I was reading how exhaustion works and level 4 states: Hit point maximum halved. So I started to wonder how it actually works, can you help me understand that?
In my opinion there are multiple ways to interpret this depending on if HP is full or if PC is damaged.
Firstly my ways of thinking when PC has full HP:
Approach #1: PC is at full HP having 100 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. So max HP becomes 50. In this approach HP above becomes his temporary HP and cannot be healed until it's HP is lower then 50.
Approach #2: PC is at full HP having 100 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. In this scenario current HP is not equal to temporary HP and current HP cannot exceed maximum HP. So PC maximum HP becomes 50 and current HP is 50 as well.
Which approach is correct one according to RAW and do you use it in your game?
Secondly how does it work when PC has current HP lower then half of maximum HP?
Scenario #1: PC max HP is 100, currently has 48 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. Max HP becomes 50 and current HP is kept on 48 HP.
Scenario #2: PC max HP is 100, currently has 48 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. Max HP becomes 50 and current HP is lowered by half as well and becomes 24?
Again which approach is correct one according to RAW and do you use it in your game?
A creature's current hit points (usually just called hit points) can be any number from the creature's hit point maximum down to 0. A creature's hit points can't exceed its hit point maximum so when a maximum hit points is halved, the current hit points will also be reduced.
If the current hit points is already below the halved hit points maximum, it will remain the same.
I was reading how exhaustion works and level 4 states: Hit point maximum halved. So I started to wonder how it actually works, can you help me understand that?
In my opinion there are multiple ways to interpret this depending on if HP is full or if PC is damaged.
Firstly my ways of thinking when PC has full HP:
Approach #1: PC is at full HP having 100 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. So max HP becomes 50. In this approach HP above becomes his temporary HP and cannot be healed until it's HP is lower then 50.
Approach #2: PC is at full HP having 100 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. In this scenario current HP is not equal to temporary HP and current HP cannot exceed maximum HP. So PC maximum HP becomes 50 and current HP is 50 as well.
Which approach is correct one according to RAW and do you use it in your game?
Secondly how does it work when PC has current HP lower then half of maximum HP?
Scenario #1: PC max HP is 100, currently has 48 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. Max HP becomes 50 and current HP is kept on 48 HP.
Scenario #1: PC max HP is 100, currently has 48 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. Max HP becomes 50 and current HP is lowered by half as well and becomes 24?
Again which approach is correct one according to RAW and do you use it in your game?
First approach #2 secondly Scenario #2 ( yea might want to fix? ).
previous damage sustained should scale proportional to the reduction in max hp total
Hit points do not become temporary hit points and temporary hit points do not become hit points. If an effect grants temporary hit points it will describe them as such. A creature can only benefit from one source of temporary hit points at a time.
Changes to a creature maximum hit points do not always mean there is a change to the creatures current hit points. If a creatures maximum hit points change to be less than its current hit points then its current hit points must change to not exceed their new maximum. However, looking at effects that increase a creatures maximum hit points they also explicitly increase the creatures current hit points by the same amount, like Aid or Heroes Feast.
There is no rule saying that current hit points must change with maximum hit points to maintain the same current to maximum ratio. If such a rule existed, there would be no need for effects that increase a creatures maximum hit points to also explicitly increase their current hit points.
previous damage sustained should scale proportional to the reduction in max hp total
No this is wrong. The answer to the second question is #1. Any previous damage is irrelevant and there is no proportional scaling going on. Any ongoing effects that can/will inflict damage in the future would still be there ofc.
previous damage sustained should scale proportional to the reduction in max hp total
No. A reduction to your max HP means, essentially, that your existing wounds can't heal properly. It doesn't mean your existing wounds somehow get worse
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
The only thing proportional that change is your max vs current HP ratio. For example, if you have 5/10 and your maximum hit points is reduced by 5, you would go from being bloodied at 50% to full at 100%;
I don't know if there's any game features that change hit points maximum without affecting current hit points as well though.
EDIT Some way it can happen i can think of is when leveling up outside long rest, when Constitution increase or the Tough feat is taken resulting in solely increasing your hit points maximum.
I don't know if there's any game features that change hit points maximum without affecting current hit points as well though.
