Mano a Mano:Hit Points

Hit Points

Hit points determine how much a character can move and endure damage.

Total Hit Points (HP) - Each character's two best athletic ability modifiers are added together to determine their hit points. (See Abilities/Athletic Abilities.) If the character has no athletic abilities, they have 1 hit point by default. In other words a character's hit points are the sum of his two best athletic ability modifiers, or 1, which ever is higher.

Hit Points per Round (HP/Round) - The character's hit points per round (HP/round) is 1/2 of their HP (rounded up).

Hit Point Pools - Hit points are used to perform actions. A character's total number of hit points (HP) does not change during action, but hit points can be moved between various pools. A character's hit points can be represented by counters placed in the pools marked around the edge of the character sheet: (See Characters/Character Sheet.)

• Ready - At the beginning of a character's turn, some of the character's non-stunned and non-damaged hit points (no more than their HP/round) are moved into its ready pool. The character can still have hit points in his ready pool at the end of his turn. The character's turn is over when his player stops using (or chooses not to use) the character's ready hit points (or when the character runs out of ready hit points.)

• Defense - If the character uses hit points to move, or to add to the modifier of an attack (or attack combo,) those hit points go into the character's defense pool. Hit points in the defense pool count as a modifier to defense rolls (where a character is attacked but is not attacking.) (See Action Rules/Maneuvering.)

• Other Used - Any hit points that are used to perform actions, other than hit points that go into the defense pool, should go to into the other used pool. There are two situations in which a character should always leave hit points in his other used pool (in spite of how many hit points he is allowed to put back into his ready pool at that time.) First, in order to keep carrying his equipment, he must continue to have his Encumbrance in hit points in his other used pool. Second, if he has another character in a choke, lock, or hold that is continuing from a previous turn, he needs to leave the appropriate hit points in his other used pool to continue applying that grappling technique. In the other used pool, hit points being used for grappling can not also be used for Encumbrance, and hit points being used for Encumbrance can not also be used for grappling.

• Stun - Stun is the short-term effect of pain and injury. The hit points added to the stun pool of a successful attack are the attack's attack power minus the target's absorb modifier. Only half of the hit points are moved to the stun pool if the attack is only half-successful.

• Damage - Damage is the long-term effect of injuries that heal slowly, such as cuts, bruises, and burns. The hit points added to the damage pool by a successful attack, are the attack's attack power, plus the weapon's sharpness modifier, minus the target's absorb modifier. Only half of these hit points are added to the damage pool, if the attack is only half-successful. (See Equipment/Armor and Weapons/Sharpness.)

Also, when hit points are supposed to be moved to the stun pool, but all of the character's available hit points are already in the stun pool, then the same amount of hit points that were supposed to be moved into the stun pool are instead moved from the stun pool to the damage pool.

Receiving Stun and Damage - Hit points moved into the stun and lasting pools are taken from specific pools until those pools no longer have hit points. The hit points come first from the ready pool, second from the defense pool, and third from the other used pool.

Rest and Regeneration - Characters recover from damage at the rate of one, plus their regeneration ability modifier, in hit points each week. Rest is a modifier to an attempt to heal the character each week. Each day the character engages in no physically strenuous activity - especially combat, training and travel - counts as a +1 modifier to the roll for that week. If the roll is successful, double the regeneration modifier of the resting character for that week. Opposition to this healing roll would include lack of resources, harsh conditions, poison or infection (up to +5 for each individual opposing factor.)