The beginning of a character’s life occurs when he (she) is awarded
his (her) first set of hit points. Any study of death must begin at this same
place: How many points does the character have?

I have heard in many AD&D circles, and I have announced in my
games, that a character of “adventurer rank” begins with a full hit die of
points for his (her) first allotment. A fighter gets 10, a cleric 8, a thief 6, a
magic user 4, etc. (Note: a ranger gets 8+d8, a monk 4+d4.) This is
adjusted for constitution so that our fighter could have as few as 8
(constitution of 3) or as many as 14 (constitution 18) hit points as a
veteran. Each other class is treated in the same way. Thereafter the
appropriate die (or dice) is thrown, the points adjusted for constitution,
and awarded to the character.

If this system is used by the DM it must be extended to
ALL characters and non-player races (i.e., humans, half-orcs, halfelves,
elves, halflings, gnomes and dwarves but not any monsters or
humanoid—orcs, kobolds, giants, wyvems, etc. are excluded, and all
their hit points come from random die rolls).

Having established the beginning, we can now define the end.
When a character (or non-player character) reaches each listed hit point
threshold he (she) will be subjected to the following conditions:
 
 

Hit points after combat	Chance of death	Chance of mutilation	Chance of scarring	Loss of consciousnessness	Loss of STR. & DEX. bonuses
2	0%	0%	5%	0%	50%
1	0%	0%	10%	50%	100%
0	10%	2%	15%	100%	100%
-1	30%	4%	20%	100%	100%
-2	50%	7%	30%	100%	100%
-3	70%	12%	50%	100%	100%
-4	90%	20%	80%	100%	100%
-5, -6	100%	40%	100%	100%	100%
-7, -8, -9	100%	70%	100%	100%	100%
-10	100%	100%	100%	100%	100%

2: With two hit points left (this assumes the character had at least 4
points to begin with), the character has a 5% chance to be wounded so
as to receive a scar (obviously a blow from a weapon is most likely to
produce this effect). In addition, the weakened figure is 50% likely to
lose any strength and dexterity bonus(es) he (she) may have. If there is
a bonus loss, the figure is also forced to give up his (her) ability to run.
This in no way affects others types of performance, includng spell
casting.

1: With one hit point left (this assumes the character had at least 4
points to begin with) the character has a 10% chance to receive a scar;
loss of any dexterity or strength bonus(es) is automatic, plus loss of the
ability to run. The figure is 50% likely to pass out. This condition is
immediate upon receiving damage. 2-5 rounds later, if the figure
makes a system shock saving throw, he (she) will regain consciousness.
Once consciousness is regained (there are subsequent system shock
checks every 2-5 rounds if the figure remains passed out) there are no
further checks. Remember, this applies to player and non-player characters.
To casual inspection, the figure looks dead but any close inspection
will show the figure is alive.

0: At zero hit points the figure passes out but has only a 10% chance of
immediate death. In 2-5 rounds, unless wounds are treated-there is
NO treatment for electrical shock, etc., short of a spell-the figure must
make a system shock roll. If he (she) makes the shock roll he (she) has
“stabilized” and will not need a further check for 1 full hour. Subsequent
checks must be made on an hour-by-hour basis. Failure to
make a shock roll will mean the figure loses one more hit point and
must again check for immediate death. If treated within the 2-5 round
grace period (this means wounds bound, bums tended, etc.) the shock
roll can be put off for 1 hour as stated above.

If a Cure is used then there is no need to roll for system shock for the
victim since he (she) will have at least 1 hit point. Again, there is a
chance for scarring. This will take the form of a deep cut somewhere on
the body; it will not impair the figure in any way but can be unsightly.
At zero points there is a small chance for mutilation. Mutilation
would be loss of a body part or an internal organ that will hamper the
figure.
<>

Restoration or a Wish is needed to restore (regrow) the body part before a Raise Dead can be successful. <actually, this should probably be a regenerate spell, not restoration>

Note that any wound to the heart or a decapitation requires a Wish or Restoration before a Raise <regenerate will not regrow the head of a single-headed creature>
Dead can be successful. Thus, a headless or heartless corpse can never
be raised and a new body part (the head or heart) can NOT be grown
by restoration, though the original part can be restored by restoration. <regenerate

A mutilation chart follows:

