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Damage
Damage is categorized by its method of delivery (i.e., the “form”) and its effect (i.e., the “type”). There are three types and three forms of damage. All damage effects in the core rules use one descriptor from each category. For example, damage from a knife wound is considered Penetrating Lethal damage (abbreviated as “P/L”). Each is explained below.
Types of Damage
The three basic Types of damage are Blunt (B), Penetrating (P), and Special (Sp).
Blunt
Blunt damage represents damage caused by blunt force (known as “blunt trauma” in the medical world). Examples of blunt damage include damage caused by punches and kicks, falling, collisions, clubs, and the like.
When a character suffers blunt damage, subtract the value of any armor the character is wearing and the character’s TGH score from the damage, then subtract any remaining damage points from the character’s LIF.
Penetrating
Penetrating damage represents damage from an injury that penetrates the body, such as damage cause by bladed and pointed weapons, arrows, fast-moving projectiles, and the like.
When a character suffers penetrating damage, subtract the value of any armor the character is wearing, then subtract any remaining damage points from the character’s LIF.
Special
Special damage represents damage or other effects from unusual attacks, such as gas, drugs (e.g., stimulants or anesthesia), magic spells, radiation, mental powers, and the like. Generally speaking, any effect that does not reduce a character’s LIF points is considered a Special Attack.
Forms of Damage
The three basic Forms of damage are Stunning (S), Lethal (L), and Special (Sp).
Stunning Damage
Stunning damage is damage that temporarily weakens or incapacitates the character. Stunning damage can render a character unconscious but cannot kill him. It reflects the non-lethal and temporary effects of special substances and substances, such as pepper spray (oleoresin capsicum or “OC”), sleep gas, flash-bang grenades, depressants (such as alcohol or barbiturates), the dazing effects of a punch or mild concussion, sedation, general weakening from fatigue, and so on.
When a character’s LIF is reduced to 0 because of stunning damage, the character immediately falls unconscious. An unconscious character will not regain consciousness until his LIF is raised to a score of 1 or higher, whether through healing, natural recovery, or medical or supernatural aid.
Stunning damage is healed more quickly than lethal damage (see Recovery).
Lethal Damage
Lethal damage is that damage that can kill a character. Lethal damage can render a character unconscious as well as kill him. Lethal damage can reflect the effects of a trauma or injury caused by weapon, a collision such as from an auto accident or a fall from a great height, the effects of high doses of radiation, extreme weakening from illness, and so on.
When a character suffers a number of points of lethal damage that exceeds his LIF, the character is dying. A dying character will lose 1 additional LIF point each turn until he reaches –10 LIF. Medical intervention is necessary to prevent the character from dying (see Stabilizing, page 72). If a character’s LIF score reaches –10, the character is dead.
Lethal damage is healed more slowly than stunning damage.
Special Damage
Special damage is damage to some aspect of the character other than the character’s LIF. Examples include the reduction of an attribute, the suppression of a paranormal power, medical symptoms (such as hallucinations or nausea) and so on.
This category is a catch-all, for any effects that can’t be clearly defined as either stunning or lethal.
Wounds and Effects of Damage
Wounds come in progressive levels of severity, from Superficial to Fatal. The description for each level of wound severity and its effects are explained below.
Superficial Wounds
Any wound from which a character suffers up to 1x HLT in damage points (after subtracting any damage for armor or TGH) is a superficial wound. Superficial wounds include minor cuts, scrapes and bumps.
Superficial wounds do not restrict or reduce the character’s movement, attributes or skills, although they may be painful.
In medical terms, characters suffering from superficial wounds are conscious and comfortable (at least as far as the injury goes), their vital signs are stable and within normal limits, and indicators point toward an excellent recovery. Medical patients suffering from one or more superficial wounds are generally considered in “good condition.”
Light Wounds
Any wound that causes up to 2x HLT in damage points (after subtracting any damage for armor or TGH) is a light wound.
Not exactly superficial damage, but there is little if any chance a character will die from light wounds. The character will lose 1 additional LIF point each day for 1d6 days until stabilized (see Stabilizing).
All Body-based skill rolls are at -1 until the character receives medical aid. This penalty may be ignored for one turn with a successful Tricky WIL attribute roll (TN 15).
In medical terms, characters suffering from superficial wounds are conscious but generally uncomfortable, though their vital signs are stable and within normal limits. Indicators point toward a favorable recovery. Medical patients suffering from one or more light wounds are generally considered in “fair condition.”
