Negative Hit Points

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Negative hit points express a humanoid's physical condition once their hit points have dropped below zero. Unlike monsters and animals, which die immediately upon reaching zero hit points, humanoids — including player characters — are not instantly killed. Instead, they remain alive but incapacitated, with the exact threshold for death varying based on their nature and level of training. For humanoids, death occurs only when their negative hit points reach a certain limit, which typically ranges from -4 to -10. This threshold depends on the type of creature or character in question.

Understanding the rules governing negative hit points is essential for managing the survivability of player characters and NPCs alike, especially in situations where combat is intense, and healing resources are scarce. These mechanics ensure that combat remains dramatic and consequential, with a chance for recovery or rescue before death becomes inevitable.

Types of Combatant

There are three distinct types of humanoid combatants: commoners, soldiers-at-arms, and levelled persons. Each type is affected differently by damage sustained below zero hit points, and specific effects are applied as their condition worsens. Negative hit points do not just indicate how close a humanoid is to death but also determine their ability to recover, the level of care required to save them, and the consequences of their injuries.

Commoner

These are the most numerous and representative members of all humanoid races, embodying the characteristics typically described in the stat box of a monster entry. They lack advanced training, magical enhancements, or exceptional qualities, making them the baseline example of their species. For instance, a human commoner has 1 hit die and an armour class (AC) of 10, reflecting their unarmoured state and ordinary agility. Similarly, a hobgoblin commoner possesses 1+1 hit dice and an AC of 5, benefiting from heavy, leathery skin that provides natural protection.

These examples highlight the essential qualities of commoners: they are non-levelled individuals whose hit points are determined solely by their mass rather than training, experience, or other advanced factors. Commoners do not have access to the abilities or durability that levelled individuals acquire through training or magical development, making them far more vulnerable in combat or hazardous situations. Despite this, their sheer numbers and the variability in their physical characteristics allow them to play an essential role in the ecosystems and societies of their respective species.

Soldiers-at-Arms

These are non-levelled combatants who have undergone combat training to improve their physical resilience and fighting capabilities. Unlike commoners, whose hit points derive solely from their natural mass, soldiers-at-arms benefit from additional conditioning and combat readiness.

These soldiers have a minimum body mass equivalent to 3 hit points, representing their baseline physical toughness. To this, they add an additional 1d4 hit points as a direct result of their training regimen, which includes endurance-building exercises, weapon drills, and battlefield experience. This combination of natural strength and training allows soldiers-at-arms to endure more punishment in combat compared to commoners, making them better equipped for prolonged engagements and hazardous situations.

While soldiers-at-arms lack the advanced abilities or adaptability of levelled individuals, their rigorous preparation ensures they are capable fighters, forming the backbone of militias, city guards, and standing armies. Their enhanced hit points make them significantly more durable, allowing them to act as reliable defenders of their communities or effective members of a larger military force.

Levelled

These persons, including player characters, possess the advantages conferred by their character classes and the extensive training and discipline associated with their chosen path. Unlike commoners or soldiers-at-arms, their abilities go beyond physical resilience, incorporating a combination of enhanced endurance, skill, and mental fortitude. These individuals add a significant number of hit points based on their class, reflecting their advanced training, personal toughness and ability to withstand challenges both physical and psychological.

This additional training not only increases their hit points beyond their body mass but also strengthens their mental acuity, enabling them to resist fear, panic, and despair even in dire situations. This resilience ensures they are far less likely to succumb to injuries or lose composure when reduced to less than zero hit points, making them exceptional compared to other humanoid types.

Levelled persons' capacity for survival is further bolstered by their access to class abilities, spells, or specialized knowledge that allows them to recover more effectively or mitigate the damage they take. This makes them uniquely suited to survive prolonged and intense combat situations, as well as extreme conditions that would overwhelm lesser individuals. Their combination of physical durability and psychological strength ensures that, even when pushed to the brink of death, levelled persons have a greater chance of recovery and continued success.

