Way up there on the list of reasons Gothic is remembered as an RPG innovator is that it didn't default to lethality. In an early quest a fellow prisoner in the penal colony recruits you to help mug his enemies. It turns out to be a trap, and suddenly you're the one being attacked. After a few blows your hit points drop away and you end up prone on the ground, where they take whatever they like from your pockets. A dribble of health returns and you can get up and limp away, or start swinging and get knocked down again until you learn your lesson...
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