Serious Wounds
Any wound that causes up to 3x HLT in damage points (after subtracting any damage for armor or TGH) is a serious wound.
Serious wounds are just that. The character is wounded in such a way that seriously impedes his ability to do anything. Serious wounds include some gunshots, broken limbs, and major burns.
Left untreated, serious wounds can pose a serious health risk from infection, bleeding, and other serious complications. The character will lose 1 additional LIF point each hour until stabilized (see Healing, below).
All Body-based skill rolls are at -3 until the wound is stabilized and then -1 until treated. Any Mind-based skill rolls are at -3 until treated. These penalties may be ignored for one turn with a successful Challenging WIL attribute roll (TN 18).
In medical terms, characters suffering from serious wounds are acutely ill. They may not be conscious, their vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits. Indicators are questionable. Medical patients suffering from a serious wounds are generally considered in “serious condition.”
Critical Wounds
Any single wound causing up to 4x HLT in damage points (after subtracting any damage for armor or TGH) is a critical wound. Critical wounds do not close and will not just stop bleeding. Critical wounds include torn limbs, deep punctures, and lacerations, severe head trauma, and so on.
Critical wounds can be fatal without immediate stabilization and fairly quick medical treatment. A character with a critical wound will lose one additional point of LIF per minute until he is stabilized.
All Body skills are at -6 until stabilized and -3 until treated. Any Mind-based skill rolls are at -6 until treated. These penalties may be ignored for one turn with a successful Challenging WIL attribute roll (TN 18).
In medical terms, characters suffering from critical wounds may not be conscious, their vital signs are unstable and not within normal limits, and indicators are unfavorable. Medical patients suffering from a critical wound are generally considered in “critical condition.”
Fatal Wounds
Any wound from which a character suffers more than 4x the victim’s HLT in damage points (after subtracting any damage for armor or TGH) is a fatal wound. The character will die without immediate aid. Characters suffering from a fatal wound will lose 1 additional LIF point each turn unless stabilized (see Healing, below). Otherwise, treat this as a Critical Wound.
Wound Effects Table
WoundEffects
SuperficialNone.
Light-1 to Body-based skills until medical aid received; -1 LIF per day for 1d6 days unless stabilized.
Serious-3 to Body-based skill rolls until stabilized, then -1 until treated; -3 to Mind-based skill rolls until treated. -1 LIF per hour until stabilized.
Critical-6 to Body-based skill rolls until stabilized, then -3 until treated; -6 to Mind-based skill rolls until treated. -1 LIF per minute until stabilized.
Fatal-1 LIF per turn until stabilized; otherwise, treat as Critical.
Recording Damage
Damage that a character suffers should be marked on the character sheet in the boxes provided. Stunning damage is marked as a slash (“/”) and lethal damage is marked as an “X.”
A character suffers 2 points of lethal damage from a knife cut to the arm and 6 points of stunning damage from a kick to the chest. The damage from the knife wound is recorded on the character sheet as two “Xs” and the wound from the kick as six slashes.
If a character has suffered a total amount of combined stunning and lethal damage to bring his LIF to 0, any subsequent lethal damage should be recorded over (i.e., “replacing”) any stunning damage on the character sheet. Any subsequent stunning damage is treated as lethal damage.
Mike’s character has 20 LIF. During a fight he suffers 12 points of stunning damage and 8 points of lethal damage. Because the combined total of damage is 20, he is unconscious. He is then hit again for 5 points of lethal damage. Mike changes 5 of the slash marks (that indicate stunning damage) to “Xs” (indicating lethal damage).
Healing
There are three basic parts to healing damage sustained by your character. Stabilization prevents the wound from becoming worse; Treatment repairs the damage sustained; Recovery heals the body.
For GMs who want simpler rules for healing, simply ignore the rules for Stabilization and make Treatment optional, relying primarily on Recovery to determine a character’s healing rate. This has the affect of lowering the mortality rate for characters who are seriously injured.
For all First Aid and Physician skill rolls, the following situational modifiers apply. Note that in some settings or genres, some of these situations will not apply (e.g., “ample medical supplies” are simply not available in a medieval setting).
