My Wonky Negative HP Dying Rule

[BrianEye]

Howdy,

So, here's how I'm running it ... at 0 HP, PCs go down (and effectively, dying). Save vs. Death to stay on your feet. Death finally comes at -HP equal to your Con score. 1st aid and wound binding gets you back at 1 HP.

[chiisu81]

I know I've seen negative CON as a common house-rule; I like the added SV throw for additional conditions/possibilities.

[existence123]

Howdy,

So, here's how I'm running it ... at 0 HP, PCs go down (and effectively, dying). Save vs. Death to stay on your feet. Death finally comes at -HP equal to your Con score. 1st aid and wound binding gets you back at 1 HP.

Do you allow the PC to stay on his feet at negative HP with a successful save? If so, you're a benevolent DM!

Here's how I do it - only ran one session, but I've been doing the RPG thing on and off for years - at or below zero hp, you're down and helpless, and losing a hit point a round until someone bandages you, at which point you stop bleeding out but remain at whatever your negative hp total was. I require a heal skill check at DC10 to stabilize a dying character (DC 15 for characters who do not have the heal skill.) Obviously magical healing can be used to get you over zero and conscious again. I rule that characters are dead at -10, regardless their CON score.

I think that might be the exact procedure laid out in the BFRPG rulebook, come to think of it. I think it gives PCs a sporting chance to stay alive without making it too easy - the threat of death has to be pretty real I think, or else the game gets way to comfortable (read:boring.)

[BrianEye]

Do you allow the PC to stay on his feet at negative HP with a successful save? If so, you're a benevolent DM!

On a round by round basis. It actually moves them a little closer to death when / if they do it.

[Delver]

Do you allow the PC to stay on his feet at negative HP with a successful save? If so, you're a benevolent DM!

On a round by round basis. It actually moves them a little closer to death when / if they do it.

I like that! I feel a new houserule comin' on!

[Hernes Son]

Do you allow the PC to stay on his feet at negative HP with a successful save? If so, you're a benevolent DM!

On a round by round basis. It actually moves them a little closer to death when / if they do it.

If they're standing at negative HP, possibly you could enforce on them a penalty to all rolls based on their negative HP value. You could do it at half the negative HP if that seems less harsh, but I think if the PCs have been smacked down to that point, you're being lenient letting them do anything.

[BrianEye]

If they're standing at negative HP, possibly you could enforce on them a penalty to all rolls based on their negative HP value. You could do it at half the negative HP if that seems less harsh, but I think if the PCs have been smacked down to that point, you're being lenient letting them do anything.

Yes, I'm being very generous - I do have a bit of a bias to ongoing campaign and less TPKs. I don't assess a penalty - though it might be warranted - because I find it sets up a big death spiral (and creates, for me, frustrations at the table) - if I'm going to let them stay in the game, I'd like them to have a chance to fight through it. Just my take.

I'd rather call it "lights out" and have them wake up in chains, etc.

[Dimirag]

I've used a similar rule where the ST lets you keep consciousness but you still can't act, but you can "push your limit" with another roll to do one action, a "bad failures" makes you unconscious and may kill you.

[Delver]

I've used a similar rule where the ST lets you keep consciousness but you still can act, but you can "push your limit" with another roll to do one action, a "bad failures" makes you unconscious and may kill you.

I like that too!

[Longman]

I have them save vs death at 0hp or lower, to see if the shock doesn't kill them automatically.

If they save, they are still bleeding out at 1hp a round as normal. Unless they are right on 0, in which case they are stable anyway.

Instead of using -10, I use the reverse of the character's initial class hp. i.e. fighters die at -8, magic users at -4.

Heal skill checks are the same as described by existence123, except I use the base figure of '17' described in the background skill supplement (12 if you actually have the skill). Wisdom should be the relevant stat for bonuses on healing rolls I think.