There are curses and diseases that reduce max HP outside of combat -- mummy rot, that sort of thing
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
previous damage sustained should scale proportional to the reduction in max hp total
No this is wrong. The answer to the second question is #1. Any previous damage is irrelevant and there is no proportional scaling going on. Any ongoing effects that can/will inflict damage in the future would still be there ofc.
previous damage sustained should scale proportional to the reduction in max hp total
No. A reduction to your max HP means, essentially, that your existing wounds can't heal properly. It doesn't mean your existing wounds somehow get worse
the scaling only occurs at the instant the effect is applied. If you were previously wounded before the effect was applied, the wounds still exist and having ones HP Max be changed means the wounds previously inflicted ether heal slightly or reopen due to the sudden change in overall heath and vitality causing the current amount of HP one has to also change in correlation to the change in HP Maximum.
any healing or damage incurred after the change in HP max remains the same, no scaling required, and the only difference is how much life one has left after having their HP Maximum altered.
if a creature with 100HP maximum is wounded down to 48HP current and hit with an effect that reduces the HP Max of said creature to drop to 50HP Max, with only 48HP the creature is now suddenly healed to near perfect health? I think not, as those previous wounds are still there, and so too is the measure of how close to death one my very well be.
if a creature with 100HP maximum is wounded down to 48HP current and hit with an effect that reduces the HP Max of said creature to drop to 50HP Max, with only 48HP the creature is now suddenly healed to near perfect health? I think not, as those previous wounds are still there, and so too is the measure of how close to death one my very well be.
You are quite wrong. If your max HP has been reduced from 100 to 50, being healed up to 50 is very very far from "perfect health"
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
if a creature with 100HP maximum is wounded down to 48HP current and hit with an effect that reduces the HP Max of said creature to drop to 50HP Max, with only 48HP the creature is now suddenly healed to near perfect health? I think not, as those previous wounds are still there, and so too is the measure of how close to death one my very well be.
You are quite wrong. If your max HP has been reduced from 100 to 50, being healed up to 50 is very very far from "perfect health"
While 48 out of 50 is not “ perfect health”, it is not the correct value of how much health a character truly has when an effect basically reduces the total life expectancy of said creature to a degree where previous effects and damage incurred is white washed for sake of half-assing the rules.
if not at full health, say 20/100 when hit with a HP Max effect that reduces the HP Max by half, you do NOT have 20HP left, you have only 10HP left, and your HP max is 50HP till you clear that which has affected you.
if not at full health, say 20/100 when hit with a HP Max effect that reduces the HP Max by half, you do NOT have 20HP left
Yes, you absolutely do
You have offered no rules to say otherwise, nor a logical argument for why they should "scale", and why an effect that reduces your theoretical maximum without doing damage to you would also reduce your very practical current total
'Max HP' and 'Current HP' measure two different things. Reducing the one would only affect the other if your Max fell below your Current
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
While 48 out of 50 is not “ perfect health”, it is not the correct value of how much health a character truly has when an effect basically reduces the total life expectancy of said creature to a degree where previous effects and damage incurred is white washed for sake of half-assing the rules.
if not at full health, say 20/100 when hit with a HP Max effect that reduces the HP Max by half, you do NOT have 20HP left, you have only 10HP left, and your HP max is 50HP till you clear that which has affected you.
Do you have a rule you can cite to support your position or is this simply how you would rule the scenario as a DM if it were to come up in game?
While 48 out of 50 is not “ perfect health”, it is not the correct value of how much health a character truly has when an effect basically reduces the total life expectancy of said creature to a degree where previous effects and damage incurred is white washed for sake of half-assing the rules.
if not at full health, say 20/100 when hit with a HP Max effect that reduces the HP Max by half, you do NOT have 20HP left, you have only 10HP left, and your HP max is 50HP till you clear that which has affected you.
Do you have a rule you can cite to support your position or is this simply how you would rule the scenario as a DM if it were to come up in game?
Where is the rule that states a wounded creature that suffers Lv4 Exhaustion gets to keep a significant amount of health when their life has just been cut in half?
While 48 out of 50 is not “ perfect health”, it is not the correct value of how much health a character truly has when an effect basically reduces the total life expectancy of said creature to a degree where previous effects and damage incurred is white washed for sake of half-assing the rules.
if not at full health, say 20/100 when hit with a HP Max effect that reduces the HP Max by half, you do NOT have 20HP left, you have only 10HP left, and your HP max is 50HP till you clear that which has affected you.
