Party HP

[FrogReaver]

Today I'm thinking about a Party HP system where instead of tracking individual hp for characters instead hp moves up to the party level and maybe at 1/4, 1/2, 3/4's hp the next player hit can be downed. Have any games used a similar system? What would be your thoughts on such a system?

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Anyone who has played games like Star Wars where the party gets into battles while all on the same ship or other vehicle, would have some experience with this.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’ve not seen anything like that.

First impressions: I think it has some merit, but it also potentially limits certain tactics, like targeting particular characters or NPCs.

If I were to do something like this, I’d have a blended system in which each PC has individual HP, but also contributes a certain amount to the party HP pool. When a PC goes down, the party loses the benefits of their contribution to the pool, too. Perhaps % contributed to the pool would even vary by class, race or what have you.

 

[Umbran]

Downing a PC at 1/4 sounds too soon. Consider a 4-person party. If all that damage is narratively done to one character, then you can down them at that point. But if the narrative has spread the damage around even a little... probably nobody should be down yet.

This also plays weirdly when individual characters resist damage or are especially hard to hit, or who narratively should be easy targets. In D&D terms, it might make the Barbarian easier to down than he should be, and the party Wizard harder to kill than you'd expect.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’ve not seen anything like that.

First impressions: I think it has some merit, but it also potentially limits certain tactics, like targeting particular characters or NPCs.

If I were to do something like this, I’d have a blended system in which each PC has individual HP, but also contributes a certain amount to the party HP pool. When a PC goes down, the party loses the benefits of their contribution to the pool, too. Perhaps % contributed to the pool would even vary by class, race or what have you.

Expanding on this…or changing it:

Perhaps drawing from the party HP pool requires a “success roll” of some kind, allowing a PC to offset all, some or none of the damage done to them.

 

[Jd Smith1]

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

I know where I've seen this before!

13th Age...but it's for enemy mook groups.

Mooks are weaker monsters that can be cut down in large numbers in a single turn. Damage is not tracked against single mooks, but against the entire mob of mooks you’re facing. If you roll damage against a mook and it is greater than the single mook’s hit points, then another mook takes the remainder. In this way, damage can cascade to multiple mooks, and a player can kill multiple in one turn, even if they’re not all directly within your attack range.

 

[FrogReaver]

I’ve not seen anything like that.

First impressions: I think it has some merit, but it also potentially limits certain tactics, like targeting particular characters or NPCs.

If I were to do something like this, I’d have a blended system in which each PC has individual HP, but also contributes a certain amount to the party HP pool. When a PC goes down, the party loses the benefits of their contribution to the pool, too. Perhaps % contributed to the pool would even vary by class, race or what have you.

Yea, I can see lots of potential variations to the concept.

I do think it might be worth elaborating on what Party HP are meant to represent. "Combats are chaotic affairs. It takes both skill, luck and maybe even divine favor to make it out of them alive. Your party has each others backs while fighting and help prevent each other from being downed, even if that might mean sacrificing some of their own HP. Party HP abstracts the helping of allies in a chaotic combat environment."

Perhaps half of a PC's hp gets contributed to the party hp pool. Party hp must be depleted before regular hp is touched. Any player can spend healing or hit dice to replenish party hp but only after their PC's hp is at max.

 

[Crusadius]

Not sure how such a system will work when the party splits up. Does it mean the rogue dies when the barbarian two dungeons over gets punched in the head?

 

[FrogReaver]

Not sure how such a system will work when the party splits up. Does it mean the rogue dies when the barbarian two dungeons over gets punched in the head?

If you've split into 2 different parties then their would be 2 different party hp's.