Negative H.P. Effects on Type of combatant
hit
points
Commoner Soldier-at-arms Levelled
incl. Player
Characters
0 No Effects
-1 -30% ability stats -20% ability stats -10% ability stats
-2 -50% ability stats
wisdom check
-30% ability stats -20% ability stats
-3 -80% ability stats
wisdom check
-50% ability stats
wisdom check
-30% ability stats
-4 death -70% ability stats
wisdom check
-40% ability stats
wisdom check
-5 -90% ability stats
wisdom check
-50% ability stats
wisdom check
-6 death -60% ability stats
wisdom check
-7 -70% ability stats
wisdom check
-8 -80% ability stats
wisdom check
-9 -90% ability stats
wisdom check
-10 death

Ability Adjustments

All combatants possess ability stats that define their physical and mental capabilities, which remain constant as long as the combatant has zero or more hit points. However, when a character’s hit points drop into the negatives, these stats are adjusted to reflect the debilitating effects of their injuries. For example, Drummond the Fighter, who has a strength of 17, suffers enough damage to bring him to -1 hit points. This reduction in hit points also lowers his strength to 15.3. For game purposes, decimals are ignored, so his effective strength is treated as 15.

While Drummond remains conscious and may continue to fight, the temporary reduction in his strength means that he no longer receives his usual +1 bonus to hit or +1 bonus to damage. Furthermore, this reduction in strength affects his encumbrance, potentially lowering the number of action points he can expend based on how much he is carrying. This interplay of effects highlights the importance of managing resources and tactical choices as a combatant’s physical condition deteriorates.

Other classes experience similar repercussions as their stats decline. A cleric, for instance, may see their wisdom reduced to the point where their spells are at risk of failure. Likewise, a mage with diminished intelligence may find themselves unable to recall or cast certain spells. These penalties reflect the increasing difficulty characters face in maintaining concentration or performing complex actions as their injuries worsen. It is critical for players to understand that these temporary reductions simulate the escalating physical and mental strain of combat. Once the combatant’s hit points are restored, their ability stats return to their full values, and they can resume spellcasting or fighting as normal.

Throughout combat, it is essential to remember that ability checks and other rolls must align with the combatant’s current ability stats, not their original values. For instance, if Drummond were required to make a "strength check" while at -1 hit points, he would roll against a strength score of 15, not 17. This rule is particularly significant for wisdom checks, as a combatant who falls deeper into negative hit points may find these checks increasingly difficult, reflecting their dwindling focus and mental clarity.

These mechanics emphasize the cumulative toll of injuries in combat, making survival in negative hit points a dire and precarious state that demands swift action from the party to restore the fallen character to stability.

Wisdom Checks

Where indicated on the adjoining table that a player must make a wisdom check, this determines whether the combatant remains conscious. The check is made immediately when damage is caused, based on the combatant's present wisdom score at that exact moment. This means the check is resolved before the player's next action. If the wisdom check fails, the combatant collapses to the floor, unable to take further action. In this helpless state, the combatant is considered a helpless defender, leaving them vulnerable to further attacks.

If the unconscious combatant is also wounded and taking damage each round, they are at risk of bleeding out and dying unless someone intervenes quickly. Another character can act to close the wound and stop the bleeding by binding wounds or applying healing. To restore an unconscious combatant to consciousness, they must be healed by at least one hit point. Once healed, if their hit points remain below 1, they must make another wisdom check to wake up. If this subsequent check fails, the combatant will remain unconscious until they receive additional healing or rest for a sufficient duration, even if this requires a full day or more.

These rules also apply to situations beyond combat, including accidents like falling or collisions. Regardless of the cause, the wisdom check represents the combatant's ability to withstand the trauma and maintain or regain consciousness.

If the combatant succeeds on their wisdom check, they remain or regain consciousness, though with reduced ability stats due to their injuries. They will not need to repeat the check unless they sustain additional damage. However, if the combatant suffers from a bleeding wound, a new wisdom check must be made each round they lose hit points. Failure of any of these checks renders them unconscious once more, making rapid intervention essential to their survival. These mechanics emphasize the fragility of combatants in critical condition and the importance of swift, decisive action to prevent their death.