Fallen (3.5e Variant Rule)
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Fallen
Introduction
Death in D&D doesn't happen. Ever, at least not in a meaningful way, especially if you run D&D the way it's "supposed" to be run, i.e. high magic everywhere with magic on demand in any market. Once alignment is thrown in, then you have a mess where the only way to die is of old age or magic simply because good clerics will lose their magic if they don't use it to bring back the dead. On top of this, magic then completely overshadows mundane healing, which rids these worlds of iconic images and effectively nullifies an entire skill from the character brackets. All of the above is bullshit, smart people know it, but that is how D&D works...
But this rule will change all of that. This rule is intended to not only make the arts of mundane healing useful, but also make dying more dramatic by giving characters fewer options and even less time to deal with a dying comrade.
Rule Mechanics
Firstly, there are no more negative hit points. Heres how it breaks down once you hit 0 hit points:
- Once an attack leaves you with 0 or fewer hit points, you are Fallen. You become immune to healing spells, though ressurection spells are still effective. You have a number of rounds equal to your classes hit die type plus your Contitution modifier (Multiclass character use the average between their classes hit die) before you make a Fortitude save at DC (1/2 damage of the attack that reduced you to Fallen+for each die of damage taken since Fallen). Success or a succesful Heal check for first aid get you to the Stable condition. Failure means you're Dead.
- Stable characters remain in their current state for a number of minutes equal to their Contitution score. Again, healing spells do not affect them, but ressurection spells are still effective. During this time, Heal checks for long term care are needed, with success indicating that the character is Recovering. If such care or a ressurection spell is not administered during this time, the character becomes Dead.
- Dead characters have passed on, and are immune to all forms of ressurection aside from Wish and Miracle.
- Recovering characters wait a number of days equal to 20-their Constituion score. If the result would be 0 or less, they instead wait a number of hours equal to 20+minus their Constitution modifier. After this time period, they regain consiousness and resume their natural healing rate. Healing spells cast while a character is recovering reduce recovery time at a rate of 1 hour for every 10 points of healing or ever successful long term care Heal check made each hour. The Heal spell eliminates Recovery time immediately and natural healing sets in, as does a DC 30 Heal check.
Other Factors
- Death Effects immediately reduce a character to Fallen. However, the Fortitude save to stablize is taken in the next round or on the characters turn, whichever comes first. Effective damage for the DC equals the characters hit point total at the moment of being hit by the death effect.
- Petrification makes a character Stable as long as he is in stone for the purposes of spells, but otherwise functions normally.
- Coup de Grace is considered a critical hit at maximum damage against a helpless target for puposes of the Fortitude save DC at Fallen and Stable, and also forces the save to occur at the moment after the attack if it would not otherwise. Coup de Grace taken against a Recovering character immediately reduces her to Fallen and forces the save to become Stable all at once.
- Diehard functions during the Fallen state.
- Ressurection Spells have the same written effects, thus the more powerful spells don't even need the dying comrade to be present to be saved, instead just teleporting him to the caster upon healing, albeit without his equipment.
- Fast Healing only applies if permanent and not a healing spell. Fast healing autmatically Stablizes the character and reduces Recovery time by normal Recovery divided by rate of Fast Healing.
Example
Cedric the wizard 8/fighter 3 has just been hit one final time for 32 damage leaving him Fallen. He now can only sit and wait until he either dies or get Stablized. The wait for him and his Constitution of 18 is 11 rounds. (His wizard class uses a d4 for hit dice, while his fighter side uses a d10, thus his time is the average of 4 and 10, which is 7, plus 4 for his Constitution modifier, totaling 11) Unfortunately, his allies are to tied up fighting to use first aid on Cedric, thus 11 rounds have passed. In that time Cedric took additional damage from a carelessly placed Fireball from one of his allies, thus he now needs to make a save aqainst a DC of 26 [32/2 (original attack)+10 (fireball damage dice). Against all odds he survives (Theoretical nat 20, bitches!) and is Stable, a state he can remain in for 18 minutes (Con). During this time, the fight ends and leaves enough time for the ranger to use his Heal skill, rolling successfuly for long term care. Cedric is now recovering, which will take 2 days. However, when the party drags Cedric to the temple the next day, an assassin sent by Cedric's enemies performs a Coup de Grace on Cedric, forcing the Fallen condition as well as a save to become Stable again, this time at DC 29 (58 damage/2). Fate does not smile as brightly this time, as Cedric fails and becomes Dead, forever lost to all but those bearing a wish or miracle. Maybe the party should starting looking into those rumors about a noble djinn out in the nearby desert...
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