1.8. Damage

Damage Types

All damage is categorized using a Major Damage Type and a Minor Damage Type.

The Major Damage Types are: Solid, Fluid, Ethereal, and True Damage.
The Minor Damage Types are: Blunt, Sharp, Shock, Fire, Ice, Caustic and Planar.

Each weapon, and Ability that deals damage will list its Major Damage Type and Minor Damage Type. Generally speaking, the Minor Damage Type will come up less often in the game, and can often be ignored. The Major Damage Type, on the other hand, is more useful and can often be reduced by one of your Defenses.

The Major Damage Type of True Damage is rare and cannot be blocked or reduced in any way. The True Damage type is reserved for the most powerful and piercing of abilities.

Below is a chart that provides basic examples of descriptions of what each major/minor combination might represent in your travels. Not all combos are represented here and True Damage has not been included, as that is often justified more by the context it is found in.

• Solid Damage that would be slowed down by armor or physical defenses before it hit you.
• Fluid Damage that can often seep through cracks of armor or may permeate through cloth, armor, or leather.
• Ethereal Damage that often bypasses any physical protections you may have.

Falling

If ever you fall more than 3u, you may be in danger! Lets take a look at the handy chart included on Page 1 of the #cheat_sheet:

At the top of this chart is the distance that you have fallen. Below that you will find the corresponding amount of damage that you will take and the number of actions you can take before you suffer that damage.

As you can see, the distance that you fall correlates directly with the amount of damage that you will take. If you fall 8u, you will suffer 8 Solid/Blunt Damage. If you fall 79u, you will take 79 Solid/Blunt Damage. Like with all damage, one tenth of that damage, rounded down, will also be dealt as Vitality damage. For most newly-made characters a fall of only 50u would mean instant death.

Luckily, you have a chance to save yourself before suffering any fall damage! Whenever you have begun to fall, be that by being pushed off a cliff or stunned while flying, the fall itself is not resolved until you have had a chance to take the listed actions on your Turn.

If you are falling less than 3u, you are fine and can ignore the fall.

If you fall 3u or more, but less than 10u, you can use 1 Beat on your turn before the fall, and its Damage, is resolved.

If you fall 10u or more, you can take an entire Turn before the fall's Damage is resolved.

At the end of your Turn, you will fall up to 100u worth of distance. If you hit no surfaces, the fall calculation for how may Beats you can use on your next turn is repeated. You would then fall another 100u and so on, until you have a turn where you are falling less than 100u, at which point you will hit the ground and take 100 Solid/Blunt Damage. A distance of 100u is considered your terminal velocity, meaning you will never suffer more than 100 Solid/Blunt Damage from a fall.

Since a fall is resolved on your Turn, there is a chance others can save you by taking action before your Turn comes. If ever you wish to catch another character, each of you will take only half of the total fall Damage, rounded down.

There are also many spells and some items, like the net, that can also help you catch, or slow down, a falling character.

Traps

The world is a dangerous place. As you delve into dungeons and sneak through enemy camps, you will often run into Traps meant to ensnare and harm you.

When you have run into a Trap, there is a brief moment between when a Trap is triggered and when the trap closes.

When a character walks into a Trap, the character is considered triggered, but not yet closed. The GM, or the player that laid the Trap, will describe the events unfolding as a trap is triggered. This will give clues as to what is about to happen and how it can be stopped.

Freeplay Traps

If the Trap is triggered during the Freeplay phase of the game, the character that triggered the trap will be Surprised for one Round, meaning they need to be saved by someone else if they wish to avoid the Trap's effects.

At the time the Trap is triggered, all allies within walking distance can make an Edge Save (to see who has the best chance to try to save their friend.) The ally with the highest Edge Save Score is given one Turn to attempt a rescue. After that, the player with the second highest Score is given a Turn to help, but they have one stack of Stunned.

The simplest rescue you can perform is taking actions that will grant an Advantage to your ally on their Save Test for the Trap. You will need to justify how you have helped and describe what actions or spells you are using to provide that aid. You may need to roll for those actions, with a success being needed for your ally to gain an Advantage. While helping at a distance is an easier and safer choice, more dangerous traps may still deal some damage to the target on a successful Save, meaning that even with your Advantage, the target of the Trap may still suffer some ill effects.

Another way you can attempt a rescue is to try to push the target out of the way of the Trap. To push someone, use the Grapple Ability to get them out of harm's way. If the target is willing, the Grapple Ability can be an automatic Mixed Score. Note that the Grapple Ability may result in you taking the target's place, meaning that you may end up being the new target of the Trap, provided that you do not have enough movement to get back out of the way.

Encounter Traps

If the Trap is triggered during an Encounter, the target of the trap will not be Surprised, and will be given an ultimatum of some kind. For Abilities and Items, the ultimatums can be found in the Ability or Item description. As an example, the target may need to make a choice between stepping backward and giving up their remaining movement or take damage. If the target does not like either ultimatum, they can choose to immediately end their turn, delaying the closing of the Trap until the start of their next turn. This delays the Trap's effect, giving other characters a chance to save their friend on their Turn (in ways similar to those mentioned in the section on Freeplay Traps above.)

Next Up: 1.9. Episodes