Do you have a rule you can cite to support your position or is this simply how you would rule the scenario as a DM if it were to come up in game?
Where is the rule that states a wounded creature that suffers Lv4 Exhaustion gets to keep a significant amount of health when their life has just been cut in half?
The general rules for current hit points tell us that they are constrained to never be less than 0 or more than the maximum hit points. Specifically the rules say: "A creature's current hit points (usually just called hit points) can be any number from the creature's hit point maximum down to 0." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/combat#HitPoints
The Exhausted condition does not say it changes current hit points in any way and if the creatures current hit points are below their new maximum the general rules for hit points are also satisfied. Claiming that a rule doesn't do things it doesn't say it does is self evident and does not carry the burden of proof, but I have given it to you all the same.
Now you are arguing the position that when maximum hit points change the ratio of maximum hit points to current hit points must be maintained. If there is text in the rulebooks to support this position then we would all benefit if you could provide a citation.
If the position you are arguing is how you would rule the scenario as a DM, clarifying this would also be helpful. Users like the OP in this thread come to the Rules and Game Mechanics forum to get answers about questions they have regarding the rules of the game. Posting how you would rule a scenario is still a helpful thing to contribute because usually people are trying to decide how they should rule a scenario. However, if you do not clarify when you are talking about how you would rule as a DM then people will assume you are making a claim about the rules of the game which can lead to confusion and/or a degradation of the conversation. After all a DM is free to change or ignore rules they feel are not contributing to their groups enjoyment of the game: "... as a referee, the DM interprets the rules and decides when to abide by them and when to change them." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/introduction#TheDungeonMaster
You have responded to my simple and direct questions by just throwing them right back at me. I have done you the courtesy of answering your question and would appreciate it if you could respond in kind. If however, you continue in the same manor I will assume you are arguing in bad faith.
While 48 out of 50 is not “ perfect health”, it is not the correct value of how much health a character truly has when an effect basically reduces the total life expectancy of said creature to a degree where previous effects and damage incurred is white washed for sake of half-assing the rules.
if not at full health, say 20/100 when hit with a HP Max effect that reduces the HP Max by half, you do NOT have 20HP left, you have only 10HP left, and your HP max is 50HP till you clear that which has affected you.
Do you have a rule you can cite to support your position or is this simply how you would rule the scenario as a DM if it were to come up in game?
Where is the rule that states a wounded creature that suffers Lv4 Exhaustion gets to keep a significant amount of health when their life has just been cut in half?
The general rules for current hit points tell us that they are constrained to never be less than 0 or more than the maximum hit points. Specifically the rules say: "A creature's current hit points (usually just called hit points) can be any number from the creature's hit point maximum down to 0." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/combat#HitPoints
The Exhausted condition does not say it changes current hit points in any way and if the creatures current hit points are below their new maximum the general rules for hit points are also satisfied. Claiming that a rule doesn't do things it doesn't say it does is self evident and does not carry the burden of proof, but I have given it to you all the same.
Now you are arguing the position that when maximum hit points change the ratio of maximum hit points to current hit points must be maintained. If there is text in the rulebooks to support this position then we would all benefit if you could provide a citation.
If the position you are arguing is how you would rule the scenario as a DM, clarifying this would also be helpful. Users like the OP in this thread come to the Rules and Game Mechanics forum to get answers about questions they have regarding the rules of the game. Posting how you would rule a scenario is still a helpful thing to contribute because usually people are trying to decide how they should rule a scenario. However, if you do not clarify when you are talking about how you would rule as a DM then people will assume you are making a claim about the rules of the game which can lead to confusion and/or a degradation of the conversation. After all a DM is free to change or ignore rules they feel are not contributing to their groups enjoyment of the game: "... as a referee, the DM interprets the rules and decides when to abide by them and when to change them." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/introduction#TheDungeonMaster
You have responded to my simple and direct questions by just throwing them right back at me. I have done you the courtesy of answering your question and would appreciate it if you could respond in kind. If however, you continue in the same manor I will assume you are arguing in bad faith.
See post #3, where I have stated both the position as a DM I would take, and the position I expect to be in as a player given the situation where while injured when getting hit with an effect that reduces the “maximum: total amount of any value that can be attained” overall life of a creature, the remaining amount of current “life” said creature has should also change as to reflect the worsening condition one would find themselves in.
