Combat 2: WoundsPart 2 of the combat section deals with managing wounds and healing. 4.5 WoundsFUDGE offers various methods of tracking wounds, with many options. It is impossible to be 100% accurate when simulating damage to such an intricate mechanism as a living being. This is true even for detailed simulations - for an abstract role-playing game, it is hard to get close to reality at all. Consequently, many GMs don't try to be very accurate, and want a simple system that works and lets the story flow. Others want as much accuracy as they can get. FUDGE presents a simple freeform system that works, and suggests some options to make it more mechanical, and encourages each GM to add as much detail as she is happy with. 4.51 Wounds LevelsCombat damage to a character can be described as being at one of seven stages of severity. The stages are: Undamaged: no wounds at all. The character is not necessarily healthy - he may be sick, for example. But he doesn't have a combat wound that's recent enough to be bothering him. Just A Scratch: no real game effect, except to create tension. This may eventually lead to being Hurt if the character is hit again. This term comes from the famous movie line, "I'm okay, it's only a scratch." The actual wound itself may be a graze, bruise, cut, abrasion, etc., and the GM whose game is more serious in tone may choose to use one of these terms instead. Hurt: the character is wounded significantly, enough to slow him down: -1 to all traits which would logically be affected. A Hurt result in combat can also be called a Light Wound. Very Hurt: the character is seriously hurt, possibly stumbling: -2 to all traits which would logically be affected. A Very Hurt result can also be called a Severe Wound. Incapacitated: the character is so badly wounded as to be incapable of any actions, except possibly dragging himself a few feet every now and then or gasping out an important message. A lenient GM can allow an Incapacitated character to perform such elaborate actions as opening a door or grabbing a gem . . . Near Death: the character is not only unconscious, he'll die in less than an hour - maybe a *lot* less - without medical help. No one recovers from Near Death on their own unless very lucky. Dead: he has no more use for his possessions, unless he belongs to a culture that believes he'll need them in the afterlife . . . The GM may expand or contract these stages. For example, expand Hurt and Very Hurt to Light Wound, Moderate Wound and Severe Wound. In this case, a Severe Wound might be -3 to all actions - or the GM might leave it at -2, make Moderate Wound = -1, and make Light Wound something in between a Scratch and Moderate Wound. That is, maybe a Light Wound causes no penalty during combat (you don't notice such a slight wound in the heat of battle), but after combat the character will be at -1 to all skills until it's healed (such wounds can be annoying later). The GM may allow a high Difficulty Level Willpower roll to reduce or even nullify penalties listed at Hurt, Very Hurt, and possibly Incapacitated. A gift of a High Pain Threshold will reduce the penalties by one level, while a fault of a Low Pain Threshold will increase penalties by one. Automatic Death: sometimes you don't have to roll the dice. Holding a knife to a helpless character's throat is a good example - no roll needed to kill such a character, but the killer's karma suffers. 4.53 Wounds FactorsWhen determining how wounded a character is when hit in combat, take into consideration all of the following factors: 1) The relative degree the attack succeeded by - the better the hit, the greater likelihood of damage. Winning a combat round with a relative degree of +1 means you probably hit where the opponent is most heavily armored. Scoring a hit with a +3 finds a chink in the armor. 2) The strength of the blow. For muscle-powered weapons, such as melee weapons, unarmed attacks, bows, slings, etc., this is determined by the attacker's Strength attribute: stronger folks tend to hit harder. The relative Scale modifier is also figured in here. For things like guns, beam weapons, etc., it is relative to the nature of the weapon: a .38 usually does more damage than a .22. The technological level of the weapon can be important. 3) The deadliness of the attacker's weapon. Big weapons tend to do more damage than little weapons; sharp weapons rip tissue more than dull ones, but blunt weapons can cause concussive damage through armor thick enough to stop a sharp weapon. People trained in Karate tend to do more damage than those untrained in any martial art. 4) The defender's armor. People wearing thicker armor, and more of it, tend to get hurt less than those wearing no armor. Armor can be finely differentiated, or simply said to be Light, Medium, or Heavy armor. Science fiction scenarios will have Extra-Heavy armor, and even further levels. Fantasy campaigns may include magic armor that offers even greater protection, sometimes specific against certain types of damage. 5) The amount of damage the victim can soak up (Robustness, Damage Capacity, or Mass). Big, healthy guys can take more damage before collapsing than little, sickly guys. But it's your call if it's a big, sickly fighter against a little, healthy fellow. Some weapons are more effective against some types of armour. Armour and weapons have been divided into three groups to simulate this. Weapons do full damage against matching armour, half damage against armour one lever heavier, and no damage against armour two levels better, except on a critical hit:
Bare fists, small knives and other very small weapons have no rating - they will do half-damage against light armour and none against any heavier. 4.54 Sample Wounds Factors ListFor those who prefer numerical values, here are some suggested numbers to attach to the factors listed in the previous section. These may be customized to taste, of course, and are only offered as a starting point. If used, they should be written down on the character sheet at character creation (probably with the weapons and armor), so as to be readily available during combat. Offensive factors:For Character's Strength (muscle-powered weapons only): +3 for Superb Strength +2 for Great Strength +1 for Good Strength +0 for Fair Strength -1 for Mediocre Strength -2 for Poor Strength -3 for Terrible Strength Add the attacker's Strength Scale (see Section 4.68, Non-human Scale in Combat). Note: the attacker's Strength Scale is relevant only for muscle-powered weapons and for those projectile weapons scaled to the attacker's size, such as miniature bazookas or giant-sized handguns. A superhero of Scale 10 using an ordinary pistol would *not* figure his Scale into the Offensive Damage Modifier.
