The life of an adventurer is not all song and glory. You get tired. You get your clothes dirty. You might actually get hurt – or even worse, killed! Fortunately,
all these problems can be cured. Even death. Read on . . .
INJURIES Wounds and ailments cause “injury”: a (usually) temporary loss of Hit Points. Thus, your HP score measures your ability to sustain injury; see Hit Points (p. 16). Injury often results from “penetrating damage”: the damage left after Damage Resistance is subtracted from the basic damage of an attack. However, disease, overexertion, and the like can cause injury without damage. If any injury reduces you to 0 or fewer HP, you will soon fall unconscious. You can even go to negative HP . . . but if you go too far, you risk death. For the average man, the difference between full HP and negative HP is one or two sword blows or bullets. This is realistic . . . and dramatic. Even in cinematic battles, heroes rarely shrug off dozens of blows. Instead, they avoid being hit. Armor helps . . . but fights can be deadly, so think before you act!
Example of Injury Fiendish Friedrick has HT 12 and HP 14. He has the ill fortune to be trapped in a dead-end corridor by a horde of orcs. He fights valiantly, but the monsters keep coming. The first wound Friedrick receives is a spear thrust that inflicts 4 HP of injury. This reduces him to 10 HP. He will have a -4 shock penalty on his next turn. Then the orc leader swings a halberd. The GM is using hit locations, and says the orc strikes at Friedrick’s right arm. Friedrick fails to block and suffers 11 HP of injury. This is over Friedrick’s HP/2, so it cripples his arm. But injury to a limb can’t exceed the minimum required to cripple it. For Friedrick, HP/2 is 7. Damage over HP/2 is 8 HP, so he only loses 8 HP. Now he is at 2 HP . . . and has the One Arm disadvantage! Since a crippling wound is also a major wound, Friedrick must make a HT roll to avoid being stunned and knocked down. If he fails by 5 or more, he could even pass out! Luckily, he succeeds. He’ll have a -4 shock penalty (the maximum) next turn, but he can keep on fighting. He picks up his axe left-handed . . . However, Friedrick now has less than 1/3 his HP left. His movements slow and falter: he is at half Move and Dodge. Soon, Friedrick takes another blow. This inflicts 2 HP of injury, reducing him to 0 HP. At the beginning of his next turn, he rolls vs. HT – and succeeds! Grimly, he hangs on to consciousness. Despite the -2 for shock, he slays another orc. For two more turns, he makes successful HT rolls. He is wounded again, dropping to -3 HP, but fights on. But on his third turn, he fails his HT roll and instantly falls unconscious. Friedrick has desecrated the orcs’ sacred burial grounds, so they’re mad. They keep hacking at him after he falls! When he reaches -14 HP, he must roll vs. HT or die. He succeeds . . . and the orcs keep hacking. At -28 HP, and again at -42 HP, he must make another HT roll to survive. Each time, he rolls a 12 or less and clings to life. But the orcs keep hacking. Eventually, Friedrick reaches -70 HP (-5¥HP) and dies automatically. Only strong magic can help Friedrick now! And if the angry orcs keep hacking until he is at -140 HP (-10¥HP), there won’t even be a body to revive – just Friedrickburger.
GENERAL INJURY: LOST HIT POINTS Repeated wounding eventually causes anyone or anything to weaken and collapse, even if no single injury is very great. The chart below summarizes the effects of being at low or negative HP. All effects are cumulative. Less than 1/3 your HP left – You are reeling from your wounds. Halve your Move and Dodge (round up). 0 HP or less – You are in immediate danger of collapse. In addition to the above effects, make a HT roll at the start of your next turn, at -1 per full multiple of HP below zero. Failure means you fall unconscious (or simply stop working, if you weren’t truly alive or conscious in the first place); see Recovering from Unconsciousness (p. 423). Success means you can act normally, but must roll again every turn to continue functioning. Exception: If you choose Do Nothing on your turn, and do not attempt any defense rolls, you can remain conscious without rolling. Roll only on turns during which you attempt a defense roll or choose a maneuver other than Do Nothing. -1¥HP – In addition to the above effects, make an immediate HT roll or die. (If you fail by only 1 or 2, you’re dying, but not dead – see Mortal Wounds, p. 423). If you succeed, you can still talk, fight, etc., as above (until you fail a HT roll and collapse). Roll again each time you suffer injury equal to a further multiple of your HP, whether as a result of one wound or many. For instance, if you have 11 HP, you must roll to avoid death at -11 HP. If you survive, you must roll again at -22 HP, -33 HP, and so on . . . -5¥HP – You die immediately. You have lost a total of 6 times your HP! Nobody can survive that much injury. -10¥HP – Total bodily destruction, if this makes sense given the source of the damage – 200 points of arrow wounds leave a messy but recognizable corpse; 200 points of fire injury leaves nothing but an unrecognizable lump of charcoal. The difference can be important in settings where resurrection, reanimation, etc. are possible! SHOCK Whenever you suffer injury, reduce your DX and IQ by the number of HP you lost – to a maximum penalty of -4, regardless of your injuries – on your next turn only. This effect, called “shock,” is temporary; your attributes return to normal on the turn after that. Shock affects DX- and IQ-based skills, but not active defenses or other defensive reactions; see Temporary Attribute Penalties (p. 421). Therefore, on the turn after you are badly hurt, it is often a good idea to try flight or All- Out Defense instead of an immediate counterattack! High HP and Shock: If you have 20 or more Hit Points, your shock penalty is -1 per HP/10 of injury (drop all fractions). Thus, if you have 20-29 HP, it’s -1 per 2 HP lost; if you have 30-39 HP, it’s -1 per 3 HP lost, and so forth. The maximum penalty is still -4.
MAJOR WOUNDS A “major wound” is any single injury of greater than 1/2 your HP. If you are using hit locations, a lesser injury that cripples a body part also counts as a major wound – see Crippling Injury (below). Any major wound requires a HT roll to avoid knockdown and stunning (see below). KNOCKDOWN AND STUNNING Whenever you suffer a major wound, and whenever you are struck in the head (skull, face, or eye) or vitals for enough injury to cause a shock penalty (see Shock, p. 419), you must make an immediate HT roll to avoid knockdown and stunning. Modifiers: -5 for a major wound to the face or vitals (or to the groin, on a humanoid male); -10 for a major wound to the skull or eye; +3 for High Pain Threshold, or -4 for Low Pain Threshold. On a success, you suffer no penalty beyond ordinary shock. On a failure, you’re stunned; see Effects of Stun, below. You fall prone (if you weren’t already), and if you were holding anything, you drop it. This effect is called “knockdown,” and isn’t the same as “knockback” (see p. 378). On a failure by 5 or more, or any critical failure, you fall unconscious! See Recovering from Unconsciousness (p. 423). Those with Injury Tolerance (p. 60) suffer reduced effects: No Brain means that skull, face, and eye injuries don’t cause knockdown or stunning unless they are major wounds – and even then, the roll is at no special penalty. No Vitals means that vitals and groin injuries don’t cause knockdown or stunning unless they are major wounds, in which case the roll has no special penalties. Homogenous and Diffuse include No Brain and No Vitals. Effects of Stun A failed knockdown roll can cause “stun,” as can certain critical hit results and some afflictions. If you are stunned, you must Do Nothing on your next turn. You may perform any active defense while stunned, but your defense rolls are at -4 and you cannot retreat. At the end of your turn, you may roll against HT. On a success, you recover from stun and can act normally on subsequent turns. On a failure, you remain stunned; your next maneuver must also be Do Nothing, but you get another roll at the end of that turn . . . and so on, until you recover from stun. Mental Stun: If you are surprised, you might be mentally stunned; see Surprise Attacks and Initiative (p. 393). This sort of stunning works as described above, but you must make an IQ roll, not a HT roll, to snap out of it. You’re not hurt – you’re confused!
Optional Rules for Injury These rules add realism, and give heroes with medical skills or healing abilities exciting tasks to perform – but they also require extra record keeping, so they are optional. Bleeding If you are injured, you may continue to lose HP to bleeding. At the end of every minute after being wounded, make a HT roll, at -1 per 5 HP lost. On a failure, you bleed for a loss of 1 HP. On a critical failure, you bleed for 3 HP. On a critical success, the bleeding stops completely. On an ordinary success, you do not bleed this minute, but must continue to roll every minute. If you do not bleed for three consecutive minutes, the bleeding stops for good. Otherwise, you or someone else will need to make a First Aid roll to stop the bleeding; see First Aid (p. 424). The GM decides which wounds bleed. Cutting, impaling, and piercing wounds usually bleed; crushing wounds generally don’t, but there are always exceptions. Minor burning and corrosion injury does not bleed significantly: the damage sears the flesh, cauterizing the wound and preventing blood loss. However, if such injury causes a major wound, treat it as a bleeding wound, oozing blood plasma until properly treated. Accumulated Wounds It normally takes a single injury over HP/3 to cripple an extremity – or over HP/2 to cripple a limb. For extra realism, you can keep track of injury by hit location, in which case total injury over HP/3 or HP/2, as appropriate, cripples the body part. Be aware that this leads to complicated record keeping! One good way to handle this is to make tally marks by the affected body part on the character’s picture. Excess injury is still lost under this rule. For instance, if you have 11 HP, a total of 6 HP of injury cripples your arm. Ignore further injury, except for the purpose of determining dismemberment. Repeated blows to a limb or extremity cannot kill you. Last Wounds It can happen that a sorely wounded hero is knocked out, or even killed, by a 1 HP blow to the foot. There are those who find this unrealistic. If you wish, use this optional rule: once you have less than 1/3 your HP left, you can totally ignore any wound to a limb or extremity unless: (a) it is a critical hit; (b) it is enough to cripple that body part; or © it inflicts injury equal to 1/3 your HP or more at once.
Patient Status Hospitals often describe a patient as being in Good, Fair, Serious, or Critical condition. Here’s how these familiar terms equate with injury in GURPS. Good: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits; indicators are excellent; patient is conscious. This means he has 1/2 or more his full HP; e.g., an average human (10 HP) with 5 to 10 HP remaining. Fair: Vital signs are stable and within normal limits; indicators are favorable; patient is conscious but in moderate to severe discomfort. He has at least 1 HP, but less than 1/2 his full HP; e.g., the same person at 1 to 4 HP. Serious: Vital signs may be unstable or outside normal limits; indicators are questionable; patient is badly injured or acutely ill, and may be unconscious. He is at 0 HP or worse, but above -1¥HP; e.g., our victim at -9 to 0 HP. Critical: Vital signs are unstable and outside normal limits; indicators are unfavorable; patient is often unconscious, and may not survive. He is at -1¥HP or worse; e.g., our patient at -10 HP or below. Temporary Attribute Penalties Shock, afflictions, and many other things can temporarily lower your attributes. ST reductions affect the damage you inflict with musclepowered weapons. IQ penalties apply equally to Will and Per. However, there are no other effects on secondary characteristics; for instance, ST, DX, and HT reductions do not affect HP, Basic Speed, Basic Move, or FP. An attribute penalty always reduces skills governed by the lowered attribute by a like amount. For example, -2 to IQ would give -2 to all IQbased skills (and to all Per- and Will-based skills, since IQ reductions lower Per and Will). Exception: Defensive reactions that don’t require a maneuver to perform – active defenses, resistance rolls, Fright Checks, etc. – never suffer penalties for attribute reductions. For instance, -2 to DX would not affect Block, Dodge, or Parry. Note that permanent attribute losses require recalculation of all secondary attributes and skills!
CRIPPLING INJURY When using hit locations, sufficient injury to a limb, extremity, or eye may cripple it. This requires a single injury that exceeds a certain fraction of the target’s HP. For humans and humanoids, these thresholds are:
Limb (arm, leg, wing, striker, or prehensile tail): Injury over HP/2. Extremity (hand, foot, tail, fin, or extraneous head): Injury over HP/3. Eye: Injury over HP/10. It is sometimes possible to cripple a body part with less damage or no damage at all; e.g., with a specific critical hit result. A blow to a limb or extremity can never cause more injury than the minimum required to cripple that body part. For example, if a man has 10 HP and suffers 9 points of injury to his right arm, he loses only 6 HP – the minimum required to cripple his arm. Exception: No such limit applies to the eyes! Dismemberment: If injury to a body part before applying the above limit was at least twice what was needed to cripple it, the body part is not just crippled but destroyed. A cutting attack or explosion severs a limb or extremity; otherwise, it’s irrevocably crushed, burned, etc. Crippling Extra Limbs If you have more than two of a particular limb (arm, leg, etc.), a crippling blow is injury over HP/(number of limbs of that kind); e.g., if you have four arms, injury over HP/4 cripples an arm. If you have more than two of a given extremity (hand, foot, etc.), a crippling blow is injury over HP/(1.5 ¥ number of extremities of that kind); e.g., if you have four feet, injury over HP/6 cripples a foot. Effects of Crippling Injury Any crippling injury is also a major wound, and requires a HT roll for knockdown and stunning; see Knockdown and Stunning (p. 420). Below are some additional effects specific to particular body parts; all these effects apply to dismemberment as well. These last until the fight is over, and possibly longer – see Duration of Crippling Injuries (p. 422). Hand: You drop anything you were carrying in that hand. If you were using two or more hands to hold an object, roll vs. DX to avoid dropping it. You cannot hold anything (e.g., a weapon) in that hand. You can wear a shield on that arm and use it to block, but you cannot attack with it. Until healed, you have the One Hand disadvantage (p. 147). Arm: As for a crippled hand . . . but while someone with a crippled hand could at least carry something in the crook of the arm, you cannot use a crippled arm to carry anything! You do not drop a shield on that arm (unless the arm is severed), but you cannot use it to block – and since it’s just hanging in front of you, reduce its usual Defense Bonus by one. Until healed, you have the One Arm disadvantage (p. 147). Foot: You fall down! You cannot stand or walk without a crutch or something to lean on. You can still fight if you brace yourself against a wall. If you have nothing to lean on, you may assume a kneeling or sitting posture. Until healed, you have the Lame (Crippled Legs) disadvantage (p. 141). Leg: You fall down! You can still fight if you assume a sitting or lying posture. Until healed, you have the Lame (Missing Legs) disadvantage (p. 141). Eye: You are blind in that eye. Until healed, you have the One Eye (p. 147) disadvantage – or Blindness (p. 124), if you lose all your eyes – unless you have some substitute for eyes.
