Example:
0000 0001 = de-activated, not _x_, 1 hp
1000 0000 = activated, not _x_, 0 hp
0010 0011 = de-activated, _x_, 1+2= 3 hp
0000 1100 = de-activated, not _x_, 4+8= 12 hp
A0x0 8421
You can use bytes to store many values. Unicode characters use 2 bytes per letter.