Damage

If a hit is scored, the final outcome of the attack roll is the amount of base damage dealt to the target. This amount is increased by the damage bonus.

There is normally no bonus to damage for Unarmed attacks; most people come out of a brawl with only cosmetic damage.

Melee weapons grant a +2 bonus to damage. This is relatively static regardless of the weapon used (a battle axe and a knife deal the same damage, as one assumes a single, ponderous blow, the other a series of stab wounds in the same amount of time). A particularly weak or impractical weapon may grant a bonus of +1, or none at all.

Most Ranged attacks give a bonus of +3 to damage. Much like melee weapons, the difference between a pistol, rifle, or crossbow is more a matter of range and capacity than difference in damage results.

Very large Ranged weapons may have a higher damage bonus. A heavy machine gun such as an M2 provides a damage bonus of +4.

The damage bonus for Melee and Unarmed attacks is increased by 1 for each point of Physique above 2. Thus, a Professional Physique increases the damage bonus by 1, an Expert Physique increases the damage bonus by 2, and a Master Physique — such as that possessed by many monsters — increases it by 3. A Legendary Physique, possessed by some supernatural creatures, increases the damage bonus by 4.

Armor is subtracted after damage is determined. For example, if you take 2 levels of damage and are wearing 1 point of armor, you take 1 level of damage. Other modifiers may apply to damage as well.

Note that damage modifiers do not affect the chance of scoring a hit, since they are not applied unless a hit is scored.

If you are already injured and are wounded again, the damage is added to your existing damage.

Wound Levels

Injuries have the following effects.

1) Negligible: Cosmetic damage only.
2) Light: -1 to all rolls.
3) Moderate: -2 to move; -1 to all other rolls.
4) Serious: -2 to all rolls; cannot run.
5) Critical: -3 to all rolls; cannot walk. Physique checks every hour; on failure, drop to Terminal.
6) Terminal: Actions not possible. Physique checks every minute; on failure, drop to Mortal.
7) Mortal: Die at the end of the turn.

Example of Combat

Bob and Adam decide to kill each other. Bob draws his pistol and opens fire; Adam draws his knife and leaps to the attack.

They roll initiative. Bob ends up with an initiative of 4, while Adam has an initiative of 6. Adam is faster, so Bob must declare his action first. (Bob reacts more slowly and telegraphs his movements, so Adam is able to evaluate Bob and determine what he is doing.) Bob declares that he is shooting at Adam twice.

Adam stabs at Bob. He could attack multiple times with a penalty equal to his total number of actions, but he decides to attack only once.

Bob has Evasion, so he has the option to change one or both of his actions to a dodge or parry. He decides to dodge once and fire once.

Adam makes his attack. He rolls a 2, and adds +3, since he has Melee at Professional, for a total of 5. Bob rolls a 3 on his dodge, and adds +3, since he has a Professional Physique, giving him a 6. He would successfully dodge, but he must apply a -2 penalty because he is taking two actions, so his final result is 4. Adam hits, but just barely (Adam's outcome of 5 - Bob's outcome of 4 = 1).

Because Adam hit, he can now add his damage bonus. The base damage bonus for a melee weapon is +2. Because he has a Professional Physique, Adam's damage bonus is increased by 1. Adam's player consults his character sheet and sees that a damage bonus of +3 is noted on Adam's equipment list next to his knife. Thus, Adam deals 4 levels of damage to Bob — or he would if Bob didn't have armor. Bob does have 1 point of armor, so the damage is reduced to 3. The GM rules that Adam stabs Bob's right leg. Bob is now Moderately Wounded, with a gash on his leg; he has a penalty of -2 to movement and -1 to all other rolls.

It is now Bob's turn. He spent one action to dodge, but has one action remaining. Bob is getting desperate; the fight is not going well for him. Because his pistol is fully automatic, he has the option to fire a single shot, a 3-round burst, or full auto. Adam is right in front of him; Bob opens up at point-blank range on full auto, spraying Adam with the entire clip. Bob is now out of ammunition. (If he had a very large clip, he might be able to fire on full auto while emptying only half the clip.)

Bob rolls for his attack and gets a -1. He has Ranged Combat at Professional, so he adds +3. He is firing at full auto at point blank range, so he receives another +2. He is Moderately Wounded, so he suffers a -1 penalty. His outcome is 3. Adam is not dodging, so Bob's attack is a hit. Firearms provide a damage bonus of +3 (as is notated on Bob's equipment list next to his pistol), and Adam is wearing 1 point of armor, so Adam takes 5 levels of damage. He is Critically Wounded; he cannot walk and suffers -3 to all actions.

The turn has ended, so Adam and Bob roll initiative. Bob gets an initiative of 4, after subtracting his Wound Penalty of -1. Adam must subtract his -3 Wound Penalty and ends up with an initiative of 1.

Adam must declare his action first. He decides to go all out; he makes a single attack against Bob, stabbing desperately with his knife. Bob takes two actions, dodging and scurrying back out of range. He knows Adam can't walk, so he decides to get out of range and gun down Adam at his leisure.

Adam slashes at Bob. He gets lucky and rolls a 2. His Professional Melee provides a +3 bonus, but his Wound Penalty subtracts 3, so he ends up with a 2. Bob dodges and rolls a -1. His Professional Physique provides a +3 bonus, and his Wound Penalty subtracts 1, leaving him with a 1. He almost manages to dodge, but not quite. Since Adam hit, he can add his damage bonus of +3. After subtracting Bob's 1 armor point, Adam deals 3 levels of damage. Adam slashes Bob's chest, leaving a deep gash.

Bob previously had 3 levels of damage; he now has 5. He is Critically Wounded. He cannot walk and is at -3 to all actions. However, his Physique check to move away from Adam is successful. Bob has withdrawn from melee range; Adam will no longer be able to slash at him.

Bob ends up with an initiative of 3 – pretty good considering his injuries. Adam rolls a 4 and scores a critical success; he wins initiative.

Bob decides that Adam is no longer a serious threat and declares that he will reload. Adam decides that this is his last chance, and throws his knife at Bob. Bob has Evasion and changes his action to a dodge, but rolls a botch; his attempt to dodge is ineffective.

Adam gets a 2, adds his +3 Melee bonus, and subtracts his -3 Wound Penalty, leaving him with a 2. He adds his +3 damage bonus and subtracts Bob's 1 armor point, dealing 4 levels of damage. Bob drops to the ground, dead.

Adam then crawls away to look for help. If he doesn't find it, he may still die …

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