I love your exhaustion idea to role-play lingering injuries. It kinda bridges the gap between sevier consequences but still allowing the character to heal back to normal.
I'm glad you like the idea! It was like an epiphone for me when I realized exhaustion was a built-in mechanic that works marvelously for lingering injuries. Players are already used to exhaustion as a game mechanic, but it doesn't come up often. This is an excellent way to use exhaustion while upping the stakes of every fight!
1: get a Lingering Injuries or Savage/Brutal Crits table. 2: falling to 0 HP and getting back up gives you one level of Exhaustion. Lingering Injuries inflict further Exhaustion levels. 3: Injury severity is determined by how many points of damage you take after reaching 0 HP. Count by ten. For every -10 incurred, incur a more severe tier of injury. Decapitation and similar instakill deaths happen when unconscious or dead players get finished off. Or when something deals enough damage to kill them twice.
I used an injury table and a special crit table. I only used them in one campaign and then never again. They weren't designed well, and they ultimately favored monsters more.
Losing limbs can actually make for some really interesting rp and story elements. A character in the campaign that I'm currently running lost his arm during a big fight, and was nearly killed but the party managed to escape with their lives. This character was badly wounded, slipping in and out of consciousness, and by the time they finally got him able to walk again and stopped the bleeding, some damage had already been done. They did their best to clean it, but since they were on the run, they couldn't stay in any one place for too long and the open wound ended up getting infected and causing a number of problems before they finally got to safety where it could be treated properly and he could get a prosthetic. It was very tense and it was awesome.
These ideas will serve you well! When I saw your comment last night, I was rolling for lingering injuries to a PC in a Curse of Strahd campaign. :P I've been very pleased that PCs of higher levels remain afraid of enemies because exhaustion really messes them up after they get dropped to zero hitpoints or need to be resurrected.
Thanks, Ian. The exhaustion levels have been especially potent in my recent weeks applying these concepts. I like exhaustion because it makes sense to the players mechanically while also having concrete remedies in long rests and Greater Restoration.
I love your exhaustion idea to role-play lingering injuries. It kinda bridges the gap between sevier consequences but still allowing the character to heal back to normal.
I'm glad you like the idea! It was like an epiphone for me when I realized exhaustion was a built-in mechanic that works marvelously for lingering injuries. Players are already used to exhaustion as a game mechanic, but it doesn't come up often. This is an excellent way to use exhaustion while upping the stakes of every fight!
InstaBlaster...
1: get a Lingering Injuries or Savage/Brutal Crits table.
2: falling to 0 HP and getting back up gives you one level of Exhaustion. Lingering Injuries inflict further Exhaustion levels.
3: Injury severity is determined by how many points of damage you take after reaching 0 HP. Count by ten. For every -10 incurred, incur a more severe tier of injury.
Decapitation and similar instakill deaths happen when unconscious or dead players get finished off. Or when something deals enough damage to kill them twice.
I used an injury table and a special crit table. I only used them in one campaign and then never again. They weren't designed well, and they ultimately favored monsters more.
Losing limbs can actually make for some really interesting rp and story elements. A character in the campaign that I'm currently running lost his arm during a big fight, and was nearly killed but the party managed to escape with their lives. This character was badly wounded, slipping in and out of consciousness, and by the time they finally got him able to walk again and stopped the bleeding, some damage had already been done. They did their best to clean it, but since they were on the run, they couldn't stay in any one place for too long and the open wound ended up getting infected and causing a number of problems before they finally got to safety where it could be treated properly and he could get a prosthetic. It was very tense and it was awesome.
It's so dramatic when done with players who will go with it! Nicely done.
I'm also doing CoS, it's been 3 sessions since their last rest, I hope they don't get hurt at bonegrinder... : update, they got hurt
Nice! It sounds like you're creating a sense of urgency and the stakes are high. That's exciting for many players.
I like the ideas and will apply in my CoS campaign.
These ideas will serve you well! When I saw your comment last night, I was rolling for lingering injuries to a PC in a Curse of Strahd campaign. :P I've been very pleased that PCs of higher levels remain afraid of enemies because exhaustion really messes them up after they get dropped to zero hitpoints or need to be resurrected.
I like some of these ideas.
Thanks, Ian. The exhaustion levels have been especially potent in my recent weeks applying these concepts. I like exhaustion because it makes sense to the players mechanically while also having concrete remedies in long rests and Greater Restoration.
I'm not a great fan of lingering injuries but it does annoy me how a long rest fixes all wounds. My DM 100% wouldn't go for it though
It's definitely not for everyone :)
Does your DM like the long rest system by RAW, or is there hesitance to experiment with house rules here?