Hit Points/Vitality Points

bestialwarlust · Post by **bestialwarlust** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:54 pm

I've found this on a search and have thought about using something like this:
Hit Points

This is based on your Constitution score. You have that many and those are the 'last line' of defense. When someone rolls a Natural 20 to hit you, the damage is applied directly to your Hit Points, bypassing your Vitality. Reach 0 and you're in trouble. Automatically unconcious and bleeding to death. When you reach -10 Hit Points, you're gone permanently unless someone raises you or uses a wish

In using a HP/Vitality system with C&C how would this apply to creatures from M&T since they have no ability scores. What suggestions do you have to generate a Con score for use in this purpose

Frost · Post by **Frost** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 1:36 pm

Hmm... maybe their HD plus 10? Everything in C&C is keyed off on level/HD, so that might work. You might give some kind of bonus if the creature has "physical" for its primary attributes. May HD plus 15 for those cases.

One further thought, you could use HD + 12 for creatures that have mental PAs and HD +18 for creatures with physical PAs so it falls more in-line with normal C&C rules.

Edit: By the way, what is "Vitality" in these sense? Am I right in thinking that it's a PC's normal HP and that this CON-based HP is sort of a second pool that only comes into play on a natural 20?
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Steerpike · Post by **Steerpike** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 1:45 pm

Frost:

Usually the way it works is that critical hits go directly against your hit points. Other attacks go against your vitality points. Once you run out of vitality points, everything goes against your hit points. There are many variations on it, but that's the general idea in most hp/vitality systems I've seen.
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Frost · Post by **Frost** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 1:57 pm

Oh ok, got it.

In hindsight, adding the HD to 12 or 18 might be a bit too much. You could simply give mental creatures a CON of 12 and physical creatures a CON of 18.
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Steerpike · Post by **Steerpike** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 2:01 pm

Frost wrote:
Oh ok, got it.

In hindsight, adding the HD to 12 or 18 might be a bit too much. You could simply give mental creatures a CON of 12 and physical creatures a CON of 18.

Yeah, that would work.

It's an interesting system. I've tried it a few times, but most often the players want to go back to regular hit points, because the idea that a low-level monster who gets in a lucky shot can kill their level 15 character doesn't sit well
But it does remove a little of the abstract nature of HP, I suppose.
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bestialwarlust · Post by **bestialwarlust** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 2:22 pm

The "abstract" nature has always bugged me some what and I've constantly messed with it. I guess what always bugged me is that HP are supposed to be abstract yet natural healing for it wasn't. The healing surge is the only good idea that I've stolen from 4e.

I'll have to experiment with the creatures. It seems to me that most of your humanoid creatures would have average Con scores, larger things such as as giants and dragons I would up those.

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 2:31 pm

bestialwarlust wrote:
The "abstract" nature has always bugged me some what and I've constantly messed with it. I guess what always bugged me is that HP are supposed to be abstract yet natural healing for it wasn't. The healing surge is the only good idea that I've stolen from 4e.

I'll have to experiment with the creatures. It seems to me that most of your humanoid creatures would have average Con scores, larger things such as as giants and dragons I would up those.

Yeah, the only thing I have come close to finding as "acceptable" in modeling HP's as part "real" and the rest being fatigue, luck, etc.... is to allow a certain portion of the HP's to be rapidly recovered over hours and then have the portion considered to be actual physical damage take the kinds of time spelled out for "natural healing".

The bottom line for me is the extra book keeping just wasn't worth it.
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Steerpike · Post by **Steerpike** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 2:33 pm

Yeah, the abstract nature of it does seem incongruous with healing at times. I've always used HP as actual physical damage, even if it is only a scratch. They don't represent things like fatigue in my games, because it doesn't mesh up with the healing system so well. But for that same reason 4e healing surges don't work for me either.
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gideon_thorne · Post by **gideon_thorne** » Wed Jul 29, 2009 4:56 pm

One can use the # of HD as a hit point modifier for this purpose.
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