Nonhuman Body Parts Extra Arms: If you have three or more arms, a crippled arm (hand) simply reduces the number of arms (hands) you can use. You only suffer an actual disadvantage if reduced to fewer than two arms (hands). Extra Head: If an extraneous head is crippled, you lose the benefits of that Extra Head; see Extra Head (p. 54). Extra Legs: If you have three or more legs, see Extra Legs (p. 54) for the effects of a crippled foot or leg. Striker: You cannot use your Striker to attack. If your Striker is also a wing or a tail, see below for additional effects. Tail: Any advantages the tail provides (e.g., Extra Arm or Striker) no longer function. As well, your balance is off: -1 DX, except for close manual tasks. If you’re a swimmer or winged flyer, the DX penalty is -2 and you are at half your usual water or air Move (which will also halve your top speed with Enhanced Move). Wing: If you have Flight (Winged), you cannot fly – and if you were airborne, you fall. If your wing is also a Striker, you cannot use it to attack. Duration of Crippling Injuries If you suffer a crippling injury, make a HT roll to see how serious it is. For battlefield injuries, roll at the end of combat. Success means the crippling is temporary, failure means it’s lasting, and critical failure means it’s permanent. Dismemberment is automatically permanent – don’t bother rolling! Temporary Crippling: Until you are back at full HP, you suffer the disadvantages described under Effects of Crippling Injury, above. Once you are fully healed, these effects disappear. Lasting Crippling: You suffered a broken bone, badly torn (or burned) muscle, or other lingering damage. Roll 1d. This is the number of months it will take for the injury to heal fully. (If the injury is treated by a physician, subtract 3 from the roll at medical TL7+, 2 at TL6, or 1 at TL5 – but the period of healing is never less than one month.) Permanent Crippling: You lose the use of that body part. It is either nonfunctional or gone. Either way, you acquire a new disadvantage (One
Hand, Lame, etc., as appropriate). You get no extra character points for this! It simply lowers your point value. In some settings, even this degree of injury is curable; see Repairing Permanent Crippling Injuries (p. 424). MORTAL WOUNDS If you fail a HT roll to avoid death by 1 or 2, you don’t drop dead, but suffer a “mortal wound.” This is a wound so severe that your internal injuries might kill you even after you stop bleeding. If you are mortally wounded, you are instantly incapacitated. You may or may not be conscious (GM’s decision). If you suffer further injury and must make another HT roll to avoid death, any failure kills you. While mortally wounded, you must make a HT roll every half-hour to avoid death. On any failure, you die. On a success, you linger for another half-hour – then roll again. On a critical success, you pull through miraculously: you are no longer mortally wounded (but you are still incapacitated). If you’re alive but mortally wounded, surgery may be able to stabilize your condition – see Stabilizing a Mortal Wound (p. 424). At TL6+, “trauma maintenance” can keep you alive while waiting for surgery. This involves CPR, oxygen, transfusions, etc. Instead of rolling vs. HT every half-hour, roll against the higher of your HT or your caregiver’s Physician skill every hour – or every day, if you are on a heart-lung machine or similar life support. You do not need to roll at all if you’re put into magical or ultra-tech suspended animation! If you recover from a mortal wound, make a HT roll. On a failure, you lose a point of HT permanently. On a critical failure, the GM may apply the Wounded disadvantage (p. 162) or some other effect (e.g., reduced appearance due to scarring). DEATH If your character is killed, you may still wish to keep track of further injury. In certain futuristic or magical worlds, the dead can be brought back to life by prompt treatment, as long as the body is mostly intact (not reduced to -10¥HP). Instant Death Decapitation, a cut throat, etc. can kill anyone, regardless of HT and HP. If a helpless or unconscious person is attacked in an obviously lethal way, he’s dead. Don’t bother to roll for damage, calculate remaining HP, etc. Just assume that he drops to -5¥HP. This does not apply to a merely unaware victim. If you sneak up behind a sentry with a knife, you can’t automatically kill him. Game it out realistically. Target the vitals or neck. Since it’s a surprise attack, he won’t be hitting back: make an All-Out attack! Your attack roll will almost certainly succeed. Your victim gets no active defense at all. You will probably inflict enough injury to incapacitate or kill him. But it isn’t automatic. Dying Actions When a PC or important NPC is killed in any but the most sudden and thorough fashion, the GM should allow a “dying action.” If this is a final blow at the enemy, it should take no more than a turn. If it’s a deathbed speech, the GM should stretch time a little bit for dramatic purposes! This has nothing to do with realism, but it’s fun.
RECOVERY The Injuries rules may seem harsh, but don’t despair . . . you can get better! RECOVERING FROM UNCONSCIOUSNESS Failure by 5 or more on a knockdown roll, a failed HT roll to stay conscious at 0 HP or less, and many other things (e.g., certain critical hits) can leave you unconscious. It is up to the GM to decide whether you are truly unconscious or just totally incapacitated by pain and injury – but either way, you can’t do anything. You recover as follows: • If you have 1 or more HP remaining, you awaken automatically in 15 minutes. • At 0 HP or worse, but above -1¥HP, make a HT roll to awaken every hour. Once you succeed, you can act normally. You do not have to roll against HT every second to remain conscious unless you receive new injury. But since you are below 1/3 your HP, you are at half Move and Dodge. • At -1¥HP or below, you are in bad shape. You get a single HT roll to awaken after 12 hours. If you succeed, you regain consciousness and can act as described above. But if you fail, you won’t regain consciousness without medical treatment – use the rules given under Stabilizing a Mortal Wound (p. 424). Until you receive help, you must roll vs. HT every 12 hours; if you fail, you die.
High HP and Healing The healing rates given for natural recovery, first aid, magical healing spells, the Regeneration advantage, etc. assume someone with human-scale Hit Points; that is, with fewer than 20 HP. Those with more HP heal in proportion to their HP score. Multiply HP healed by 2 at 20-29 HP, by 3 at 30-39 HP, by 4 at 40-49 HP, and so on, with each full 10 HP adding 1 to the multiple.
NATURAL RECOVERY Rest lets you recover lost HP, unless the damage is of a type that specifically does not heal naturally (for an example, see Illness, p. 442). At the end of each day of rest and decent food, make a HT roll. On a success, you recover 1 HP. The GM may give a penalty if conditions are bad, or a bonus if conditions are very good. FIRST AID The two main uses for First Aid skill (p. 195) are bandaging and treating shock. Bandaging It takes one minute to apply pressure or a tourniquet to stop bleeding. This restores 1 HP. Using the Bleeding rule (p. 420), someone who is wounded but receives a successful First Aid roll within one minute of his injury loses no HP to bleeding. A later roll will prevent further HP loss. Treating Shock After bandaging, the aid-giver may take extra time to apply a more elaborate dressing and treat the victim for shock. He must keep the victim warm, comfortable, calm, and still. After the time indicated on the First Aid Table, he may roll against First Aid skill. On a success, the medic rolls as indicated on the table to see how many HP the victim recovers – minimum 1 HP. A critical success restores the maximum possible HP! This roll includes the 1 HP for bandaging; thus, a roll of 1 HP restores no further HP. On a critical failure, the victim loses 2 HP instead of recovering any HP at all!
First Aid Table
Tech Level Time per Victim HP Restored 0-1 30 minutes 1d-4 2-3 30 minutes 1d-3 4 30 minutes 1d-2 5 20 minutes 1d-2 6-7 20 minutes 1d-1 8 10 minutes 1d 9+ 10 minutes 1d+1
SURGERY Surgery can physically repair damage to the body, but it’s risky at low TLs – especially prior to the invention of anesthesia (mid-TL5) and blood typing (TL6). See Surgery skill (p. 223) for general modifiers and for the effects of a failed skill roll. Some additional rules: Equipment: Basic equipment gives -6 at TL1, -5 at TL2-3, -4 at TL4, -2 at TL5, and +(TL-6) at TL6+. Equipment quality further modifies the roll; see Equipment Modifiers (p. 345). The modifiers for TL5+ surgery assume that anesthetic is available. If it isn’t, apply a -2 penalty to skill. This is instead of the usual -1 for a missing item. Infection: Before TL5 (and, at the GM’s option, even during much of TL5), antiseptic practice is poor. Check for infection (see Infection, p. 444) after any surgery. Stabilizing a Mortal Wound Each attempt takes one hour. The roll is at -2 if the patient is at -3¥HP or worse, or -4 if he’s at -4¥HP or worse. On a failure, repeated attempts are allowed, at a cumulative -2 per attempt. If the victim dies on the table, resuscitation may be possible; see Resuscitation (p. 425). Repairing Lasting Crippling Injuries It is possible to fix a lasting crippling injury (see Duration of Crippling Injuries, p. 422) through surgery rather than leaving it to heal on its own. This takes 2 hours. On a success, measure the injury’s remaining recovery time in weeks rather than months. But on a critical failure, the injury becomes permanent! Repairing Permanent Crippling Injuries Radical surgery can fix certain permanent crippling injuries at TL7+; exact details are up to the GM. This often requires prosthetic or transplant parts, which might be costly or hard to find. At TL7-8, the procedure might only restore partial functionality. This kind of operation is also tricky: -3 or worse to skill. On a failure, the patient needs 1d months to recover before another attempt is possible. MEDICAL CARE Anyone under the care of a competent physician (Physician skill 12+) gets +1 on all rolls for natural recovery. The healer may also make a Physician roll to cure the patient. Only one physician may roll per patient, but a single physician can care for up to 200 patients. The exact number of patients a physician can attend to and the frequency with which he may roll to cure them depend on the TL of his Physician skill; see the Medical Help Table, below. On a success, the patient recovers 1 HP; on a critical success, he recovers 2 HP. This is in addition to natural healing. However, a critical failure costs the patient 1 HP! High-tech physicians depend heavily on equipment but still receive good
basic training; therefore, a TL6+ physician performs as though he were TL6 if he has to make do without the gadgetry to which he is accustomed, as long as the surroundings are clean.
Medical Help Table Medical Frequency Patients TL of Rolls per Doctor 0 There are no physicians. Get well by yourself. 1-3 Weekly 10 4 Every 3 days 10 5 Every 2 days 15 6 Daily 20 7 Daily 25 8 Daily 50 9 2 ¥ daily 50 10 3 ¥ daily 50 11 4 ¥ daily 100 12+ 5 ¥ daily 200
RESUSCITATION Reviving a drowning, asphyxiation, or heart attack victim requires resuscitation. Make a successful Physician/TL7+ roll – or a First Aid/TL7+ roll at -4. Each attempt takes one minute. Repeated attempts are possible, but there is almost always a time limit. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and rescue breathing, widely taught after 1960, are more effective than earlier forms of resuscitation. First Aid rolls (but not default rolls) to revive victims of drowning or asphyxiation are at -2 instead of -4.
Ultra-Tech Drugs Miraculous drugs are a staple of science-fiction medicine. Below is a quick-and-dirty system for designing TL9+ drugs. Effects: Select one or more attribute modifiers, advantages, or disadvantages to represent the drug’s effects and (usually bad) side effects. Most medical drugs give Rapid Healing, Resistant to Disease, HT bonuses, or similar benefits. Some mitigate disadvantages, canceling them for the drug’s duration (e.g., a psychiatric drug might suppress Delusions and Paranoia). A few provide unique effects, such as healing lost HP or FP. Duration: Select the duration of the effects. Standard durations are short-term (lasts [25 - HT] minutes), medium-term ([25 - HT]/4 hours), long-term (one full day), or very long-term (up to a week). Multiple doses generally extend duration rather than increasing effect; e.g., two doses of a long-term drug last two days. Potency: The subject gets a HT roll to resist disadvantages and other negative effects. The drug’s potency is a modifier to this roll. Assume that each doubling of dosage gives an extra -1 to the roll. Form: A drug may be a pill, injection, aerosol, contact agent, or aerosol contact agent. Many drugs are available in multiple forms. Most pills require 30 minutes or more to take effect, but can be dissolved in drinks. Contact agents (e.g., patches) take at least 5 minutes. Aerosols and injections take effect almost immediately. Cost: This can vary, but here’s a rule of thumb. Sum the absolute point values of all traits the drug adds or removes. Multiply the sum by a base cost for duration: $2 for short-term, $10 for medium-term, $50 for long-term, or $250 for very long-term. For drugs that heal, use the point cost of HP or FP, as appropriate, and treat permanent healing as “long-term.” Potency modifies price: double cost for each -1 to HT rolls. Multiply final cost by 2 for aerosols or contact agents, by 10 for aerosol contact agents. LC: This will vary by society and with the nature of the drug. Medical drugs are typically LC3. Drugs perceived as socially harmful might be LC2 or even LC1. Example: A “truth drug” that forces the subject to roll HT-3 or suffer -4 to Will for (25 - HT) minutes would cost 20 (point value) ¥ $2 (shortterm) ¥ 8 (potency) ¥ 1 (injection) = $320 per dose. It would probably only be available to spies: LC2.
