20 Rules Clarifications

Saw a couple blogs I follow which answered these 20 questions pertaining to their campaigns and thought it would be fun to play along. The original post can be found HERE.

1. Ability scores generation method? 4d6 and drop the lowest die UNLESS it is a one (provides a range of 3-19). You think it generous? I don't given that it won't help them live much longer. ;)
2. How are death and dying handled? Dead at -10 hp. Unconscious at 0 or below. Will bleed out and die at a rate of 1 hp per round at -5 or below.
   
3. What about raising the dead? Rare... expensive... and requiring those seeking it to be favored by the Divine.
   
4. How are replacement PCs handled? With contempt. ;)
   
5. Initiative: individual, group, or something else? PCs and principal foes get individual ... henchmen, followers and mooks get group initiative.
   
6. Are there critical hits and fumbles? How do they work? Yes. A critical hit will deal anywhere from double to triple damage. A fumble is left to my whims.
   
7. Do I get any benefits for wearing a helmet? Not really.
   
8. Can I hurt my friends if I fire into melee or do something similarly silly? Absolutely!
   
9. Will we need to run from some encounters, or will we be able to kill everything? There will be a lot of 'Kill or be killed' situations but there is always a chance for victory and there isn't (much) shame in running in order to fight another day.
   
10. Level-draining monsters: yes or no? Yes.
    
11. Are there going to be cases where a failed save results in PC death? Yes but these are usually avoidable.
    
12. How strictly are encumbrance & resources tracked? I don't let it slow down the pace of the game so I grant some leeway as long as the player's maintain common sense.
    
13. What's required when my PC gains a level? Training? Do I get new spells automatically? Can it happen in the middle of an adventure, or do I have to wait for down time? Levels are largely experiential and no training is required to 'officially' level up. New spells are NOT granted automatically. Leveling can happen in the middle of an adventure.
    
14. What do I get experience for? Defeating and overcoming challenges as well as roleplaying and strategy. Challenges can be anything from traps to killing monsters or avoiding perilous situations.
    
15. How are traps located? Description, dice rolling, or some combination? I like the common sense / description approach to trap finding and use dice rolling in conjunction with it.
    
16. Are retainers encouraged and how does morale work? Retainers are neither encouraged nor discouraged -- Morale is determined case by case.
    
17. How do I identify magic items? Research and knowledge along with magic.
    
18. Can I buy magic items? Oh, come on: how about just potions? No... but potions may be available with a sizable donation at larger temples provided that the task/quest is 'sanctioned' .
    
19. Can I create magic items? When and how? No... magic is rare and the efforts are just too time consuming for an adventurer.
    
20. What about splitting the party? Sure.