Ilbranteloth
Explorer
Fortunately so many adversaries are monsters that describing them as wounds that somehow magically do not impair at all kind of works ... Plus. A parried attack that slams your arm around till you ach is still hit point loss and a successful hit etc so it doesn't have to be slapstick it can be positively described defenses... One trick is allowing players to describe how there desperate last ditch defenses (hp) minimize the attack. The lucky guy describes it one way, the tough guy maybe like John Mcclane and the wizards might even describe cracks in his mage armor (some players will want you to describe their own so get imaginative too). A player character who has ummm regenerator flavor might have hit point loss that looks like wounds at first but which fades faster than normal (they just fatigue in the process of that fading)
Yes. This is exactly along the lines of how I have always viewed (most) hit points as a measure of skill/stamina. Where the blows wear you down, but you don't really take a major hit. In fact, our combat system is now designed around opportunity attacks and critical hits.
Having said that, we've never really used much in the way of descriptions in combat. It grew old very, very quickly, and combat itself is usually more of an obstacle than a focus. Having said that, players decide what happens in a critical fumble, and they choose the hit location on a critical hit, and we tend to think of things like Pirates of the Caribbean, Princess Bride, Game of Thrones, etc. when they decide what the consequences will be. And it can be much more descriptive in certain combats, especially duels.