Lasting Injuries and Wounds
A new take on Injuries in DnD with an important addition¸ Wounds! Many people have created injuries lists for 5e¸ and many are very good¸ but they don't fix all the things I try to fix with this system. Wounds are a simple¸ easy to use and track method of representing how characters get worn down by adventuring. Including this sort of system in your campaign can cause some amazing changes in how the game plays. - The passage of time: One of the most important changes to me is that this system forces the passage of time in your game. Have you ever watched or run a campaign that spanned a wide area¸ epic events and multiple levels¸ only to realise at the end that only 2 weeks had passed in game? Wounds will fix this! This allows you to plan out seasons and calendar events¸ and have a reason to track the days and have your players engage with these elements! There's time to have the world change around the players¸ and this allows them to pursue long term projects and watch them come together. - Makes lodgings important: While one night of staying at an inn may not dent your player's funds¸ two weeks just might! The costs of living become more significant to your players¸ pushing them to find the next job when the funds get low or even better still prompting them to buy or build their very own guildhall or keep! - Gives downtime rules the chance to shine: When the party has to rest after a tough and dangerous adventure¸ they aren't limited to sleeping the whole time. Where before there was no reason to ever take a day off of adventuring¸ now the players will choose to take time off which is the perfect chance to roll out the downtime rules and deepen the characters and setting in your world. - Keeps the stakes and tension present in low challenge fights: Without a system like this an easy encounter only makes a difference if you're players are going to have many many more encounters that day. With my wounds system an easy fight at the start of an quest can have consequences that last right through the whole adventure¸ which helps keep fights interesting and important even if they aren't supposed to risk the characters lives. - No more sleeping it off: Ever thought it was strange how characters could be on the verge of death¸ but as long as they have a quick nap they're totally ok? No more¸ wounds and injuries give a way of making the players feel the effects of the tough fights they've been in. - Simple¸ easy¸ and modular: The systems here are design to be simple to understand¸ flat penalties¸ basic conditions for when to apply them¸ and as little to track and remember as possible. And it's all designed to layer over the top of the basic rules you know and love without having to swap in and modify complicated game elements. Plus it's free! I haven't published stuff before and want people to try out my ideas and hopefully add new dimensions to their games. And if you do try it out¸ please do tell me what you think¸ I'd love to hear your feedback on it. The pdf was made using The Homebrewery¸ an awesome free tool! If you have any interest in making official looking supplements or documents for your players¸ check them out at naturalcrit dot com.