Yet the mentality is if your situation gets worse, you have more “life” than before, and so your situation is better than it really is.
Sorry, but no matter what anyone thinks, adventuring is a deadly business that has consequences. Push yourself too far, and while injured you push yourself into shock and those wounds reopen and wound you more, forcing one to take quick action to deal with the situation, or continue to push and further place oneself in greater harm.
But then god forbid, more work for a DM that took longer to explain then to implement.
If your maximum HP is reduced by half, then the highest number that your hit points can reach is divided by a divisor of approximately two. To clarify, that is the number that is after one, before three, half of four, the lowest prime, the first natural number that isn't a perfect square, and the square of an irrational number that is essential to geometry. That is all that happens.
The radically unsupported idea that HP is really just a percentage of your max HP makes absolutely zero sense, and makes absolutely negative sense when you consider effects such as a vampire's bite that roll for how much they reduce max HP. If you have 55/112 HP and then a vampire reduces your max HP by 10, are you expected to whip out a calculator and/or strap in for some long division?
If you choose to describe the best possible vitality of your character being reduced by half as all of their wounds suddenly healing, go ahead, [REDACTED]
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny. Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Yet the mentality is if your situation gets worse, you have more “life” than before
Please explain why you think 20 hit points (out of a maximum of 50) is "more life" than 20 hit points out of a maximum of 100
Either way, you are unconscious after taking 20 points of damage
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock) Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric) Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue) Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Yet the mentality is if your situation gets worse, you have more “life” than before
Please explain why you think 20 hit points (out of a maximum of 50) is "more life" than 20 hit points out of a maximum of 100
Either way, you are unconscious after taking 20 points of damage
20/100 = 1/5th, 20/50 = 2/5ths, which value is greater?
now drop that 20 to 10 when that 100 drops to 50 and guess what, the values match wow.
already in a bad spot, and now one finds themselves is a situation where things are going from bad to worse, rubbing salt in the wound should be par for the course, not withheld for fear that passage up shitts creek is without a paddle.
as for the vamp bite, your damaged for 5HP cause you would lose 1 for every 11 points of current HP remaining, and at higher HP Max totals, that same 10 point HP max total reduction vamp bite becomes more of a bug bite. ( yea I get at some point it’s more work then really needed, but when a sizable chunk is taken out one’s rear with no consequence, well … your situation got worse not better. )
What abilities in the game do damage or healing based on the fraction of current to max HP?
20 HP is 20 HP. 20 damage downs a character with 20 remaining hitpoints no matter their max.
Anyway, I'm not sure what rule gives the idea that the fraction of remaining health mustn't change when your maximum changes. Any pointers on that rule?
Hi all,
I was reading how exhaustion works and level 4 states: Hit point maximum halved. So I started to wonder how it actually works, can you help me understand that?
In my opinion there are multiple ways to interpret this depending on if HP is full or if PC is damaged.
Firstly my ways of thinking when PC has full HP:
Approach #1: PC is at full HP having 100 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. So max HP becomes 50. In this approach HP above becomes his temporary HP and cannot be healed until it's HP is lower then 50.
Approach #2: PC is at full HP having 100 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. In this scenario current HP is not equal to temporary HP and current HP cannot exceed maximum HP. So PC maximum HP becomes 50 and current HP is 50 as well.
Which approach is correct one according to RAW and do you use it in your game?
Secondly how does it work when PC has current HP lower then half of maximum HP?
Scenario #1: PC max HP is 100, currently has 48 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. Max HP becomes 50 and current HP is kept on 48 HP.
Scenario #2: PC max HP is 100, currently has 48 HP and hits 4th level of exhaustion. Max HP becomes 50 and current HP is lowered by half as well and becomes 24?
Again which approach is correct one according to RAW and do you use it in your game?
A creature's current hit points (usually just called hit points) can be any number from the creature's hit point maximum down to 0. A creature's hit points can't exceed its hit point maximum so when a maximum hit points is halved, the current hit points will also be reduced.
If the current hit points is already below the halved hit points maximum, it will remain the same.