MUTILATION

Die  roll	Type of injury	Restoration?	Regrow?	Requires  wish?	Absolute  death?
1-2	decapitation	yes	no	no	if destroyed
3-7	heart mutilated	yes	no	no	if destroyed
8-20	one finger or toe	yes	yes	no	no
21-40	multiple fingers or toes including thumb (1-4)	yes	yes	no	no
41-50	hand	yes	yes	no	no
51-65	foot	yes	yes	no	no
66-80	arm or leg	yes	yes	no	no
81-88	eye	no	yes	no	no
89	both eyes	no	yes	no	no
?	?	yes	yes	no	no
?	ear and hearing	no	yes	no	no
?	?	yes	yes	no	no
?	?	yes	yes	no	no
97-00	kidneys. brain. stomach. liver.	yes.	yes. except for brain	no. but yes for brain	only if brain destroyed

-1: At minus one hit point. the chance for instant death goes up to
30%. All conditions listed remain as scored.

-2, -3, -4: The same is true for minus
two. minus three or minus four. Note. however. that if a Cure does not
produce a hit point total of at least plus one the figure must again roll to
see if he (she) dies!

-5, -6: Once a figure, having failed too many system shock
rolls. sinks to minus five or lower, or once he dies due to the immediate
death percentage. he (she) is dead and cures are of no avail.

Example: Charlie the Warrior (Hit points 17) gets attacked by
multiple orcs. They chop him up so that he falls over with a hit point
of minus three. The DM now rolls percentile dice to see if Charlie is
:1-70 he is, 71-00 he is not. The DM rolls 82. Charlie is now lying
sinking fast. If treatment is applied, Charlie is safe from
or 1 full hour. If it is not, 2-5 rounds after falling Charlie
must make his first shock roll—let’s say Charlie’s constitution is 16 so
his system shock percentage is 95%. Thus, if 1-95 is rolled Charlie is
okay: if 96-00 is rolled, Charlie goes to minus four and has a 90%
chance for immediate death. If he rolls 91-00 in that event, he is still
alive. If untreated, he must in 2-5 more rounds check for system shock
again. Failure this time is instant death, since he would go to minus five
hit points. If Charlie makes his system shock roll, he has stabilized and
need not check again for 1 full hour. But he must check each and every
hour until he is at least plus one due to magic or recuperation. Recuperation
of 1 hit point takes two full days, so Charlie is in real trouble if he
has to wait for eight days to go from -3. to -2. to -1. to 0, to l! If
Wilbur the Cleric casts Cure Light Wounds on Charlie and he goes up
to minus one, Charlie must check immediately to see if he dies (a 30%
chnce): if he does not, he does not check his system shock for 1 more
hour.

This system keeps the party from having to run to a High Priest
every session and in general makes play better. Remember that to use
this system means that opponents must gain the same rights!! Again.
the system does not apply to classic monsters.
Once a figure does die, what must be done? If he or she loses a
body part it might have to be restored before Raise Dead is possible.
Mutilation of a figure who has gone to -10 is 100%. so that if raised
without a Wish or Restoration. he or she will be missing something or
will not be raisable at all!

Raising the Dead: If it essential that you do not make raising from the dead too easy!
High Priests should be few and far between. High Priests of different
alignments/religions will either not perform the act or will charge more.
I suggest a base of 5.500 G.P.! Almost any High Priest will ask. “What
has this person done to deserve being raised?” The High Priest is then
70% likely to Commune before making a final decision or he (she) may
hold off his audience with the party until he (she) has a Detect Lie in
force. Thus, every Tom, Dick and Gronk should not be assured of
being raised. especially if they are of low level. You might wish to relax
this rule for the first time the figure dies under the adage “Everyone
deserves at least one mistake.”

When a figure is raised, he (she) is at 1-4 hit points and will require
bedrest for as many days as he (she) has been dead. A figure dead for 1
round still requires one full day of rest. To bring him (her) up to full hit
points. cures will also be needed, or the figure can rest so as to gain back
the points naturally. Full bedrest means no spell casting, melee, etc. A
simple device can be used. and the figure can communicate. Finally. all
spells are lost when death occurs but current experience gained towards
the next level is NOT. After all, a hero does not become a veteran when
he dies so points toward a new level are not lost, either.

Bleeding: Special weapons, like a Sword of Wounding, will cause the figure to
bleed after death; thus. he (she) will go from 0, to -1, to -2, to -3, to
-4, etc. on a round-by-round basis. Each round there would be a
10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, 90% + 100% (respectively) chance for instant
death.