Wound thresholds in D&D.

[Duke Malagigi]

Reading the thread on realistic firearms inspired me to partially port wounding rules and wound thresholds into D&D. Anyone who is familiar with Earthdawn understands the basic premise of a wound threshold. Basically anyone who suffers a certain amount of damage at once receives a wound. The first wound is resolved, as Dexterity damage while the second wound is Strength damage instead. Dexterity damage takes place every odd wound, while Strength damage takes place every even wound. Wounds reduce natural healing by one hit point per wound, down to one hit point. In addition, unlike other ability damage, wounds can be removed by cure spells, but only by one point of wound damage per healing die. Divine Beings and Cosmic Entities are immune to wounding effects unless attacked by a creature of similar status. Also the cure wounds and inflict wounds lines of spells should be renamed cure injuries and inflict injuries, respectively.

{table="head"]Hit points|Wound Threshold
1-5|1
6-10|2
11-15|3
16-20|4
21-25|5
26-30|6
31-35|7
36-40|8
41-45|9
46-50|10
51-55|11
56-60|12
61-65|13
66-70|14
71-75|15
76-80|16
81-85|17
86-90|18
91-95|19
96-100|20
101-105|21
106-110|22
111-115|23
116-120|24
121-125|25
126-130|26
131-135|27
[/table]

For example, a creature with 2,880 hit points, like the version of the God Emperor of Mankind I'm stating up for Eita, would have a wound threshold of 576 hit points.

[Nebo_]

I really like the condition track from Star Wars Saga Edition. It's simple and effectively portrays combat fatigue without screwing your character over completely.

[Jack Zander]

I really like the condition track from Star Wars Saga Edition. It's simple and effectively portrays combat fatigue without screwing your character over completely.

It is rather nice. However, at low levels you'll never fall down the condition track before you fall to 0 hp and at high levels you'll almost never die of hp loss, but rather you'll fall down the condition track several times then fall unconscious. These could be good or bad, but they aren't very realistic. No matter what your level, the condition track should always have the same seriousness to your character.

[BlackMage2549]

Have you ever read the 'Shock Value' rules from A Game of Thrones d20? If you want to spice up your DnD games with more realistic damage, it's the way to go!

[Blackadder]

I still remember one DM who house-ruled wounds based off the GURPS system. IE I took a hit early in a fight leaving blood to run in my eye, then took a hit in the knee leaving me limping, but that was okay because I gutted the orc I was fighting for a instant fight-stopper if not a kill.

How that worked out was(75 HP left) 30% chance you receive some minor non-lethal wound, it would work out as anywhere between a -1 to -4 to some stat or the loss of say your strength bonus for wielding a weapon, or perhaps just losing your next attack.

At 50% HP the chance went up to 45% and the wound list went from minor to medium. At 25% to 55% the list went from minor to heavy. Each time a threash-hold was passed he'd roll a d100 twice(First for if we got one, second for the type) or he'd simply pick one himself off his list for the things we were fighting.

[Duke Malagigi]

Have you ever read the 'Shock Value' rules from A Game of Thrones d20? If you want to spice up your DnD games with more realistic damage, it's the way to go!

I don't have that book, so I don't know exactly what those rules are.