Zero Hit Points

Mostly Dead!

I usually start my hobby related discussions by referencing the original three little brown books, tomes which I, like many, started my journey into fantasy role-playing with. I find that the genesis of so many topics can be found in a careful reading of those texts. Volume I Men & Magic has the following to say about creating the character's hit points:

Dice for Accumulative Hits (Hit Dice): This indicates the number of dice which

are rolled in order to determine how many hit points a character can take. Pluses are

merely the number of pips to add to the total of all dice rolled not to each die. Thus

a Superhero gets 8 dice + 2; they are rolled and score 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 6/totals

26 + 2 = 28, 28 being the number of points of damage the character could sustain

before death. Whether sustaining accumulative hits will otherwise affect a character

is left to the discretion of the referee.

In brief, hit points are therefore referred to as "how many hit points a character can take" - being a total of finite number that is reduced by randomly determining how much damage is inflicted by a successful attack. Also as "being the number of points of damage the character could sustain before death". This statement implies that being brought to "zero" hit points equals death for the character - a position many subsequent versions of the game (but important to note that not all of them) have taken.

Parsing out the meaning or intent from these words has been a subject of debate for at least four decades. Part of the difficulty may rest with the author's use of inexact terms - for example "points of damage" - which is perhaps intentional. Abstraction is rampant in the original game's mechanics and serves a useful purpose in allowing each player to fill-in all missing detail by applying our imagination while at the same time keeping the game action flowing. 

The last sentence in the above quote from Volume I about referee discretion is important and serves as a good summary of the old school philosophy in FRP gaming. The phrase "is left to the discretion of the referee" invites each player acting in this capacity to modify the game to suit their particular tastes. Doing so is an important building block in the popularity of the hobby - I would argue.

Digging into the nature of original edition hit points a little deeper Volume III The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures says that healing or regaining of hit points associated with common wounds "can take a long time".

HEALING WOUNDS:

As noted previously, energy levels can only be regained by fresh experience, but

common wounds can be healed with the passage of time (or the use of magics

already explained). On the first day of complete rest no hit points will be regained,

but every other day thereafter one hit point will be regained until the character is

completely healed. This can take a long time.

Applying logic (always a dangerous sport) I am confronted by a need to define the terms "damage" and "wound" while keeping in mind that ultimately this rests upon "the discretion of the referee". Many sources will separate damage and hit points as being somewhat separate from wounds. In other words they are not all the same thing. Hit points can be thought of as "one's ability to avoid the killing blow" - at least one prominent celebrity from the early days of TSR explains it just so and this is consistent with reading remarks made in the Dungeon Masters Guide to the Advanced game. Damage therefore reduces hit points bringing one closer to "the death blow". A wound would seem to imply some significant injury to the body and may be considered separate from what is meant by the term "damage". The taking of a "wound" requires either magical healing (which is relatively rare in the early edition) or considerable time to heal. So I am left to ponder - when does one suffer an actual "wound"?

Going outside the text - using the referee discretion clause - I like to "play around with" the idea that wounds happen when one reaches zero hit points. Some wounds are fatal and the character dies on the field of battle. Some may not result in death, but will require a long time to heal sans magic. Borrowing an idea, suppose the referee rules that upon reaching zero hit pints the character is down and out of the combat. Once the fight is over a comrade may "roll the body over" and discover the character's fate by applying a random result. I suggest a die roll on the following table:

1 - Dead

2 - Gaping wound - staunch flow or soon die

3 - Broken bone - limb useless until healed

4 - Unconscious - serious bump on head

Just how we choose to address the details implicit in such a table is entirely left open to the referee's preference just as it should be - although relying on common sense, fairness and consistency will obviously go a long way towards keeping one's players happy and content!

With its roots in wargaming where figures are generally either alive and functioning combatants or have become casualties and are essentially dead (for the purposes of the game), the original edition of the game treats character hit points as a resource that is whittled down on the way to becoming dead. The character (or creature) is fully functional (and is not impaired by the loss of hit points) right up to and until the magic number of zero is reached, at which point the unfortunate fellow becomes "dead". While this seemed intuitive to its audience of the day (1970s wargamers), the modern gamer often comes into the hobby with somewhat different prior experiences (including video games) hence we may have different expectations than those circa 1974. Adjusting the game to suit one's tastes is in keeping with the spirit of old school game philosophy and just how we address hit point loss and wounding in play at our table can reflect those preferences. 

"Avoid taking damage!" is the basic advice I like to offer players who express some concern over their character having a modest number of hit points. There seems a bit of "realism" to being concerned that a single violent blow may result in serious injury or death. This makes the game relatable - and believable! Yes, there are monsters and magic treasures, but the game having familiar reference points such as - "avoid taking damage or you could die" - are a great aspect of that style of play. It can be great fun to play while thinking about "life with one hit point". Players will often think more creatively about using different approaches to solving problems and conflicts when character life is more fragile.