A first play test

[Solomoriah]

I let my players roll 3d6 six times, and if the total of bonuses and penalties is negative, I have them flip all the numbers by subtracting from 21 (so 3 becomes 18, 13 becomes 8, and so on). Have not had any problems since I came up with this.

Just don't know why it took me so long to think of it...

[Caelestis]

I may have a try with that one. I'm worried my players may get a tpk!

I have had to defer the next installment to next week due to a players previous commitments . I may do more detail on my char creation and why I picked what I did and how great the BFRPG rules are.

[Fasafan]

I let my players roll 3d6 six times, and if the total of bonuses and penalties is negative, I have them flip all the numbers by subtracting from 21 (so 3 becomes 18, 13 becomes 8, and so on). Have not had any problems since I came up with this.

Just don't know why it took me so long to think of it...

That's ingenious! Wow!

[Fasafan]

I may have a try with that one. I'm worried my players may get a tpk!.

A TPK followed by a 63% casualty rate the next game was just what my players needed after years of playing with DM/GM coddling, padded hit points, hand-waved gear/equipment, and relying on game mechanics to get them out of tough jams.

Last session, we had a thief with one hitpoint survive an attack by the giant bat in Castle Mistamere (Mentzer Red Box)! I eased up and allowed the optional Save vs. Death rule. He made his save, and the cleric had exactly two orisons left (another optional rule in the Downloads section) to get him from -1 hp back to 1 hp!

Lee

[Caelestis]

I would like to avoid the tpk if we can but I've said everything apart from secret rolls I'm going to do in the open. So the number of monsters the damage they do etc. Is all going to be rolled in the open to avoid any temptation on my part to fudge

[Dimirag]

A way of avoiding TPK without changing to much stuff and keeping the sensation of danger is to use the -10HP rule, at 0 they are KO'd but not dead, this could let some characters save others once they fall.

Another take is to use "defeat" at 0hp or less, characters remain conscious, can move at 1/2 speed and do minor thing, like crawl away from a monster, but any new damage will kill the pc

[Caelestis]

Funny you should mention that! Before play began we discussed character death becaus eI wanted to know the rules we were all working to.

What we went for was any hit that takes you to 0 or less wounds puts you at 0. After that every turn you receive -1 HP as you bleed out, suffer the effects of poison etc.. If you hit -10 you are dead. That gives the other players the best chance to try and stabilise you.

Unfortunately for the party their fighter is the one on 2 HP so if he goes down this may get messy. Although the Thief has been pretty awesome with his bow! So there is hope!

I really can't wait for the next session! I'm also going to prepare the second adventure.

[Hywaywolf]

I like the -10 hp and your dead rule rule where you are conscious but basically out of action after 0 hp but I think whatever damage you take before hitting 0 is how much damage you take. If you are at 2 hp and get hit for 14 hp then you are dead. harsh. But such is life.

I once had a 1st level elf who was carrying 4 wicked oil flask on the front straps of his pack who had an additional lit flask in hand ready to toss as soon as a pal kicked in a door. when he did I found myself facing 5 bandits with crossbows waiting in ambush for me. I lost initiative and all 5 hit me with 4 of them rolling 20s. We were playing double damage on a crit. I took 51hp of damage. The DM played it off as the bolts smashing all my flasks including the lit one. I went up like a cold turkey dipped in a hot fryer. I was nothing but ash. It was a beautiful thing. It would have been anti-climatic to say I just dropped incapacitated at 0 hp.

[Fasafan]

It would have been anti-climatic to say I just dropped incapacitated at 0 hp.

This is spades.

It also happens to be how I feel about the -10 HP fudge due to years of its use taking the sting and fear of death almost completely away at our table.

[kerc]

I like the -10 hp and your dead rule rule where you are conscious but basically out of action after 0 hp but I think whatever damage you take before hitting 0 is how much damage you take. If you are at 2 hp and get hit for 14 hp then you are dead. harsh. But such is life.

I once had a 1st level elf who was carrying 4 wicked oil flask on the front straps of his pack who had an additional lit flask in hand ready to toss as soon as a pal kicked in a door. when he did I found myself facing 5 bandits with crossbows waiting in ambush for me. I lost initiative and all 5 hit me with 4 of them rolling 20s. We were playing double damage on a crit. I took 51hp of damage. The DM played it off as the bolts smashing all my flasks including the lit one. I went up like a cold turkey dipped in a hot fryer. I was nothing but ash. It was a beautiful thing. It would have been anti-climatic to say I just dropped incapacitated at 0 hp.

I use a version of this, but it's -CON, instead of -10.