Situational Modifiers
ConditionModifier
Very dirty or unsanitary conditions-2
Makeshift sick bay (a bedroom or office)-1
Improvised equipment and supplies-1
Adequate medical supplies (first aid kit, med-pac)+1
Ample medical supplies (sick bay, hospital)+3
Stabilizing
Stabilizing a patient is the immediate treatment of an injury to prevent worsening of the injury or condition. This could involve setting a compression bandage, immobilizing an extremity (such as putting a splint on a limb with a broken bone), or tightening a tourniquet.
A successful First Aid or Physician roll will stabilize the wound, preventing the loss of any additional LIF, for a period of time. The difficulty of the skill roll is based on the severity of the wound (see the Stabilization Table, below). At the end of this time a new skill roll is required. A failed roll means that the character suffers additional damage, as per the severity of the injury (see Wounds and the Effects of Damage).
Jim’s character has suffered a serious gunshot wound and has already suffered 23 points of damage, reducing his LIF to 2. He will continue to lose LIF points at the rate of 1 point per minute unless he receives medical aid. Luckily Tony’s character has the First Aid skill. Tony makes his First Aid roll, so Jim’s character will not lose any more LIF for that minute. Tony then makes another First Aid roll for the second minute but fails. Jim’s character loses another point of LIF, lowering his score to 1. Tony rolls again for the third minute and succeeds! Fortunately for Tony the paramedics have arrived, who have better First Aid scores and can transport Jim’s character to the hospital for treatment.
Stabilization allows a patient to be moved to a medical facility, whether by ambulance or some other conveyance, for treatment. It would also allow time for a priest to prepare a healing prayer or a late night flight to the Trauma Center in an aerodyne, depending on the genre being played.
Stabilization Table
WoundDifficultyRoll required
SuperficialNo roll requiredNo roll required
LightAverage (TN 12)every day
SeriousTricky (TN 15)every hour
CriticalChallenging (TN 18)every minute
FatalDifficult (TN 21)every turn
Treatment
Treatment is the active part of medicine. The doctor or medic will suture, medicate and repair some of the damage caused by an accident or violent event. This may include surgery to remove foreign objects, pin broken bones, remove dead tissue or toxins, and so on.
Treatment usually occurs within 24 hours; although some types of treatment may take longer, these will not usually have a doctor as an active participant. These include long-term antibiotics, chemotherapy treatments, and the like.
Successful treatment can remove or “heal” up to one half the damage caused by a wound. The time required to properly treat the patient is shown on the Treatment Table below, based on the severity of the wound (note: this is “game time,” not real time). At the end of the time period indicated, the treating character makes a Physician or Surgery skill roll (GM’s discretion), using the target number indicated. Success indicates the patient has been completely stabilized and will not lose any more LIF due to the wound. In addition, for every 2 points of the effect number for the skill roll (rounding up), the patient regains 10% of the lost LIF from the wound, up to a maximum of 50%.
Nick’s character, Doctor Barrett, is working feverishly to save a patient that’s just been brought to the emergency room. The patient has suffered 24 points of Special/Lethal damage from an explosion. Because the wound is a critical wound, Dr. Barrett must spend 2d6 hours working on the patient before Nick can make a Physician roll. The GM rolls 2d6 and gets 5. After 5 hours of game time, Nick must make a Difficult Physician skill roll (TN 21). Nick rolls a total of 24! The patient has been stabilized and will lose no more LIF points due to his injury. In addition, the patient regains 20% of the LIF lost due to that wound.
Treatment Table
WoundDifficultyTime required
SuperficialNo roll requiredNo roll required
LightAverage (TN 12)1d6 minutes
SeriousChallenging (TN 18)1d6 hours
CriticalDifficult (TN 21)2d6 hours
FatalDemanding (TN 24)2d6 hours
Recovery
Recovery is the type of healing that the body does on its own. Characters heal a number of LIF points each healing period equal to their HLT. The rate at which a character heals depends on the reality level of the game or campaign.
Recovery Rate
Damage Type
Campaign levelStunningLethalSpecial
RealisticHourWeekMonth
CinematicMinuteDayWeek
ExtremeTurnDayDay
The Environment
Falling
The amount of damage suffered from a fall depends on the falling object’s velocity when it hits the ground. Damage suffered from a fall is 1d6 for every 2 meters of velocity.
Falling objects gain 10 meters of velocity per second. This is broken down on the chart as an increase of 2 meters/second for every 2 meters fallen. The maximum velocity of a falling object in the Earth’s gravity is 60 meters per second. This is referred to as “terminal velocity.”
Falling damage is Blunt/Lethal damage. Characters may subtract their TGH from any damage sustained before subtracting it from their LIF.