FATIGUE
Running long distances, using extra effort, being suffocated, casting magic spells, and many other things can cause “fatigue”: a temporary loss of Fatigue Points. Your Fatigue Points (FP) score starts out equal to your HT, but you can modify this; see Fatigue Points (p. 16). Just as injury represents physical trauma and comes off of HP, fatigue represents lost energy and reduces FP. When you lose FP, keep track of it on your character sheet. LOST FATIGUE POINTS The chart below summarizes the effects of being at low or negative FP. All effects are cumulative. Less than 1/3 your FP left – You are very tired. Halve your Move, Dodge, and ST (round up). This does not affect ST-based quantities, such as HP and damage. 0 FP or less – You are on the verge of collapse. If you suffer further fatigue, each FP you lose also causes 1 HP of injury. Thus, fatigue from starvation, dehydration, etc. will eventually kill you – and you can work yourself to death! To do anything besides talk or rest, you must make a Will roll; in combat, roll before each maneuver other than Do Nothing. On a success, you can act normally. You can use FP to cast spells, etc., and if you are drowning, you can continue to struggle, but you suffer the usual 1 HP per FP lost. On a failure, you collapse, incapacitated, and can do nothing until you recover to positive FP. On a critical failure, make an immediate HT roll. If you fail, you suffer a heart attack; see Mortal Conditions (p. 429). -1¥FP – You fall unconscious. While unconscious, you recover lost FP at the same rate as for normal rest. You awaken when you reach positive FP. Your FP can never fall below this level. After this stage, any FP cost comes off your HP instead! FATIGUE COSTS The following activities commonly result in FP loss. Fighting a Battle Any battle that lasts more than 10 seconds will cost FP – you expend energy quickly when you fight for your life! Those who make no attack or defense rolls during the fight are exempt from this fatigue, but other actions (e.g., casting magic spells) still have their usual FP cost. Assess the following costs at the end of the battle: No Encumbrance: 1 FP. Light Encumbrance: 2 FP. Medium Encumbrance: 3 FP. Heavy Encumbrance: 4 FP. Extra-Heavy Encumbrance: 5 FP. If the day is hot, add 1 FP to the above – or 2 FP for anyone in plate armor, an overcoat, etc. Full-coverage armor at TL9+ is climate-controlled. This counts as a cooling system, and negates the penalties for hot weather. These costs are per battle, not per 10 seconds of battle. A very long battle may cost more (GM’s decision), but it would have to run for 2 or 3 minutes (120 to 180 turns!) before extra FP costs would be realistic. Hiking Use the FP costs for fighting a battle, but assess them per hour of road travel; e.g., one hour of marching with light encumbrance costs 2 FP (3 FP on a hot day). If the party enters combat while on the march, assume they’ve been walking for an hour, unless events dictate otherwise, and assess fatigue accordingly. Overexertion Carrying more than extra-heavy encumbrance, or pushing/pulling a very heavy load, costs 1 FP per second (see Lifting and Moving Things, p. 353). For FP costs for other forms of heavy exertion, see Extra Effort (p. 356). Running or Swimming Every 15 seconds of sprinting, or minute of paced running or swimming, requires a HT roll to avoid losing 1 FP. Encumbrance has no direct effect on this, but you run or swim more slowly. See Running (p. 354) and Swimming (p. 354). Special Abilities Most magic spells (see Chapter 5), many advantages (such as Healing, p. 59), and a few cinematic skills (for instance, Power Blow, p. 215) cost FP to use, as does any trait with the Costs Fatigue limitation (p. 111). STARVATION AND DEHYDRATION When you buy equipment, don’t forget food! The traveler’s rations under Camping and Survival Gear (p. 288) are the minimum necessary to keep you healthy on the road; missing even one meal weakens you. Note to the GM: If keeping up with the party’s meals doesn’t sound like fun, feel free to ignore this whole section. Travel is much more hazardous if you have to keep track of food and water! Starvation A human needs three meals per day. For each meal you miss, take 1 FP. You can only recover “starvation” fatigue with a day of rest: no fighting or travel, and three full meals. Each day of rest makes up for three skipped meals.
Foraging In hospitable terrain, you can supplement your supplies by foraging for food. On any day, each character can “forage” as the party travels. A successful Survival or Naturalist roll collects enough edible plants and berries for one meal. (On a 17, you poisoned yourself. Roll vs. HT. On a success, you lose 1 HP; otherwise, lose 1d HP. On an 18, you shared with your friends: the whole party suffers – each PC rolls independently.) In suitable terrain, a successful skill roll with a missile weapon (at -4) bags a rabbit or similar creature, providing meat for two meals. Near water or at sea, a successful Fishing roll has similar results. Each forager gets one Survival or Naturalist roll and one missile or Fishing roll per day. Alternatively, the party can take some time off from travel and do some serious foraging. Each character can make five Survival or Naturalist rolls and five missile or Fishing rolls per day. Foragers can smoke meat and fish over a fire and add it to the regular store of rations. The GM can impose penalties in areas with little plant or animal life (e.g., -3 in snow, -6 in desert), and cumulative penalties for repeated foraging in an area.
Dehydration In temperate areas, where water is easy to come by, assume that you can renew your supplies as needed. But if water is in short supply, watch out! A human (or elf, dwarf, etc.) needs 2 quarts of water a day – 3 in hot climates, 5 in the heat of the desert! If you get less than you need, you lose 1 FP every eight hours. If you drink less than a quart a day, you lose an extra 1 FP and 1 HP per day. You can regain all FP lost to dehydration after a day of rest with ample water supplies. You recover lost HP at the usual rate. MISSED SLEEP The average human can function for a 16-hour “day.” He must then rest
for an eight-hour “sleep period.” Less Sleep (p. 65) shortens this sleep period, thereby increasing useful day length; Extra Sleep (p. 136) and Sleepy (p. 154) do the opposite. Getting less sleep than your sleep period costs FP that you can only recover by sleeping. Interruptions, noise, and disadvantages such as Chronic Pain (p. 126), Insomniac (p. 140), Light Sleeper (p. 142), and Nightmares (p. 144) can reduce the quality of your sleep. In game terms, your sleep counts as fewer hours – or none at all. Those who have the Doesn’t Sleep advantage (p. 50) can ignore this entire section! Staying Up Late If you’ve been awake for more than your normal day (typically 16 hours), you start to get tired. You lose 1 FP if you fail to go to sleep, and 1 FP per quarter-day (usually four hours) you stay awake after that. If you’ve lost half or more of your FP to lack of sleep, you must make a Will roll every two hours you spend inactive (e.g., standing watch). On a failure, you fall asleep, sleeping until you are awakened or get a full night’s sleep. On a success, you have -2 to DX, IQ, and self-control rolls. Those with the Slow Riser disadvantage (p. 155) get an extra -1. If you’re down to less than 1/3 your FP due to lack of sleep, roll as above once per 30 minutes of inaction or two hours of action. This can be very dangerous! Getting Up Early If you sleep for less than your full sleep period, you’ll still be tired when you wake up. Subtract twice the hours of missed sleep from your day to determine how long you can stay awake. For example, if your sleep period is eight hours and you sleep only six hours, you’ve missed two hours of sleep. You will suffer the effects of staying up late after only 12 hours: your usual 16-hour day, minus four hours (twice your hours of missed sleep). RECOVERING FROM FATIGUE You can recover “ordinary” lost FP by resting quietly. Reading, talking, and thinking are all right; walking around, or anything more strenuous, is not. Lost FP return at the rate of 1 FP per 10 minutes of rest. The GM may allow you to regain one extra FP if you eat a decent meal while resting. Certain drugs, magic potions, etc. can restore missing FP, as can spells such as Lend Energy and Recover Energy (see p. 248). You can only recover from fatigue caused by missed sleep by sleeping for at least one full sleep period. This restores 1 FP. Further uninterrupted sleep restores 1 FP per hour. You need food or water to recover FP lost to starvation or dehydration; see Starvation and Dehydration (above).
HAZARDS
Besides the ordinary combat risks of swords, guns, and spells, adventurers commonly face other hazards. ACID Acids range from extremely weak to extremely strong (e.g., hydrochloric, perchloric, nitric, and sulfuric acids). Most laboratory acids are dangerous only to the eyes, but strong or highly concentrated acids can “burn” through equipment and flesh. For game purposes, treat strong alkalis just like strong acids. If the victim is splashed with strong acid, he suffers 1d-3 points of corrosion damage. If the acid splashes on his face, he must make a HT roll to avoid eye damage. On a failure, or on a direct hit to the eyes, the damage is to his eyes. Use the Crippling Injury rules (p. 420) to see whether he is blinded – and if so, whether the blindness is permanent. On a critical failure, permanent blindness is certain (acquire the Blindness disadvantage, p. 124). If the victim is immersed in acid, he takes 1d-1 corrosion damage per second. If his face is immersed, he must also roll for eye damage (see above) every second. If the victim swallows acid, he takes 3d damage at the rate of 1 HP per 15 minutes. A successful Physician or Poisons roll can halt this damage; treatment requires 2d minutes. Used against a lock’s pins or other small, vulnerable items, acid requires 3d minutes to eat through the item. A vial of acid powerful enough to produce these effects is a TL3 item, and costs $10. AFFLICTIONS An “affliction” is a harmful effect other than direct injury or fatigue, usually the result of an attack, hazard, illness, magic spell, or toxin. In most cases, the victim gets a HT roll to resist, and only suffers the affliction on a failure. Duration depends on the cause; see the relevant disease, hazard, poison, spell, or weapon description for details. Irritating Conditions Coughing or Sneezing: You are at -3 to DX and -1 to IQ, and cannot use Stealth. Drowsy: You are on the verge of falling asleep. Make a Will roll every two hours you spend inactive. On a failure, you fall asleep, and sleep until you are awakened or get a full night’s sleep. On a success, you have -2 to DX, IQ, and self-control rolls. Drunk: You are highly intoxicated: -2 to DX and IQ, and -4 to self-control rolls except those to resist Cowardice. Reduce Shyness by two levels, if you have it. Euphoria: You have a -3 penalty to all DX, IQ, skill, and self-control rolls. Nauseated: You have -2 to all attribute and skill rolls, and -1 to active defenses. As well, roll vs. HT after you eat, are exposed to a foul odor, fail a Fright Check, or are stunned, and every hour in free fall or in any situation where you might suffer motion sickness. A rich meal in the past hour gives -2; anti-nausea remedies give +2. On a failure, you vomit for (25 - HT) seconds – treat as Retching, below. Pain: You have a penalty to all DX, IQ, skill, and self-control rolls. This is -2 for Moderate Pain, -4 for Severe Pain, and -6 for Terrible Pain. High Pain Threshold halves these penalties; Low Pain Threshold doubles them. Tipsy: You are slightly intoxicated: -1 to DX and IQ, and -2 to self-control rolls except those to resist Cowardice. Reduce Shyness by one level, if you have it. Incapacitating Conditions All of these afflictions prevent you from taking voluntary action for the duration. In addition to their other effects, you’re effectively stunned (-4 to active defenses). In combat, you must Do Nothing on your turn. If an affliction lets you drop, you can sit, kneel, go prone, etc. if standing, or go prone if kneeling or sitting. If it lets you stagger, you can drop, change facing, or step or crawl one yard. In all cases, you are still effectively stunned. Agony: You are conscious but in such terrible pain that you can do nothing but moan or scream. If standing or sitting, you fall down. While the affliction endures, you lose 1 FP per minute or fraction thereof. After you recover, anyone who can credibly threaten you with a resumption of the pain gets +3 to Interrogation and Intimidation skill rolls. Low Pain Threshold doubles the FP loss and torture bonus. High Pain Threshold lets you overcome the agony enough to function, but at -3 to DX and IQ. Choking: You are unable to breathe or speak. You may do nothing but drop. While the choking endures, you suffer the effects of suffocation (see Suffocation, p. 436). If you have an object lodged in your throat, a friend can try a First Aid roll to clear it; roll at -2 before TL7. Each attempt takes 2 seconds. If you have Doesn’t Breathe or Injury Tolerance (Homogenous), you cannot choke! Daze: You are conscious – if you are standing, you remain upright – but you can do nothing. If you are struck, slapped, or shaken, you recover on your next turn. Ecstasy: You’re incapacitated with overwhelming pleasure. Treat as Agony, but neither Low Pain Threshold nor High Pain Threshold has any effect – and instead of a bonus for torture, someone offering to continue the pleasure gets +3 to any Influence roll! If you have Killjoy, you’re immune.