For Weapon's Strength (Guns, Crossbows, Beam weapons, etc.,):
For Muscle-Powered Weapons: -1 no weapon, not using a Unarmed Fighting skill. +0 Unarmed fighting skill, or for small weapons (blackjack, knife, brass knuckles, sling, thick boots if kicking, etc.) +1 medium-sized impact weapons or small edged weapons (mace, shortsword, bodkin arrow, narrow-bladed spear). +2 larger impact weapons/medium-sized edged weapons (longsword, axe, broad-bladed spears, poleaxe, broadhead arrow etc.) +3 larger edged weapons/very heavy impact weapons (two-handed sword, battleaxe, etc.). +1 for sharpness (add to other weapon damage: knife becomes +1, shortsword +2, broadsword +3, greatsword +4, etc.). Note: For a less lethal game, subtract 1 from each type of weapon except sharpness. (This will lengthen combats.) [Note: the value of a shield may be subtracted from the opponent's skill - see Section 4.31, Melee Modifiers.] Defensive factors:For Armor: +1 for light, pliable non-metal armor: Leather, Heavy cloth +2 for heavy, rigid non-metal armor: Scale mail, Cuirbouille +2 for light metal armor: Chain mail +3 for medium metal armor: Coat-of-plates +4 for heavy metal armor: Plate mail Note: magical armor may add anywhere from +1 to whatever the GM will allow to any given armor type above.
For Defender's Mass Scale:
4.55 Determining Wound LevelA given blow will cause a certain level of wounding. In the simplest wound determination system, the GM assesses all of the Wound Factors (Section 4.53) and announces how bad the wound is. (In some cases, however, the PCs won't know the precise degree of damage. In those cases, the GM can simply say, "You think you wounded her, but she's still on her feet," or, "You don't notice any effect.") As an example, the GM thinks to herself, "Okay, the fighter with Good Strength just scored a Great hit with a broadsword. The loser rolled a Fair combat roll, has Good Damage Capacity and heavy leather armor. Hmm - I'll say the Strength and Damage Capacity cancel each other, while the sharp sword should be able to penetrate the leather armor if the blow is good enough. A Great hit against a Fair defense is enough, but not really massive: I'd say the loser is Hurt." This result would then be announced to the loser of the combat round. The GM can also use a Situational roll to help her. Roll the dice behind a GM screen, and let the result guide you. A roll of -1 to +1 isn't significant - no change from what you decided. But a roll of +3 or +4 adds a wound level or two to the damage. See Section 4.57, Recording Wounds, for details on how to keep track of wounds received. That system, while simple and satisfying to a certain type of GM, doesn't do much for those who prefer the system detailed in Section 4.54, Sample Wound Factors List. There's no point in figuring out the offensive and defensive factors if you don't do something with the numbers. One system that uses the offensive and defensive factors requires finding the *total damage factor*. This is derived by adding up all the attacker's offensive factors and then subtracting all the defender's factors.
Example, Leroy vs. Theodora:Leroy:
Theodora:
Leroy's total damage factor against Theodora is 4-2 = 2.
