DAMAGE
When a character hits with a weapon, he or she deals damage according to the type of weapon. Damage is deducted from the target’s current Hit Points or Constitution.
Hit Points vs Constitution
A character’s Constitution is her Health while a character’s Hit Points tell how much punishment she can take before damage affects Constitution/Health. Hit points are based on the character’s class and level, and the character’s Constitution modifier applies.
When a character’s Hit Point total drops to 0, he/she is still conscious, IF a successful System Shock Roll is made at the CURRENT CN score. At this point they will start taking damage directly to their Constitution.
Unless treated CN will begin bleeding out at 1 point per minute in addition to any other damage received,
Each injury that impacts the character’s Constitution/Health will result in a System Shock Roll at the NEW CN level. Success means the character remains conscious and continues to function. Failure means unconsciousness.
When Constitution drops to –CN score the character is dead. Example: A character with 12HP and a CN of 14 will be DEAD at -14 CN The character can sustain 40 points of damage before being irretrievably DEAD.
Blood Loss DOES NOT reduce Hit Points, it only reduces Constitution/Health. Injuries that only result in loss of hit points do not cause sufficient blood loss to be dangerous.
Minimum Weapon Damage
If penalties to damage bring the damage result below 1, a hit still deals 1 point of damage.
Strength Bonus
When a character hits with a melee weapon or thrown weapon, add his or her Strength modifier to the damage.
Off-Hand Weapon: When a character deals damage with a weapon in his or her off hand, add only half of the character’s Strength bonus.
Wielding a Weapon Two-Handed: When a character deals damage with a weapon that he or she is wielding two-handed, add 1.5 times the character’s Strength bonus. However, the character doesn’t get this higher Strength bonus when using a light weapon two-handed; in such a case, only the character’s normal Strength bonus applies to the damage roll.
Gunfire and bullet damage NEVER receives a Strength Bonus!
Critical Hits (See Critical Hits Page for Details.)
When a character makes an attack roll and gets a natural 20 (the d20 shows 20), the character hits regardless of the target’s Defense, and the character has scored a threat of a critical hit.
A Critical Hit means that the BONUS DAMAGE, (Those points derived in the x2 of the original roll.) are applied to the Target’s CONSTITUTION and NOT their Hit Points. If the target’s CN is taken to 0 they are in a Coma. If it is Negative, they are Dead.
To find out if it’s a Critical Hit, you immediately make another attack roll. Situational Modifiers such as Surprise, DO NOT apply for this second roll.
If this roll is a miss, then your hit is just a regular Natural 20 hit and all the doubled damage is applied ONLY to the Target’s Hit Points.
If the roll results in ANOTHER hit against the target’s AC, your original hit is now a Critical Hit. (The critical roll just needs to hit to give you a hit. It doesn’t need to come up 20 again.) And all the Bonus Damage is applied to the Target’s Constitution.
However, IF the second roll is another Natural 20 the damage total is doubled again.
Note: Any damage reductions, due to body armor or such, is factored into the original Damage Roll before any doubling.
See the section on Gun Fights for the effect of Point Blank shots.
Touch Attacks
Some attacks disregard armor. In these cases, the attacker makes a touch attack roll (either a ranged touch attack roll or a melee touch attack roll). The attacker makes his or her attack roll as normal, but a character’s Defense does not include any equipment bonus or armor bonus. All other modifiers, such as class bonus, Dexterity modifier, and size modifier, apply normally.
Impaling vs Cutting vs Crushing
Damage from weapons fall into one of these three categories. Some weapons are capable of doing more then one type of damage and the player must declare which type the character will employ.
For example, a Rapier or Small Sword is a Thrusting/Impaling weapon ONLY. While a Saber may Slash/Cut or Thrust/Impale.
An Axe may Cut with the blade side or Crush with the back side.
A club, hammer or a brick does Crushing Damage.
Bullets and pellets are ALWAYS Impaling damage
Impaling attacks do not benefit as much from Strength as cutting and crushing do. In an impaling attack with a dagger or rapier (for example) only one half of the characters Damage Bonus from Strength rounded down, or 1 point (which ever is greater) is applied. However, damage from Impaling attacks to the Torso (Vital Organs) are multiplied by 1.5 (Weapon Damage + 1/2 ST Bonus x 1.5) Bullets and shot do Impaling Damage.
Damage to Limbs DO NOT receive this bonus.
NOTE Guns NEVER get Strength bonuses factored into their damage.
Cutting or Slashing attacks do receive the full Strength bonus the character may have and this applies to any parts struck. When attacking a limb with a cutting attack, on a roll of a Natural 20 there is a 50% chance of completely severing the limb. If the attack is a Critical Hit the limb is automatically severed! Even if the limb is not severed it will be maimed and useless until properly healed.
Crushing attacks receive full Strength bonuses. A Critical Hit to a limb with Crushing damage causes the bones to be shattered and the limb rendered useless until healed.