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Remember that book or film where the protagonist received a nasty wound, then persevered, and won the day? Well that can’t happen in RPGs, and that’s a shame. So my solution is Fate Points (FP).
Hit Points make sense as a standard game abstraction, until they apply to PCs. If PCs routinely die from a bump on the nogin from a kobold’s rock, then the game’s not an RPG, it’s just a very slow war-game, played on miniature at a time. Arneson (I believe) arrived at the solution of HP, but it wasn’t much of a solution until PCs gained enough HP to stop being killed in one hit.
At this point, all the Evils of Pandora’s box opened up.
No matter how often people (or Gygax) say that “HP represent luck”, nobody buys into it.
You’ve probably guess the solution by now: split HP into two. One tracks health, the other tracks narrative luck.
This system provided some unexpected fixes (see below), but the best result from using this was narrative flow. I’ve never studied literature, but I assume it’s done with bar graphs and tables, because they look nice.
When we separate health from luck, things become cleaner, and real wounds return to the narrative. Consider the following examples - an adventuring party journey down to the goblins mines, and we track the HP of a warrior.
Situation | Damage | No healing | Magic Healing | Fate Points --------------------------------|--------|------------|----------------------|------------- The party head out | Dam: 0 | 34/34HP | 34/34HP (2 potions) | 8/8HP, 9FP Goblins ambush the party! | Dam: 6 | 28/34HP | 28/34HP (2 potions) | 8/8HP, 7FP Nasty cave-in trap | Dam: 8 | 19/34HP | 26/34HP | 7/8HP, 0FP Green-slime attacks | Dam: 4 | 15/34HP | 26/34HP | 7/8HP, 0FP Sneak round traps | Dam: 0 | 15/34HP | 26/34HP | 7/8HP, 4FP Bugbear charges and attacks! | Dam: 6 | 9/34HP | 20/34HP | 7/8HP, 2FP Flee past traps to kill bugbear | Dam: 0 | 9/34HP | 20/34HP | 7/8HP, 6FP Hobgoblins attack | Dam: 3 | 6/34HP | 17/34HP | 7/8HP, 9FP Find treasure while on the run | Dam: 0 | 6/34HP | 23/34HP (use potion) | 7/8HP, 9FP Goblin shaman attacks | Dam: 8 | Dead | 15/34HP | 7/8HP, 5FP Tentacle-creature | Dam: 9 | Dead | 6/34HP | 3/8HP, 4FP More hobgoblins | Dam: 4 | Dead | 2/34HP | 3/8HP, 4FP — | — | — | — | — Full day of rest | | | 34/34HP | 3/8HP, 9FP
Just to see why the game must have some healing, notice the narrative flow created by ‘no healing’ shows nothing but despair and entropy. Even a party with 100 HP are doomed. In fact the mechanics force ridiculous HP numbers, and players (no matter what you tell them about HP being sort-of luck points) start to think of their 10th level fighter as being stronger and tougher than any bugbear alive.
1 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 2 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 3 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 4 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 5 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 6 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 7 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 8 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 9 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 10: 11: 12:
With each new deadly encounter, the players feel the temptation to give up and rest, because without these long downtimes, they will certainly die. However, if they run away, with their HP depleted, everyone will need to spend weeks (at least) healing, so 2-month tavern vacations constantly interrupt everyone’s plans.
This example matches the first, but the party members can use potions (and/ or healing spells) to heal 6HP at a time. Nevertheless, the same problem presents itself: ‘HP go down’, and narrative entropy is assured, as retreat beckons more and more every encounter. We have spread the problem out, rather than dealing with it.
The narrative doesn’t really change its flow - the best decision at every turn is to just heal up as much as possible. In fact the most interesting mechanic here is running out of healing spells, and switching to potions (more on this later).
1 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 2 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 3 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ← Healing potions 4 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 5 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 6 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 7 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 8 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 9 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ← Healing potion 10: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 11: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 12: ▇▇ 13: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
The next day, the healer heals everyone, and everyone begins anew, without a scratch. Bed-rest no longer interrupts the campaign, because nobody will ever need any with a healer around.
In the narrative with FP, the warrior’s luck holds out during the first combat encounter, but on the second, falling rocks give her a nasty knock on the head. This wound (a) matters a great deal as she will not heal, but (b) will not stop her fighting, since she has only lost 1HP. Encounters fly at her, and resting spots become meaningful - a single scene where the players can sit, rest, and regain their breath, becomes invaluable, as every scene is a little like finding a healing potion…but only a little. During the final encounters, the tentacle-creature drags her down and leaves a nasty wound with its beak, meaning her maximum HP + FP are capped at 13, rather than the 17 she began the story with.
Wounds matter - but not enough to stop most games. Players will rarely feel the need to return to safety after losing just a few HP, and may even persevere while on the brink of death. The narrative of any dungeon flows like a sin-wave, going up and down, with a gentle downward slope on average, but retains the possibility of instant death if the players act recklessly.
1 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 2 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 3 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 4 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 5 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 6 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 7 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 8 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 9 : ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 10: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 11: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 12: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
The next day the group can fight on, but the wounds remain - and since those HP cannot be regained, they have a new maximum total HP + FP, so the events from the day before continue affecting everyone.
Working with FP in BIND fixed problems I never noticed before, now all of a sudden they really irritate me.
“We can hide in his tent with bows at the ready. Once he comes in, we kill him in one shot.”
“Nah, captains are at least level 5, so he’ll have maybe 30 HP, and bows only do 1D6.”
It’s a little odd that so many people cannot be stabbed - it forces players to stop thinking in terms of the world, and starts thinking in terms of game mechanics. Low HP means that - by default - players can kill enemies when they expect to be able to do so. Of course if some NPC has real importance for later, they can always be given their own FP, but players probably won’t know that until it’s too late.
Should characters feel fear? Do they never lose their word and run away? Rolling ‘fear checks’ with dice seems distasteful, but FP seem to work just fine as a fear mechanic.
We don’t need any extra rule - you can simply think of FP as ‘courage points’: when you run out, players get scared. NPCs can use the same system - no rolls required, they just run once their limited FP are gone.
We can now add spells which increase FP instead of HP and this changes the flavour of spells dramatically. The spells no longer go ‘woosh-BANG’, and close up wounds like Christ-on-speed. Instead, the traditional hand-waving priest, and herb-brewing wise-woman can take centre-stage in the magic system, without any need for ‘woosh-bang’ spells.
Every party needs a healer. Want to tell stories about pirates on the high seas? Time for a healer! How about adventures involving a cabal of wizards? Don’t forget your healer! No adventuring party could possibly survive without a healer, so without one the DM will have to concoct a potions-guild which litters its wares around random dungeons. And we have to wonder why these bandits and ruffians think they can survive in the wilderness without someone to perform the miracle of healing on them after a fight. Did nobody tell them - all combatants must have a healer?!
With FP in the system, we can remove the need for healing spells.
The system has worked well in games so far, so I’d recommend it to anyone designing a game. Keeping track of two different types of HP adds some overhead, but untangling which rules represent the world, and which rules help narrative flow, can help players picture the world more easily. Nobody has more HP than a giant any more, or takes 6 months to heal because they have so many HP to regain.
It also helps the DM when describing combat - we don’t need to hear about the 7th wound someone has had from spears, boulders, giant sea-monsters, and the like. Most attacks can be hand-waved away by the player saying ‘I still have five Fate Points, so the attack misses’.