Why do they call them HP? Whakum      Millions of people have pondered the eternal question: Why "Hit Points?" Why not "Life Points", or "Medi-points", or something? The answer, given a bit of research, makes more sense than we give it credit for.      You see, back in the Stone Age of Role Playing Games, the name "Hit Points" referred to the number of times you could be hit by an enemy. A "hit" could only do you one damage, but some attacks consisted of several "hits." Of course, as you gained levels, a smaller and smaller percent of attempted hits got through, as a defensive bonus. The system eventually got rather complex, but the name "Hit points" stuck like glue.      HP was also an easy abbreviation, seeing as how an LP is a record, and MP was already taken. HP values back then were also extremely low, so you had to have some way to restore them. Magic, or MP, was the most obvious choice. The public liked the system as well, boycotting any games that didn't use "Hit Points." The licensing rights, however, were held by one important man, now dead. He is reputed to be buried in the center of a gargantuan labyrinthine temple guarded by monsters and a fierce boss, but nobody has ever confirmed the fact. The money to build the temple and genetically engineer the creatures came from selling the name "Hit Points" for temporary usage only to the highest bidder once every six months.      So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The reason they're called Hit Points. The estate now takes care of upkeep on the temple and selling the name, though in 2037 it will be in the public domain, never to be exploited again. The estate has also fended off various lawsuits from Hewlett-Packard.