Since Theodora's damage factor is larger, if she hits him, she'll do more damage to him than he would to her for an equally well-placed blow. Once these numbers are determined, jot them down so you don't have to refigure them each combat round. This system requires each character sheet to have a wound record track which looks like:
The numbers above the wound levels represent the amount of damage needed in a single blow to inflict the wound listed under the number. For example, a blow of three or four points Hurts the character, while a blow of five or six points inflicts a Very Hurt wound. These numbers can be customized by the GM to fit her conception of how damage affects people. Raising the numbers makes it harder to wound someone, while lowering them makes combat more deadly. Note that there is no number given for Dead. This is left up to the GM, and deliberately not included to prevent accidental PC death. However, you can't simply use the damage factor you determined above - relative degree is also important. A relative degree of +1 is treated as a *graze* - see Section 4.56, Grazing. Otherwise, simply add the relative degree to the damage factor. (You may also wish to include a damage roll - see Section 4.61, Damage Die Roll.) The result is a number that may or may not be a positive number. If it's 0 or less, no damage is scored. If the number is positive, look up the result across the top of the wound levels, and figure the wound as described above. If Leroy hits Theodora with a relative degree of +2, he adds that to his damage potential of +2 to produce a damage number of four. Looking down, we see that a result of four is a Hurt result (Light Wound). Theodora is Hurt, and at -1 until she is healed. For more detail, see Section 4.7, Combat and Wounding Example. There are other ways to figure damage. A GM who believes the relative degree is more important than the damage factor would double it before adding it to the damage factor. The numbers above the wound levels should be adjusted in this case:
This is a satisfying system that is recommended for those who don't mind doubling relative degree. Others feel Strength is more important, and so on. A totally different wounding system is given in Section 4.63, Min-Mid-Max Die Roll. Many others have been proposed for FUDGE over the years, and it would be easy to import one from another game system. Use what you feel comfortable with. 4.56 GrazingAny relative degree of +1 can do at most a GM-set Wound level (plus any Scale difference). It may do no damage at all, depending on the opponent's defensive factors: a fist hitting plate mail won't hurt the armored knight in the slightest - unless it's a giant's fist. Sample graze severity table:
A GM may or may not allow a damage die roll on a graze, even if using the die rolls for other hits. If allowed, a damage roll shouldn't change the result of a graze by more than one level. Scale difference is a little trickier to figure, but it should be minimized for such a narrow victory: a giant's club could give a human a glancing blow that might inflict a Very Hurt result, but not necessarily Incapacitate. On the other hand, a tiger biting a mouse with a relative degree of +1 grazes the mouse as a cow grazes grass... 4.57 Recording WoundsOnce the final damage is determined, it is recorded on the wounded fighter's character sheet. Each individual wound is described as a Scratch, Hurt (Light Wound), etc., as introduced in Section 4.51, Wound Levels. A more detailed method requires a space on the character sheet to record wounds. This would look like:
The numbers above the wound levels are discussed in Section 4.55, Determining Wound Level. The boxes below the wound levels represent how many of each wound type a fighter can take. When a wound is received, mark off the appropriate box. Example: A character takes a Very Hurt result in the first round of combat. The character sheet would then look like:
This character is at -2 to all skills since he's Very Hurt. If he then received a Hurt result, he would check it off like so:
This character is still at -2 to all skills. The Hurt result is not cumulative with the Very Hurt result; only the penalty for the highest recorded wound level counts. If there is no open box for a given wound result, the character takes the next highest wound for which there *is* an open box. If the character above, for example, takes another Hurt result, we see that there is no open box in either Hurt or Very Hurt, so we have to go to Incapacitated: the character is now incapacitated, and the sheet would look like:
