* PopularGameVariant: The rules specify that characters die when they reach 0 hit points, no exceptions. Most players find this a bit harsh, especially since player characters start with an average of 10 hp and rarely get much above 16, and healing is pretty severely limited. So most campaigns either have an "official house rule" allowing characters to survive having their hit points reduced to 0 or below, or the GM does a lot of fudging.