Constitution



Hitpoints (also known as HP or health) represents the amount of damage a player can withstand until he/she dies, known as death. This happens when their hitpoints reaches 0.

When RuneScape 2 (as it was then known) was released, the experience required for level 10 in any skill was slightly raised. This meant that characters with no extra Hitpoints experience in RuneScape Classic were brought to RuneScape 2 with only 9 Hitpoints. The minimum combat level is still 3 for those players.

It is not only human players who have hitpoints. Any attackable monster also has a certain number of hitpoints, which varies from 1 to 2000. The monster with the least amount of hitpoints is a tie between carnivorous chinchompa, the Chinchompa, evil creatures, and Miscellanian citizens and guards, and gnome women, all with 1 Hitpoint each. This effectively means that any successful attack will kill them in one hit.

Usually, the highest number of hitpoints that any monster has is 255. These include Kree'arra, Commander Zilyana, General Graardor, K'ril Tsutsaroth. The Kalphite Queen, however, has two forms, each of which has 255 hitpoints. Since players must defeat both forms, she effectively has 510 hitpoints in total. Steel Titans have 750 hitpoints, the most out of every familiar. The avatars in Soul Wars, each have 1,000 Hitpoints and The Corporeal beast, the strongest monster on the game, has 2000 hitpoints, the most of any monster.

Fighting
While fighting, both the opponent and the player will have a bar on top of them. This bar represents their HP.

There are two colours on the bar: green and red. The green part of the bar is on the left, and represents how much HP the player has left. The red part of the bar appears on the right, and represents how much damage has been taken away from their maximum HP. This allows easy estimation of how much health the player has left compared with how much they have lost.

So if a player has only 5 HP left, assuming that they have 30+ maximum HP, then the bar on top of them would be mostly red, meaning they are near death. Players often refer to "being redbarred" when they have so few hitpoints that the bar above their head is completely red, even though they are still alive.

Now, players can just look over to the top-right of their RuneScape screen and check how many hitpoints they currently have remaining and can be alerted when their hitpoints drop to 25% or lower; the Heart Icon will start to pulse like an actual heart. And due to a recent hidden update, players are now further warned that their hitpoints are getting low (25% of total HP) through the addition of a beating heart sound effect which accompanies the pulsing animation until health is restored above 25%. (Note that this is a very common device in video games, almost always used to show that the player is near death or that another similarly dramatic event is occurring.)

Poison (Members only)
A player may become poisoned during a fight. This effect will continue to reduce hitpoints periodically, even after the fight is over, though the body's natural defences will gradually neutralise the poison.

For instance, if a player is hit by another player wielding a poisoned dagger, they would be hit for 4 damage every minute (four times), then 3 damage every minute (four times), then 2 damage every minute (four times), then 1 damage every minute (four times), and then the poison would be gone.

Players can cure the poison early with an antipoison potion, which members can make with the Herblore skill.

Please note that if you are poisoned in a Member's server, but then switch to a Free server you will remain poisoned with no way to cure it until you switch back to a Member's server.

Also note that damage caused by poison gives no experience to any skill.

Disease (Members only)
A player may experience Disease during a fight. This effect is represented by a yellow splat on the player's body. Disease effect reduce a player's statistics, the statistic reduced being randomly chosen. Sometimes the statistic randomly chosen is Hit points, although the chance of this is only 1 in 24. The disease effect will continue even after the fight has ceased.

Disease can be brought on by:
 * A player is in Jiggig and is fighting a Skogre or Zogre.
 * A player pickpocketing ogre coffins which require an Ogre coffin key.
 * Fighting Fever spiders without Slayer gloves
 * A player can also be diseased by various other Quest NPC's and Monsters.

The Disease effect can be prevented and stopped if a player is wearing an inoculation brace or drinking a Relicym's balm.

Death


When a player's HP reaches 0, they will die. Fortunately, the player will respawn. There are three respawn points - Lumbridge, Falador, and Camelot. However, a player will only keep 3 of their highest-valued (according to high alchemy value and store price, not street price) items. If a player dies with the prayer Protect Item activated, he/she can keep an additional item. A player who dies while in Bounty Hunter will lose ALL items unless the Protect Item Prayer is activated, and will spawn outside of the Bounty Hunter caves.

If a player is in Pest Control, in a player-owned house, duelling another player at the Duel Arena, or playing any other safe minigame, they will not lose any items on death, and will respawn in a designated location with all items retained.

A ring of life can also teleport the player safely back to the chosen respawn point automatically upon reaching 10% or below their maximum HP. There are three exceptions, either the player was hit for more than 10%, they are beyond level 30 in the deep wilderness or they are in a safe mini-game with no danger of losing one's items. A ring of life can only be used one time before disintegrating.

