I'm not seeking an absolute simulation. I am though wanting the information to be character information. And the player is the one who calculates and interprets. The character is acting on what would likely be instinctual knowledge. And in my games wounds don't appear and disappear without magic being involved. I can imagine that magic can in theory do anything and is constrained mainly by the type of game you desire.
I explained this above but let me emphasize it. The character is not thinking about numbers. The player gets the number from the DM and it is interpreted down to the character. This is necessary because the DM is our senses and language is our medium. The DM paints a picture and the character view comes into focus by filling in the details. So when you are in a terrible fight and are being driven back and are taking a few wounds, your anxiety over potential death will be the same anxiety generated by dwindling hit points.
That is a common accusation but for me it is not a correct description of my thinking on the matter. Abstract descriptive information about in game state used to convey information to a character is different from a player driven mechanic happening outside the character's mind and which the character would likely not choose. And I have no issue with anyone objecting to Hit Points for a variety of reasons like you don't like that level of abstraction. My only assertion is that I am consistent in what I like.
Emerikol, let me pose you a question.
I'm not sure you've ever GMed or played under the following paradigm, so let me lay it out. Try to conceive of simply switching out the HP model from your current game for a low overhead system that handles it in fictional terms that also intersect with action resolution (what action declarations might be permissible, what may be penalized).
It looks like this. Instead of HP ablation, when you're physically imposed upon by the world, you roll some kind of Saving Throw. If you fail, you receive some kind of Harm. Harm has 5 boxes and comes in 4 stages.
Harm 1 has two boxes.
Harm 2 has two boxes
Harm 3 has one box
Harm 4 is death
Harm 1 might be Confused, Demoralized, Distracted
Harm 2 might be Concussed, Sprained Ankle, Panick-ridden
Harm 3 might be Nervous Breakdown, Broken Hand, Impaled Shoulder
You could have multiple Harm spanning multiple boxes. But if you fill up Harm 1's two boxes, any further Harm 1 you get automatically becomes Harm 2 (and so on, until you're dead).
Each Harm level and condition comes with an codified impact on action resolution and fictional adjudication (eg Confused carries action resolution consequence
x when you attempt declaration y or z...and it also arises that some things become non-permissible - how are you running the rooftops with that sprained ankle?).
Each Harm level and condition comes with a codified means of removal (duration and care/therapy required to remove).
Something like this is pretty trivially integrated into D&D (especially given the fiddly, not-well-integrated or conceived, and unwieldy subsystems that I've seen folks try to hack onto various D&D substrate).
So my question is:
How do you think supplanting HP ablation for such a system would impact your play?
