[MUD-Dev] Alternative Hit Point Systems?

[shren]

On Wed, 31 Jul 2002, Zach Collins (Siege) wrote:
> On Tue, 30 Jul 2002, Ammon Lauritzen wrote:
>> On Sat, 27 Jul 2002, Jack Britt wrote:
 
>>> I'm trying to find alternatives to the AD&D-style of hit points
>>> but I'm not having much luck. Couldn't find anything on google,
>>> and can't seem to come up with anything on the mud-dev archives
>>> (although this is probably due to my inability to do a decent
>>> search.)

I've been tinkering with the interesting idea of supplementing hit
points with a limited ability (number of times per combat) to half
damage taken after other defenses.  I agree with you that "hit
points" beg alternatives, but instead of looking for entirely new
systems I prefer to look for the problems with hit points.  One of
the biggest problems, in my mind, is balancing combat length.  One
hit kills are undesirable.  On the other hand, if it takes too many
hits to kill somebody, then they never die, as they avoid that "too
many hits" point through healing or retreat.

If you add in, say, 3 automatic halfings of damage when the player
takes half or more of his current hit points, then you've weakened
the possibility that the player will die in the first round but
increased the odds that they'll die in subsequent rounds, which I
see as a good thing.  Plus, if you give back the free halfings at
the beginning of each combat, then you have less of a compulsive
need for constant healing.

"What do HP systems do wrong?" is a much more interesting question.

--
We in the USA have plenty of freedom.  
We import it from everywhere.


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