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<blockquote data-quote="Lostdwarf" data-source="post: 5661042" data-attributes="member: 85751">This goes back to an issue that has been with Dnd since the very first days, namely, what the heck is a hit point?&nbsp;Hit points are very, very abstract.&nbsp; You can have a human with 80 hit points, a magical beast with 80 hit points, and a barrier with 80 hit points.&nbsp; In the case of the barrier, you have to pound, hack, smash, shock, burn, and othewise abuse the barrier that much before it breaks.&nbsp; &nbsp;But the human would be long dead taking the same abuse.&nbsp; His 80 hit points represent his ability to dodge, block, roll with blows, duck, and generally avoid letting what should have been a lethat attack kill him.&nbsp; Being &quot;bloodied&quot; is an abstract as well.&nbsp; You might be bleeding after taking 1 hp of damage depending on the source, or you might not actually show any blood until the final blow that takes you negative.&nbsp; Its an abstract way of saying &quot;getting in bad shape&quot;.&nbsp;The magical beast with 80 hp is probably somewhere in between the two examples.&nbsp; It is physically more robust than the human, but not as tough as the barrier.&nbsp; It's hitpoints represent a combination of being able to avoid/mitigate damage and being able to absorb it.&nbsp;I agree with those in this thread that say if you are unable to narrate combat its becuase you are not trying.&nbsp; There is not a forced, mechanical description of what a &quot;hit&quot; in dnd combat does, but that is because dnd is not and does not try to be a simulation.&nbsp; If you are looking for a &quot;realistic&quot; simulation of combat you will never like this game.&nbsp; Dnd combat is a cinimatic abstraction, and you and the DM fill in the details of what is going on.&nbsp; If you expect it to be a blow by blow &quot;I swing my sword, lets see if he can get the shield in the way, nope he failed, ok lets see how much of the blow the armor absorbs&quot; kind of game you are soooo playing the wrong system.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Lostdwarf, post: 5661042, member: 85751"] This goes back to an issue that has been with Dnd since the very first days, namely, what the heck is a hit point? Hit points are very, very abstract. You can have a human with 80 hit points, a magical beast with 80 hit points, and a barrier with 80 hit points. In the case of the barrier, you have to pound, hack, smash, shock, burn, and othewise abuse the barrier that much before it breaks. But the human would be long dead taking the same abuse. His 80 hit points represent his ability to dodge, block, roll with blows, duck, and generally avoid letting what should have been a lethat attack kill him. Being "bloodied" is an abstract as well. You might be bleeding after taking 1 hp of damage depending on the source, or you might not actually show any blood until the final blow that takes you negative. Its an abstract way of saying "getting in bad shape". The magical beast with 80 hp is probably somewhere in between the two examples. It is physically more robust than the human, but not as tough as the barrier. It's hitpoints represent a combination of being able to avoid/mitigate damage and being able to absorb it. I agree with those in this thread that say if you are unable to narrate combat its becuase you are not trying. There is not a forced, mechanical description of what a "hit" in dnd combat does, but that is because dnd is not and does not try to be a simulation. If you are looking for a "realistic" simulation of combat you will never like this game. Dnd combat is a cinimatic abstraction, and you and the DM fill in the details of what is going on. If you expect it to be a blow by blow "I swing my sword, lets see if he can get the shield in the way, nope he failed, ok lets see how much of the blow the armor absorbs" kind of game you are soooo playing the wrong system. [/QUOTE]

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