Up until now we've only been concerned
with determining whether a character has been hit. Now we shall see the effects of these
hits upon characters. Listed under 'Damage' in each of the
weapons charts are the amount and the type of damage each weapon does. The amount of
damage a weapon does is determined by rolling the indicated dice when a hit is scored. The
attacked character will take that much damage. This means that the character should
subtract that number from his current hit points.
Hit points, if you recall, are determined by adding the strength
bonus to the character's constitution. If a character goes to 0 hit points he will
generally be unconscious. If the number of hit points goes below negative one- half of the
character's total hit points the character is dead. For example a character with 18 hit
points could would be dead when he is below negative 9 (-9) hit points. A character with
10 hit points would be dead at negative 6 hit points.
There is a chance that a character may actually stay conscious while
his hit points are 0 or below (as long as he's not dead). If the character is able to make
a will roll at a penalty of the number of points below 0 he is at, he may stay conscious
and active for 10 segments. After 10 segments he must make the same will roll again to
stay up. If, at any time during this period, he is hit again he must immediately make a
will roll (with the penalty refigured for the new damage) to stay up. For instance, a
character with a constitution of 14 and a strength of 10 can take 14 hit points of damage
before going unconscious and 21 hit points before being dead. However, in spite of this,
the character may attempt to stay conscious even if he has taken more than 14 hit points.
Let's say he took 17 hit points. He is at -3 hit points so to stay up he must make a will
roll at a penalty of 3 to avoid going unconscious. Ten segments later he will have to roll
again. If he makes it he can stay up for ten more segments and then try again. If not, he
goes unconscious. If he takes 22 hit points he's dead. Bury him.
A character regains hit points at the rate of one-tenth of his
constitution every 24 hours. This may be affected by medical attention or perhaps, magic.
Hit points have no physical effect upon the character other than
putting him closer to death. The pain associated with taking hit points we blatantly
ignore. After all that's why we're playing a game rather than really fighting anyway. The
optional combat rules have additional damage effects if you want to get a little bit more
realistic.
Suffocation & Fatigue
Fatigue (or suffocation) points may be sustained by choking and/or
extreme physical exertion. They indicate the oxygen usage vs. oxygen intake of the
character. They are fully explained under constitution in the character generation
chapter.
Broken Bones
A character may have a bone broken as a result of wrestling or a
critical hit. In this case the broken limb will be useless until all the hit points that
were taken on that blow are healed. If the bone has been set (put back in place) by a
person with medic skill (who makes his skill roll) then the bone will heal normally. If
the bone has not been set then that limb's effective agility goes down by a D6. If it is a
leg bone then this minus will apply to the character's agility any time he is standing. If
it is an arm the agility minus will only apply to any action requiring use of that arm.
Poison
There are many different types of poisons with different levels of
effectiveness. In all cases a constitution roll should be allowed to negate or reduce the
amount of effect taken.
Most poisons act over a period of time. The character should roll
against his or her constitution repeatedly over a period of time. Every time the character
rolls greater than his or her constitution one hit point should be taken.
If the constitution roll is successful then the poison has been
resisted and no damage is taken. If a given number of rolls are successful then the
character has thrown off the poison and may recover the lost hits normally.
Poisons may vary in the amount of time in which they act (how much
time must pass between constitution rolls), what they effect (suffocation or normal
damage, or possibly a statistic, such as agility with a paralyzing poison), and in how
easy they are to throw off (how many rolls must be made successfully before they character
may be considered safe from the poison).
As a basic guideline here are some general poison types, and their
effects.
Poison Type is a general label that may be applied to the
poison. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and the GM may design poisons that fit
his or her campaign better if desired.
Save Rate shows what period of time passes between the
constitution rolls by the character.
Effect shows what is effected by the poison. Where
suffocation is used the suffocation points should be lost 10 at a time instead of one at a
time. In agility, where the character reaches 0 agility he is completely immobilized. At
GM's discretion some poisons may affect other statistics.
Recovery is the number of constitution rolls that must be made
successfully in a row in order to completely throw off the poison.
