One of the most important concepts to understand in Runescape is that of hitpoints, sometimes called HP, health, or life points. These basically represent how many hits your character can take before he or she dies. The more hitpoints you have, the more powerful monsters you can take on and the longer you'll be able to survive in massive battles. If your hitpoints reach zero, your character will reappear at your spawn point, which is often far away from where you died.
Your hitpoint level does determine your combat level. For every four hitpoints you have, your combat level increases by one (one hitpoint level therefore equals one/fourth combat level).
Increasing Your Hitpoints
One very important goal in Runescape is to increase your hitpoints so you can take more damage and fight stronger monsters. The best way of doing this is to fight. Each time you hit an enemy in Runescape, your hitpoints increase. The exact increase depends on how much damage you did. The basic formula is to take the damage you cause and multiply it by 1.33. Dealing 20 points of damage to a monster would, therefore, raise your hitpoints by 26. This is the most efficient way of gaining more health in Runescape, but there are other ways.
Items Available to Free Players and Members
There are two items players can use to raise their hitpoints. They include the Genie's Lamp and the Book of Knowledge. Both can be received by completing random events. The Genie's Lamp comes from the Genie event, while the Book of Knowledge is a reward from the Surprise Exam event.
Members Only Mini-Game Rewards
A paying member of Runescape has three more options for increasing his or her hitpoints. They include winning the Pest Control mini-game or the Tears of Guthix mini-game, although the Tears game will only increase a player's hitpoints if it is their lowest skill. Finally, players may receive the Antique Lamp by completing various quests and by winning the Varrock Museum mini-game.
Gaining Hitpoints from Jewelry
Equipping different types of jewelry can give you more hitpoints or provide other benefits that can save your hitpoints. Here are just a few jewelry options.
The Ring of Life will instantly teleport you back to your spawn point if your hitpoints fall below ten percent. It only has one charge, however, and turns to dust after being used.
The Bracelet of Regeneration doubles your hitpoint recovery rate.
The Phoenix Necklace instantly restores 30% of your max hitpoints when your hitpoints fall below 20%. It can only be used once, however, before turning to dust.
Eating Food
Eating food is the most common way to restore any lost hitpoints. There are three different types of food in Runescape: common food, best food, and bad food.
Common food can be found in many different places, and while these foods don't restore as many hitpoints as best foods, they do enough for most players, especially those just starting out.
Best foods, on the other hand, always heal at least 20 hitpoints and often give players a short-term status bonus. Finding these foods is more difficult than finding common foods, however.
Bad food is food that should be avoided at all costs. They can actually lower your hitpoints or poison you.
Potions
Potions are another way of increasing your hitpoints and restoring them.
Guthix's Rest potion raises your hitpoints by five if you're at maximum health. It also cures some poisons and restores your run energy.
Saradomin's Brew will increase your hitpoints by 15% and your defense by 20%; however, it lowers ranged attack, magic, and strength by ten percent.
Prayers
Prayers used doing combat allow players to restore hitpoints or regain hitpoints more quickly.
The Prayer of Rapid Heal, like the Bracelet of Regeneration, doubles your hitpoint recovery rate.
The Prayer of Redemption will heal 25% of your hitpoints if they drop below ten percent. It drains all of your Prayer Points, however, so it's not a prayer you can use very often.
Lunar Spells
There are some lunar spells that also restore hitpoints. To use them, you must have completed the Lunar Diplomacy quest and have the Lunar Magicks spellbook.
The Heal Other spell allows you to heal another player, restoring some of their hitpoints.
The Heal Group spell does the same thing as the Heal Other spell except it affects your entire group.
The Dream Spell triples your hitpoint recovery rate, but it can only be cast when you are not in combat. If something attacks you during this spell, the recovery rate returns to normal.
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