Note that an "H" is recorded under the Incapacitated label. The character is indeed Incapacitated - he can't fight any more - but for healing (and scarring) purposes, he has only received two Hurt wounds and one Very Hurt wound - never an Incapacitating wound in one blow. Since Incapacitating blows are harder to heal from, this is important. As another example, a character that takes two Very Hurt results without taking any other hits is Incapacitated, since that is the next highest wound level. Note that three boxes are provided under Scratch. This can be customized by each GM, of course. A Scratch wound will not make a fighter Hurt until he receives his fourth Scratch. Optionally, a Scratch will never raise a character's wound level beyond Very Hurt, no matter how many he takes. The GM should not to use this rule when the PCs fight a moster of huge Scale. Otherwise, they'd never be able to kill such a creature when the worst wound they can inflict is a Scratch. The wound progression above makes for a fairly realistic campaign. For a more cinematic campaign (especially those without magic or science fiction healing), add an extra box for Scratch, Hurt, and possibly Very Hurt: lesser blows won't accumulate so quickly to hinder the character. A moderately cinematic character sheet looks like:
It wouldn't be out of line, for an epic scale game, to add up to two more boxes to Hurt and Very Hurt. Be warned that adding boxes can lengthen combat significantly. Never add boxes for cannon-fodder NPCs, though you may wish to do so for major NPCs. In fact, NPC pawns don't even need the system above. A simple three-stage system of Undamaged, Hurt, Out of the Battle is good enough for most of them. Simply make a mark under an NPC's name for Hurt, and cross out the name for Out of the Battle. 4.58 Non-human Scale in CombatThe attacker's Strength Scale is added to his offensive damage factors, and the defender's Mass Scale is added to her defensive damage factors. If you have combat with beings weaker than humans, remember what you learned in school about adding and subtracting negative numbers . . . Armor and weapons affect the damage done normally, since they are scaled to the folks using them. Hits become Scratches, Hurt, etc., as usual - see Section 4.55, Determining Wound Level. However, an extremely small character is not likely to be able to wound a large one in the numerical value wounding system. The GM may allow a point or two of damage to penetrate if the small character gets a critical success. Poison-tipped arrows and lances are also a possibility: the small character can aim for joints in the armor and merely has to break the skin to inject the poison. Also, this system treats Mass Scale like armor, which isn't quite accurate. In reality, a small opponent may be slowly carving the larger fighter up, but each wound is too petty, relative to the large scale, to do much damage by itself. To reflect a lot of small wounds gradually inflicting a hit on a large-scale foe, allow a damage roll when Scale prevents a hit from doing any damage - that is, when Scale is the only difference between getting a Scratch and no damage at all. See Section 4.61, Damage Die Roll. There are also "scale piercing" weapons, such as whale harpoons and elephant guns. These don't have massive damage numbers: instead, if they hit well, simply halve the Scale value, or ignore it all together. Of course, if such a weapon is used on a human, it would indeed have a massive damage modifier . . .
Combat ExamplesIn the following examples, each fighter's Strength Scale equals his own Mass Scale, but not his opponent's. (E.g., Wilbur's Strength is Scale 0 and his Mass is Scale 0.) Also, it is assumed the GM is not using the optional damage roll, which could vary damage in all three combats discussed.First example: Wilbur, a human knight with a sword, is attacking a dragon. Wilbur's offensive damage factor is a respectable +6:
The dragon's defensive damage factor is +8:
If Wilbur hits the dragon with a relative degree of +3, he does 3-2 = one point of damage. Given his Strength, weapon, and the amount he won by, this would be a severe blow to a human, even one wearing armor. But this is no human opponent. Only one point get through the dragon's Scale and tough hide. The GM checks off a Scratch for the dragon, and the fight continues. Since there are three Scratch boxes for a major NPC, Wilbur will have to do this thrice more before he finally Hurts the dragon. He may need help, or have to go back for his magic sword. Second example: Sheba, a human warrior, has just kicked McMurtree, a wee leprechaun. Sheba's offensive damage factor = +1:
(Sheba's martial art skill normally earns her a +0 to damage, and boots normally earns a +0. The GM rules that using both together allows a +1, however.) McMurtree's defensive damage factor is -3:
If Sheba wins the first combat round with a relative degree of +2 she scores a total of 4+2 = six points. McMurtree's player looks up six on the wound table on his character sheet: Very Hurt - he's at -2 for the next combat round, and in grave danger if she hits again. Third example: McMurtree's friend, Fionn, now swings his shillelagh (oak root club) at Sheba's knee. Fionn's offensive damage factor is -1:
Sheba's defensive damage factor is +2:
