Death penalty

Death penalty (commonly abbreviated as "DP") reduces your maximum health and energy values by the current % amount of the penalty. Every time you earn a penalty, it is added to your current total; this total cannot exceed -60%. A Death Penalty is the opposite of a Morale Boost, although both are added together for a cumulative effect.

Note: The terms "morale boost" and "death penalty" are also used to describe whether this cumulative effect is positive or negative.

Removal
There are currently six known methods to remove DP:
 * 1) Earning XP. Every 75 XP earned will reduce DP by 1%.
 * 2) *You need 1125 XP to remove a 15% DP and 4500 XP to remove the maximum DP of 60%.
 * 3) *Capture of an elite skill by an L18 character earns enough XP to remove all DP. Claiming quest rewards can also quickly reduce the penalty.
 * 4) Earning Morale Boosts.
 * 5) *PvE You can earn +2% morale for killing bosses, killing special mobs, or performing special tasks.
 * 6) *PvP: You can earn +10% morale for holding the flag stand for two consecutive minutes (GvG), holding the altar for two consecutive minutes (king of the hill maps in Heroes' Ascent), or killing the enemy Ghostly Hero (other maps in Heroes' Ascent). When an enemy player dies while you are alive your DP will be reduced by 2%, but you won't gain morale boost.
 * 7) An "Offering to Courage" yields a +2% morale bonus to the player (in Tyria, the bonus applies to the entire party, including Heroes and Henchmen). Note: Blessings are only available when the world has the Favor of the Gods.
 * 8) Using special items in PvE can provide a morale boost, reduce DP, or eliminate DP completely:
 * 9) *Morale Boosts: Honeycomb (5%); Rainbow Candy Cane (5%); Elixir of Valor (10%); Pumpkin Cookie (10%)
 * 10) *DP Reduction: Refined Jelly (15%); Wintergreen Candy Cane (15%); Four-Leaf Clover (random 5-15%);
 * 11) *Complete DP Removal: Peppermint Candy Cane; Powerstone of Courage (also adds 10% morale boost).
 * 12) Going back to town or outpost will completely remove a character's DP.
 * 13) Exiting (failing or resigning) certain missions like The Elusive Golemancer will remove all DP, especially if the mission is started from an explorable zone.