Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Dead or Unconscious


Back in the 80s we all pretty much played the same rules of AD&D.  There were some minor differences from DM to DM, but not so much that you couldn't navigate the game after a few rounds of combat.  The one rule that was pretty standard was the unconscious and death thresholds.  At 0 to -9 you were off to blackout land, but still breathing.  If someone hit -10 or below, some divine assistance was going to be needed.  This gave some leeway if something horrible happened in combat. 

I am generalizing here and I know it's not universal, but it seems that I have been reading that once a character hits 0 hit points he is dead.  Or 0 is unconscious and any negative hit points makes dead people.  I guess I like having more of a range of having someone get knocked out.  I know some games have it where the character only dies when he is negative his constitution score.  Which I like.  Using old school GM tools though I would, depending on how the player died, describe how the downed character is bleeding out, still on fire, the big bug is still chewing on a leg whatever to inform the other players that this player will die if they don't take some sort of action. 

The other reason I like this version is it gives the players a bit of a span to dead with especially at lower levels.  Once in the high levels when you have mages and critters dropping 7d6 damage on you at a shot than your 14 constitution isn't going to assist you as much.

The other reason I like it, even though I am not a huge fan of resurrection, the rule of someone being raised is they will lose a number of constitution points depending on their race.  I thought about making it depending on class, but to me it makes more sense that it would be a racial thing and their ability to with stand an ordeal. 

Off to work I go.  I have a short week this week because of the holidays so I hope to get in some gaming.  Hope everyone else does to.  Have a good one.

4 comments:

  1. The 0 hp death is an OD&D/Basic D&D thing. The -10 threshold showed up with AD&D I believe.

    It all depends on what version you're playing and how much you houserule it. I'm trying to be a "stickler" about the Basic rules so I'm using 0 hp death right now.

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  2. When I played AD&D (1E) we always did the -10 thing. It first shows up in the DMG, I believe (and is definitely present by the advent of Unearthed Arcana and the Death's Door spell).

    I hear what you're saying about liking a range. I've actually been toying with somehow incorporating the Games Workshop Mordheim rules for characters "taken out of action." It's a little more interesting.
    ; )

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  3. I've personally been playing so long with the -10 equals death rule across multiple editions of the game that I forget how its supposed to work as written. But our house rule has been for years that once you hit negative you lose a hit point every round until somebody can get to you and stabilize you with a healing spell, potion, or successful ability check to give basic first aid (usually wisdom or intelligence). This latter case of first aid is the equivalent of applying makeshift bandages, a tourniquet or dousing the flames from your clothes. No hit points are gained from it, the character in question just stops losing them.

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  4. I've been considering this topic recently. Being at death door and being miraculously healed or whispering who their murderer was with one's last breath, has a long fantasy tradition. Fighting at full strength until the moment of death / unconsciousness (zero HP), does not capture this tradition. Therefore I decided:
    At zero hit points or less the character can no longer fight with a weapon, defend or cast spells and moves at a maximum of 5’ / round by crawling along the ground. The character can speak, use a wand or carry out some other action of minimal exertion. It is the stuff of heroes to do so!
    But a saving throw vs death ray must be made at the end of every round to avoid death, modified by the negative hit points and worsening by 1d6 hit points/round. More info was in my post 'Dying'.

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