Hallucinating: You can try to act, but you must roll vs. Will before each success roll. On a success, you merely suffer 2d seconds of disorientation. This gives -2 on success rolls. On a failure, you actually hallucinate for 1d minutes. In this case, the penalty is -5. The GM is free to specify the details of your hallucinations, which need not be visual. On a critical failure, you “freak out” for 3d minutes. You might do anything! The GM rolls 3d: the higher the roll, the more dangerous your action. Paralysis: You cannot move any voluntary muscles, and fall over if you are not in a balanced position. You remain conscious, and can still use advantages or spells that require neither speech nor movement. Retching: You are conscious but vomiting (or suffering dry heaves). You can try to act, but you will be at -5 to DX, IQ, and Per, and automatically fail at any action that requires a Concentrate maneuver. At the end of the retching spell, you lose 1 FP. You gain no benefit from recent meals or oral medication – you’ve thrown it up. Seizure: You suffer a fit of some kind. Your limbs tremble uncontrollably, you fall down if standing, and you cannot speak or think clearly. You can do nothing. At the end of the seizure, you lose 1d FP. Unconsciousness: You are knocked out, just as if you had suffered injury. Mortal Conditions Coma: You collapse just as if you had been wounded to -1¥HP or below and passed out; see Recovering from Unconsciousness (p. 423). You get a single HT roll to awaken after 12 hours. On a failure, you won’t recover without medical treatment. Until you receive treatment, roll vs. HT every 12 hours. On any failure, you die. Heart Attack: Your heart stops functioning (“cardiac arrest”). You immediately drop to -1¥FP. Regardless of your current HP, you will die in HT/3 minutes unless resuscitated – see Resuscitation (p. 425). If you survive, you will be at 0 HP or your current HP, whichever is worse. Missing HP heal normally. If you die and it matters what your HP total was, treat this as death at -1¥HP or your current HP, whichever is worse. Injury Tolerance (Diffuse, Homogenous, or No Vitals) grants immunity to this affliction. ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE Regardless of its composition, an atmosphere may be difficult or impossible to breathe if its pressure is wrong. We measure air pressure in “atmospheres” (atm.); 1 atm. is air pressure at sea level on Earth. Trace (up to 0.01 atm.): Treat an atmosphere this thin as vacuum (see Vacuum, p. 437). Very Thin (up to 0.5 atm.): The air is too thin to breathe. Earth’s atmosphere becomes “very thin” above 20,000’. If you lack protection (e.g., the Doesn’t Breathe advantage, or a respirator and oxygen tanks), you suffocate – see Suffocation (p. 436). Vision rolls are at -2 without eye protection. Thin (0.51-0.8 atm.): Earth’s atmosphere is “thin” between 6,000’ and 20,000’. Thin air is breathable if oxygen is present in Earthlike percentages, but it is hard on unprotected individuals. Increase all fatigue costs for exertion by 1 FP. Vision rolls are at -1 without eye protection. Finally, anyone who breathes thin air for an hour or more must check for “altitude sickness.” Make a daily HT roll at +4. Critical success means acclimatization – do not roll again. Success means no effect today. Failure means headaches, nausea, etc., giving -2 to DX and IQ. Critical failure means the victim falls into a coma after 1d hours; see Mortal Conditions (above). Roll against Physician skill once per day to revive the victim before he dies.
Dense (1.21-1.5 atm.): The air is breathable, with some discomfort: -1 to all HT rolls, unless you have a pressure suit. If the air contains more than 50% oxygen, you must wear a “reducing respirator” that lowers oxygen partial pressure, or suffer -2 to DX due to coughing and lung damage. Very Dense (1.51+ atm.): As “dense,” but a reducing respirator is required if the air is more than 10% oxygen. Usually quite hot from greenhouse effects. Superdense (10+ atm.): As “very dense,” but the atmospheric pressure is so great that it can actually crush someone who is not native to it, unless he has Pressure Support or an armored suit that provides this advantage; see Pressure (p. 435). Visitors to Venus, or deep inside Jupiter, experience hundreds of atmospheres of pressure! Such atmospheres are often poisonous, which presents a separate problem. These rules assume you are native to 1 atm. and can function normally at 0.81-1.2 atm. If your native pressure differs from 1 atm., multiply all the pressure ranges above by your native pressure in atm. For example, if you’re native to 0.5 atm., a “dense” atmosphere for you would be 0.61- 0.75 atm. and a “thin” one would be 0.26-0.4 atm.
Hazardous Atmospheres Earth’s atmosphere is 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen (plus 1% comprising a number of other gases). Visitors to other planets (and victims of lab accidents or death traps) might encounter other atmospheres, most of which are unsafe for humans without proper protection. Of course, “breathable air” for humans might be deadly for nonhumans, and vice versa! Corrosive: The atmosphere reacts with exposed flesh. Those with the Sealed advantage are safe; those in sealed suits might be safe, but some gases eat away at seals. Small concentrations in otherwise breathable air require a roll at HT to HT-4 every minute to avoid 1 point of corrosion damage. Victims suffer coughing (see Afflictions, p. 428) after losing 1/3 their HP, blindness (as the disadvantage) after losing 2/3 their HP. Atmospheres made up mostly of corrosive gases have effects comparable to immersion in acid (see Acid, p. 428) and count as suffocating. Corrosives include ammonia and nitrides. Chlorine and fluorine are extremely corrosive and toxic! Toxic: The atmosphere is poisonous. Individuals without respirators, Doesn’t Breathe, Filter Lungs, etc. are susceptible. Ordinary airborne industrial pollutants might require a daily HT roll to avoid 1 point of toxic damage. Lethal gases would call for a HT-2 to HT-6 roll every minute to avoid 1 point of toxic damage. If such gases make up most of the atmosphere, they inflict at least 1d toxic damage per 15 seconds (no resistance possible) and count as suffocating. A typical toxic gas is carbon monoxide. Chlorine and fluorine are deadly in tiny concentrations, and also corrosive. Suffocating: The atmosphere is unbreathable. For humans, this means it lacks oxygen. Those without Doesn’t Breathe or an air supply start to suffocate (see Suffocation, p. 436). Hydrogen, methane, and nitrogen are all suffocating. As noted above, an atmosphere made up mostly of corrosive or toxic gases is suffocating as well – but these usually kill so rapidly that suffocation becomes irrelevant.
COLD Cold can be deadly, but only magic or superscience can produce cold quickly enough to cause damage in combat. Armor offers its usual DR against such “instant” cold attacks, but it must be insulated or heated to shield against prolonged exposure to ambient cold. Make a HT or HT-based Survival (Arctic) roll, whichever is better, every 30 minutes in “normal” freezing weather. For most humans, this means temperatures below 35°F, but see Temperature Tolerance (p. 93). In light wind (10+ mph), roll every 15 minutes. In strong wind (30+ mph), roll every 10 minutes. Additionally, strong wind can dramatically reduce the effective temperature (the “wind chill factor”). Also see the modifiers below: Modifier to Situation HT Roll Light or no clothing -5 Ordinary winter clothing +0 “Arctic” clothing +5 Heated suit +10 Wet clothes additional -5 Every 10° below 0°F effective temperature -1 Failure costs 1 FP. As usual, once you go below 0 FP, you will start to lose 1 HP per FP. Recovery of FP or HP lost to cold requires adequate shelter and a heat source (flame, electric heat, body warmth, etc.). Thermal Shock: Sudden immersion in icy waters (e.g., any of Earth’s oceans far from the equator) or a cryogenic environment can cause death by thermal shock. Note that impure water (e.g., saltwater oceans) can be below the usual freezing temperature! If you are wearing a completely waterproof “dry suit,” you are only affected as per normal freezing. Otherwise, roll against HT once per minute of immersion. Do not modify this for clothing. On a success, you lose 1 FP. On a failure, you lose FP equal to the margin of failure. Don’t forget to check for drowning as well! COLLISIONS AND FALLS When a moving object hits another object, this is a collision. Use the rules below for ramming attempts, accidental crashes, falls, and dropped objects. Damage from Collisions An object or person’s Hit Points and velocity determine collision damage. Mass only matters indirectly: massive objects usually have high HP, but it would hurt more to collide with a locomotive than with a pillow of the same mass! HP take into account both mass and structural strength. “Velocity” is how fast the character or object is moving in yards per second (2 mph = 1 yard per second). Velocity could be anything up to Move. It might exceed Move when diving or falling; see High-Speed Movement (p. 394). An object in a collision inflicts dice of crushing damage equal to (HP ¥ velocity)/100. If this is less than 1d, treat fractions up to 0.25 as 1d-3, fractions up to 0.5 as 1d-2, and any larger fraction as 1d-1. Otherwise, round fractions of 0.5 or more up to a full die. If an object is bullet-shaped, sharp, or spiked, it does half damage, but this damage is piercing, cutting, or impaling, rather than crushing.
Immovable Objects If a moving object hits a stationary object that is too big to push aside – like the ground, a mountain, or an iceberg – it inflicts its usual collision damage on that object and on itself. If the obstacle is breakable, the moving object cannot inflict or take more damage than the obstacle’s HP + DR. Hard Objects: If the immovable object is hard, use twice the HP of the moving object to calculate damage. Clay, concrete, ordinary soil, and sand are all “hard,” as is a building, mountain, or similar obstacle. Soft Objects: If the immovable object is soft – e.g., forest litter, hay, swamp, or water – damage is normal. However, elastic objects (mattresses, nets, airbags, etc.) give extra DR against collision damage, ranging from DR 2 for a feather bed to DR 10 for a safety net, trampoline, or airbag. When striking water or a similar fluid, a successful Swimming roll (or vehicle control roll, if “ditching” a vehicle) means a clean dive that negates all damage. This roll is at a penalty for velocity; use the speed penalty from the Size and Speed/Range Table (p. 550). Falling A fall is a collision with an immovable object: the ground. Find your velocity when you hit using the Falling Velocity Table.
Falling Velocity Table Fall Velocity Fall Velocity Fall Velocity Fall Velocity 1 yard 5 13-14 yards 17 35-37 yards 28 68-71 yards 39 2 yards 7 15 yards 18 38-39 yards 29 72-75 yards 40 3 yards 8 16-17 yards 19 40-42 yards 30 76-79 yards 41 4 yards 9 18-19 yards 20 43-45 yards 31 80-82 yards 42 5 yards 10 20-21 yards 21 46-48 yards 32 83-86 yards 43 6 yards 11 22-23 yards 22 49-51 yards 33 87-90 yards 44 7 yards 12 24-25 yards 23 52-54 yards 34 91-95 yards 45 8 yards 13 26-27 yards 24 55-57 yards 35 96-99 yards 46 9 yards 14 28-29 yards 25 58-61 yards 36 100-103 yards 47 10-11 yards 15 30-32 yards 26 62-64 yards 37 104-108 yards 48 12 yards 16 33-34 yards 27 65-67 yards 38 109-112 yards 49 Alternatively, calculate velocity in yards per second as the square root of (21.4 ¥ g ¥ distance fallen in yards), where g is the local gravity in Gs (g = 1 on Earth). Round to the nearest whole number.
Hit Location from a Fall If using hit locations, roll randomly for the hit location damaged in a fall. If the injury is to an extremity or a limb, do not ignore injury in excess of that required to cripple it. Instead, subtract the full amount from HP! If the fall would cripple a limb, roll 1d. On 5-6, all limbs of that type are crippled, although there is no extra injury.
Example: Bill is pushed out a fifthstory window. He falls 17 yards. When he hits the street, his velocity is 19 yards/second. Bill has 10 HP, but he uses twice this because he hit a “hard” surface. Damage is (2 ¥ 10 ¥ 19)/100 = 3.8d, which rounds up to 4d crushing. Falls and Armor: All armor, flexible or not (but not innate DR), counts as “flexible” for the purpose of calculating blunt trauma from falling damage. Thus, even if the victim has enough armor DR to stop the falling damage, he suffers 1 HP of injury per 5 points of falling damage. See Flexible Armor and Blunt Trauma (p. 379). Controlled Falls: If you are free to move, you can use Acrobatics skill to land properly. On a success, reduce falling distance by five yards when calculating velocity. If falling into water, you can do this or attempt a proper dive (see above) – decide which first! Terminal Velocity: “Terminal velocity” is the maximum speed a falling object can achieve before air resistance negates further acceleration under gravity. Air resistance is relatively negligible for distances shown on the table, but increases drastically for longer falls. Terminal velocity varies greatly by object. For human-shaped objects on Earth, it is 60-100 yards/second. Use the low end for a spread-eagled fall, the high end for a swan dive. For dense objects (e.g., rocks) or streamlined objects, it can be 200 yards/second or more! The terminal velocity rules assume Earth-normal gravity (1G) and atmospheric pressure (1 atm.). Multiply terminal velocity by the square root of gravity in Gs. Then divide it by the square root of pressure in atm. Thus, gravity under 1G, or pressure above 1 atm., reduces terminal velocity; gravity over 1G, or pressure below 1 atm., increases it. Note that terminal velocity is unlimited in a vacuum! Damage from Falling Objects If an object falls on someone, find its velocity on the table above and calculate damage as for an ordinary collision. To hit someone with a dropped object, use Dropping skill (p. 189). Most dropped objects will have Acc 1. Your target cannot avoid the object unless he knows it’s coming. If he’s aware of it, he can dodge. A falling object with a Size Modifier equal to or greater than that of whoever it lands on impedes the victim’s movement. He may move only one yard on his next turn, and his active defenses are -3. These penalties result from bulk, not mass, so ST is irrelevant.
