I have been trying to think about a way to have a system for lingering damage for some time in Maladon and I think I have finally hit on one that will work. Here is the proposed new system: When a character goes down to 0 HP they must roll on the Lingering Wounds table in the Dungeon Master's Guide or upon a custom table that I invent. This means that some injuries could scar or permanently damage a character; at least until they recieve powerful magical healing. It will also mean that going down to 0 HP in an adventure will likely have some consequences that cannot be overcome without going back to Haven or to the fane of a God for healing. Why am I adding this to the game; because feats are now so much more common, and stat boosts are also more prevalent (because of the lack of need to choose between stat boosts and feats), that a balancing factor needs to be introduced. In addition, 5e is a strange game because all damage is basically recoverable after a long rest. This change will make the game a bit grittier. Lastly, this introduces a consequence to poor play or bad luck that is not fatal and encourages GMs to be slightly less lethal in their encounter design.
