Chapter 8: Damage, Wounds, and Death

Flat Damage

Weapons and creatures deal fixed damage. No damage dice. AP reduces damage unless an effect ignores AP.

Constitution and HP

Damage reduces Current HP, not Constitution. Wounds can reduce Constitution, which also reduces Maximum HP.

Hitting 0 HP

When a Contractor hits 0 HP:

1. Roll on the Wound Table.
2. Reset Current HP to Maximum HP.
3. Continue acting unless the wound prevents it.

Wound Table Procedure

Roll d100 as 1-100. If the dice show 00, read that as 100. There is no result of 0.

The d100 result determines wound type. The final digit determines wound location. If the final digit is 0, read it as 10 on the location table.

• Lucky results appear only on wound rolls of 1-10. Lucky cancels the wound and grants +5 Motivation.
• Rolls of 91-100 are Maimed results, permanent wounds that require special treatment.
• A roll of 100 is therefore Maimed with location 10.
• A final digit of 0 is read as location 10.
• Location 10 is never Lucky by itself. It points to exposed gear or lets the Foreman choose the most exposed body location.
• Example: a roll of 37 is a Fracture to location 7, the weapon arm. A roll of 100 is Maimed with location 10.

Wound Type

Wound Location

What Every Wound Does

Every non-Lucky wound has three layers:

1. Wound Counter increases by 1. Each active Wound reduces Constitution by 4 and therefore Maximum HP by 4.
2. Body part Stat penalty applies.
3. Wound type effect applies.

When a wound is treated, all three layers are reversed.

Worked Example: Wound Layers

Cinder has Constitution 14 and rolls 37 on the Wound Table: Fracture, weapon arm. The wound counter increases by 1, reducing Constitution and Maximum HP by 4. Cinder's Constitution becomes 10. The weapon arm also applies -2 Dexterity. The Fracture effect gives disadvantage on Skill Checks involving that arm until treated.

When the wound is treated, the wound counter decreases by 1, Constitution and Maximum HP return, the -2 Dexterity penalty ends, and the Fracture effect ends.

Gear Interaction

If the wound location is Back/Pack, Shield Arm, or Weapon Arm and relevant gear is present, the gear may take the wound instead of the body.

When gear absorbs the wound:

• The Wound Counter does not increase.
• The body part Stat penalty does not apply.
• The wound type effect does not apply.
• The gear takes the impact.

A Maimed result destroys that gear permanently. A non-Maimed result causes a fitting gear consequence chosen by the Foreman: dropped weapon, torn pack, broken strap, bent clasp, loosened grip, scattered contents, or similar.

Wound Treatment

Non-Maimed wounds can be treated by:

• Mend + Vitality in combat.
• Camp Treat Wound action.
• Town Leave clinics.

Maimed wounds cannot be removed by normal treatment. They require prosthetics or Coiltech restoration.

Prosthetics

Prosthetics are recovery gear and progression gear. They offset Maimed wound penalties and may become part of a Contractor's identity.

Prosthetics are gear. They can be stolen, damaged, broken, or destroyed.

Prosthetic Naming

Use simple names at the table: Basic Face, Advanced Lower Leg, Coiltech Eyes, Basic Weapon Arm, and so on. The Foreman narrates the construction.

Permanent Death

When a Contractor's maximum Constitution reaches 0 from accumulated wound counters and penalties, the character dies permanently. There is no resurrection and no automatic last-second save.