First approach #2 secondly Scenario #2 ( yea might want to fix? ).
previous damage sustained should scale proportional to the reduction in max hp total
A creatures current hit points can only ever be between their maximum and 0. - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/combat#HitPoints
Temporary hit points are wholely separate from your normal hit points. - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/combat#TemporaryHitPoints
Hit points do not become temporary hit points and temporary hit points do not become hit points. If an effect grants temporary hit points it will describe them as such. A creature can only benefit from one source of temporary hit points at a time.
Changes to a creature maximum hit points do not always mean there is a change to the creatures current hit points. If a creatures maximum hit points change to be less than its current hit points then its current hit points must change to not exceed their new maximum. However, looking at effects that increase a creatures maximum hit points they also explicitly increase the creatures current hit points by the same amount, like Aid or Heroes Feast.
There is no rule saying that current hit points must change with maximum hit points to maintain the same current to maximum ratio. If such a rule existed, there would be no need for effects that increase a creatures maximum hit points to also explicitly increase their current hit points.
No this is wrong. The answer to the second question is #1.
Any previous damage is irrelevant and there is no proportional scaling going on. Any ongoing effects that can/will inflict damage in the future would still be there ofc.
No. A reduction to your max HP means, essentially, that your existing wounds can't heal properly. It doesn't mean your existing wounds somehow get worse
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
The only thing proportional that change is your max vs current HP ratio. For example, if you have 5/10 and your maximum hit points is reduced by 5, you would go from being bloodied at 50% to full at 100%;
I don't know if there's any game features that change hit points maximum without affecting current hit points as well though.
EDIT Some way it can happen i can think of is when leveling up outside long rest, when Constitution increase or the Tough feat is taken resulting in solely increasing your hit points maximum.
There are curses and diseases that reduce max HP outside of combat -- mummy rot, that sort of thing
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
the scaling only occurs at the instant the effect is applied. If you were previously wounded before the effect was applied, the wounds still exist and having ones HP Max be changed means the wounds previously inflicted ether heal slightly or reopen due to the sudden change in overall heath and vitality causing the current amount of HP one has to also change in correlation to the change in HP Maximum.
any healing or damage incurred after the change in HP max remains the same, no scaling required, and the only difference is how much life one has left after having their HP Maximum altered.
if a creature with 100HP maximum is wounded down to 48HP current and hit with an effect that reduces the HP Max of said creature to drop to 50HP Max, with only 48HP the creature is now suddenly healed to near perfect health? I think not, as those previous wounds are still there, and so too is the measure of how close to death one my very well be.
You are quite wrong. If your max HP has been reduced from 100 to 50, being healed up to 50 is very very far from "perfect health"
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
While 48 out of 50 is not “ perfect health”, it is not the correct value of how much health a character truly has when an effect basically reduces the total life expectancy of said creature to a degree where previous effects and damage incurred is white washed for sake of half-assing the rules.
if not at full health, say 20/100 when hit with a HP Max effect that reduces the HP Max by half, you do NOT have 20HP left, you have only 10HP left, and your HP max is 50HP till you clear that which has affected you.
Yes, you absolutely do
You have offered no rules to say otherwise, nor a logical argument for why they should "scale", and why an effect that reduces your theoretical maximum without doing damage to you would also reduce your very practical current total
'Max HP' and 'Current HP' measure two different things. Reducing the one would only affect the other if your Max fell below your Current
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
Do you have a rule you can cite to support your position or is this simply how you would rule the scenario as a DM if it were to come up in game?
Where is the rule that states a wounded creature that suffers Lv4 Exhaustion gets to keep a significant amount of health when their life has just been cut in half?
Exhaustion says the following regarding level four of the condition: "Hit point maximum halved" - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/appendix-a-conditions#Exhaustion
The general rules for current hit points tell us that they are constrained to never be less than 0 or more than the maximum hit points. Specifically the rules say: "A creature's current hit points (usually just called hit points) can be any number from the creature's hit point maximum down to 0." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/combat#HitPoints
The Exhausted condition does not say it changes current hit points in any way and if the creatures current hit points are below their new maximum the general rules for hit points are also satisfied. Claiming that a rule doesn't do things it doesn't say it does is self evident and does not carry the burden of proof, but I have given it to you all the same.
Now you are arguing the position that when maximum hit points change the ratio of maximum hit points to current hit points must be maintained. If there is text in the rulebooks to support this position then we would all benefit if you could provide a citation.
