neatcheeJul 29, 2023

I've always loved the idea of videogames where you are still fully functional at 1 HP

Like, imagine you're at work, and Cheryl from accounting comes over to you holding an invoice all like "Hey, can you handle this?"

But when you take it from her she gets a tiny paper cut and then falls over dead.

#VideoGames #VideoGameLogic

Show threadNullJul 30, 2023
@neatchee This` is a very challenging concept in #ttrpg 's as well. How can you narrate taking the slash of a weapon and then roll on like nothing's happened?

I've heard of some games representing HP as a sort of "luck points", or "plot-armor points", like a number representing the amount of energy the plot can turn its ire towards you before it forces you to take a fatal wound and meet your maker. Just don't ask what the healing potions do, I guess.
Show threadLizardJul 30, 2023

@NullNowhere @neatchee Traditionally, level-based HP system treat hit point damage as "the ability to minimize a wound" -- so 6 points of damage would be a fatal blow at 1st level, but at 5th level, you step back at the right moment and it's a slight scratch.

GURPS, OTOH, has even light injuries imposing a shock penalty for a round (making it better to focus on defense), with increasing penalties as you fall closer to death.

Show threadneatcheeJul 30, 2023

@LizardSF @NullNowhere I'd be interested in trying to create a system where HP is static across levels, with a performance penalty as it is reduced, and a different mechanic - a stagger gauge? - that controls whether or not the next attack will cause damage or not.

e.g. blunt attacks deal more stagger/knockdown, while slashing attacks deal more damage if they connect.

Show threadNikelui

@neatchee @LizardSF @NullNowhere Savage Worlds does what you are thinking about. The main characters all have 3 wounds, while the extras (disposable minions) only have one. You also get a penalty to your rolls equal to the number of your wounds.

It does suffer a bit from the problems others have pointed out (it has a very punishing death spiral, because healing is not easy at all), so your best bet is always try to avoid wounds.

Jul 30, 2023 at 8:46amWeb
Show threadneatcheeJul 30, 2023

@nikelui @LizardSF @NullNowhere I sort of recall playing some d&d5e homebrew that borrowed that mechanic, but it felt overly simplistic on top of the death spiral.

I remember feeling like once you got a single wound my efficacy was so dramatically reduced, and my likelihood of being wounded even further increased as a result, that we all got unreasonably defense-oriented

Maybe that was just because it was shoehorned into 5e? It wasn't very satisfying either way

Show threadNikeluiJul 30, 2023
@neatchee @LizardSF @NullNowhere probably it's because of 5e, in SW you have a couple of extra safeguards before you get to the point of getting a wound (toughness, the shaken condition and spending bennies to absorb wounds). Once you get there though, it is very punishing.
Show threadBroxenJul 30, 2023

@neatchee @nikelui @LizardSF @NullNowhere The death spiral is possible, but mitigated by other game mechanics such as Soaking damage, and spending Bennies (similar to Luck Points in some ways) to reroll saves etc

In practice it hasn't affected our table in 6 campaigns and dozens of one shots.