If Fionn wins by +3, a solid blow, he adds -3+3 = 0. Unfortunately for Fionn, she takes no damage from an excellently placed hit. Fionn had better think of some other strategy, quickly. Fortunately for Fionn, he knows some magic, and if he can dodge just one kick from Sheba, she'll learn the hard way why it's best not to antagonize the Wee folk . . . 4.6 Wound OptionsThis section introduces some of the simpler options for determining wounds. Many others are possible in FUDGE, and this list should not be considered official or exhaustive. They are included for possible use, but also to inspire the GM to create her own. 4.61 Damage Die RollAlthough the damage roll is optional, it is recommended if you are using numerical damage factors. This is because the damage factors are generally fixed for the entire fight, and things tend to get stagnant. It also allows a tiny fighter to have a chance against a larger foe - a satisfying result. There are many possible ways to use a damage die roll. One could roll a single FUDGE die for a result of -1, 0, or +1. This can be added to the damage factor, or, more broadly, to the actual wound level. For example, if a fighter inflicts 4 points of damage, that is normally a Hurt result. If a +1 on 1dF is rolled, however, that can make the result +5 (if adding to the damage factor), which brings it up to Very Hurt result. However, a -1 wouldn't change the wound: it would lower the result to 3, which is still a Hurt result. But if the GM is using 1dF to alter the wound *level*, then a -1 changes the result to a Scratch, since that's one wound level below Hurt. Instead of a separate damage roll, one could simply use the die rolls used to resolve the Opposed action. If the attacker wins with an even roll (-4, -2, 0, +2, +4), add one to his offensive factor. If he wins with an odd result (-3, -1, +1, +3), his offensive factor is unchanged. Do the same for the defender, except it affects his defensive factor. This system will help the defender 25% of the time, the attacker 25% of the time, and won't affect the damage results at all 50% of the time. Example: the defender loses the combat round, but rolls his trait level exactly (die roll of 0): he adds one to his defensive damage factor. The attacker wins with a die roll of +3: his offensive damage factor is unchanged. The final damage number is reduced by one - the defender, although losing the round, managed to dodge left as the attacker thrust a bit to the right, perhaps. He may still be wounded, but he got his vital organs out of the way of the blow. This system could also be applied to the wound *level* instead of the damage factor. A more complicated system uses a Situational roll (result from -4 to +4, not based on any trait), and adds it to the calculated damage number (the number over the wound level), as found in Section 4.55, Determining Wound Level. Negative final damage is treated as 0 damage. The GM may wish to apply some limitations to the damage roll, to restrict too wild a result. For example:
1) If the calculated damage is positive, the damage roll cannot exceed the calculated damage. That is, if the calculated damage is +2, any damage roll of +3 or +4 is treated as +2, for a total of four points of damage.
First Example: The calculated damage is round to be -2 due to armor and Scale. It would take a +3 or +4 die roll to inflict a wound on the defender in this case, and then only one ooint of calculated damage: a Scratch. Second Example: The calculated damage is +2 (a Scratch). A damage roll of +2 to +4 results in final damage of four points, since calculated damage cannot be more than doubled by a damage roll. A damage roll of +1 results in final damage of three points, while a damage roll of 0 results in two points of final damage. Any negative die roll results in one point of final damage, since a positive calculated damage cannot be reduced below one by a damage roll. For simplicity, of course, the GM can simply ignore the limitations, and allow the damage roll to be anywhere from -4 to +4, let the chips fall where they may . . . Many other damage die rolls are possible - these are only given as examples to the GM. 4.62 Stun, Knockout, and pulling PunchesA player can announce that his character is trying to stun or knock his opponent out rather than damage her. Using the flat of a blade instead of the edge, for example, can accomplish this. Damage is figured normally, but any damage inflicted doesn't wound the opponent: it stuns her instead. In this case, a Hurt result is called a "Stun" - a stunned character cannot attack or all-out defend, and is at -1 to defend *for one combat turn only.* However, the Stun result stays on the character sheet: that is, a second Stun result, even if delivered more than one combat round after the first, will cause the character to become Very Stunned. (Stun results heal like Scratches: *after* combat is over.) A Very Hurt result in a stunning attack is called a Very Stunned result instead: no attacks and -2 to all actions for *two* combat rounds. A result of Incapacitated or worse when going for stun damage results in a knockout. A knocked-out character doesn't need healing to recuperate to full health - just time. (Only a harsh GM would roll for the possibility of brain damage - this is fiction, not reality.) The GM may simply decide that a successful Good blow (or better) to the head knocks someone out automatically. In an Opposed action, the Good blow would also have to win the combat, of course. Likewise, a player may choose to have his character do reduced damage in any given attack. This is known as "pulling your punch," even if you are using a sword. This commonly occurs in duels of honor, where it is only necessary to draw "first blood" to win, and killing your opponent can get you charged with murder. A Scratch will win a "first blood" duel - it is not necessary to Hurt someone. To pull your punch, simply announce the maximum wound level you will do if you are successful. A fencer can say he is going for a Scratch, for example. In this case, even if he wins the Opposed action by +8, and adds in +3 for his sword, the worst he can do is nick his foe. He was just trying for a Scratch - but the Scratch is probably in the shape of the letter "Z" with such a result! 