Collision Angle The angle at which you hit adjusts velocity, affecting damage. This is especially true in collisions between two moving objects! Head-On: In a head-on collision between two moving objects, collision velocity is the sum of the objects’ velocities. The slower object cannot inflict more dice of damage than the faster one. Rear-End: If a faster object overtakes and strikes a slower one, collision velocity is that of the striking object minus that of the struck object. The struck object cannot inflict more dice of damage than the striking one. Side-On Collisions and Falls: If a moving object strikes a stationary one, or strikes a moving object side-on, collision velocity is that of the striking or falling object. The struck object cannot inflict more dice of damage than the striking or falling one. Example: A car with 60 HP, moving at 50 mph (velocity 25), strikes a pedestrian with 10 HP. The pedestrian was fleeing from the car at Move 5, so this is a “rear-end” collision. Collision velocity is 25 (car) - 5 (pedestrian) = 20. The car inflicts (60 ¥ 20)/100 = 12d crushing damage on the pedestrian; the pedestrian inflicts (10 ¥ 20)/100 = 2d crushing damage on the car. Overruns If the Size Modifier of the striking object in a collision exceeds that of the struck object by two or more (e.g., a car hitting a man) the striking object “overruns” the struck object. This inflicts additional crushing damage: roll thrust damage for ST equal to half the striking object’s HP (or half its ST score, if it has one). Even a slowmoving elephant or a tank can crush someone who doesn’t get out of the way. This rule does not apply to falls. Anything with a ST attribute can deliberately trample as well; see Trampling (p. 404). Whiplash and Collision Anyone inside an object that comes to a sudden stop in a fall or a collision (a falling elevator, a crashing car, etc.) takes damage. Find the speed lost in the “stop” and work out falling damage for this velocity. Seatbelts or straps give DR 5 vs. this damage; airbags give DR 10. In a collision involving an open vehicle, also work out knockback from this damage for those who weren’t strapped in. This is how far they fly . . . ELECTRICITY If an uninsulated person is exposed to electricity, he may receive a shock. The effects of electric shock are highly variable, ranging from momentary stunning to instant death! This section helps the GM assess these effects if a character receives a shock during an adventure. If a specific attack or scenario gives different rules, they override the guidelines below. All electrical damage falls into one of two classes: nonlethal or lethal. Against either, metallic armor (e.g., plate armor) provides only DR 1 – and if the wearer is grounded, he actually attracts electrical attacks, giving the attacker +2 to hit. Nonlethal Electrical Damage High-voltage, low-power shocks are unlikely to kill, but can stun the victim or even render him unconscious. This is called “nonlethal electrical damage.” Examples include electric stun weapons, realistic electric fences, and static shocks on a cool, dry day. The GM should require an immediate HT roll whenever someone is zapped. Modifiers: From +2 for a short circuit in a battery-powered gadget down to -3 or -4 for a specially designed stun weapon. Nonmetallic armor gives a bonus equal to its DR – but surface shocks (e.g., from a cattle prod) tend to flow over armor rather than through it, and have an armor divisor of (0.5), while energy weapons designed to arc through armor have an armor divisor of (2) or even (5). On a failure, the victim is stunned. An instantaneous jolt (static electricity, electrolaser, etc.) stuns for one second, after which time the victim may roll vs. HT once per second to recover. A continuous shock (stun gun, electric fence, etc.) stuns for as long as the victim is in contact with the source, and for (20 - HT) seconds after that, with a minimum of 1 second. After this time, the victim may roll vs. HT each second to recover. The basic HT modifier for the strength of the shock (but not for DR) applies to all recovery rolls. Electromuscular Disruption (EMD): Some ultra-tech weapons deliver a more powerful current that induces convulsions. The HT roll is at -5, and if the victim fails, he is knocked down and paralyzed instead of merely stunned. Otherwise, the effects are as above. Lethal Electrical Damage High-power shocks cook flesh and inflict real damage; they can even stop the victim’s heart! This is called “lethal electrical damage.” Examples include power mains, lightning bolts (natural and magical), and cinematic electric fences. Lethal electric shocks inflict burning damage: only 1d-3 to 3d around the house, but 6d on up for lightning, transmission lines, etc. A victim who suffers any injury must make a HT roll at -1 per 2 points of injury suffered. On a failure, he falls unconscious for as long as the current is applied, and for (20 - HT) minutes afterward, with a minimum of 1 minute. He will be at -2 DX for another (20 - HT) minutes when he recovers. Failure by 5 or more, or any critical failure, results in a heart attack; see Mortal Conditions (p. 429). Lethal electrical
damage also causes “surge” effects in victims who have the Electrical disadvantage (p. 134). Localized Injury: Attacks that don’t affect the target’s entire body – including most magical electricity attacks – cause pain and burns, but not unconsciousness or cardiac arrest. Treat this as normal burning damage, except that the victim must make a HT roll at -1 per 2 points of injury suffered. On a failure, he is stunned for one second, after which time he may roll vs. HT once per second to recover. If the injury is to the arm or hand, he must also make a Will roll or drop anything carried in that hand. FLAME Exposure to flame inflicts burning damage. See Wounding Modifiers and Injury (p. 379) and Hit Location (p. 398) for wounding effects. Below are some additional special rules. Fire Sources Adventurers often encounter flaming oil (see Molotov Cocktails and Oil Flasks, p. 411), high-tech weapons, Innate Attacks, and battle magic (see Fire Spells, p. 246) . . . not to mention the burning rubble these attacks leave behind! If you spend part of a turn in a fire (e.g., running through the flames), you take 1d-3 burning damage. If you spend all of a turn in a fire of ordinary intensity – or if you are on fire – you take 1d-1 damage per second. Very intense fires inflict more damage; for instance, molten metal or a furnace would inflict 3d per second! Use Large- Area Injury (p. 400) in all cases. Continued exposure to a fire can result in intense heat that can rapidly fatigue you even if the flames themselves cannot penetrate your DR. See Heat (p. 434). Incendiary Attacks: Any attack with the Incendiary damage modifier (p. 105) does one point of burning damage in addition to its other damage; in effect, it has a one-point linked burning attack. Examples include torches (see Torches and Flashlights, p. 394) and flaming arrows (see Flaming Arrows, p. 410). High-tech tracer bullets also qualify.
Catching Fire A single hit that inflicts at least 3 points of basic burning damage ignites part of the victim’s clothing. (The Ignite Fire spell does this at its third level of effect; see p. 246). This does 1d-4 burning damage per second and is distracting (-2 to DX, unless the damage simply cannot harm the target). To put out the fire, the victim must beat it with his hands. This requires a DX roll, and each attempt takes a Ready maneuver. A single hit that inflicts 10 or more points of basic burning damage ignites all of the victim’s clothes. This does 1d-1 burning damage per second and is very distracting (-3 to DX, except when rolling to put out the fire). To put out the fire, the victim must roll on the ground. This requires a DX roll, and each attempt takes three Ready maneuvers. Jumping into water takes only one second, and automatically extinguishes the fire. If a wooden shield takes 10 or more points of burning damage in one second, the bearer is at -2 to DX, and takes 1d-5 burning damage per second until he gets rid of it. In all cases, remember to apply shock penalties to DX if the flame inflicts injury! The above guidelines assume ordinary clothing. Armor is good protection against fire; clothing worn over armor (e.g., a surcoat) might burn, but the armor’s DR reduces the damage normally. Clothing that is wet or worn under armor is almost impossible to ignite, and won’t stay lit. On the other hand, fancy dresses, lace cuffs, and so on, ignite if they take even 1 point of burning damage! Remember to divide damage from tight-beam burning attacks by 10 when applying the rules above.
Making Things Burn Materials are grouped into six “flammability classes,” based on the amount of burning or incendiary damage needed to set them aflame: Super-Flammable (e.g., black powder, ether): Negligible damage (candle flame). Highly Flammable (e.g., alcohol, paper, tinder): 1 point. Flammable (e.g., dry wood, kindling, oil): 3 points. Resistant (e.g., seasoned wood, clothing, rope, leather): 10 points. Highly Resistant (e.g., green wood, flesh): 30 points. Nonflammable (e.g., brick, metal, rock, fireproof synthetics): N/A. A fire source (including any incendiary attack) that inflicts the listed amount of burning damage in a single damage roll ignites the material immediately. Divide damage by 10 for tight-beam burning attacks. If the flame fails to ignite the material immediately, but could do so on its best damage roll, roll damage once per second for as long as it is in contact. Even if the flame is incapable of inflicting enough damage on its best roll, it may set things afire with prolonged contact. Roll 3d for every 10 seconds of contact. Materials one category up (e.g., Flammable materials taking 1 point per second) catch fire on a 16 or less; those two categories up (e.g., Flammable materials touching a candle flame) catch on a 6 or less. Once a material starts burning, it may ignite adjacent materials. Make separate rolls for it based on the fire’s damage (1d-1 per second for an ordinary fire).
GRAVITY AND ACCELERATION A change in gravity can be harmful. These rules describe health effects; see Different Gravity (p. 350) for the effects of gravity on common tasks. Space Adaptation Syndrome (“Space Sickness”) Those who are not native to microor zero gravity (“free fall”) may become nauseated and disoriented by the constant falling sensation. Roll against the higher of HT or Free Fall when you first enter free fall. The Space Sickness disadvantage (p. 156) gives -4. On a success, you are unaffected. On a failure, you are nauseated (see Afflictions, p. 428), which may trigger vomiting. If you begin to retch while wearing a vacc suit, you may choke; treat this as drowning (see Swimming, p. 354). Roll against the better of HT or Free Fall every 8 hours to recover. If you suffer from Space Sickness, you cannot adapt! High Acceleration Make a HT roll whenever you experience a sudden acceleration (“Gforce”) of at least 2.5 times your home gravity. Treat a home gravity under 0.1G as 0.1G for this purpose. Modifiers: -2 per doubling of acceleration (-2 at 5¥ home gravity, -4 at 10¥, and so on); +2 if seated or lying prone, or -2 if upside down. On a failure, you lose FP equal to your margin of failure. On a critical failure, you also black out for 10 seconds times your margin of failure. A sudden acceleration may throw you against a solid object. If this happens, treat it as a collision with that object at a velocity equal to 10 ¥ G-force of the acceleration. HEAT In ordinary hot weather, you will experience no ill effects if you stay in the shade and don’t move around much. But if you are active in temperatures in the top 10° of your comfort zone or above – over 80°F, for humans without Temperature Tolerance (p. 93) – make a HT or HT-based Survival (Desert) roll, whichever is better, every 30 minutes. Modifiers: A penalty equal to your encumbrance level (-1 for Light, -2 for Medium, and so on); -1 per extra 10° heat. Failure costs 1 FP. On a critical failure, you suffer heat stroke: lose 1d FP. As usual, if you go below 0 FP, you start to lose 1 HP per FP. You cannot recover FP or HP lost to heat until you move into cooler surroundings. In addition, at temperatures up to 30° over your comfort zone (91-120° for humans), you lose an extra 1 FP whenever you lose FP to exertion or dehydration. At temperatures up to 60° over your comfort zone (121-150° for humans), this becomes an extra 2 FP. Intense Heat: Human skin starts to burn at 160°; see Flame (p. 433) for damage. Even if no damage penetrates your DR, you will rapidly overheat if the ambient temperature is more than 6 ¥ your comfort zone’s width over your comfort zone (e.g., in a fire). After 3 ¥ DR seconds, make a HT roll every second. On a failure, you lose 1 FP. Your DR provides its usual protection against burning damage, but it has no effect on this FP loss. Sunburn: After a day of full sun on unprotected skin, an albino will be near death and a light-skinned Caucasian will be very uncomfortable (1d-3 damage). Darker-skinned individuals may itch, but aren’t in much danger. Details are up to the GM. Armor: Armor prevents sunburn and provides its full DR against burning damage – but only armor that provides Temperature Tolerance (through insulation or a cooling system) can prevent FP loss due to heat. This feature is standard on battlesuits and TL9+ combat armor.
PRESSURE Adventurers are most likely to encounter extreme pressure in superdense atmospheres (see Atmospheric Pressure, p. 429) or deep underwater (where pressure increases by about 1 atmosphere per 33’ of depth). Pressures in excess of your native pressure – 1 atm., for a human – are not always immediately lethal, but present serious risks. Over 2 ¥ native pressure: You risk “the bends” (see below) if you experience over 2 ¥ native pressure and then return to normal pressure. With Pressure Support 1, the bends are only a risk when returning from over 10 ¥ native pressure. With Pressure Support 2 or 3, you are immune to the bends. Over 10 ¥ native pressure: You may be crushed! On initial exposure and every minute thereafter, roll vs. HT at a basic +3, but -1 per 10 ¥ native pressure. If you fail, you suffer HP of injury equal to your margin of failure. If your Size Modifier is +2 or more, multiply injury by SM. With Pressure Support 2, read this as “Over 100 ¥ native pressure” and “-1 per 100 ¥ native pressure.” With Pressure Support 3, you are immune to pressure. The Bends When you are breathing air that has been compressed (e.g., using scuba gear), your blood and tissues absorb some of the nitrogen gas in the compressed air. When you return to normal pressure, or “decompress,” this nitrogen escapes, forming small bubbles in the blood and muscles. This can result in joint pains, dizzy spells, possibly even death. These symptoms are known as “the bends.” You risk the bends if you return to normal pressure after experiencing pressure greater than twice your native pressure (or 10 times native pressure, with Pressure Support 1). To avoid this, you must decompress slowly, spending time at intermediate pressures to allow the nitrogen to escape harmlessly. Divers and mountaineers use precise tables to determine decompression times based on time spent at a given pressure. For game purposes, at up to 2 atm. (about 33’ underwater), a human can operate for any amount of time and return without risk. At up to 2.5 atm. (50’ depth), a human can safely operate for up to 80 minutes and return without requiring slow decompression. Greater pressures reduce the safe time without slow decompression: at 4 atm. (100’ depth), it’s about 22 minutes; at 5.5+ atm. (150’ depth), there is no safe period. Safe decompression involves slowly lowering the pressure, either naturally (e.g., a diver deliberately taking hours to reach the surface) or in a decompression chamber. The time required increases with both pressure and exposure time. It can be several hours – or even days. If you fail to decompress slowly enough, make a HT roll. Critical success means no ill effects. Success means severe joint pain, causing agony (see Incapacitating Conditions, p. 428); roll vs. HT hourly to recover. Failure means unconsciousness or painful paralysis; roll vs. HT hourly to regain consciousness, with each failure causing 1d of injury. Once conscious, you suffer joint pain, as described above. Critical failure results in painful death. Recompression to the highest pressure experienced lets you roll at HT+4 every five minutes to recover from all effects short of death. An instant pressure reduction can also result in explosive decompression; see Vacuum (p. 437) for details. All effects are cumulative!
