Combat
Wounds
I’ve been reduced to 0 HP (or below). Now what? You have a choice. You can either be taken out of the fight or you can soldier on.
- If you are taken out of the fight, you fall to the ground, unable to continue.
- You remain at 0 HP.
- You cannot participate in the rest of the encounter UNLESS someone administers healing magic to you, e.g., cure light wounds.
- You gain one level of exhaustion.
- If the blow that reduced you to 0 HP (or below) was a critical hit, you take CON damage and are wounded and must roll on the table below, as per 2C‑E.
- If you soldier on, you can keep fighting but you run the risk of serious injury.
- You remain at 0 HP until you take further damage.
- You gain a level of exhaustion.
- Any further damage you take is subtracted from your constitution score.
- Any further damage you take wounds you. Roll 2d10 and add the damage you take from this attack to the result. Compare this number to the wound table below, rolling accordingly for further details.
- If your constitution reaches 0, you die.
- Wounds are bad news, having both immediate and long term consequences, and heal slowly.
- Immediate:
- You might pass out from the pain. Make a Con save DC 10 (injury), 20 (maiming), or 25 (destruction).
- You might die of shock. If you are maimed, make a single Wis save DC 7. If something is destroyed, make a Wis save DC 12.
- Long Term:
- Injuries leave small scars and maiming leaves large scars. Destruction is…worse.
- Injuries run a small risk of infection, requiring a single DC 10 Con save the day after the wound. Maiming runs a higher risk, requiring daily Con saves DC 10 + number of days since wounding. Destruction runs an even higher risk, requiring daily DC 12 + number of days since wounding. If infected, a character is incapaciated for three days before dying.
- Healing:
- Infection and risk of infection is ended with a DC 12 medicine check (with an herbalism kit or equivalent).
- Injuries persist until all Constitution damage is healed. Maiming persists until all Constitution damage is healed and a DC 10 medicine check is made daily for seven days. Destruction is permanent.
- Your constitution score heals at the rate one 1 / long rest + 1 per HD spent (including during a short rest).
- Note that this does affect your maximum HP.
- Immediate:
Result (2d10+Damage) | Severity | Location (1d10) | Effect |
---|---|---|---|
3–20 | Injured | 1–2 Leg | Speed ‑10’, disadvantage on all actions involving legs, e.g., jumping (1–4 Left, 5–6 Right) |
3 Hand | Disadvantage on fine motor actions, e.g., attacks (1–4 Nondominant, 5–6 Dominant) | ||
4–5 Torso | Disadvantage on all actions involving Str or Dex | ||
6–7 Arm | Disadvantage on all actions with arm (1–4 Nondominant, 5–6 Dominant) | ||
8 Eye | Disadvantage on all actions involving vision (1–3 Left, 4–6 Right) | ||
9–10 Brain | Disadvantage on all rolls | ||
21–29 | Mangled | 1–2 Leg | Speed 0’, disadvantage on all actions involving legs, e.g., jumping (1–4 Left, 5–6 Right) |
3 Hand | Unusable (1–4 Nondominant, 5–6 Dominant) | ||
4–5 Torso | Speed ‑10’, disadvantage on all actions involving Str or Dex | ||
6–7 Arm | Arm unusable (1–4 Nondominant, 5–6 Dominant) | ||
8 Eye | Disadvantage on all actions involving vision (1–3 Left, 4–6 Right) | ||
9–10 Brain | Disadvantage on all rolls | ||
30+ | Maimed | 1–2 Leg | Speed 0’, disadvantage on all actions involving legs, e.g., jumping (1–4 Left, 5–6 Right) |
3 Hand | Unusable (1–4 Nondominant, 5–6 Dominant) | ||
4–5 Torso | Speed ‑10’, disadvantage on all actions involving Str or Dex | ||
6–7 Arm | Arm unusable (1–4 Nondominant, 5–6 Dominant) | ||
8 Eye | Disadvantage on all actions involving vision (1–3 Left, 4–6 Right) | ||
9–10 Brain | Disadvantage on all rolls |
Critical Hits
For critical hits, maximum damage is dealt, e.g, for a long sword that deals 1d8 damage, it would deal 8 damage on a critical hit. The average amount of critical hit damage remains the same and this eliminates disappointing 1x2 results.
Initiative
Use the opponents initiative (10+initiative modifier) as a DC and players’ initiative roll as a check. If they pass, they go before the opponent. If they fail, they go after. Encourage players to discuss what they are doing together and then carry out their plan at once.
Inspiration
When a character has inspiration, they can spend it to cancel disadvantage or give themselves advantage. Only one point of inspiration can be had at a time.
Vanquished Foes
Momentum
Any PC that scores a critical hit receives inspiration. Any PC that fumbles loses inspiration.
Flawless Victory
All PCs involved in combat receive inspiration if PCs are victorious and take no damage.
Accomplishment
Provide inspiration for all PCs involved when the party accomplishes a long-standing goal.
Advantage & Disadvantage
Rolls made with advantage are rolled twice, with the higher result being taken. Rolls made with disadvantage are rolled twice, with the lower result being taken. Advantages and disadvantages don’t stack, and if one condition provides advantage and another imposes disadvantage, they cancel each other out.
Distraction
When multiple combatants face a single combatant in melee, one combatant can use an action to give another combatant advantage.
Mob Rules
When a combatant is completely surrounded by opponents, e.g., eight opponents for a medium or smaller creature, all opponents have advantage.
Higher Ground
Attacking from higher ground, whether melee or ranged, provides advantage.
Surprise
If an opponent is attacked before they are aware of the attacker, the attacker has one free round before initiative and has advantage until the opponent’s first turn. Ambushes are deadly.
Unarmed
If an armed combatant attacks an unarmed opponent, the attack is made with advantage.
Mounted
When attacking in melee from a mount and the opponent is smaller than the mount, attack with advantage.
Prone
When attacking a prone opponent in melee, attack with advantage. When attacking from prone, attack with disadvantage.
Dodge
When a combatant uses an action to dodge, all opponents attack with disadvantage until the beginning of the combatant’s next turn.
Firing into melee
When firing into melee, attack with disadvantage. If the failure is critical, the judge determines which unintended target is hit instead.
Poor visibility
Attacks made when visibility is poor are made with disadvantage.