Editing Hit Point (section)

== What Does It Mean To Lose A Hit Point ==

Hit points are an abstract thing (some systems, like [[Dungeons and Dragons]], allow a player to have ''negative'' hit points), which freaks people out when they're playing the game as a simulation.  "Okay, so I lose 3 hit points.  Does that mean my shirt's ripped?  I dodged it?  I got a cut on my arm?  What?"  It gets worse when characters get more hit points from getting more power, skills or experience, but that doesn't change their appearance.  It gets ridiculous when a character gets so many hit points that highly improbable events become common (i.e.: a level 13 fighter in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons has a better-than-half chance of surviving a fall from terminal-velocity heights).

Here are some explanations people use to explain hit points, and their ablative nature.  Most [[DM]]s use a mixture of a few of these:
* They're a measure of fatigue, as the combatants parry and dodge blows.  Only the last few hit points represent actually getting hurt.
* They're a measure of the effectiveness of the equipment the character uses to protect themselves; armor straps are cut, weapons get nicked, metal plates get dented.  "Rest periods" include repair and maintenance of their gear.
* In the case of giant fighting robots, or spaceships firing on each other with lasers, the hit points are a measure of the ablative armor evaporating to rid the excess heat before it causes damage.
* The heroes of the story are lucky, since they are protagonists, but their luck can run out.
* They measure actual injuries; the first few hit points lost are nicks and cuts, bruises and bumps, the last few are arrows lodged in your skull and your arm getting lopped off.