Subplot Kudzu

I'm willing to take that hit, at least in the dueling arena. Remember my claim that this is a fairly ritualized form of combat. In situations that aren't so formalized, the flat-footed rules may still apply. As for HP, I'm not sure. I still think that the reduced hit points, such as they use in Babylon 5, is probably a good way to keep combat dangerous and make levels less important as regards to the ability to absorb damage.