I have long disliked the idea of ever-increasing endurance - that is to say, I don't like hp based on levels. I have tried the obvious answer of "your Constitution is your hp". Your attributes can increase, but it is a much more gradual and limited process. It worked!
However, I quickly ran into a problem. Constitution was already a good attribute when it only influenced your hp, but when it directly determines them? Now everyone needs a high Constitution. This also runs counter to my other beloved idea of divorcing combat from your attribute values, as combat is something that every adventurer will find themselves in and it feels bad to be forever haunted by a single unfortunate roll at the very start of the campaign. Nowhere is this felt more than in your hit point total.
And now what? As always, Arnold already had an answer ready. What if everybody has 10 hp?
Unlike Arnold, however, I kept the rest of the rules as is. Every PC has 10 hp, but monsters still have HD, you still swing your two-handed axe for d10 damage and you can still be hit in the face with a 6d6 fireball. This gives starting PCs more survivability while making big monsters a threat that is always better to outmanoeuvre and outsmart, rather than fight head on.
And I can hear you wailing in outrage: But what about my squishy wizard and/or beefy barbarian?
Well, my deers, that's what class abilities are for. Fighters still get extra hp per template. Wizards still cannot use armour, so their hp will not stretch as far as one might think. And barbarians get other powers to show off their unbreakable bodies.
But this brings us to another question: Should experienced PCs be harder to kill?
Yes, I think so. Lets ignore the breadth of options for defending yourself that comes with higher templates and better equipment for now. There still should be a way for experienced PCs to increase their hp totals, but ideally one that does not result in permanent hp bloat. What way? A diegetic way!
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| from Delicious in Dungeon |
Condition (Con) is a measure of your general well-being that determines your maximum hp and can be used to recover Fatigue or attribute damage. After every long rest, calculate your Condition anew following the table below and set your current hp to this max.
Totally coincidentally, I have renamed Constitution to Vitality. Also armour penalty (AP) is equal to 1/2/3 for light or shield/medium/heavy armour.
Your Condition may not be higher than 20. Any points above 20 are converted into temporary hp instead. On the other hand, if you end up with negative Condition:
- do not regain uses of daily special abilities (such as the magic of wizards), and
- test Vitality per each negative point. Every failure causes 1 Fatigue.
You still cannot have less than 0 hp.
5) Use only the best one in each category of comfort.
6) Recovery cannot bring you below 0 Condition.
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| from One Piece |
- Spending extra money on good food, baths and housing is now always a consideration. It might even be worth it to hire a cook to travel with you, so that you can have some creature comforts in the middle of nowhere. Money sinks are good.
- Magical sustenance or nutritional pills, no matter how convenient, do not grant comfort. A home-cooked meal is a home-cooked meal.
- Getting invited to be a noble's guest is now a reward in and of itself, and so is finding a hot spring deep in trackless woods.
- The undead do not eat, therefore receive no such comfort. The frustrations of undeath are now mechanically supported.
