From: tamitha@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Tamitha Carpenter)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: More Death's Door
Summary: House Rules
Date: 2 Oct 92 20:11:30 GMT
Organization: Dracon Campaign


	The discussion of dying has included all sorts of methods of 
dealing with less than zero hit points.  As a fairly consistant DM, I
had to write down all the house rules for the players.

	To forther the discussion here are the rules on death and dying as 
adventurers see it: (necromancers and death priests may see it differently)
for the Dracon Campaign.

	You are fully active and whole from what ever your current
maximum might be to 1 Hit Point    (You are envigorated and almost otherworldly
if you some how have more that your maximum hit points.. from an AID spell
or a potion of HEROISM, etc.)

	At 1/2 to 0 hit points (sometimes it is necessary to take a half) you 
are stable and unconscious.  This means that you will lie there in the dirt
    ^^^^^^                 
breathing shallowly, faint heart beat, and flickering eyelids until you
have rested enough to regain that 1/2 to one hit point.  Then you awaken 
fully healthy and hale, ready to do battle and fully active, but with only
one hit point.
 
	If you should take damage to -1 or lower then you are automatically
unconscious AND FALLING!!!

	This means that unless there is an active character (PC or NPC) of
some type actively trying to save your life with bandages, CPR and clearing
your throat of blood and other unpleasantries, you continue to drop 1 hit
point per round.  The average adventurer knows how to throw a bandage
around a wound, and this is not the Healing proficiency.  This will for
each round spent at the task, restore one hitpoint to the individual, until
that person reaches zero hitpoints, and there stays while moderately tended.

	Moderately tended is to check of the wounded's condition at least
once every 10 minutes, and if necessary clean bandages, and revive them.
Thus you have to be awake and not on horse back...

	If the maximum descent that wounded made was to -1 hp there is a
25% chance of remaining in a comatose/barely conscious state for some time
after the "death" typically about a week.  During this time, the character
must be lightly encumbered or better, and must rest almost 50 minutes out
of an hour (if they are even awake.)  almost no coherent conversation can
be had with such wounded.  

	The chances of this condition are progressively more likely the
farther you fall before restored.  Also note that if the ones tending the
wounded leave them for too long the wounded character begins to fall again
after an unknown period of time, faster if treated roughly.

	Once the percentage chance of comatose is failed then the character
is effectively out of play.  Here is where the DEATH'S DOOR spell is
effective.  With this spell the body is brought back from the coma and to
the 1 hit point area, stable, needing no further rest and able to be healed
normally.  The Cure Light Wounds or greater spells will not bring them over
this threshold, but will bring them to a stable 1 hit point with no further
chance of falling, and NO FURTHER!  Do Not, repeat, Do Not waste more
powerful spells on wounded characters since they will remain at 1 hp with
no further change in their condition.  The only other way to bring them
back from the coma condition is to rest the required amount of time, it
being 4-7 days (1d4+3) or less if very stable. 

	Another note: a healing proficiency may be able to brew a
restorative elixir to speed this process, and with this and good rest in a
nice bed, the process has been known to take only a day.

	Know these rules, and know when to rush to your comrades aid!
Other minor healing rules are also fairly well laid out, and will be 
explained once this is digested.
	

Summary :

	Maximum ---> 1 hitpoints          Perfectly healthy (*)
	      1 ---> 0 hitpoints          Stable but Unconscious (**)
                    -1 hitpoint           Dying 25% comatose
                    -2 hitpoints          Dying 50% comatose
                    -3 hitpoints          Dying 75% comatose
                    -4 hitpoints          Dying 99% comatose
             -5 --->-7 hitpoints          Dying 100% comatose + 25% scaring
             	    -8 hitpoints          Dying 100% comatose + 50% scaring
                    -9 hitpoints          Dying 100% comatose + 75% scaring

                   -10 hitpoints          Dying 100% comatose + 100% scaring
                                           DEAD 100% -- only magic will save!

(*) - Except if brought to 1 hp from the dying state by cure light wounds
or better.  Then, you are comatose or in shock until the resting conditions
are met.  Also this does not say that you are not diseased or inflicted
with parasites... just able to function fairly well.

(**) - except if brought to 0 from negative hit points by "unskilled" tending.
Then, the wounded character will begin to drop in hps if left untended,
until rescued again or dead.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
David E. Wall		wiz@donald.phast.umass.edu
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd