I like the idea of capping HP for monsters and heroes alike, yet I use a different RPG system (namely MERP) that has a different proportion of monster/character HP to damage dealt. If I were to try, how much above or below the mean damage level (Both meanings of mean. Oops, now all 3!) would the monsters and characters need to be?
I also want to say excellent job, Professor DungeonMaster! Keep up the good work in the continual quest to make role-playing more enjoyable!
If you reduce Hp of everything how does this not destroy the usefulness of spells/abilities that don't do direct damage? Why bother with bless or bane if the monsters can be hacked to death in a single hit. The average combat in 5e lasts for 3 rounds. if you speed that up then its 1-2 rounds. Anything but direct damage spells/abilities becomes worthless
The players aren't going to notice you giving out the same dmg total on every hit? I would suspect something was up after the 3rd instance of that. The next combat I'm going to see if that happens again. Once I know you do this I'm not making calculations about how many hits someone can take before going down which is a bit gamey and unrealistic but i cant help myself, you made it so easy.
I add a players strength and constitution, that's their max hit points
I really liked 4th editions 1hp minion set up, now however I use Savage World's shaken/ injury system. It just makes sense and only a select few characters and antagonists have more than one wound before getting knocked out or dying.
Basically, a character has a toughness stat, and Savage Worlds operates in raises where rolling degrees of 4 increases the impact of the attempt. Hitting someone will be a 4, rolling an 8 would add to damage. Rolling the targets toughness, say it's a 5, means they're shaken and basically helpless until they recover as they are cowering, fleeing or are overwhelmed to act.
Dealing 9 damage means they're injured. Minions are dead at that point, Main Characters get 3 injuries before facing their demise. It's a fast and simple system. Tokens are up, down or off the table. If the target needs some gimmick to kill, then all you can do is stun them and hopefully run unless you have that gimmick.
Hit points is the ability to avoid a fatal blow. A combination of luck, skill, strength etc… This system gets rid of the inflated and cumbersome hit point workings which doesn't even mean your character takes damage, it's the amount of damage threatened before the character takes an actual, fatal injury at zero. Until then, the character is getting worn down in combat, taking bumps and scrapes unless specifically stated for a called shot of some sort.
Bennies are something I've noticed that increase decision making, it lets players play risky with this one resource helping them get out of trouble or some sort of issue. Basically players get 3 each and they can be used in all sorts of ways like adding extra dice to a roll or use as a free success point. Because the randomness in table top is output, a resource to play with to shore up that kind of randomness helps move the game along and deal with streaks of bad rolls.
YOU changed my way of playing, crafting and preparing! I completly reforge the game . so far , after 3 games… players love it.. and i do too: faster simpler and more fun after all!!! thanks prof.
i dont use initiative. i narrate the scene and get input from players to continue the action. if a player has been quiet, then i will ask them what the char is doing. as scenes unfold, having an npc/creature perform an attack is part of the story. this should not be interupted with me saying "roll initiative". that is too disruptive to the action and tension thats been building.
Man you first two suggestions were okay but that last one SUCKED! Instead of changing EVERY rule of combat in the damn game how just playing a different game? And no self respecting D&D player is gonna let the DM lower their hard earned hit points and damage out put! My players would drowned me in my own blood if I tried that shit! Down vote
About the HP of PC, I came up with this, instead of increasing those by level or capping it, you can increase it when the Character get it's Ability Score (AS) increase (at lvl 4/8/12/16/19), so your hit dices and HP increase by power realm, and balance between being a Heroic resilient MOFO and a mortal struggling to kill hordes of monsters and dragons.
In this Hypothesis, Consider a Paladin reach level 19 and has +5 of CON, if the paladin decides to get average instead of rolling, he will reach 65 of HP, which is not low for his high level, neither is high for a fast paced combat against giant abominations.
Additional toughs:
– Fighter get more AS increases than other classes, you can opt to ignore the ones that other class don't get. – Your players will get a max of 6 hit dice, to balance healing you might consider other methods. – This is a suggestion I came up just now after watching the video, is not perfect and you can use it as reference to work your own, I am now thinking on how to implement what I learn and what I come up with to work in my game, it will require some time and some lab rats. – Remember to have fun.
If I dont like the ideas and I dont think the show is good, should I still click like? … JUST KIDDING I LIKE BOTH!!!
Terrific, you continue to be my number 1 reference for new DMs.
i def gonna bring this up to my group. i mean other than the attack damage and hit points i love these new mechanics. my pet peeve has always been electronics during game time when players surf instead of paying attention and formulating strategies as each player performs their actions, only to ask the "repeating" question…."okay now what has happened?".
Wait.. did you say "I hope you continue watching JUNJEON craft"?
Do you have players reduce their damage as well or no?
D&D's hit point system is nonsensical. The problem, I think, is that clerics and potions use the language of "healing" when we know that wounds aren't a component of HP. That single choice of terminology, made long ago, has confused the topic ever since. "Bloodied" furthered the misunderstanding that lost HP equates to "damage." DMs using the language of injuries sustained during combat doesn't help either, when those "wounds" disappear after an hour's rest.
I play in smaller groups than you and we use individual initiatives. In Lamentations we each roll a d6 every round, while in 5e we establish an initiative order and keep to it. The delay in the narrative as we do the numbers is an exciting calm before the storm, especially as when the initiative order appears, our GM has given each combatant an individual name which allows us to see them, interact with them and really brings combats to life. Fighting Belcher Blackrock, Thespin the Glaive, Maerwina the fisher, Maidenchin, Hal Redtroos, Dogface, the Spider and the Eastlander is much more vivid than fighting 8 bandits.
what if characters go in order of level, instead of initiative rolling, same level rock paper sizzors
As a somewhat rockie dm I agree with what you said about Hp. I was thinking that my new bbeg that is aware of it being a game could have the ability to set the players Hp to the average. This would harm those who cheated on my table and have way to high Hp while those who got unlucky when rolling Hp would get temporary Hp. This also makes some sense since he's a paladin of gond.
I have just found this channel. It's pure gold!!!!
About the video, some things other systems have already implemented them:
1) Cypher System has group initiative, low hit points, no roll for damage (weapons do a fixed damage) and the GM don't roll for NPCs; 2) Savage Worlds solves the hit points issue. Common enemies are eliminated with just one wound and players and tougher enemies are eliminated with 4 wounds, regardless of their level.
After I played these more simple systems, I don't wanna DM D&D anymore. I can play it, but I can't bear to DM it anymore.
So, one of the things I have been using to speed up combat is using the Gamemaster 5 app from Lion's Den. I have no affiliation with them, btw. I just like the app. I have a compendium of monsters I downloaded from a drop box, and use then to make my own variants. Then, I create encounters for the campaign and add the various monsters for each encounter. When i start the encounter, it auto rolls their initiatives, and you can have it roll the players too (though they like to roll). Then I run the encounter. I also have a setting that groups initiative for same type, so I can roll weenies as a group. Finally, I track damage and healing on there, and all the monster stats and data is in the app at the touch of a finger, so no page flipping. It has been working really well, I think. I am not into making as radical changes as some on here, and this GM5 app was a very easy way to improve things. The only thing that would make stuff even faster is if I had a tablet to run it off of instead of my phone.
My 2cents.
Edit: spelling
Don't use figures and maps and you'll save a lot of time at the table and away from it.
Wait… you said at 4:43 not to role for monster damage, then give a bunch of monster damage rolls at 9:52… Would you recommend averaging the reduced rolls?
i.e Goblin scimitar would always do 3 instead of d6, and dragon breath would always do 18 instead of 6d6. The dragon breath would one-shot everyone but the 22hp fighter, unless they made the save and only took 9 damage. Seems extreme, but doable.
I love these ideas! And I loved the "No More Initiative vid. Capital ideas, Prof.
And your +3 Vintage DM's Screen of Death!
I have another simple initiative method:
First Roll for monsters as a whole using the leader initiative score Then players roll Individually, and there are two outcomes: – Players acting before the monsters (Monster turn) – Players acting after the monsters
just make all the monsters and npc’s hippies.. theyre easier to slaughter, its more enjoyable and they dnt fight back violently. theyll make threats tho verbally so make sure the DM makes successful charisma rolls >:}
I like the idea of capping HP for monsters and heroes alike, yet I use a different RPG system (namely MERP) that has a different proportion of monster/character HP to damage dealt. If I were to try, how much above or below the mean damage level (Both meanings of mean. Oops, now all 3!) would the monsters and characters need to be?