RADIATION Radiation threatens high-tech heroes in the form of solar flares, cosmic rays, nuclear accidents, radioactive materials, and lethal weapons (nuclear bombs, particle beams, etc.). Exposure is measured in rads. The more rads received, the greater the chance of ill effects. Whenever a character is exposed to radiation, the GM should note both the dose and the date. Each dose diminishes separately from all others; it starts to heal after 30 days, at the rate of 10 rads per day. However, 10% of the original dose never heals (except via ultra-tech, magic, etc.). Example: A reactor technician spends a day in a “hot” environment and receives a 200-rad dose. After 30 days, that particular dose starts to heal at 10 rads/day. After another 18 days, the remaining dose is 20 rads – 10% of 200 rads – and stops healing.
Radiation Hazards Cosmic Rays: A constant hazard for space travelers. Inflict 1 rad/week. Only massive shielding protects people. Fallout: Small radioactive particles, such as those produced by a ground-burst nuclear bomb. Inflicts 2-5 rads/minute within a few hours of the blast, and several rads/hour over the next day. If you breathe or swallow fallout (in contaminated food or water), the ingested material delivers a continuing dose (see below). Fission Plant Accident: 1,000 rads/hour or more! This is only in close proximity (e.g., the reactor room); divide dose by the square of the distance in yards from the source. Ingested Radioactive Material: Plutonium, radium-226, uranium- 235, etc. Even tiny doses can cause 1 rad/day to several rads/minute, depending on the isotope. (Some radioactive materials, such as plutonium, are also extremely toxic!) Innate Attack: An attack with the Radiation damage modifier (p. 105) delivers one rad per point of damage rolled. Nuclear Blast: One-megaton fission air or space burst at 2,000 yards: 6,600 rads!
Effects of Radiation on Living Things When a living being accumulates at least 1 rad (but no more than once per day, for continued exposure to a given source), he must make a HT roll. On the Radiation Effects Table, below, find his current accumulated dose in the “Accumulated Dose” column. Apply the modifier in the “HT” column to his HT roll. Then roll the dice. Use the first result in the “Effects” column on a critical success, the second on a success, the third on a failure, and the last on a critical failure. Radiation Effects Table Accumulated Dose HT Effects 1-10 rads +0 –/–/A/B 11-20 rads +0 –/A/B/C 21-40 rads +0 A/B/C/D 41-80 rads -1 A/B/C/D 81-160 rads -3 A/B/C/D 161-800 rads -4 A/B/C/D 800-4,000 rads -5 C/D/E/E Over 4,000 rads -5 D/E/E/E –: The dose has no obvious effect, but doses continue to accumulate. A: Radiation burns and chronic “somatic” damage. HT hours after irradiation, suffer 1d of injury and gain Low Pain Threshold for one week (those with High Pain Threshold lose this instead). If you recover, make two more HT rolls with the modifier on the table: one to avoid sterility, the other to avoid gaining the Terminally Ill (1 year) disadvantage. Gain either condition only on a critical failure. B: Hematopoietic syndrome. As A, but as well, after HT hours you are nauseated (see Irritating Conditions, p. 428) for a further (40 - HT) hours; lose 1d each from DX, IQ, and FP; and acquire the Hemophilia disadvantage. Each day, make a HT roll with the modifier on the table. On a critical success, you heal 2 points each of DX, IQ, and FP; on a success, you recover 1 point of each; on a failure, there is no improvement; and on a critical failure, you lose 1 point of each and are nauseated that day. After recovering all lost DX, IQ, and FP, you no longer suffer from Hemophilia or need to make daily HT rolls. C: Gastrointestinal syndrome. As B, but in 1d/2 weeks, you also lose all body hair and must make daily HT rolls. On a critical failure, you suffer 1d points of injury; on a failure, 2 points of injury; on a success, 1 point of injury; and on a critical success, injury stops and normal recovery can occur (and hair starts to grow back). Until injury stops, you have Susceptible to Disease -3 (p. 158) and suffer from nausea. If you lose more than 2/3 of your HP to radiation, your teeth and nails start to fall out. D: Terminal radiation sickness. As C, except HP loss begins in 1d/2 days, and even a critical success won’t stop daily HP loss – it only postpones it for a day. Death is certain. E: Rapid cerebrovascular death. After one hour, you lose 1d from each of DX, IQ, and FP; take 1d of injury; gain Hemophilia, Low Pain Threshold, and Susceptible to Disease -3; and are nauseated. Make an hourly HT roll. Critical failure means instant death from brain hemorrhage; failure means loss of another 2 points of DX, IQ, and FP, and 2 more points of injury; success means 1 extra point of each; critical success mean no decline that hour. Other Effects: In addition to these effects, a single dose of 200+ rads causes sterility and blindness for 1d months; a dose of 500+ rads makes it permanent. An accumulated dose of 100+ rads increases the risk of birth defects. Should you become a parent, make a HT roll, at +3 if you are male. On a failure, the child has some sort of birth defect (GM’s option). Radiation and Nonhumans The above effects apply to humans and most other mammals. Other creatures may have Radiation Tolerance (p. 79). Machines are not affected unless they have the Electrical disadvantage (p. 134). Each time such a machine accumulates a dose of 100 rads, make a HT roll at a basic +4, -1 per 100 rads accumulated dose. On a failure, it ceases to function until repaired. On a critical failure, it is destroyed (any data stored on it is also lost). Radiation Protection Any material between you and the radiation source grants a Protection Factor (PF) that reduces your received dose. Divide your dose by PF; e.g., PF 100 means 1/100 the dose. Half an inch of lead, 1.5 inches of steel, or 750 yards of air has PF 2; a yard of water has PF 8; a yard of earth has PF 27; and a yard of concrete has PF 64. Shielding protects differently against certain types of radiation. Radiation from solar flares and planetary radiation belts (like the Van Allen belt) is mostly free electrons and alpha particles: multiply PF by 20. Against cosmic rays, divide PF by 100! Radiation Treatment All costs below are per treatment. At TL7, drugs are available that can halve your effective rad dosage if a dose ($500) is taken 1-3 hours in advance. Chelating drugs are also available to get radioactive fallout out of your system; a dose ($500) halves exposure after 3 days and eliminates it entirely after a week. This has no effect on radiation already absorbed! At TL8, advanced chelating drugs ($500) encapsulate and remove fallout in 12 hours. At TL9, advanced anti-radiation drugs or cell-repair nanotechnology ($1,000) can give +3 to all HT rolls vs. radiation for 2 weeks. At TL10+, cell-repair nanotech or rejuvenation technology might be able to completely repair the ravages of radiation, provided the victim is still alive. SEASICKNESS Those aboard a seagoing vessel (excluding large, modern vessels with roll stabilizers) must check for seasickness on their first day afloat. Use the rules for the Motion Sickness disadvantage (p. 144) – but if you lack that disadvantage, you roll at HT+5, and with a success by 5 or more, or a critical success, you suffer no ill effects at all. SUFFOCATION If you completely lack air – see Actions After a Grapple (p. 370), Choke Hold (p. 371), and Holding Your Breath (p. 351) for examples – you lose 1 FP per second. If you are drowning after a failed Swimming roll, you can get some air, but you also inhale water: roll vs. Swimming every five seconds;
failure costs 1 FP (see Swimming, p. 354). At 0 FP, you must make a Will roll every second or fall unconscious. You are likely to die unless rescued (see Lost Fatigue Points, p. 426). Regardless of FP or HP, you die after four minutes without air. If you get clean air before you die, you stop losing FP and start to recover FP at the usual rate (see Recovering from Fatigue, p. 427). If you are unconscious, you awaken once you have 1 FP. If you were drowning, a rescuer must also make a First Aid roll to get the water out of your lungs in order to save you – see Resuscitation (p. 425). If you went without air for more than two minutes, roll vs. HT to avoid permanent brain damage: -1 to IQ. VACUUM Vacuum is the absence of air – but these rules also apply in trace atmospheres, where there is almost no air. If you are exposed to vacuum without protection (e.g., a vacc suit or the Vacuum Support advantage), the following rules apply. Breathing Vacuum: You can’t hold your breath in vacuum – and you may rupture your lungs if you try (1d of injury). If you exhale and leave your mouth open, you can operate on the oxygen in your blood for half the time listed under Holding Your Breath (p. 351). After that, you begin to suffocate (see Suffocation, p. 436). Explosive Decompression: When an area suddenly goes from normal pressure to little or none (a “blowout”), body fluids boil, blood vessels rupture, and eardrums pop. Take 1d of injury immediately, and roll vs. HT to avoid the bends (see The Bends, p. 435). Also roll vs. HT+2 for each eye; failure means One Eye or Blindness, as appropriate. Finally, roll vs. HT-1 to avoid Hard of Hearing. Use the Duration of Crippling Injuries rules (p. 422) to determine how long these disadvantages last. Extreme Temperatures: Vacuum itself is neither “cold” nor “hot,” but in the absence of air, surfaces in shadow will eventually grow very cold, while those in sunlight will become extremely hot. For example, on the moon – with its month-long “day” – the temperature can range from -243°F (at night) to 225°F (at noon).
POISON Poison can show up on weapons; on darts, needles, or spikes in traps; in food or drink offered by a treacherous foe; and anywhere else you did not expect it. Human foes are not the only ones who can poison you. Snakes, insects, and certain other creatures have natural poison (usually blood agents) – and eating the wrong plant or animal may treat you to a dose of digestive poison. DESCRIBING POISONS A poison’s description includes its name, means of delivery, delay, resistance roll, effects (injury and symptoms), and cost per dose – and possibly notes on what constitutes a “dose,” how to use or conceal the poison, and how to treat it (including any antidotes). A poison can have multiple sets of effects. For example, tear gas is both a respiratory agent (with one set of effects) and a vision-based agent (with other effects). Delivery A given poison might reach its victim in any of several ways: Blood Agent: The poison must reach a mucous membrane (eyes, open mouth, nose, etc.) or an open wound. If it is sprayed or spat, it must actually strike one of these vulnerable areas (so a spitting cobra must target the face). If it is delivered as a gas or wide-area spray, only those with the Sealed advantage (p. 82) – or with one of Doesn’t Breathe (p. 49) or Filter Lungs (p. 55) and one of Nictitating Membrane (p. 71) or Protected Vision (p. 78) – are immune. These advantages might be natural or provided by equipment. Contact Agent: The poison must be inhaled or touch skin to take effect. If it is use to poison a melee weapon, the weapon must hit an unarmored and unclad hit location for the poison to affect the target. If it is delivered as a gas or wide-area spray, it affects everyone in the area who lacks the Sealed advantage (whether natural or provided by a suit, vehicle, etc.). Digestive Agent: The victim must swallow the poison. This is typical of poisonous plants and toxic substances such as arsenic. If the poison has a slight but distinctive taste (e.g., cyanide), the GM can allow the victim a Taste roll or Perception-based Poisons roll – at a basic -2, but +2 per doubling of dosage – to notice it in time. Poisons that are easier to detect give a bonus; those that are harder to detect, or whose taste is masked by suitable food or drink, give a penalty. To force someone to swallow a poison rather than spit it out, you must grapple him by the head or neck and maintain your hold for 10 seconds. Follow-Up Poison: The poison must be placed on a piercing or impaling weapon, or injected using a hollow projectile, hypodermic needle, etc. If the weapon penetrates DR and does any damage, it delivers the poison. Most “follow-up” poisons are simply blood or contact agents injected into the body. Respiratory Agent: The poison is a gas that only affects those who inhale it into their lungs. Delivery is usually via an area or cone attack (e.g., gas grenade, spray gun, or dragon’s breath), but an entire atmosphere could be poisonous! Only Doesn’t Breathe and Filter Lungs protect completely against respiratory agents – but a victim who makes a Sense roll to notice the poison in time may hold his breath (see Holding Your Breath, p. 351). Unconscious or stunned victims inhale automatically. An improvised mask, such as a wet towel over the face, gives +1 to HT to resist.
