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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Errant" data-source="post: 185536" data-attributes="member: 1926">This is closest to how I imagine Hps. They're not a primarily a measure of how much physical abuse you can suffer & still keep breathing, they're a measure of your ability to avoid serious injury & represent a combination of your energy, alertness, instincts, & so on.As long as you're in positive Hps you haven't sustained any gaping wounds or life threatening injuries. Knicks, scratches, bruises, strains, exhaustion are all manifestations of lost Hps.Hps lost to a non-mortal blow (one that doesn't drop you to negative Hps), reflect fatigue, bruises, strained muscles, & minor shock (the kind that leaves your hands shaking after a near miss, not the kind that shuts down your vitals & kills you after a major trauma).The 5th level Fighter on full Hps is rested, primed & alert. "Struck" by a surprise blow, only an unconscious reaction to pull away from the attack, prompted by a near supernatural instinct honed in dozens of life threatening struggles, allows him to avoid a mortal blow. Instead of being run through, he throws himself out of the way, before turning, lightly cut & breathing hard, to face his attacker...The 1st level Fighter standing next to him isn't so lucky. Even though he tries to escape the blow as it lands, his reaction is too slow & the blow strikes deep...When I get my players to indicate their Hp levels, I ask them not to express it in numbers. A PC on full Hps is fit & healthy, as he loses Hps he becomes tired, bruised, cut up, limping, & finally staggering.Cure spells repair the minor cuts, bruises, & strains, while infusing you with fresh energy, focus & alertness through the touch of divine power.Even Mohamed Ali at his peak could have been killed by a strong enough punch to the head if he just stood there and let it land, but years of training and experience gave him the instincts & stamina to keep dodging long after lesser men would be too exhausted to move at all.Thats the way I look at it.</blockquote>

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