4.63 Min-Mid-Max Die RollThis system of wound determination does not pretend to be a realistic method, and can produce some wildly varying results. But it's quick, easy, and lots of fun, and so works well in a certain style of gaming. This system requires 3d6 for a damage roll, even if using 4dF for action resolution. Overview: roll 3d6 when a damage roll is called for. You will probably only read one of the dice, however: either the lowest value (Min), median value (Mid) or highest value (Max), depending on damage factor and relative degree. The greater the damage factor and/or relative degree, the greater the d6 you read for result. If using the Min-Mid-Max system, use the wound track on the character sheet listed in Section 4.57, Recording Wounds:
The offensive and defensive damage factors listed in Section 4.54, Sample Wound Factors List, are used. However, they are not added to the relative degree. Instead, simply derive the total damage factor as normal: (attacker's Strength + Scale + weapon) minus (defender's Damage Capacity + Scale + armor). Each player should jot down this number once it is known for the combat. Before the game begins, the GM decides how important the damage factor and relative degree are in determining wound severity. The following table is recommended as a starting point; the GM can adjust it as she sees fit:
A damage factor of three, for example, has a die-reading bonus of +1, while a relative degree of three has a die-reading bonus of 0. The GM may charge a -2 penalty if the damage factor is well below 0 (-5 or worse). Since the graze rules are used unchanged with this system, there is no listing for relative degree less than two. Add the bonus for damage factor with the bonus for relative degree to get a final bonus. Example: a character has a damage factor of +3 (bonus: +1) and a relative degree of +5 (bonus: +1). His total bonus for that round of combat is +2. What do these bonuses represent? A total "bonus" of less than 0 means no damage is possible - don't even roll the dice. Otherwise, locate the total bonus on the following table:
Min = lowest die.
The median is the value in the middle. This may be the same as the highest or lowest, as in a roll of 2, 4, 4: the Min = 2, the Mid = 4, and the Max = 4. A roll of triples means Min = Mid = Max. (Please read the median *value* - not necessarily the die that is physically between the other two on the table.) Once you have determined which die to read, compare it with the numbers above the wound levels. With a roll of 1, 3, 5, for example, the Min die = 1 (a Scratch result), the Mid die = 3 (a Hurt result), and the Max die = 5 (a Very Hurt result). You would only read one of these results, however - not all three. With three or more bonuses, add the appropriate dice as listed on the table. For results beyond nine, the GM is free to kill the recipient outright, or merely keep it as a Near Death result, as called for by the situation. The tables are not meant to be intrusive, merely guidelines. The basic intent is to read the Mid if the attacker has *either* a decent damage factor *or* a decent relative degree; to read the Min if he has neither; and to read the Max if he has both. All other values are derived from that simple idea. So the GM can ignore all the tables, and with that idea in mind, just fudge which die to read. For example, a GM might say, "Whoa! You just hit him across the forehead as he backed into a bucket left by the hastily fleeing janitor. Nice shot - he topples over onto his back. For damage, roll 3d6 and read the Max!" This would have come out of a descriptive game, in which the players describe their characters' actions in great detail. Example of the Min-Mid-Max system: Valorous Rachel is fighting the villainous Archie. Both are Scale 0, so Scale won't be mentioned. Rachel:
