Z's Injury Levels (5e Variant Rule)

Author: Zhenra-Khal (talk) Date Created: 7-5-2022 Status: First Draft Editing: Don't edit without discussion. Unauthorized edits will be reverted.

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Z's Injury Levels

Sometimes it's useful to keep track of a creature's health - Want an attack or heal that gets stronger the lower the target's health is, or a boss ability that triggers when it reaches the brink of death? Then this is a helpful variant rule.

Injury Levels

There are five Injury Levels, defined as follows.

You may attempt to identify the current Injury Level of a creature by making a Medicine, Perception or Insight check; The DC is 15, unless it chooses to contest the roll - Attempting to conceal how hurt it is - With a Deception check, in which case the higher opposed roll wins.

Optionally, a DM may alert players when a creature's Injury Level visibly changes - Such as telling the party the dragon they're facing 'looks pretty beat up' when it goes from Bloodied to Wounded after a hard hit, or that a vampire 'seems to have recovered' when it moves from Critical to Wounded after draining a creature's blood.

Uninjured

A creature is Uninjured when it's current hit points are equal to its maximum hit points.

Bloodied

A creature is Bloodied when it's current hit points are less than its hit point maximum.

Wounded

A creature is Wounded when it's current hit points are equal to or less than one-half of it maximum hit points. Wounded replaces Bloodied.

Critical

A creature is Critical when it's current hit points are equal to or less than its number of Hit Dice, plus it's Constitution modifier, or one-quarter of its maximum hit points, whichever is lower. Critical replaces Wounded.

Dying

A creature is Dying when it has 0 hit points, but is not yet dead. Dying replaces Critical.

Abilities using Injury Levels

Here are some spells, feats and other abilities that use the Injury Levels variant rule.

Spells

• Agonizing Word - 1st-Level Necromancy - (Bard, Cleric, Paladin, Warlock)
• Crumbling Curse - 2nd-Level Enchantment - (Bard, Cleric, Paladin, Ranger, Warlock)
• Extinguishing Strike - 3rd-Level Necromancy - (Cleric, Paladin, Ranger, Warlock)
• Rekindling Touch - 1st-Level Necromancy - (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin)
• Saving Grace - 1st-Level Evocation - (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin)
• Z's False Life - 1st-Level Necromancy - (Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard)
• Z's Toll the Dead - Necromancy Cantrip - (Cleric, Wizard, Warlock)

Feats

• Survivor
• Wounded Arcana

Monster Traits

Recovery

This creature is able to bounce back from the edge with a burst of adrenaline.

• Uses: 1/day, 3/day
• Challenge Rating Adjustment: +1 (1/day), +2 (3/day)
• Description: When this creature's Injury Level falls to Critical, it can use this feature to instantly regain hit points equal to 1d8 per point of its Proficiency Bonus. It also gains one of the following benefits below:

• If the creature has the Spellcasting trait, it instantly regains one expended spell slot, with a level no higher than one-half of its Proficiency Bonus. The creature cannot regain a spell slot of a higher level than its highest-level spell slot.

• If the creature does not possess the Spellcasting trait, until the beginning of its next turn, it has advantage on all attack rolls, and gains a bonus on all damage rolls equal to its Proficiency Bonus.

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