I also want to say excellent job, Professor DungeonMaster! Keep up the good work in the continual quest to make role-playing more enjoyable!
If you reduce Hp of everything how does this not destroy the usefulness of spells/abilities that don't do direct damage? Why bother with bless or bane if the monsters can be hacked to death in a single hit. The average combat in 5e lasts for 3 rounds. if you speed that up then its 1-2 rounds. Anything but direct damage spells/abilities becomes worthless
The players aren't going to notice you giving out the same dmg total on every hit? I would suspect something was up after the 3rd instance of that. The next combat I'm going to see if that happens again. Once I know you do this I'm not making calculations about how many hits someone can take before going down which is a bit gamey and unrealistic but i cant help myself, you made it so easy.
I add a players strength and constitution, that's their max hit points
I really liked 4th editions 1hp minion set up, now however I use Savage World's shaken/ injury system. It just makes sense and only a select few characters and antagonists have more than one wound before getting knocked out or dying.
Basically, a character has a toughness stat, and Savage Worlds operates in raises where rolling degrees of 4 increases the impact of the attempt. Hitting someone will be a 4, rolling an 8 would add to damage. Rolling the targets toughness, say it's a 5, means they're shaken and basically helpless until they recover as they are cowering, fleeing or are overwhelmed to act.
Dealing 9 damage means they're injured. Minions are dead at that point, Main Characters get 3 injuries before facing their demise. It's a fast and simple system. Tokens are up, down or off the table. If the target needs some gimmick to kill, then all you can do is stun them and hopefully run unless you have that gimmick.
Hit points is the ability to avoid a fatal blow. A combination of luck, skill, strength etc…
This system gets rid of the inflated and cumbersome hit point workings which doesn't even mean your character takes damage, it's the amount of damage threatened before the character takes an actual, fatal injury at zero. Until then, the character is getting worn down in combat, taking bumps and scrapes unless specifically stated for a called shot of some sort.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhFjo_mFuIo&list=WL&index=3&t=0s
Bennies are something I've noticed that increase decision making, it lets players play risky with this one resource helping them get out of trouble or some sort of issue. Basically players get 3 each and they can be used in all sorts of ways like adding extra dice to a roll or use as a free success point. Because the randomness in table top is output, a resource to play with to shore up that kind of randomness helps move the game along and deal with streaks of bad rolls.
YOU changed my way of playing, crafting and preparing! I completly reforge the game . so far , after 3 games… players love it.. and i do too: faster simpler and more fun after all!!! thanks prof.
i dont use initiative. i narrate the scene and get input from players to continue the action. if a player has been quiet, then i will ask them what the char is doing. as scenes unfold, having an npc/creature perform an attack is part of the story. this should not be interupted with me saying "roll initiative". that is too disruptive to the action and tension thats been building.
Man you first two suggestions were okay but that last one SUCKED! Instead of changing EVERY rule of combat in the damn game how just playing a different game? And no self respecting D&D player is gonna let the DM lower their hard earned hit points and damage out put! My players would drowned me in my own blood if I tried that shit! Down vote
About the HP of PC, I came up with this, instead of increasing those by level or capping it, you can increase it when the Character get it's Ability Score (AS) increase (at lvl 4/8/12/16/19), so your hit dices and HP increase by power realm, and balance between being a Heroic resilient MOFO and a mortal struggling to kill hordes of monsters and dragons.
In this Hypothesis, Consider a Paladin reach level 19 and has +5 of CON, if the paladin decides to get average instead of rolling, he will reach 65 of HP, which is not low for his high level, neither is high for a fast paced combat against giant abominations.
Additional toughs:
– Fighter get more AS increases than other classes, you can opt to ignore the ones that other class don't get.
– Your players will get a max of 6 hit dice, to balance healing you might consider other methods.
– This is a suggestion I came up just now after watching the video, is not perfect and you can use it as reference to work your own, I am now thinking on how to implement what I learn and what I come up with to work in my game, it will require some time and some lab rats.
