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What do you think of this house rule?


Nakana

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I haven't played this rule yet, but let me know what you think.

 

In MW there are two ways to calculate HP; the standard average of CON and SIZ, or for a more heroic feel the sum of CON and SIZ.

 

Personally, I like new adventurers to start out with fewer HP. I think it makes them a little more cautious. However, I like seasoned adventurers to have more HP and thus a little more daring. 

 

So the house rule is: If you suffer a major wound (and live to tell about it) then once you heal, you get a 1d4 increase to HP... up to the max of CON + SIZ. 

 

*This assumes you started with the average HP.

 

I kind of like how it has the "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger" mindset. 

 

You can still increase HP by the normal ways of increasing CON or SIZ. 

 

I know there are some effects on the major wounds table that can lower HP by way of lowering CON, then this rule would in a way negate that effect. 

 

But what do you think?

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Hopefully major wounds aren't extremely common in your campaigns, but I still feel like it's a bit large of an increase. I think at most i would allow a CON gain roll and then only if the HP damage is healed without magical aid. The character may still use sorcery to reattach a severed limb but otherwise natural healing for HP.

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Personally I never use the Heroic HP option, but if you are going down that route then this rule could work out reasonably well.

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I think the low HPs lend to the grit of the system. Even my players have commented that they love knowing (while the chance is small) that the next arrow that hits them could feasibly kill them. I'd warn not to make PCs too ...healthy. Armor and parry have their part to play.

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I really like this and am going to use it.  I will probably increase it 1 point instead of 1d4.

 

I like the concept of this rule as I realize Magic World is meant to be gritty but I've always like cinematic high fantasy so higher hit points have always appealed to me. I might do as Chaot suggested however and increase the hit points by 1 instead of 1d4. And I'd personally make them like Chris said, have them have to heal the major wound naturally and have to pass a Constitution improvement to do so.

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You could also add Hit Points to the list of trainable characteristics.

 

Another thought would be to have HP gain "experience" much in the same way as other characteristics. Every time you take damage (from a wound, poison, etc.) check your HP. Then, at the end of the adventure, roll d% and try to roll over your HP x 5 or 10 (CON is the bonus for totals over 100%). If you beat the number, add 1 or 1D3 HP up to a maximum of CON+SIZ.

 

Or, for a more "D&D-like" method, make it a bonus from skill experience. Maybe any time you raise a Combat or Physical skill over 80% (or some other number), you can add a point to your HP total. Sort of like how in CoC, when you get a skill past 90% you get a bump to your SAN score.

 

But really, whatever works for your group is fine. Play around with it and let us know how it goes.

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I like the concept of this rule as I realize Magic World is meant to be gritty but I've always like cinematic high fantasy so higher hit points have always appealed to me. I might do as Chaot suggested however and increase the hit points by 1 instead of 1d4. And I'd personally make them like Chris said, have them have to heal the major wound naturally and have to pass a Constitution improvement to do so.

 

That's why I incuded the Heroic Hit Points option. Indeed, in almost all the games of MW I've run for my own group, we use the HHP option. In addition to letting PCs stick around a lot longer, it makes Major Wounds much more rare on them.

 

Of course, I also use the Mook rules where cannon-fodder NPCs have CON/2 Hit Points. I just like running games where the PCs are Big Damn Heroes .

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That's why I incuded the Heroic Hit Points option. Indeed, in almost all the games of MW I've run for my own group, we use the HHP option. In addition to letting PCs stick around a lot longer, it makes Major Wounds much more rare on them.

Of course, I also use the Mook rules where cannon-fodder NPCs have CON/2 Hit Points. I just like running games where the PCs are Big Damn Heroes .

I do the same in my Legend campaigns. Heroes have more hp while the typical enemies have the standard. Just makes heroes more well ... heroes!

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Really like the input Ben!

 

I suppose it comes down to liking both gritty and heroic and creating a smooth transition from one to the other?

 

One of the great things about BRP-based games, is that there are so many ways to do anything without breaking the system. As we've seen here, adding scaling hit points (never done in an official BRP-based RPG) is just a matter of figuring out how to do it. It's not going to mess up your game, or cause the rules to collapse.

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Please don't contact me with Chaosium questions. I'm no longer associated with the company, and have no idea what the new management is doing.

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You could also add Hit Points to the list of trainable characteristics.

 

Another thought would be to have HP gain "experience" much in the same way as other characteristics. Every time you take damage (from a wound, poison, etc.) check your HP. Then, at the end of the adventure, roll d% and try to roll over your HP x 5 or 10 (CON is the bonus for totals over 100%). If you beat the number, add 1 or 1D3 HP up to a maximum of CON+SIZ.

 

Or, for a more "D&D-like" method, make it a bonus from skill experience. Maybe any time you raise a Combat or Physical skill over 80% (or some other number), you can add a point to your HP total. Sort of like how in CoC, when you get a skill past 90% you get a bump to your SAN score.

 

But really, whatever works for your group is fine. Play around with it and let us know how it goes.

 

Actually, it occurs to me to make it more D&D-like, just give a HP bonus any time any skill goes above 80%. That way wizards, thieves, farmers, etc. can all raise their HP too.

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Please don't contact me with Chaosium questions. I'm no longer associated with the company, and have no idea what the new management is doing.

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