To determine the amount of damage suffered from a fall, simply find the total distance fallen on the first column of the Falling and Velocity Table, then read across that row to the “Random Damage” column. Alternatively, GM’s may use “flat rate” damage for falls to speed things up a bit.
Mary’s character has fallen off the roof of a 6-story building. The GM determines that 6 stories is roughly equal to 24 meters. The GM consults the Falling and Velocity Table and looks at the “Distance Fallen” column until he finds “23-26.” Then he reads across that row to the “Random Damage” column and sees that a 24-meter fall will inflict 9d6 of damage on Mary’s character, who will hit the ground after falling for two seconds (less than a full turn). The GM picks up nine dice and suggests to Mary that she review the rules for using Action Points to avoid damage.
A quick way to estimate damage from a fall is to determine how many seconds long the character is falling and multiply that number by 5, with a maximum of 30. This is the number of dice of damage that the character will suffer when he hits the ground.
Falling and Velocity Table
DistanceVelocityRandomFlat RateTime
fallen(m)(m/sec)DamageDamage(Seconds)Notes/Examples
1-22m/s1d6316-foot ladder
3-44m/s2d66“1-story building
5-66m/s3d69“2-story building
7-88m/s4d612“
9-1010m/s5d615“5-story building
11-1412m/s6d618 2
15-1814m/s7d621 “Mature Oak tree
19-2216m/s8d624“
23-2618m/s9d627“
27-3020m/s10d630“10-story building
31-3622m/s11d6333
37-4224m/s12d636“
43-4826m/s13d639“
49-5428m/s14d642“
55-6030m/s15d645“20-story building
61-6832m/s16d6484
69-7634m/s17d651“
77-8436m/s18d654“
85-9238m/s19d657“
93-10040m/s20d660“Statue of Liberty
101-11042m/s21d6635
111-12044m/s22d666“Giant Redwood tree
121-13046m/s23d669“
131-14048m/s24d672“
141-15050m/s25d675“
151-16252m/s26d6786
163-17454m/s27d681“
175-18656m/s28d684“
187-19858m/s29d687“
199-21060m/s *30d690“Terminal velocity.*
* Terminal velocity (maximum velocity when falling). Increase time by 1 second for each additional 60 meters (or fraction) fallen, but do not increase damage. For objects other than falling objects (e.g., thrown objects, vehicles, etc.), add +1d6 for each additional 2m/s of velocity.
Asphyxiation and Drowning
Conscious characters can hold their breath for (10 x HLT) turns before suffering any negative effects. This number is halved for characters performing even moderately strenuous activity, such as swimming, fighting or otherwise exerting strength. After this time has elapsed, however, the character suffers stunning damage each turn.
Mike’s character has 5 HLT and 32 LIF and has fallen into a lake. Sadly, Mike’s character cannot swim and sinks under water. He can hold his breath for 50 turns before suffering damage, unless he’s panicking and exerting himself, in which case he can hold his breath for only 25 turns.
The amount of stunning damage sustained depends on the character’s level of activity. A passive or calm character suffers 1 point of stunning damage per turn. A character exerting himself suffers 2 points of stunning damage per turn. TGH is not subtracted from this damage.
If a character’s LIF is reduced to 0 due to stunning damage, he is unconscious. If an unconscious character continues being deprived of breathable air, he suffers 1d6 Sp/L damage per turn. Characters who lose all their LIF to lethal damage due to the lack of breathable air have suffocated or drowned. Treat death from drowning as one single Serious wound, with successful stabilization (i.e., a successful First Aid or Physician skill roll) restoring the character’s LIF to one-half its previous level (prior to the “death”).
The Elements
Exposure to the elements can inflict damage on an unprotected character, and prolonged exposure can kill a character.
To determine how much damage an element inflicts, determine its severity, then consult the table below.
All damaging elements can use the same table, as it abstract in nature. The effects of harsh elements is the same, in game terms; only the special effect differs.
Element Damage Table
SeverityDamageExamples
Mild1d6 per dayStranded in desert
Moderate1d6 per hourSandstorm, blizzard
Strong1d6 per minuteExtreme cold
Severe1d6 per turnFire, mild radiation
Extreme1d6 per secondStrong radiation
ElementDamage Type
WindBlunt/Stunning
FireBlunt/Lethal
ElectricityPenetrating/Lethal
RadiationSpecial/Lethal