Damage


Damage

 

Damage from a successful strike is determined by taking the weapon damage value being used and multiplying by the strike result from the action table. If the attack, for instance, is a with a weapon value of 1, and the table result says they scored a Light (L) effect for damage, then you multiply the weapon by 1, which nets 1 point of damage.

 

If the weapon was a 2 and the result on the table was Heavy (H) then the damage done would be 2 * 3 = 6 wound points. The exact multiplier for each strike result is on the code chart under the action table, but basically range from a 1* to a 5*. No attribute directly modifies damage, attributes instead modify the chance to hit and expand the range of success (and thus the seriousness of the strike and its damage in a subtler way).

 

Unless a special strike effect is listed, such as ‘R’, the damage done is reduced by the armor that the target is wearing. (Hits with an ‘R’ manage to miss the armor coverage of the character).

 

Other special strike effects can occur from the action table results and these have the following effects, no matter whether the actual damage gets thru the listed armor value of the target:

 

D = Disarmed. The target loses their weapon, shield, object in their hand or some piece of equipment (determined by the GM). This could even include loss of their armor, from cutting a crucial strap or fastener. The item may be broken in the process. This can occur while otherwise getting an ‘avoided’ result, as the target had to sacrifice their weapon or otherwise lost equipment getting out of the way of the attack.

 

$ = Limb/Joint Strike. One of the limbs or one of the joints of such has taken specific damage to it. This reduces the target’s ability to react to dodge, block or otherwise avoid physical attacks by giving them a -1 Rank (-5%) to their defense and weapon attack success chances from this point on in the combat. If no actual wound was taken, then this damage will cease to count against them after the combat is over, otherwise it will last until the wounds are healed. Limb strikes will add up, so if you take multiples of these then the rank loss get added together until they are healed.

 

(To make tracking easy, the GM should have cards prepared to place in front of the players showing their current limb strike penalty, rather than have players track this on character sheets. This is a simple tool and eliminates paperwork during a game, a key goal of these rules. This could also be applied to other states such as P, S or K)

 

P = Prone. The Target has been knocked off balance, and may be prone on the ground or in a similarly awkward position. They will be at ½ their usual defensive percentage value until they spend an action to reorient themselves (if they have not acted this round they can do it on their initiative, otherwise they must wait until their next initiative).

 

S = Stunned. The target hit has had the wind knocked out of them, taken some damage to the head or otherwise been staggered by the strike. If the target has not yet acted this round then they cannot act this round. If they were holding action, they lose their held action. Until the character’s next initiative on the next round they are at defense zero, and rolls to hit and damage them are made on the first column of defense on the Action Table.

 

K = Knocked Out. Presuming the target is alive (if not then ignore this result) the target is knocked unconscious by the strike. An unconscious target will probably remain so until after the combat is over (getting a Fitness roll to wake up once a minute after the fight). Unconscious characters cannot act or defend. Someone with medical skills could try to wake an unconscious character during the fight (or afterwards) and there are spells that might wake them up similarly.

 

! = Instant Kill. No matter the damage infliction, this attack has managed to kill the target. A target killed this way cannot be revived by any medical means. There is rumor that divine intervention might allow a revival of a target killed this way (if living) but that’s pretty darn rare in most places.

 

The GM may also have their own interpretations of these to apply, if they so choose to add to the complexity of the system.

 

See Also the rules on Arms and Armor, Falling, Healing, Poison, Rapid Aging, Weapons List