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I have always despised Hit Points as probably the very least interesting way to represent damage and dramatize combat. When playing 3.5 I used to adapt Star Wars' Wounds/Vitality system (or use the one from Unearthed Arcana when that came out). I ran Curse of the Crimson Throne that way and it was pretty satisfactory, but I found generally that it heavily weighed combat toward Critical Hits and at high levels was a bit crazy. Since then Paizo has come out with their own version of the Wounds/Vigor system. I've decided to use it for Skull & Shackles. Here are my observations so far:
+ Characters are heartier at low-levels which gives the GM more latitude without resulting in deaths. Paizo's version of this variant system REALLY does this since you have twice as many Wounds as your Constitution score. In Skull & Shackles this is really helpful since the PC's begin without any gear in a very dangerous environment.
+ It gives you a good way to differentiate between nonlethal and lethal damage. In the Wormwood Mutiny there is a lot of nonlethal damage with all the rope bashing, whipping, sweatboxing etc... All that stuff takes out Vigor and then applies a single Wound per blow once you're out of Vigor. In description that helps give you a line between bruises/welts and blows that break skin and leave scars.
+ Wounds matter more than Hit Points. Players react strongly to crossing that line from Vigor into Wounds. When Scourge beats a character till they start to bleed players are sitting up and paying attention. When they hit their wound threshold and their flesh is hanging off their back in ribbons it is more visceral in every way.
+ Wounds are hard to heal. This is a good thing. You get one back each night, an extra one if someone succeeds on a heal check and Cure Light only restores one Wound. This mean that Wounds can persist for days adding some great grittiness - perfect for a pirate-themed game. In my campaign some characters who really got on the wrong side of Mr. Plugg had to work through serious injuries or fight while still injured - all situations that heighten drama.
+ Vigor is easy to heal. This is also a good thing. It means that your character can be right back into the fight even if they are fighting while holding a gash in their side. These variant rules allow for the best of both worlds. Even though one character Jack was whipped unconscious and still injured the next day, she could hold her own in a fight with Reefclaws. She wasn't out of the game.
+ Crits are scary. Any hit, even if you are fully healthy at the start of combat, could put you at an instant disadvantage. This makes players take combat seriously. Since the damage multiplier of the weapon goes straight to Wounds things can get ugly fast. Since your Wounds never increase even at high levels characters can be vulnerable. My players have loved seeing how momentum in a fight can swing suddenly. It perfectly fits the high-drama of a Pirate-themed game. When I ran with the old Wounds/Vitality where all damage from a crit went to Wounds in Curse of the Crimson Throne crits got a little too out of control late in the game with everyone keening their weapons and taking crit feats. Paizo has done a good job restraining this somewhat with their version of the rules. Crits are still exciting, but won't utterly dominate the game this time around.
In my house rules a single Wound results in a -2 circumstance bonus on rolls (you can get rid of this penalty with a Heal check to stabilize), and reaching your Wound threshold results in the staggered condition and danger of falling unconscious. For players only 0 is not instantly dead. At 0 or below you bleed out 1 Wound/round and must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + margin below 0) each round or die.
So far, I'm enjoying the way these variant rules are playing out. I think is will make swashbuckling much more dramatic and enjoyable.
Nice review and plug of this variant, sabedoriaclark. Will very much consider for if/when I run this and +1 to you. :-)