Alternatives to Hit Points

[UncleDave]

I'm no great d20 fan, but even I have to admit it has the widest user base. Like Microsoft, it has many detractors but most of them still use it

Anyway, I am interested in "fixing" some of the most common "flaws" (imho) in the game system. Firstly and foremostly, Hit Points.

I haven't seen many web sites proposing viable alternatives to the Hit Point system within the d20 game. If anyone knows of any sites, or books that contain alternatives I'd be interested to hear of it.

Otherwise, here is my idea: Split Hit Points into "Wound Points" and "Providence". Wound Points represent the actual ability to take a knife in the arm and keep fighting, while Providence represents a sort of "karma". It shows how important a character is to the plot, because as we all know in every good story the important characters always manage to dodge the sword by a half-inch or jump out of the way of the explosion just in the nick of time.

This seems to me to be a neat solution: you still get what are essentially hit points, and the still work in similar fashion. the main difference would be that you can heal Wound Points with spells or potions or rest, but Providence is only regained at the end of an adventure or at an appropriate point determined by the GM.
I can expand on this concept if anyone wants.

So, any questions, comments?

Cheers!

I like the base concept for your idea (Hey that sounds like Fate Points was my initial reaction). But I noticed you didn't really detail it out, so let me help by asking these...

How do you determine how many of each your character starts with?

How do you propose increasing them as the character gains levels?

How do you use the Providence points exactly?

I'll think of some more when I get home.

[TheElf]

There are good ways to solve this problem.

"Wound points": HP you get from your racial hit dice.
"providence": HP you get from your levels

It can be usefull sometimes and can work with other concepts, yet it needs a lot more detail.

[jaerofthelake]

It's a bit like the star wars d20 system where you have wounds point equal to your constitution and you got vitality point going up each level depending of your class hit dice...

[TheElf]

Similar dual hit points systems are known to many RPGs on the market and I think WoTC used a well known and used idea here, and I can show some systems that used the same idea even before, the question is: What do you use these points for and how do you handle damage.

[Tzeentch]

Up until now the best description of the dual hit point system is in the Spycraft RPG the "vitality points" (the thing that goes up with levels) represents your ability to dodge attacks while your "Wound points" are almost always equal to your constitution score giving the constitution score a big increase in importance.

That system still leaves you wide open to a critical hit from a raging barbarian hitting you with his greataxe .... 1d12 ± 6 means pretty much game over for your 10-16 wound points.

If you change the hit points system, change the armor system as well... Unearthed Arcana (P:111) has a nice alternative system (ie: Full Plate gives +4ac and DR 4). Then again you can incldue the star wars Defense bonus too...

[TheElf]

Unearthed Arcana is nice with this, but there are other better ways to fix it, and we will see them

[Tzeentch]

But up until now, beside Unearthed Arcana, the best "adaptation" of the D20 rules and the simplest is the Spycraft (I may look like ranting on and always about Spycraft and your right but bare with me.)

1. They divided the round in two half-actions (moving your speed, making and attack are half-actions) + one "free" action.
2. Then you get the Dual Hit points (Vitality Points and Wound Points)
3. And finally the Defense bonus (can be used instead of armor) and initiative bonus. Both of those getting better as you move up in levels

Anyways ...

/Mode Tzeentch -Rant

[TheElf]

I think many games started because the developers want to have a tranlsation of AD&D and got refused so they started their own similar game. In a hungarian game they have 4 combat scores (plus damag reduction), and 2 types of hit points, and so on. And also weapons have their stats, you can spend points on these stats each time you do level up, etc.

[Tzeentch]

Like some kind of weapon specialization ? i'd like you to devellop on that thing... the only place i've seen that kind of rules is in Baldur's Gate & other pc games of the same kind.