Negative Hit Points

Negative H.P. Effects on Type of combatant

hit points	Commoner	Man-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

Humanoids, including player characters, do not die at zero or less hit points, as happens with monsters and animals. Depending on the type of character, the actual threshold for death, from minus 4 to minus 10, varies according to the type of creature that it is, or how much training it has. There are three types of humanoid combatant: commoner, men-at-arms and levelled persons. As each type suffers damage below zero, there are specific effects that must be applied.

Combat Types

Commoners represent the bulk of all humanoid races, having characteristics as typically described in the stat box of a monster page. For example, commoner humans have 1 hit die and an armour class (AC) of 10; a hobgoblin has 1+1 hit dice and an AC of 5 (possessing heavy, leathery skin). Both of these describe ordinary examples of their species, being non-levelled and having hit points exclusively due to their mass.

Men-at-arms are non-levelled soldiers, having undergone combat training to strengthen their bodies and fighting skills. They have a minimum body mass of 3 hit points, to which they add 1d4 hit points due to their training.

Levelled persons, including player characters, have the benefit of character classes and extensive training. They have the benefit of adding hit points commensurate with their class to their body mass, as well as mental acuity to resist fear, so that they are far less likely to die if driven to less than zero hit points.

Ability Adjustments

All combatants possess ability stats, which remain constant as long as the combatant has zero or more hit points. However, as a character's hit points fall into the negatives, these stats are adjusted as shown. For example, Drummond the Fighter has a strength of 17 and suffers enough damage to reduce him to -1 hit points. This also reduces his strength to 15.3. For game purposes, decimals are ignored. Whereas Drummond is still conscious, and may continue to fight, where normally he would receive a +1 bonus to hit and +1 damage from his strength, these are temporarily lost. Additionally, an adjustment to his strength also adjusts the effects of encumbrance, so that depending on how much Drummond is carrying, the number of action points he possesses may also decrease.

In like fashion, other character classes will experience varying effects from decreases in their ability stats. While levelled status is not lost, clerics may be sufficiently lowered in wisdom that their spells have a chance of failure, while mages may, due to a drop in intelligence, find themselves unable to properly remember a spell. Players will need to understand that these are the effects of finding it harder and harder to concentrate or act physically as the body receives threat-levels of damage. When the combatant's hit points are restored, they will be able to spellcast or fight normally.

It is important to remember that ability checks or other rolls must adhere to the present state of the combatant's ability stats. If Drummond, above, had to make a strength check, he would need to roll against a 15, not a 17. This is particularly important with regards to wisdom checks that become necessary as a combatant falls deeper into negative hit points.