Sense-Based Agent: The poison affects the victim through a specific sense. It has no effect on those who lack that sense or have appropriate protection. A smell-based agent is usually a foul stench that induces nausea; suitable protection is nose plugs, a respirator, or the Protected Sense (Smell) advantage. A vision-based agent is generally a cloud of gas that irritates the eyes; appropriate protection is a gas mask, goggles, or the Protected Sense (Vision) advantage. See Sense- Based (p. 109).
Special Delivery Two qualifiers can apply to several of the standard means of delivery: Cumulative: A poison may be mild in low concentrations but become harmful with continued exposure. The GM must decide how much exposure constitutes a “dose.” This might be time-based (e.g., a toxic atmosphere that requires an hour of exposure) or based on the victim’s bulk or body mass (ST/10 ounces of liquid, HP/5 pills, etc.). See Drinking and Intoxication (p. 439) for a detailed example. Persistent Gas: A respiratory agent or area-effect blood or contact agent typically persists for 10 seconds or more, depending on wind. Some contact agents leave a poisonous residue on exposed surfaces until they’re washed away.
Delay Most poisons require a few seconds to several hours to take effect. This is nearly always true for digestive agents. Delays given are for victims with Size Modifier 0. The victim’s size modifies delay: each +1 to SM doubles the delay; each -1 to SM halves the delay. For example, if the delay is 1 hour, someone with SM -2 is affected in only 15 minutes. Resistance Roll Some poisons give the victim a HT roll to resist. Make this roll after the delay, if any, has passed. There is often a modifier: a mild poison might call for a HT+2 roll, while one that is almost impossible to resist might require a HT-8 roll! HT to HT-4 is typical. DR never affects this roll. If you’re in a poisonous environment (like a gas cloud or toxic atmosphere) and make your initial HT roll, you must roll again once per second until the poison affects you or you leave the area. If the poison has a delay, roll after each delay period instead. Some poisons are specific to certain species and do not affect others. Others are easier or harder for particular species to resist. These effects are up to the GM. Effects of Poison The most common effect of poison is toxic or fatigue damage. Mild poisons might only inflict 1 HP or FP; more severe poisons might inflict 1d or more. DR has no effect on this damage. These HP and FP losses heal normally, but if the poison is cyclic (see below), no healing is possible until after the final cycle! Damaging poisons sometimes affect their victims gradually, causing damage each time a specified interval of time passes. The description of such a poison specifies the length of this interval and the total number of cycles. The interval may vary from one second (for a fast-acting agent) to one day (for a slow poison). The total number of cycles may be two to several dozen. If a resistible poison is cyclic, the victim gets a new HT roll to resist every cycle. On a success, he shakes off the poison; on a failure, an additional cycle of damage occurs. Note that even a poison that inflicts 1 HP of injury per day can be lethal if it’s hard to resist and lasts for two dozen cycles! A poison always has some symptoms. The basic damage includes symptoms such as swelling, headache, and fever. Poisons that inflict toxic damage may have more severe symptoms that occur automatically after the poison causes enough injury (usually 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3 of the victim’s HP). For example, a poison might result in blindness once the victim loses 1/2 his HP. Symptoms vanish when the victim’s HP rise above this threshold. Some poisons cause effects other than injury or fatigue, including attribute penalties, irritating or incapacitating conditions (see Afflictions, p. 428), temporary disadvantages, or even the removal of existing advantages (e.g., an alchemical poison that negates Magery). The victim usually gets a resistance roll against these effects, and the effects always have a specific duration. The default duration is a number of minutes equal to the margin of failure on the resistance roll. In a poisonous environment, a failed resistance roll means the effects last for as long as you’re in the environment plus the duration. Cost Per Dose It is up to the GM whether a particular poison is for sale – it might be impossible to extract in a useful form, or the authorities might want to keep it off the market. If a poison is available, its cost often reflects how difficult it is to obtain, not its effectiveness. In most game worlds, people who sell poisons are criminals. All of these factors make cost per dose highly variable. See Poison Examples (p. 439) for suggestions . . . but the GM is free to use whatever prices he feels are reasonable. Dosage The statistics given in a poison’s description always assume one “dose”: enough poison to produce the described effects in one victim. Some additional notes: Contact Agents: One dose of a contact agent coats or affects a single hit location. Gases and Sprays: One dose of a respiratory agent, or a blood or contact agent in gas or spray form, affects one hit location on one victim. For a respiratory agent, this must be the face. Ten doses are enough to affect everyone in a room (say, a 2-yard radius).
Poisoned Weapons: One dose of a follow-up poison envenoms the tip of a piercing or impaling weapon, or fills a hypo. Poisoning the edge of a weapon, so that a cutting attack can deliver it, requires three doses per yard of reach. Most poisons on blades only last for one successful strike or three blocked or parried ones. Misses and dodged attacks do not rub off the poison. Varying the Dosage: It is possible to vary the dosage of a digestive agent or a follow-up poison delivered by hypodermic. Each doubling of dosage (and cost!) halves the delay and interval, doubles damage, gives -2 to HT rolls to resist, and gives +2 to all rolls to detect the poison (including the victim’s Sense rolls, and any Diagnosis or Forensics roll made to investigate the victim’s symptoms or death). Using less than one full dose may reverse these modifiers or simply make the poison ineffective, at the GM’s option. Treatment If the poison has a delay, there may be time to treat the victim before he suffers any ill effects. Since he will not yet be showing symptoms, he must be aware of his predicament in order to seek help! A poisonous animal bite is usually obvious – but the GM may require a Naturalist roll to realize that an animal is venomous. Sucking the poison from the wound takes a minute, requires a First Aid or Physician roll at -2, and gives +2 on HT rolls to resist. If the victim suspects a digestive agent, he or a friend can induce vomiting to expel the poison. This takes 10 seconds, calls for a First Aid or Physician roll, and gives +2 to resist the poison. But for some poisons, vomiting is a bad idea – it can increase injury! It might also be possible to take an antidote. Antidotes exist for only a few poisons. Where they do exist, they are usually specific to the poison. The correct antidote gives the victim a bonus to HT rolls to resist the poison, or even completely halts the poison. Medical procedures – chelation, gastric lavage, intravenous fluids, oxygenation, etc. – can also give a HT bonus, but only if the treatment suits the poison. Such measures require a Physician roll. The HT bonus never exceeds TL/2 (round up, minimum +1). To learn whether it is safe to induce vomiting, or which antidotes or procedures to use, you must identify the poison. This is tricky before symptoms appear! The GM may require rolls against Poisons (to identify a residue on a dart, in a glass, etc.), Naturalist (to identify a venomous animal), or even Intimidation (to force the poisoner to reveal what he used). Once the victim takes damage, symptoms appear. At this point, a Diagnosis or Poisons roll can identify the poison. If the poison is cyclic, the correct antidote or medical procedures can help prevent further damage, providing their bonus to future HT rolls.
Poison Examples Arsenic (TL1): A digestive agent with a one-hour delay and a HT-2 roll to resist. Inflicts 1d toxic damage, repeating at hourly intervals for eight cycles. $1/dose. LC1. Cobra Venom (TL0): A follow-up poison with a oneminute delay and a HT-3 roll to resist. Inflicts 2d toxic damage, repeating at hourly intervals for six cycles. A victim who loses 1/3, 1/2, or 2/3 HP has -2, -4, or -6 DX, respectively. $10/dose. LC1. Cyanide (TL4): This fast-acting poison is deadly in any form. As a follow-up poison or respiratory agent, it has no delay. As a contact or digestive agent, it has a 15- minute delay. In all cases, there is no HT roll to resist! Inflicts 4d toxic damage. $2/dose. LC1. Mustard Gas (TL6): An area-effect respiratory and contact agent. As a contact agent, it has no delay and a HT-4 roll to resist, and inflicts 1 point of toxic damage, repeating at 8-hour intervals for 24 cycles. As a respiratory agent, it has a two-hour delay and a HT-1 roll to resist, and inflicts 1d toxic damage, repeating at onehour intervals for six cycles. $10/dose. LC0. Nerve Gas (TL6): An area-effect contact agent with no delay and a HT-6 roll to resist. Inflicts 2d toxic damage, repeating at one-minute intervals for six cycles. A nerve gas usually causes agony, paralysis, retching, or seizure as well; see Afflictions (p. 428) $20/dose. LC0. Smoke: Ordinary smoke is an area-effect respiratory agent with a 10-second delay and a HT roll to resist. Causes coughing (see Afflictions, p. 428) for the time spent in the smoke plus one minute times the margin of failure. Dense smoke can cause actual damage. LC4. Tear Gas (TL6): An area-effect respiratory and vision-based agent. As a respiratory agent, it has no delay and a HT-2 roll to resist, and causes coughing (see Afflictions, p. 428). As a vision-based agent, it has no delay and a HT-2 roll to resist, and causes blindness. Both effects endure for the time spent in the gas plus one minute times the margin of failure. Tear gas is opaque: Vision rolls are at -1 to -3 per affected yard. $10/dose. LC2. Individuals unprepared for mustard, nerve, or tear gas may have to make Fright Checks!
DRINKING AND INTOXICATION If you drink too much alcohol in a short period of time, you may become intoxicated. Keep track of how many “drinks” you consume each hour. For simplicity, one drink is a full mug or can of beer (12 oz.), a full glass of wine (4-5 oz.), or a shot of spirits (1.5 oz.). At the end of any hour during which you consume more than ST/4 drinks, roll against the higher of HT or Carousing. If you continue to drink, continue to roll once per hour.
Modifiers: -1 per drink over ST/4 that hour; -2 on an empty stomach, or +1 if you have recently eaten; +2 for the Alcohol Tolerance perk (p. 100), or -2 for the Alcohol Intolerance quirk (p. 165). Each failure shifts you one level from sober to tipsy to drunk to unconscious (drunken stupor) to coma; see Afflictions (p. 428) for details. A critical failure drops you two levels: sober to drunk, tipsy to unconscious, or drunk to coma. If penalties reduce your roll to 2 or less, critical failure means you drop three levels! Remember that any roll 10 or more above effective skill is a critical failure; e.g., a roll of 11+ against a modified HT of 1. Pink Elephants: If you are drunk, make one additional HT+4 roll. On a failure, you are also hallucinating (see Incapacitating Conditions, p. 428). The Heaves: If you are drunk and keep drinking, your body will try to purge itself of the alcohol (which is a toxin, after all!). When a failed HT roll indicates that you would fall unconscious or into a coma, make a second, unmodified HT roll. On a success, you vomit up the alcohol instead of passing out; treat this as retching (p. 429). On a critical failure, however, you pass out and then retch; treat this as choking (p. 428). Sobering Up: To sober up, you must first stop drinking. After half as many hours as the total number of drinks you consumed, roll vs. HT. Various remedies may give a bonus. On a success, you move one step toward sober. Continue to roll each time this many hours pass until you are sober. Exception: To recover from a coma, you need medical help! Hangovers: If you are tipsy or worse, you must roll vs. HT when you stop drinking, at -2 if you’re drunk or -4 if you’re unconscious. On a failure, you will suffer a hangover. This kicks in 1d hours after the end of the drinking session – or on awakening, if you pass out or fall asleep before this time – and lasts hours equal to your margin of failure. During this time, you will suffer from moderate pain (see Irritating Conditions, p. 428) and acquire Low Pain Threshold (or lose High Pain Threshold, if you have it). The GM may decide that preventative treatment (including drinking plenty of water and possibly taking a mild analgesic) gives you a bonus to this roll. ADDICTIVE DRUGS The habitual use of a mind-altering substance can lead to dependency. Abusers have the Addiction disadvantage (p. 122), and may suffer withdrawal (see box) if forced to go without the drug. Below are rules for three common classes of addictive drugs. Note that these are also poisons. If someone takes a large dose, follow all the usual rules for poison on pp. 437-439, except where specified otherwise.
Drug Withdrawal Use these rules when you try to give up an Addiction, either voluntarily or because you are broke, imprisoned, or in a place where your drug just isn’t available. Withdrawal is a painful process that requires a series of daily withdrawal rolls. It normally takes 14 successful rolls to shake the habit (thus, it always takes at least two weeks), but the GM is free to vary this. Should you manage to withdraw, you must “buy off” your Addiction disadvantage immediately. The effects of withdrawal rolls depend on whether the drug is physiologically or psychologically addictive. Physiological Dependency: Your body has come to rely on the drug! Make daily withdrawal rolls against HT (maximum 13). Each success puts you a day closer to shaking off your Addiction. The results of failure depend on whether the drug is available. If it is, you give in and take a dose; if you still want to try to withdraw, you must restart the process from day one. If the drug is not available, you take 1 HP of injury and may continue the process . . . but that day doesn’t count toward the 14 successful rolls needed to withdraw. You cannot naturally recover HP lost to withdrawal until you either succeed or abandon the attempt. Psychological Dependency: You’ve convinced yourself that you cannot function without the drug. Make withdrawal rolls against Will (maximum 13). Use the physiological dependency rules, except that if you fail a roll and the drug is unavailable, you don’t take injury. Instead, you gain -1 point of drug-related quirks, chosen by the GM. These vanish if you give in and take a dose of the drug (but then you must restart the process). If you don’t give in, these quirks grow into progressively more severe mental disadvantages. If you make 14 successful Will rolls, you withdraw – but you must make one final Will roll. On a failure, you keep any quirks or disadvantages incurred along the way!
