Your character’s health and well-being are represented by Hit Points and Stress Points. Hit Points (sometimes called HP) are an abstract reflection of your physical fortitude and ability to take hits, both from blade and from magic (see “Damage Thresholds and Hit Points” in chapter 2). Stress Points reflect your ability to withstand the pressures of dangerous situations and mental strain (see “Stress” in chapter 2).

You can describe your Hit Points and Stress Points any way you wish, but they generally represent your character’s ability to get knocked down and keep coming back. You’ll mark your Hit Points and Stress when these situations arise—the fewer marks you have against them, the better.

Your class has a certain Damage Threshold, indicating how much damage you can endure before marking each Hit Point. Find your class’s starting Damage Threshold at the top of the “Hit Points & Stress” section of your character sheet; record these three numbers in the corresponding fields. In the “Hit Points and Damage Thresholds” section of chapter 2, you’ll learn how many Hit Points to mark on your character sheet each time the GM tells you to take damage.