So Rachel's damage factor is 2-2 = 0. She gets no bonus. Archie's damage factor is 6-2 = 4. He gets +1 bonus, according to the table above. On the first round, Rachel wins by +2, whacking Archie across the ribs. Relative degree +2 doesn't get any bonus (and she has none from her damage factor), so Rachel will read the Min. She rolls 3d6 and gets lucky: a 3, 5, and 6. The Min is a 3: she Hurts Archie, who is now at -1 and checks off his Hurt box. On the second round, Archie manages to win with a graze: +1 relative degree. Do not even calculate a bonus in this case - use the graze rule unchanged from Section 4.56, Grazing. His damage factor is only four, so he scores a Scratch on Rachel. On the third round, Archie does very well: he wins by +4 as Rachel backs into a chair! He now gets two bonuses, one from his damage factor and one from his relative degree: he will read the Max die. But Archie's karma is in serious need of overhaul: he rolls a 1, 2, and 3. Rachel is only Hurt, and the GM checks off the Hurt box. Rachel all-out attacks in the following round, and with the +1 to hit she scores an awesome +6 over Archie! She gets two bonuses for such a high relative degree - she'll read the Max die - *and* gets +1 to the die roll for all-out attacking. (Note that this is +1 to the die result, not a +1 to the die-reading bonus.) The GM rolls a 1, 4, 6. She reads the Max and adds 1 for a total of seven. Reading the wound table on the character sheet, she sees that this is Incapacitated, and declares that Rachel's staff just smashed across the bridge of Archie's nose, probably doing serious damage, and at least knocking him out of this battle . . . For a more epic game, where it's important to be able to Incapacitate in one blow, use the following wound track on the character sheet:
The extra wound boxes are in keeping with an epic style game, but are optional. 4.64 PC DeathSometimes the dice try to kill a PC. In most campaigns, PC death shouldn't occur through a bad die roll, but only if the character's actions were truly self-sacrificing - or stupid - enough to warrant death. Three methods of preventing accidental PC death are presented. They may be used separately or together or not at all. These should not be used for run-of-the-mill NPCs, but could be used for major ones. The "automatic death" rule in Section 4.51, Wound Levels, takes precedence over these suggestions. 1) A character cannot take more than three levels of wounds in one blow. For example, an unwounded character could be Scratched, Hurt, or Very Hurt in one blow, but any excess damage points beyond that would be lost. A Hurt character could go all the way to Near Death in one blow, but not be killed outright. 2) A character cannot be rendered Near Death unless he began that combat round Incapacitated. This is simpler to keep track of than the first system, and assumes there is some great difference between a severe wound and mortal wound. There probably isn't, but the rule isn't intended to be realistic: it's to make the PCs more heroic than real life. 3) A player may spend a Fudge Point (Section 1.36) to convert a deadly wound to a merely serious one. 4.8 HealingWounds are healed through a medical skill or supernormal power. A Scratch is too insignificant to require a roll on a healing skill (although it might require a kiss to make it better . . .). Scratches are usually erased after a battle, provided the characters have five or ten minutes to attend to them. An individual GM may rule otherwise, of course: they may linger on for a day or two. A Good result on a healing skill heals all wounds one level (Hurt to healed, Very Hurt to Hurt, etc.). (Scratches do not count as a level for healing purposes. That is, a Hurt wound that is healed one level is fully healed.) A Great result heals all wounds two levels, and a Superb result heals three levels. Healing with realistic medical skills takes time: the success of the roll merely insures the wounds *will* heal, given enough rest. How long this takes depends on the technological level of the game setting, and is up to the GM. (A day per treated wound is extremely fast healing, but may be appropriate in an epic-style game. Likewise, one minute per magically healed wound is fast.) Whether or not strenuous activity before the healing period ends reopens a wound is also left up to the GM . . . Example: a character with three wounds (two Hurt results and one Very Hurt) is healed with a roll of Good. After the appropriate time, the two Hurt wounds will be fully healed, while the Very Hurt wound will now be a Hurt wound (and carries a -1 modifier as such). Otherwise, wounds heal on their own at one wound level per week of rest - or longer, if the GM is being more realistic. That is, after a week of rest, an Incapacitated character becomes Very Hurt, etc. The GM may also require a successful roll against a Constitution attribute: Fair Difficulty Level for Hurt, Good Difficulty Level for Very Hurt, and Great Difficulty Level for Incapacitated. Failing this roll slows the healing process. Someone Near Death should take a long time to heal, even with magical or high tech healing.
Anna's Fantasy FUDGEThese fantasy role-play rules are derived from the wonderful FUDGE system developed by Steffan O'Sullivan. This is FUDGE flavoured for a heroic fantasy style and I have trimmed and re-worked the FUDGE rules extensively, especially in the area of prescribing mechanics and stats. THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL FUDGE. The basic rules allow any game genre to be run with complete freedom, with more options and choices than the biggest chocolate shop. To get the true taste of FUDGE, you should get a copy of the original rules, widely available on the WWW, or from RPG shops. For more information and links try the FUDGE page of Grey Ghost Press, the publishers of FUDGE. |