Being reduced to 0 hp: Why This Change
Being reduced to 0 hp: Characters take death saves as normal 5.0e rules. However they become Shaken when they get back up. Shaken characters roll with a -2 shaken penalty to everything until they return to HarrenShore and complete a Long Rest. This penalty is cumulative, so if a character keeps dropping the penalty keeps increasing. Every -2 shaken penalty a character has adds 1d6 to their Long Rest time.
Why The Change: Player Characters have a lot of recovery options when they're on an adventure. Their short rest alone is normally enough for a significant health recovery but there are also spells and potions to help keep everyone topped off. When a character drops in combat, it is because they've been hit hard enough that they've fallen unconscious and their body could give out any second. Then comes the cleric with a dash of healing to bring the character back from the brink. That little bit of healing is like trauma care, it keeps the character together and moving but real healing requires concerted effort, the kind you can only find back in civilization.
Once is bad enough, but if a character is dropping over and over again, they start to become a liability for the party. This can create tension in the scenario and forces the party to weight risks vs rewards.
Lingering Damage: If a character's accumulated shaken penalty equals any attribute stat and they drop again, they will suffer lingering damage. This could mean a loss of a limb, mental trauma, or lasting magical anomalies. For example: If a character's lowest attribute is an 8 in wisdom and they've already been dropped 4 times for a collective -8 shaken penalty. The next time they go down, there will be Lingering damage.
Although lingering damage is initially permanent, a character could make it a personal goal to overcome this trauma. A character with a missing arm might strive to make a mechanical replacement. Metal trauma might seek out a healing spring. Lingering damage is very rare and recovery is not easy but is something that a character can work to overcome.
Hot Tip! Luck Dice: Shaken characters can still use luck dice to help overcome the penalty for important rolls, they'll probably be getting a lot more of them.
Why The Change: Player Characters have a lot of recovery options when they're on an adventure. Their short rest alone is normally enough for a significant health recovery but there are also spells and potions to help keep everyone topped off. When a character drops in combat, it is because they've been hit hard enough that they've fallen unconscious and their body could give out any second. Then comes the cleric with a dash of healing to bring the character back from the brink. That little bit of healing is like trauma care, it keeps the character together and moving but real healing requires concerted effort, the kind you can only find back in civilization.
Once is bad enough, but if a character is dropping over and over again, they start to become a liability for the party. This can create tension in the scenario and forces the party to weight risks vs rewards.
Lingering Damage: If a character's accumulated shaken penalty equals any attribute stat and they drop again, they will suffer lingering damage. This could mean a loss of a limb, mental trauma, or lasting magical anomalies. For example: If a character's lowest attribute is an 8 in wisdom and they've already been dropped 4 times for a collective -8 shaken penalty. The next time they go down, there will be Lingering damage.
Although lingering damage is initially permanent, a character could make it a personal goal to overcome this trauma. A character with a missing arm might strive to make a mechanical replacement. Metal trauma might seek out a healing spring. Lingering damage is very rare and recovery is not easy but is something that a character can work to overcome.
Hot Tip! Luck Dice: Shaken characters can still use luck dice to help overcome the penalty for important rolls, they'll probably be getting a lot more of them.
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