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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 5602152" data-attributes="member: 18280">"As has been detailed, hit points are not actually a measure of physical damage, by and large, as far as characters (and some other creatures as well) are concerned.  Therefore, the location of hits and the type of damage caused are not germain to them.  While this is not true with respect to most monsters, it is neither necessary nor particularly useful."p.61.Quotes are so much more useful in context.  Wouldn't you agree?Also from page 9:"ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is first and foremost a game for the fun and enjoyment of those who seek to use imagination and creativity.  This is not to say that where it does not interfere with the flow of the game that the highest degree of realism hasn't been attempted.""Why then the increase in hit points?  Because these reflect both the actual physical ability of the character to withstand damage -- as indicated by constitution bonuses -- and a commensurate increase in such areas as skill in combat and similar life-or-death situations, the "sixth sense" which warns individuals of some otherwise unforeseen events, sheer luck, and the fantastic provisions of magical protections and/or divine protection.  Therefore, constitution affects both actual ability to withstand physical punishment hit points (physique) and the immeasurable areas which involve the sixth sense and luck (fitness).Harkening back to the example of Rasputin, it would be safe to assume that he could withstand physical damage sufficient to have killed any four normal men, i.e. more than 14 hit points.  Therefore, let us assume that a character with an 18 constitution will eventually be able to withstand no more than 15 hit points of actual physical damage before being slain, and that perhaps as many as 23 hit points could constitute the physical makeup of a character.  The balance of accrued hit points are those which fall into the non-physical areas already detailed.  Furthermore, these actual physical hit points would be spread across a large number of levels, starting from a base score of from 3 to 4, going up to 6 to 8 at 2nd level, 9 to 11 at 3rd, 12 to 14 at 4th, 15 to 17 at 5th, 18 to 20 at 6th, and 21 to 23 at 7th level.  Note that the above assumes the character is a fighter with an average of 3 hit points per die going to physical ability to withstand punishment and only 1 point of constitution bonus being likewise assigned.  Beyond the basic physical damage sustained, hits scored upon a character do not actually do such an amount of physical damage.Consider a character who is a 10th level fighter with an 18 constitution.  This character would have an average of 5 1/2 hit points per die, plus a constitution bonus of 4 hit points per level, or 95 hit points!  Each hit scored upon the character does only a small amount of actual physical harm -- the sword thrust that would have run a 1st level fighter through the heart merely grazes the character due to the fighter's exceptional skill, luck, and sixth sense ability which caused movement to avoid the attack at just the right moment.  However, having sustained 40 or 50 hit points of damage, our lordly fighter will be covered with a number of nicks, scratches, cuts and bruises.  It will require a long period of rest and recuperation to regain the physical and metaphysical peak of 95 hit points."But always some physical damage, as putting those quotes back into context shows.  "Each hit scored upon the character does only a small amount of actual physical harm".....but it does some amount of physical harm!  This is the problem of looking at a small amount of data related to a complex proposition -- it skews your results.  Gygax is quite clear -- there are factors that affect how much a strike harms you, but a strike always harms you to some degree.  Hit points are a combination of both those factors and actual ability to absorb damage.  But even the least amount of damage, on the highest level fighter, causes physical damage.TSR-D&D actually has another mechanic to deal with morale factors.  It is called, not surprisingly, "Morale".RC</blockquote>

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