters with lower hit points than presented in the books. Usually I go for low roll plus mod for monsters.
- The starting hit points, that is class max roll + con mod, is your physical sturdiness. The rest represents rolling with blows, turning enough not to take the full force of a blow or maybe just being tough enough to weather some damage. All this HP is one pool and taken from the "top". That means that the extra-non bodily HP will run out first and then the last will be the physical HP. This has no real game impact, this is just to make it easier for my players to visualize what the numbers represent. I could just narrate this myself, but I prefer to tell the result to the player and lett de narrate it. IE; DM: "goblin swing for 17, 5 damage" Player "****, Kim takes that spear straight through her right shoulder, howling in pain".
- In a situation where a character can not or choose not to defend them selves, damage will be dealt to the physical HP. Examples are a tied up hostage, a sleeping character or a scene where a character some reason is choosing not to defend them self.
- If a player receives more damage in one blow than their constitution stat, that is considered an injury. An injury means getting a level of exhaustion. I looked at a bunch of other systems solution for this. Many of them had a flat damage threshold, usually 10. But I felt that was unfair as some characters have invested in con and should be sturdier. I also feel its not true to the narrative that the character who maxed out con and is described as a full on warrior takes an in jury as easily as the character who dumped con and is described as a glass statue.
- Regaining HP works almost as normal. Expend hit dice on short rest to regain HP, and all HP back on long rest. But, not all your physical HP are back. My idea here is that you get back one physical HP per rest, long or short, but you still get topped up to your max HP with the bubble wrap HPs. in stressfull situations, magic healing provides bubble wrap HP and in calm conditions they heal up Physical HP first and then add to the bubble wrap.
- Long rest cures a level of exhaustion. A long rest with magical healing aid, from a character with magic and access to someone proficient in medicine cures two levels.
- Non magical medical aid, such as bandags or what not cures one hit die for the character it is applied to without expening a hit die. Cant be done mid combat.
- 0 hit points means out of action. Was reading and toying with different ideas for negative HP and whatnot, but in the end I felt like it was needles bookkeeping. However, being knocked out of commision means one level of exhaustion.
All in all, I am pretty happy with this.
Please, if you will, I would be really happy if you would share your thoughts on this. I really want to make my players happy.