Negative Body Points

[Anderas]

Just take it fully into account. Why not.

[cynthialee]

For more advanced games I see no issue with negative hit points.

There are two stages of death. Clinical Death and Medical Death.

When a person is clinically dead, there is a chance they can be revived with extreme measures.
When a person is medically dead...it is over.

So when we consider this I must state that when you have a hero hit 0 HP the character is Clinically Dead. Each Round the character is assigned another point of negative HP until they reach a negative number equal to their maximum HP then they are medically dead.

This type of rule is cool because it can eat up a pocket full of heal potions and scrolls to revive a hero with a lot of negative HP. Especially northern waste land Barbie.

[cynthialee]

the above rule is pretty much right out of Saga: the Game and just adapted for HQ

[whitebeard]

Thanks Cyn.

You had simillarly described death in another thread, so I was waiting for your reply. Do you allow the hero who is struck down to -1 BP to drink a potion themselves? Or at that point must another hero revive them? This is also a strategic mistake if the hero doing the reviving must take an action to do so.

[cynthialee]

I rule that heal potions are used in 2 fashions.
1} You may drink the potion and receive a certain amount of hit points.
2} The potion is part of a first aid regimen. A small amount of the potion is consumed while the majority of the potion is applied to wounds and bandages. If the players take this route, the wounded party must rest and recuperate for a minimum of 6 hours. When the potion is utilized in this fashion the potion will heal +2 damage.
It would be use number 2 that a 'dead hero' would have to be treated obviously.

Now it is possible to pour liquid down a person throat while out of commission, but you risk getting some down the wind pipe. But I find myself wondering how damaging heal potion in the lungs can actually be? Did it just cure the latent and soon to arise tuberculosis in the hero? Who knows.

I also see heal potions as about 1 fluid ounce in a tiny apothecary bottle, made of gold or hardened glass. That has been the standing ruling for all potions unless otherwise stated at my table for years. How else can the heroes carry a pocket full of them?


Keep in mind I make HQ into a RPG lite. Some of the ways I rule things don't work well otherwise.
I am not in the game to 'win'. I am there to tell a good story, make it difficult and maybe take the scalp of the idiots and the massively unlucky.
If the heroes can pull off the dungeon, I am stoked and there are cheers around. If I wipe them out...I am the only one cheering. But sometimes that is the way things go. And yes I do occasionally gloat when I take them all out with some applied tactics. If the monsters win...play better next time. derp

[Count Mohawk]

I rule that heal potions are used in 2 fashions.
1} You may drink the potion and receive a certain amount of hit points.
2} The potion is part of a first aid regimen. A small amount of the potion is consumed while the majority of the potion is applied to wounds and bandages. If the players take this route, the wounded party must rest and recuperate for a minimum of 6 hours. When the potion is utilized in this fashion the potion will heal +2 damage.
It would be use number 2 that a 'dead hero' would have to be treated obviously.

RPG-lite or not, that's an innovative way to encourage players to use their potions proactively, rather than reactively. Standard Potion of Healing would then have two rules lines: Use as your action on your turn to heal 4 BP, or use at any time (even at 0 BP) to restore 3 BP (or 2, depending on Morcar's taste).

[whitebeard]

I rule that heal potions are used in 2 fashions.
1} You may drink the potion and receive a certain amount of hit points.
2} The potion is part of a first aid regimen. A small amount of the potion is consumed while the majority of the potion is applied to wounds and bandages. If the players take this route, the wounded party must rest and recuperate for a minimum of 6 hours. When the potion is utilized in this fashion the potion will heal +2 damage.
It would be use number 2 that a 'dead hero' would have to be treated obviously.

RPG-lite or not, that's an innovative way to encourage players to use their potions proactively, rather than reactively. Standard Potion of Healing would then have two rules lines: Use as your action on your turn to heal 4 BP, or use at any time (even at 0 BP) to restore 3 BP (or 2, depending on Morcar's taste).

That's quite good. You don't spill/choke on any if taken instead of an action.

[Anderas]

Now it's really becoming good here!
So in the end, we have:
Negative BP are negative and need to be healed
If you take your potion in time, you will have a better effect
if you wait until it is too late, you will have a less good effect.

here i could start to imagine a 6BP potion as well:
* Used normally as soon as a Hero is in the danger zone at 3BP, some of it will be waste for most of the heroes
* Used after the heroe's death it loses 1 or 2 BP of the effect...

it could be the most frustrating potion of healing ever, but no-one will complain. I'm a fan of that idea. I think i will add one of them to my treasure deck.

Click for a potion in printable quality! Thanks, Forum!


* Use it on yourself or an adjacent friend and/or without action: 4BP
* Use it on yourself and spend your action: 6BP

[Count Mohawk]

If you use potions this way, you'll need to either establish a blanket rule for all potions (heals N less, or half as much, when used out of turn), or else dictate as much for each individual type of Potion.

As an added benefit, playing with these rules makes the Barbarian's high starting Body Points matter more, since he'll have the best chance at getting the most effect out of a healing potion.

You could apply the same sort of restrictions to healing Spells cast out of turn as well, but those already cost an action to use and the Wizard in base form is generally underpowered anyway, so I wouldn't recommend it.

[Anderas]

Yes, i agree. There is a world of difference between a potion of healing and the Wizard's healing spell, just because it is mandatory to use the action.
* One attack or spell less in the group this round if the Wizard uses the Healing
* You can do it only on your turn

The potion, you can use it spontaneously:
* don't use an attack
* drink tens of them in a single turn if you like
* drink it during the enemy's turn

it is waaaay better.