I’ve long disliked the hit point (or the vitality point/wound point combo system becoming popular with some d20 variations) damage systems common to many role playing games. My main objections are summarized below:
Dungeons & Dragons: 3rd
Edition Players Handbook.
Hit Points (hp): A measure of character health or object integrity. Damage decreases current hit points, and lost hit points return with healing or natural recovery. A character’s hit point total increases permanently with additional experience and/or permanent increases in Constitution, or temporarily through the use of various special abilities, spells, magic items, or magical effects.
Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Revised Core
Rule Book
Vitality Points – A measure of a character’s ability to turn a direct hit in to a graze or a near miss. Most types of damage reduce vitality points. Vitality points are also used to power Force skills. Only heroic characters have vitality points.
Wound Points – A measure of how much actual physical damage a character can withstand. For characters with vitality points, damage reduces wound points only after all vitality points are gone, or when the character is struck by a critical hit.
· Lack of realism – Ok. I realize that most role playing games are meant to be “fantastic” meaning they are set in fictional settings where you play fictional characters that have abilities and can do things that you can’t in real life. But, in many cases, things that are “fantastic” also need to be somewhat believable. If they are not then it’s difficult to become lost in the world you’re playing in. There needs to be danger and the chance of failure; if there isn’t then it’s not fun to succeed. That said, my main objection with hit points as it relates to modeling reality is simply that it greatly trims down the sense of danger. At early levels we’re ok. A sword thrust to the gut will not make the average 1st-5th level warrior very happy about his current state of being. Once you advance however, those 1d8 weapons don’t have the sense of terror that they once did. Game Masters usually then decide to add more than one minion bearing the once-dreaded 1d8 weapon to add challenge to the game to threaten our hero and wear down his collection of hit points to a point where he is again threatened. Once our hero attains higher levels, his hit point total climbs higher to the point where even 100 minions all bearing 1d8 damage dealing weapons don’t have the same affect they once did. So now as a Game Master you must call out your Über Minons that do 1d10, 1d12, 2d8, 5d100, etc. points of damage to properly threaten our hero bearing 68 hit points. I’m getting long winded but this is all leading up to a point I promise. My point is this: what happened to the sword? In reality, a sword thrust in my gut is just as lethal at the start of my career as the Slayer of Über Minions Extraordinaire as it is when I retire, advanced in tricks and skills learned in years of Über Minion slaying. Being stabbed should not be fun, enjoyable, or easy to endure, regardless of how skilled I am. The trick is to avoid having the sword being thrust in your gut. You’re screaming (I know :-) ) “But that’s what hit points mean! My warrior has become so adept at avoiding damage that a 1d8 doesn’t hurt him as it once did. The hit points measure how skillful he is at avoiding damage. That’s what the description in the rule book says!” My point exactly: somehow, the sword has become less lethal as your character has become more skillful. 1d8 points of damage is the maximum threat a single killing blow can deal so it should in theory be enough to kill you. If you are so unfortunate as to receive the business end of such a weapon, regardless if you are just starting your career or just finishing up a skillful and glorious stint as the Slayer of Über Minions Extraordinaire, it should still hurt. Hit points somehow have become a measure of skill and vitality instead of vitality. It’s just confusing. Using such a definition gives you no information as to the status of your character. Some Game Masters come up with good and creative ways of handling that problem with clever descriptions and appropriate minuses but in the end, they are attempting to patch a damaged damage system. I say, let vitality be true vitality and let skills, feats, and good role playing be your defense against the lethal thrust of the 1d8.
The Vitality Point/Wound
point combination that has surfaced with such game titles as Star Wars and
Spycraft offers clearer definitions but still leaves us with the same basic
problem: the measure of vitality in the game is also a measure of skill. Getting
hit should be injurious and not something to be brushed off lightly. This is not
to say that death should be dealt with every hit, but it should be a threat at
least to be concerned about. I’ve seen it many times with bad role players who
just wade into a dangerous situation and start shooting (or hacking). Even good
role players sometimes make decisions (myself included) in certain situations
and decide a course of action just because I know that if I get hit, the chances
of my career being over are somewhat slim. What does it mean that only “heroic
characters” get vitality points anyway?
· Lack of detail – Our beleaguered hero has fallen on dire straits. His 69 hit point total has been reduced to 12. You would think that since our hero has lost approximately 83% of his life force that he would be an almost wasted wreck of a man (or woman) leaking vital fluids from every pore. Alas, such is not the case. He’s still good to go for yet another round. Good Game Masters and players can add the color and good role playing always rules the day, but what I would like is a system to help that process along. I shot the bad guy, where did I hit him? In the head? In the butt? How does that affect his current status? With a pure hit point (or Vitality Point/Wound Point) system, technically your character can still shoot (or stab) with hit full array of skills at his disposal. Oh that real life was the same way :-). What’s that? Roleplaying games aren’t supposed to be like real life? Well, true, otherwise we wouldn’t play would we? But I think they should at least be somewhat representative eh or it becomes hard to believe or relate to.