Stimulants Stimulants elevate the user’s mood and energy level . . . temporarily. Potent ones – e.g., amphetamine – restore 1d FP, and give Doesn’t Sleep and Overconfidence (12). These effects endure for (12 - HT) hours, minimum one hour. After that time, the user loses twice the FP he recovered (e.g., if his FP jumped from 8 to 10, he drops to 6 FP), and gains the disadvantages Bad Temper (12) and Chronic Depression (9) for an equal length of time. If the user takes multiple doses in 24 hours, he must roll vs. HT after the second and later doses, at a cumulative -1 per dose after the first. On a critical failure, he suffers a heart attack (see Mortal Conditions, p. 429). Stimulants are cheap and only slightly addictive. If they are legal, stimulant addiction is a Minor Addiction (-1 point); if they are illegal, it is a -5-point Addiction. Hallucinogens Hallucinogens – e.g., LSD and mescaline – cause disorientation,
hallucinations, and fits of paranoia. They may induce psychological dependency, but not physiological addiction. Most of these drugs are taken orally and require about 20 minutes to work. Make a HT-2 roll to resist. On a failure, the user starts hallucinating (see Incapacitating Conditions, p. 428). This lasts for hours equal to the margin of failure. After that time, the user may roll vs. HT-2 once per hour to shake off the drug’s influence. Addiction is typically worth -10 points if the drugs are legal, -15 points otherwise.
Depressants Depressants induce drowsiness, lassitude, and (in large doses) insensibility. All offer a HT roll to resist. As with any poison, a large dose gives a penalty – see Dosage (p. 438). Massive doses may lead to overdose (see box). Commonly abused depressants include: Sedatives: These include sleep aids, anti-anxiety drugs, and many psychiatric drugs. A typical sedative is taken orally and requires 20 minutes to take effect. Make a HT-2 roll to resist. On a failure, the user becomes drowsy (see Irritating Conditions, p. 428) for hours equal to the margin of failure. Habitual users need larger and larger doses to produce the same effect, increasing the risk of overdose. Sedatives are cheap and highly addictive. If the user acquires them legally, he has a -5-point Addiction; otherwise, he has a -10-point Addiction. Painkillers: Potent painkillers, such as morphine, are used to treat chronic or surgical pain. Abuse is often the unintended result of legitimate use. Taken orally, there is a delay of 20 minutes; injected, there is no delay. Roll vs. HT-4 to resist. On a failure, the user acquires the High Pain Threshold (p. 59) and Unfazeable (p. 95) advantages, and the Laziness disadvantage (p. 142), and experiences euphoria (see Irritating Conditions, p. 428). All effects last for hours equal to the margin of failure. Painkillers powerful enough to produce these effects are expensive and totally addictive. Addiction is worth -15 points if the drugs are legal, -20 points otherwise. Heroin: This opium derivative has few legitimate uses. It is typically injected, in which case there is no delay. Roll vs. HT-4 to resist. Failure incapacitates the user for hours equal to the margin of failure – treat this as ecstasy (see Incapacitating Conditions, p. 428). In addition to the usual risk of overdose, there is always the chance the heroin was “cut” with toxic filler; effects are up to the GM. Heroin is very expensive, incapacitating, totally addictive, and illegal; Addiction to heroin is a -40-point disadvantage.
Overdose Anyone who takes two or more doses of depressants risks an “overdose.” This definitely includes taking a single dose of two or more depressants! Any alcohol at all counts as an extra dose. Drug interactions can kill . . . Overdose occurs on a critical failure on any resistance roll for multiple doses. As with any poison, each doubling of dosage gives -2 to resistance rolls – and as for all success rolls, a roll of 10 or more above effective skill is a critical failure. For instance, heroin offers a HT-4 roll to resist. If a HT 10 man takes a double dose, his effective HT is 10 - 4 - 2 = 4. He overdoses on a 14 or higher. Overdose causes unconsciousness for hours equal to the margin of failure. As well, the drug acts as a poison with a resistance roll equal to its usual resistance roll (the most difficult roll, for two or more drugs); e.g., HT-4, for heroin. It inflicts 1 point of toxic damage, repeating at 15- minute intervals for 24 cycles. If the victim reaches -1¥HP, he slips into a coma (see Mortal Conditions, p. 429).
ILLNESS
Maladies and strange diseases may affect adventurers in far-off lands . . . or even at home. The search for a cure – whether for the Princess’ wasting disease, an alien plague, or a terrorist’s bioweapon – is a wonderful plot device. The invention of diseases is an excellent opportunity for the GM to exercise a morbid sort of creativity. Magical or technological items, the Resistant advantage (p. 80), and high HT can all protect you from disease. Risks are greatest in warm, moist areas. If you catch something, you won’t know until the symptoms start to show . . . the GM makes your roll to avoid it! DISEASE Most diseases are caused by microorganisms and spread by infected people or animals – but some have other causes! News about disease-ridden areas travels fast; a successful Current Affairs roll can alert adventurers to the presence of disease in a region. Spotting locals suffering from symptoms requires a Perception-based Diagnosis or Physician roll. And in an area where animals are carrying a disease that people can catch, investigators would need to examine an infected specimen and make a successful Veterinary roll to realize the danger. Defining a Disease Diseases are defined in much the same way as poisons (see Poison, p. 437). For each disease the PCs encounter, the GM should specify: Vector: How the disease spreads. Diseases are generally blood, contact, digestive, or respiratory agents. These terms mean just what they do for poisons; see Delivery (p. 437). Resistance Roll: The HT roll to avoid the disease. Anyone exposed must roll, possibly at a penalty. Most diseases allow a roll at HT to HT-6. The means of exposure can modify this roll; see Contagion (p. 443). On a success, the victim does not contract
the disease. On a failure, he does, but he gets further rolls – once per “cycle” – to throw off the disease. Delay: This is the incubation period – the time between initial exposure to the disease and the appearance of the first symptoms in those who fail to resist. This is 24 hours for a “generic” disease, but can vary considerably for real-life diseases. Damage: The disease’s effects in game terms. This is typically 1 point of toxic damage, but it might be higher – up to 1d – for virulent diseases. DR does not protect against disease! Symptoms (fever, sneezing, coughing, spots, rash, etc.) appear after the subject starts to suffer injury. Injury from disease will not heal naturally until the victim makes his HT roll to recover! Cycles: Like a cyclic poison, a disease damages its victim at regular intervals until he makes a HT roll or a maximum number of cycles passes. The “default” interval between HT rolls is one day. The number of cycles varies with the deadliness of the disease; for instance, a potentially fatal disease might only inflict 1 HP per cycle but endure for 20-30 cycles. Symptoms: A disease can cause attribute penalties, temporary disadvantages, etc. after the victim loses a specified fraction (typically 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, or all) of his HP to it. Contagion: Some diseases are mildly or highly contagious – although sometimes not until after the incubation period. The combination of resistance roll, damage, and cycles determines “deadliness.” By carefully selecting these statistics, the GM can distinguish between a virulent but mild flu that ends in a day or two (24-hour delay, HT-2, 1 point of toxic damage, 12-hour interval, six cycles) and a slower but usually fatal disease (72-hour delay, HT-5, 1 point of toxic damage, daily interval, 30 cycles).
Contagion If you enter a disease-ridden area or encounter a disease carrier, make a HT roll at the end of the day to resist the disease. On a failure, you catch the disease! Modifiers to this roll include the disease’s basic virulence modifier and the least advantageous applicable modifier from this list: Avoided all contact with possible victims: +4. Entered dwelling or shop of victim: +3. Spoke with victim at close quarters: +2. Touched victim briefly: +1. Used victim’s clothes, blankets, etc.: +0. Ate victim’s cooked flesh (animal, we hope!): +0. Ate victim’s raw flesh (ditto!!): -1. Prolonged contact with living victim: -2. Kissing or other intimate contact with victim: -3. Proper precautions – masks, antiseptics, etc. – provide a bonus to those who know and understand them. The GM should consider limiting such measures to PCs from cultures that understand the germ theory of disease (late TL5).
Diagnosis Once the symptoms of a disease become apparent, identification requires a successful roll against Diagnosis or Expert Skill (Epidemiology) – or Veterinary, for an animal illness. This cannot identify a totally new illness, but a good roll might give enough information to allow treatment. Treatment Appropriate remedies – herbs, drugs, etc. – can provide a bonus to the cyclic HT rolls to shake off certain diseases. At TL6+, antibiotics (e.g., penicillin) give +3 to recover from most bacterial diseases. At any TL, a physician’s care provides the same bonuses to recover from disease that it gives to recover from injuries (see Medical Care, p. 424). However, some diseases are drugresistant, in which case ordinary medicine gives no bonus. At TL7+, drug treatments can often mitigate the effects of such illnesses – usually by reducing damage or lengthening interval – but these aren’t cures. Radiation treatment, gene therapy, nanotech, magic, and psi might still work, however. Immunity and Susceptibility Differential Susceptibility: Members of a given ethnicity, sex, or race may be more or less susceptible to a particular disease. For instance, the GM might decide that dwarves are immune to the Purple Shakes, and that elves get +2 on their HT rolls against it . . . but that the mortality rate among male giants is 100% unless they are treated within two days. A successful Diagnosis or Physician roll reveals differential susceptibility, if applicable. Natural Immunity: Some individuals are simply immune to a specific disease. If the GM rolls a 3 or 4 for your first attempt to resist a disease, you are immune! He should note this fact and not tell you – under normal circumstances, you have no real way of knowing about your immunity.
Acquired Immunity: Anyone who survives a given disease may be immune in the future. This depends on the illness. You only catch measles once, for instance – but mumps can come back over and over. Vaccination: Vaccination won’t cure disease, but it provides almost certain immunity. At TL5, vaccines exist for a few diseases – notably smallpox – but aren’t widespread. At TL6+, new vaccines appear constantly, and most can be stored for long periods of time, like other medicines. Developing a new vaccine is difficult and time-consuming; use the rules under New Inventions (p. 473), rolling against Bioengineering skill. At TL10+, exotic treatments (e.g., nanomachine colonies) can give individuals or entire societies the Resistant to Disease advantage. INFECTION A microorganism that attacks open wounds may cause an “infection.” Infections are possible anywhere, but some places (especially jungles) may harbor especially severe forms of infection. Open wounds treated with antibiotics (TL6+) never become infected except on a critically failed First Aid or Physician roll. People wounded under less-than-clean circumstances (GM’s decision) and who do not receive treatment must make a HT+3 roll, modified as follows: Ordinary “clean” dirt in wound: +0. Dung or other infected matter in wound: -2. Locale harbors a special infection: -3. These modifiers are cumulative, and replace those listed under Contagion (p. 443). On a failure, the wound is infected. Treat this as any other disease. A typical infection requires a daily HT roll, modified as above, with failure indicating the loss of 1 HP. Most infections progress until the victim either makes a HT roll, ending the infection, or takes so much injury that he dies. Treatment with antibiotics (TL6+) gives +3 to HT rolls. This usually halts the infection before serious injury can occur. If drugs are unavailable, or if the patient doesn’t respond, a surgeon can cut out the infected tissue if the injury from infection hasn’t progressed beyond a certain point. On the head or torso, this limit is the patient’s HP/2. On a limb or extremity, it is the amount of injury required to cripple the body part. Surgery cannot help infections more severe than this. The surgeon must make a Surgery roll. This inflicts 2d of injury to the head or torso, or amputates a limb or extremity. On a success, it cures the infection. On a failure, damage or amputation occurs but the patient remains infected.
AGE AND AGING As discussed under Age (p. 20), you can start your adventuring career at any age that falls within your race’s usual lifespan. However, unless you are Unaging (p. 95), you will experience gradual decline once you age past a certain point. Beginning at age 50, make a series of “aging rolls” each year to see if old age is taking its toll. (If you did not note an exact birthday, roll on the first day of every game year.) At age 70, roll every six months. At age 90, roll every three months! If you have Extended Lifespan (p. 53), each level doubles the age at which you must make aging rolls (50 years), the ages at which aging rolls become more frequent (70 and 90 years), and the time intervals between aging rolls (1 year, 6 months, and 3 months). If you have Short Lifespan (p. 154), each level halves these numbers. Aging rolls are a series of four HT rolls – one for each of your four basic attributes, in the following order: ST, DX, IQ, HT. You may not use any form of Luck (p. 66) on these rolls. Modifiers: Your world’s medical tech level minus 3; e.g., -3 at TL0, or +4 at TL7. +2 if you are Very Fit, +1 if Fit, -1 if Unfit, or -2 if Very Unfit. On a failure, reduce the attribute in question by one level. A critical failure, or any roll of 17 or 18, causes the loss of two levels. Exception: If you have Longevity (p. 66), treat any roll of 16 or less as a success, and treat a 17 or 18 as an ordinary failure – and if your modified HT is 17+, only an 18 fails! When you lose an attribute level to age, reduce your point value accordingly. Reduce all secondary characteristics and skills based on that attribute to reflect its new level. For instance, if aging reduces your IQ by one, your Perception, Will, and skills based on any of those three quantities also drop by one. If any attribute reaches 0 from aging, you die a “natural” death. At the GM’s option, you may lose advantages or gain disadvantages of equivalent point value instead of losing an attribute point. For example, your Appearance could decline, or you could gain Hard of Hearing.
Artificial Youth In some settings, magic or technology can halt or reverse aging. Should you become younger through any means, you regain all attribute levels lost between your new age and your old one. This simply increases your point value; you do not have to “buy back” the recovered attribute levels. Even without magic or high technology, you can spend earned character points to raise your attributes to combat aging.
This is the end of the file.