If the position you are arguing is how you would rule the scenario as a DM, clarifying this would also be helpful. Users like the OP in this thread come to the Rules and Game Mechanics forum to get answers about questions they have regarding the rules of the game. Posting how you would rule a scenario is still a helpful thing to contribute because usually people are trying to decide how they should rule a scenario. However, if you do not clarify when you are talking about how you would rule as a DM then people will assume you are making a claim about the rules of the game which can lead to confusion and/or a degradation of the conversation. After all a DM is free to change or ignore rules they feel are not contributing to their groups enjoyment of the game: "... as a referee, the DM interprets the rules and decides when to abide by them and when to change them." - https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/introduction#TheDungeonMaster
You have responded to my simple and direct questions by just throwing them right back at me. I have done you the courtesy of answering your question and would appreciate it if you could respond in kind. If however, you continue in the same manor I will assume you are arguing in bad faith.
See post #3, where I have stated both the position as a DM I would take, and the position I expect to be in as a player given the situation where while injured when getting hit with an effect that reduces the “maximum: total amount of any value that can be attained” overall life of a creature, the remaining amount of current “life” said creature has should also change as to reflect the worsening condition one would find themselves in.
Yet the mentality is if your situation gets worse, you have more “life” than before, and so your situation is better than it really is.
Sorry, but no matter what anyone thinks, adventuring is a deadly business that has consequences. Push yourself too far, and while injured you push yourself into shock and those wounds reopen and wound you more, forcing one to take quick action to deal with the situation, or continue to push and further place oneself in greater harm.
But then god forbid, more work for a DM that took longer to explain then to implement.
If your maximum HP is reduced by half, then the highest number that your hit points can reach is divided by a divisor of approximately two. To clarify, that is the number that is after one, before three, half of four, the lowest prime, the first natural number that isn't a perfect square, and the square of an irrational number that is essential to geometry.
That is all that happens.
The radically unsupported idea that HP is really just a percentage of your max HP makes absolutely zero sense, and makes absolutely negative sense when you consider effects such as a vampire's bite that roll for how much they reduce max HP. If you have 55/112 HP and then a vampire reduces your max HP by 10, are you expected to whip out a calculator and/or strap in for some long division?
If you choose to describe the best possible vitality of your character being reduced by half as all of their wounds suddenly healing, go ahead, [REDACTED]
Look at what you've done. You spoiled it. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Go sit and think about your actions.
Don't be mean. Rudeness is a vicious cycle, and it has to stop somewhere. Exceptions for things that are funny.
Go to the current Competition of the Finest 'Brews! It's a cool place where cool people make cool things.
How I'm posting based on text formatting: Mod Hat Off - Mod Hat Also Off (I'm not a mod)
Please explain why you think 20 hit points (out of a maximum of 50) is "more life" than 20 hit points out of a maximum of 100
Either way, you are unconscious after taking 20 points of damage
Active characters:
Carric Aquissar, elven wannabe artist in his deconstructionist period (Archfey warlock)
Lan Kidogo, mapach archaeologist and treasure hunter (Knowledge cleric)
Mardan Ferres, elven private investigator obsessed with that one unsolved murder (Assassin rogue)
Xhekhetiel, halfling survivor of a Betrayer Gods cult (Runechild sorcerer/fighter)
20/100 = 1/5th, 20/50 = 2/5ths, which value is greater?
now drop that 20 to 10 when that 100 drops to 50 and guess what, the values match wow.
already in a bad spot, and now one finds themselves is a situation where things are going from bad to worse, rubbing salt in the wound should be par for the course, not withheld for fear that passage up shitts creek is without a paddle.
as for the vamp bite, your damaged for 5HP cause you would lose 1 for every 11 points of current HP remaining, and at higher HP Max totals, that same 10 point HP max total reduction vamp bite becomes more of a bug bite. ( yea I get at some point it’s more work then really needed, but when a sizable chunk is taken out one’s rear with no consequence, well … your situation got worse not better. )
What abilities in the game do damage or healing based on the fraction of current to max HP?
20 HP is 20 HP. 20 damage downs a character with 20 remaining hitpoints no matter their max.
Anyway, I'm not sure what rule gives the idea that the fraction of remaining health mustn't change when your maximum changes. Any pointers on that rule?