Under this optional rules system, a Player Character does not die upon reaching zero hit points. Instead, he lapses into a coma like, near death state. He continues to bleed at the rate of one hit point of damage per round (assuming he has bleeding wounds - cuts or bruises count, but fire damage would not) until he reaches his Death Point, or until wounds are his bound or healed by another character.
A character has a Death Point that is equal to the negative of his Constitution. Thus a character with a 11 Constitution would have a Death Point of -11. If for any reason a character's hit points reaches or goes below his death point, the character dies.
When a character reaches 0 hit points, he becomes unconscious. This unconscious state is accompanied by shallow breathing, faint heart beat, etc. When a character has negative hit points (i.e. below 0), he loses one hit point of damage per round from bleeding (if applicable). Note that this bleeding damage could be internal (damage from blunt instruments, falling, etc.).
Characters who have been bound will continue to lose 1 hit point of damage per day, due to internal bleeding, shock, etc. Only the application of curative magics, or the expert care of a physician (5 healing proficiencies or more) will bring the character back to a positive hit point total.
Coming Back From The Near-Death Experience
Due to the trauma of a near-death experience, all memorized spells have been wiped from the mind of the character (if applicable). Furthermore, the character is weak, and unable to do little more than ride in a saddle. All statistics suffer a -5 penalty for that day, and any checks are made with that penalty.
The character returns to normal at the rate of 1 point per day (3 per day if the character gets adequate bed rest). Note that the application of curative magics after the first day can restore a character to full health and vigor, negating the penalties. A heal spell will restore a character from negatives to his full, healthy total.
Natural Healing
Characters heal naturally at a rate of 1 hit point per day of rest. Rest is defined as low activity - nothing more strenuous than riding a horse or traveling from one place to another. Fighting, running in fear, lifting a heavy boulder, or any other physical activity, prevents resting, since it strains old wounds and may reopen them.
If a character has complete bed-rest (doing nothing an entire day), he can regain 3 hit points for the day. For each complete week of bed rest, the character can add any Constitution hit point bonus he might have to the base of 21 points (3 points per day) he regained during the week. The continuous care of a professional physician will allow the character to regain 1 hit point for every healing proficiency the doctor has (must have a minimum of 5 proficiencies to be considered a physician).
In both cases above, the character is assumed to be getting adequate food, water, and sleep. If these are lacking, the character does not regain any hit points that day.
