All characters and monsters have a hit point total, which represents their ability to avoid death. Many attack forms, including attacks with weapons in combat, subtract hit points from this pool.
For each full day of complete rest, a character or monster recovers 1d3 hit points. If the rest is interrupted, the character or monster will not heal that day.
Healing may also occur through magic, such as potions or spells. This kind of healing is instantaneous. Magical healing and natural healing can be combined.
A character or monster reduced to 0 hit points or less is killed.
If a character is killed by a destructive spell or special attack (e.g. a lightning bolt spell or a dragon’s breath), their equipment is assumed to be destroyed.
Magic items in the possession of a character who is killed by a destructive spell or special attack may be allowed a chance to survive, as follows:
▶ Save: For each item, a saving throw may be made using the character’s saving throw values.
▶ Bonuses: Items that grant a bonus in combat (e.g. magical weapons and armour) may also apply this bonus to the saving throw.
A character’s initial Constitution score (i.e. the score at character creation) defines the number of times that they can be returned from the dead by magic. Once this limit is reached, death is final, barring extraordinary magic such as a wish or the direct intervention of a deity.
Returning from death represents a huge shock to a character, and it is not guaranteed that they will be successfully brought back to life. The chance of resurrection magic succeeding depends on a character’s Constitution score as shown in the table to the right.
Each time a character is brought back from the dead, their CON score is reduced by one point.
| Chance of Raising the Dead | |
|---|---|
| CON | Survival Chance |
| 3 | 40% |
| 4 | 45% |
| 5 | 50% |
| 6 | 55% |
| 7 | 60% |
| 8 | 65% |
| 9 | 70% |
| 10 | 75% |
| 11 | 80% |
| 12 | 85% |
| 13 | 90% |
| 14 | 92% |
| 15 | 94% |
| 16 | 96% |
| 17 | 98% |
| 18 | 100% |