In addition, if a player has used the Abyss for runecrafting, they are given a skull that appears over their head. If a player dies of any circumstances while being "skulled" they lose ALL of their items carried at the time, rather than the usual keeping three. However, if a skulled player dies while the "Protect Item" Prayer is on, they keep ONE item (one more than the usual, which is zero if the player is skulled). If a player does not enter the Abyss within twenty minutes of receiving the skull, the skull vanishes.

Respawning
When a player dies, they will respawn, meaning they will live again. The player will keep 3 of his/her items (if not skulled).
 * For free players, they will always respawn in Lumbridge, as it is set as their home town.
 * For Pay-to-play Melee Trainingwere all big fat nerds and suck cock

Earning experience
To earn experience in hitpoints, a player has to fight or do a quest that rewards hitpoints experience. Alternatively, one could use an item that gives a specific amount of experience. (ex: genie lamp)

When fighting, whether it be by melee, ranging, or magic, as long as they deal damage, a player will always earn hitpoints experience. There is a formula which is used to determine how much hitpoints xp a player will receive. The sole exception is by using a Dwarf Multicannon, which gives half the range experience and no hitpoints experience.

When a player deals damage to an opponent, they receive some hitpoints experience. If a player hits the opponent, whatever damage they deal is multiplied by 1.33 and given to the player's hitpoints. This is one of the slowest skills to gain levels on.

Recovering HP
A player can heal to restore their HP back to its maximum. There are a number of ways to do this.


 * Let it recharge on its own. A player will naturally heal one hitpoint about every minute. However, this is very slow, although the prayer 'Rapid Heal' doubles hit point recovery rate. This is not recommended unless you have no food, are next to an altar, or don't want to get killed by whatever monster/PKer/NPC happens to be there. Also, a lunar spell, Dream, triples hitpoint recovery. Additionally, a Regen bracelet will double recovery.
 * Eat food. Players can eat foods to heal their HP. The best foods that heal a lot are the ones that can be cooked by a player, mainly fish. This is the recommended way members heal themselves.
 * The monks at the Monastery will heal players if they ask them. They heal 20% of the player's Hitpoints level.
 * The nurses and surgeons at the infirmary north of Al-Kharid Duel Arena will heal players if asked.
 * Two lunar spells can be cast to heal a player or a group of players : Heal Other level 92 and Heal Group level 95
 * Die. When a player dies, they respawn at full health and full energy. This is not recommended unless the player has banked all items and wants to go to an area near their respawn point.
 * A player can use a bracelet of regeneration which doubles hit point recovery rate. When used in conjunction with the prayer rapid heal, it quadruples to two hitpoints every thirty seconds.

Temporary boosts

 * Saradomin brew - Made using the herblore skill. Drinking this brew raises defence by 20% and hitpoints by 15%+2 even above maximum if a player's HP is 99, though all other combat skills decrease by 10% excluding defence.


 * Titan's Constitution - The respective scroll of the Fire titan, Moss titan and Ice titan which will raise a player's max HP by 8 and defence by 13%.


 * Elidinis Statuette - this altar in Nardah will heal you and raise your total HP, and will also refill your prayer. Players need to have completed Spirits of the Elid.


 * Skill Cape of Hitpoints - Owners of a Hitpoint Cape can boost their hitpoints by 1 every minute, by operating the cape or re-equipping it. The cape is one of the Capes of Achievement, and can be bought and equipped by players with 99 hitpoints only.


 * Guthix rest - Guthix rest, if drunk when at full hitpoints, will boost your maximum hitpoints by 5


 * Oo'glog - by resting in the Thermal bath your HP will be raised dramatically, by about 16 levels over your maximum Hitpoints level.


 * Temple Trekking / Burgh de Rott - One particular event in the treks Abidor Crank, temporarily increases your max HP according to it's max level / current stance, as well as increasing defense in the same way, and turning all rotten food in your inventory into Curry.

Hiscores Leader
Currently, the leader of the hiscores for Hitpoints is HS Deja Vu Xiii with 183,114,826 exp.

Trivia

 * After a hidden update from Jagex on December 2008, falling to 1/4 of maximum HP or lower will result in a heart-beat-like sound.


 * Hitpoints starts at level 10, with 1,154 exp.


 * The first person to achieve level 99 hitpoints at 25 combat (which is the lowest possible level with a hitpoints cape, with all other combat stats 1) was Dink In Vag. He trained most of his levels in the Soul Wars minigame.