How do inflict x wounds / harm spells actually hurt / kill someone?

[Yqatuba]

I always imagined they would make wounds just magically appear where you touched the target, as if an invisible knife were cutting them.

[Claxon]

It's negative energy.

So whatever negative energy looks like.

[LordKailas]

Claxon wrote:

It's negative energy.

So whatever negative energy looks like.

QFT

I always imagine purple electricity that leaves behind blackened welts.

[Claxon]

LordKailas wrote:

Claxon wrote:

It's negative energy.

So whatever negative energy looks like.

QFT

I always imagine purple electricity that leaves behind blackened welts.

I imagined basically the same, except a sort of mix of purple and black.

[PossibleCabbage]

I always imagined the negative energy literally just annihilates the life energy animating something and leaves a living being looking pallid, wan, corpselike, etc.

[Zwordsman]

I always thought it would basically work like low yield radiation or other enegy wave damage. (in real life)

It doesn't really show in anyway. but your body starts to fail. Becomes sluggish, unresponsive as you grow closer to death.

Which likely would lead you to looking, as PCabbage mentioned, pallid, corpselike.

[Haladir]

I always like to describe magical special effects as dependent on the source of power.

In the case of the inflict wounds spells, I would describe them depending on the source. So, if cast by a...

...priest of a god of disease (like Urgathoa), I'd describe the target's skin turning red, then erupting into blood-filled pustules which burst open.

...servant of a demon-lord of blades (like Andirifkhu), I'd describe slashes suddenly appearing on the skin, as if cut by an invisible blade.

...cleric of a god of fire (like Sarenrae), I would describe the skin searing and blistering.

Regardless of special effect, the damage type doesn't change. It's magic! So... use your imagination!

[Dave Justus]

Magic

[Meirril]

semi-on topic story. In an old 3.5 game I ran I told the players "Magic Missile is an elemental spell in this campaign. Whatever school of magic you belong to the magic missile should represent that type of magic. But the spell works just like the book version."

And the player that did a wizard brought in a necromancer. Instead of throwing balls of negative energy at the enemy, when he cast magic missile a stream of black energy would stream from the opponent into the necromancer's hand.

Everything that necromancer did was creepy. EVERYTHING. Not vile, not evil, just creepy. Like Jack Skellington is your neighbor creepy.