– Remember to have fun.
If I dont like the ideas and I dont think the show is good, should I still click like? … JUST KIDDING I LIKE BOTH!!!
Terrific, you continue to be my number 1 reference for new DMs.
i def gonna bring this up to my group. i mean other than the attack damage and hit points i love these new mechanics. my pet peeve has always been electronics during game time when players surf instead of paying attention and formulating strategies as each player performs their actions, only to ask the "repeating" question…."okay now what has happened?".
Wait.. did you say "I hope you continue watching JUNJEON craft"?
Do you have players reduce their damage as well or no?
D&D's hit point system is nonsensical. The problem, I think, is that clerics and potions use the language of "healing" when we know that wounds aren't a component of HP. That single choice of terminology, made long ago, has confused the topic ever since. "Bloodied" furthered the misunderstanding that lost HP equates to "damage." DMs using the language of injuries sustained during combat doesn't help either, when those "wounds" disappear after an hour's rest.
I play in smaller groups than you and we use individual initiatives. In Lamentations we each roll a d6 every round, while in 5e we establish an initiative order and keep to it. The delay in the narrative as we do the numbers is an exciting calm before the storm, especially as when the initiative order appears, our GM has given each combatant an individual name which allows us to see them, interact with them and really brings combats to life. Fighting Belcher Blackrock, Thespin the Glaive, Maerwina the fisher, Maidenchin, Hal Redtroos, Dogface, the Spider and the Eastlander is much more vivid than fighting 8 bandits.
what if characters go in order of level, instead of initiative rolling, same level rock paper sizzors
As a somewhat rockie dm I agree with what you said about Hp. I was thinking that my new bbeg that is aware of it being a game could have the ability to set the players Hp to the average. This would harm those who cheated on my table and have way to high Hp while those who got unlucky when rolling Hp would get temporary Hp. This also makes some sense since he's a paladin of gond.
I have just found this channel. It's pure gold!!!!
About the video, some things other systems have already implemented them:
1) Cypher System has group initiative, low hit points, no roll for damage (weapons do a fixed damage) and the GM don't roll for NPCs;
2) Savage Worlds solves the hit points issue. Common enemies are eliminated with just one wound and players and tougher enemies are eliminated with 4 wounds, regardless of their level.
After I played these more simple systems, I don't wanna DM D&D anymore. I can play it, but I can't bear to DM it anymore.
So, one of the things I have been using to speed up combat is using the Gamemaster 5 app from Lion's Den. I have no affiliation with them, btw. I just like the app. I have a compendium of monsters I downloaded from a drop box, and use then to make my own variants. Then, I create encounters for the campaign and add the various monsters for each encounter. When i start the encounter, it auto rolls their initiatives, and you can have it roll the players too (though they like to roll). Then I run the encounter. I also have a setting that groups initiative for same type, so I can roll weenies as a group. Finally, I track damage and healing on there, and all the monster stats and data is in the app at the touch of a finger, so no page flipping. It has been working really well, I think. I am not into making as radical changes as some on here, and this GM5 app was a very easy way to improve things. The only thing that would make stuff even faster is if I had a tablet to run it off of instead of my phone.
My 2cents.
Edit: spelling
Don't use figures and maps and you'll save a lot of time at the table and away from it.
Wait… you said at 4:43 not to role for monster damage, then give a bunch of monster damage rolls at 9:52… Would you recommend averaging the reduced rolls?
i.e Goblin scimitar would always do 3 instead of d6, and dragon breath would always do 18 instead of 6d6. The dragon breath would one-shot everyone but the 22hp fighter, unless they made the save and only took 9 damage. Seems extreme, but doable.
I love these ideas! And I loved the "No More Initiative vid. Capital ideas, Prof.
And your +3 Vintage DM's Screen of Death!
I have another simple initiative method:
First Roll for monsters as a whole using the leader initiative score
Then players roll Individually, and there are two outcomes:
– Players acting before the monsters
(Monster turn)
– Players acting after the monsters
just make all the monsters and npc’s hippies.. theyre easier to slaughter, its more enjoyable and they dnt fight back violently. theyll make threats tho verbally so make sure the DM makes successful charisma rolls >:}