From: Rannou@info.polymtl.ca (Patrick Rannou)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd
Subject: Re: Deaths Door
Date: 7 Oct 92 05:44:22 GMT
	<1992Sep30.095719.7200@iscsvax.uni.edu>
Organization: Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Canada

In article <1992Sep30.095719.7200@iscsvax.uni.edu> boelter3945@iscsvax.uni.edu writes:


   > 
   > I was just wondering what effects apply to a character to is reduced to
   > a hit point total of between 0 and -9? I know that you lose 1 hp per
   > round unless administed first aid or healed but how long can a person
   > stay between these ranges. Also if they are healed they wake up in 1 - 6
   > turns but do they suffer weakness or other ill effects?

      Well, the way I rule it, is that 0 is not unconscious, but rather extremley
   weak.  You are still conscious, and can do some things, like speak, stagger at
   one quarter movement rate, read a non-somantic spell, and other things.

      Fro -1 to -9 you are down and dying, losing 1 hp per round until patched up
   by a friend.  This patching merely stops the blood loss, and stabalizes the
   person at that negative value.  Then, for each additional round of patching
   that is done, 1 hp is restored, up to 0 hp.  Patching cannot raise hp higher
   than that, either natural rest or magical healing must be used from that point
   onwards.

      If magical healing is used, simply add the amount of healing on to the
   current total.  If this is still negative, they are stabalized at that total,
   but still unconscious.

      Oh, btw, if patching is done by someone with Healing skill, the rate is 2hp
   back per round of patching until 0 is reached.

   > Hugh Jenkinson

Hmm, then death must occur very rarely in your campaign... unless it's from
a superb blow... and when you are low on hit points, you can always get
behind other party memebers. I do not take into account here the situation
where EVERY party memer is in such a bad shape that they will most likely
ALL die from that fight, as it doesn't makew a difference here.

How I do it is a little biut different than in the DMG2...


When you drop at 0 hp (or less), you roll a system shock. You fail, you are
dead. Believe me, it really happens a LOT that the blow that took you down
kills you, not mwerely "puts you unconscious or into a coma". I allow for a
'few segments' of dramatic effect as the soon-to be dead (N)PC realizes his
condition, maybe say a last word, and dies...

OK, if at 0 HP and you fail, you are merely unconscious for at least 2D4
turns. If you succeeed, you stay conscious, can barely walk, and every
action which strains your body even a little requires another system
shock... The GM can reduces the chances if you do more than one (and for
each following) action in a row. So you are, at the very least, slowed a
lot. Failing a save = unconscious. Faling misreably = lose 1 hp, roll
another system shock at full normal value, if you miss you're dead. If you
succeed see below.

If you are under 0 HP, and fail, your dead. If you fall under your "death
limit", which is "(Level + CON)/2 rounded up", then you're dead also (a
zero level NPC with normal CON thus have a death limit of -6, but a tenth
level fighter with 18 CON has a death limit of -14).

OKay, so if you succeed, you simply fall comatose, what adventurers call
"being at death's doors". Now you lose 1 HP per round until being taken
care of, which takes fully D4 rounds if someone with first aid misses his
skill roll (1 fdull round if he succeeds), and someone without the skill
takes D4 full rounds if he succeeds (if he misses, he still takes D4 full
rounds, but he has done the badages badly. Thus the roll is made at the END
of the D4 rounds, and the player can never know in advances howe many
rounds it takes). Magical healing can also stop the HP loss. If the PC go
under his death limit, he's dead, fuinal. It's easy enough being brought
back from the dead as it is, with spells like "Raise Dead"... and the PCs
shouldn't enter into a big fight without fearing death at least a little,
IMHO.

Anyway... Sometimes a PC falls under 0 HP (but over his death limit) and
still manages to survive alone. If the system shock is an incredible
success, the PC won't lose any HP even if no help is being done on him. He
recuperates one HP per day if he succeeds at a CON roll (or lose that point
if he fails). Of course he isn'r ptrotected by the eleemnts...
Thus normal individuals will see their coma stay like that, while
exceptionnal individuals will slowly recover naturally, and feeble
individuals will degrade until they die. This assumes the body is left
undisturbed. 

Now, if the PC dies, he loses 1 HP per round no matter what. If he receives
the special priest spell "Death's Doors" before his death limit is passed,
he is saved. Death`s Door is a lot like a "Raise Dead" usable only very
shortly after the character has died... If the Death limit is passed, then
the spell still work but it consumes one CON point (or "life", like with
Raise Dead and Resurrection). The maximum delay is equal to the Death limit
rounds. Thus a first level fighter with 16 CON, thus a death limit of -9,
and failing his sysshock when he received 10 HP of damage while he had only
4 left, thus falling to -6, will be able to receive the death's door spell
(with no penatly to COPN if his resurrect roll succeeds) for the next three
rounds, and then the 9 rounds after that it will still be possible to use
Death's Door, but this time he will lose the CON point of it's a success,
and stay dead otherwise. After the nine rounds have elapsed, thus -18
(double death limit) is reached, the character is irremediably dead ansd
Death's door can't work anymore. HP go straight to minus infinite, if you
see what I mean...

Note that if the first sys shock roll is failed miserably, the PC will lose
HP at double the normal rate.

Death's Door is a 4th level spell. It requires a vial of holy water plus
the priest's holy symbol. Other things are similar to Raise Dead. It works
only on humanoids that Raise Dead affects. Note that the victim, if the
spell is successful, go directly to 0 HP, regains consciousness, and must
rest for a day even if magical healing takes place. (i.e. even if the
victim is at full HP, it can act only as tough it had 0 HP. It can fall
into unconsciouness or even lose one HP (plus unconsciousness) if it
strains itself...).



Now, apart from that, magical healing can be used on a PC who succeeded at
his sys chock roll (not dead, only comatose).

A cure light counts as 1 points.
A cure serious         2 points.
Cure critical          3 points.
Healing potion         1 point.
Xtra healing           1 point per dose. Can't be taken whole.
Keogtom's ointment, etc: Use common sense. In general, each hit-die of
D8 (or 2D4) curing value give one point...

A point can be used to stabilise a comatose's condition (thus saving the
round of D4 rounds spent on putting bandages on him), or to cure 1 HP. When
+1 HP is reached, and not before, do the "points" for the spells or potions
start taking their full dice of effect.

Ex: A PC is at -1 HP. He succeeded admirably at his sys schock roll so he
doesnt' bleed to death. (condition stabilised). A friend make him quaff a
Xtrahealing potion. Since it's not a touch spell and an unconscious person
can't drink, it's a tedious task which can't be done in the midst of a
combat. A DEX roll is needed for each dose. Success, all three doses are
quaffed. The first dose make the PC go to 0 HP, and regain consciousness.
The second dose make him go to 1 HP. The third dose is normal D8 HP. The
exact same thing would have happened with a cure critical: the last point
would have been a D8 instead of a point...

Note that even tough the vixtim didn't die, he/she is very weak and must
rest at least (number of HP under 1)/(death limit) day. The PC can regain
HP, but function as if it was still at 0 HP. 

A PC down to 1 HP can function normally without anby other problem, apart
from the knowledge that he is near death... >;->


OKay, these "rules" contains a few cointradictions... mainly i use them as
guidelines and use some common sense.





--
/---------------------------\
| Patrick "Paradak" Rannou. |
| Rannou@info.polymtl.ca    |
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Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.dnd