Poison
Type |
Save Rate |
Effect |
Recovery |
Type A |
1 Day |
Hit Points |
2 |
Type B |
1 Hour |
Hit Points |
2 |
Type C |
1 Minute |
Hit Points |
3 |
Type D |
1 Segment |
Hit Points |
4 |
Type E |
1 Hour |
Suffocation |
3 |
Type F |
1 Segment |
Suffocation |
4 |
Type G |
1 Minute |
Paralysis |
3 |
Type H |
1 Segment |
Paralysis |
3 |
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Other Drugs
With higher tech levels certain drugs may become available which
alter the effects of damage. Indeed in modern times anesthetics or stimulants may be used
to increase the amount of damage a character can take before having to make will rolls to
stay conscious. The GM could rate a particular drug at, say, 2 meaning that a character
need not make a will roll to stay up until he is at -3 hit points. This will also give him
a +2 on his will rolls.
Hitting things
Should a character hit a wall (or something) at a high velocity he
will take 1D6/10mph of pummeling damage. Running into the ground (falling) is much the
same thing. Using this system falling works out to roughly 1D6/15ft. When falling, an
agility roll may be made success indicating a lessening of the damage by 1D6.
Armor
Characters will often be found wearing armor. For good reason too,
since it can stop some damage. There are many types of armor and each stops different
amounts of damage depending on the type of damage being inflicted. Listed with each weapon
is the type of damage it does. This corresponds to a column on the armor chart.
Cross-reference the type of armor with the damage type to determine the number of hit
points (given by a die roll) that the armor will stop in a given hit.
Note that there is an agility minus column on the armor chart also.
The wearing of armor is not without penalty. While wearing armor, a character's agility
will be lessened by the agility minus of the armor. Any skill percentages involving
agility should be refigured with the character's adjusted agility.
Certain character's however, may overcome the agility minus of armor
by virtue of great strength. Each strength bonus point will negate one agility minus for
armor. So a character with an 18 strength can wear armor with an agility minus of 4
without penalty.
Similarly, a weak character will be easily encumbered by armor. If
the character's strength bonus is negative it is added to the agility minus but this extra
penalty is never more than the agility minus itself. For instance, a character with a 3
strength has a strength bonus (penalty) of -4. If the character puts on armor with an
agility minus of 4 then the actual agility minus for that character would be (4+4) 8. If
the agility minus was only two then the character's effective agility only be at (-(2+2))
-4.
Any time a character makes an agility roll (to avoid falling in a
pit for example) while wearing armor, he should use his adjusted agility.
Damage Types
The following are descriptions of the various sorts of damage types
encountered in Eternal Soldier.
Pummel: Damage caused by being hit with a blunt object.
Edged: Any bladed or cutting weapon. Also includes glass or
anything else that does damage by virtue of slicing and/or dicing.
Pierce: Damage taken from pointed objects moving a a
relatively low velocity. This include foils, arrows, spears or any other object where a
lot of force is focused on a very small area.
Bullet: Any projectile fired at a high velocity which does
damage by impact rather than exploding.
Energy: Any damage based on energy. This includes beam
weapons and fire damage.
Explosion: Damage caused by many fragments hitting at high
velocity. Often accompanied by a shock wave (where a kill zone and casualty zone is
indicated). To remain standing in the kill zone of an explosion an agility roll at a
penalty of 5 is required (if for some odd reason you're still alive). In the casualty zone
a normal agility roll will suffice to keep your footing.
Armor & Shield Charts
The armors shown below range from the beginning of time on into the
future. Compare the type of armor against the damage type of the weapon. The result is the
amount of damage that should be subtracted from the damage the character receives.
Negative results mean no damage was taken. The agility minus is the amount the character's
agility should be reduced while wearing the given armor.
Treat resultant agilities of less than one as one. Note that this
will affect the character's performance on any skill that requires agility. The
character's strength bonus should be subtracted from the agility minus. A character with a
strength bonus of 2 in armor with an agility minus of 3 would only have a penalty of 1 on
his or her agility. Characters with a strength bonus of 3 or 4 would suffer no penalty in
the same armor, and a character with strength bonus of -2 would have a penalty of 5 in
that armor.
As with weapons, numbers in parentheses after the name of the armor
indicate the tech level of the armor.
Armor Type |
Pum-
mel |
Edged |
Pierce |
Bullet |
Beam |
Expl. |
Engy |
Agility Minus |
Tech Level |
Thick furs |
1D4 |
2D4 |
1D4 |
-- |
-- |
1D4 |
1D8 |
3 |
0 |
Leather |
1D4 |
2D6 |
1D6 |
-- |
-- |
1D4 |
1D6 |
1 |
1 |
Studded Leather |
1D6 |
2D6 |
1D6 |
-- |
-- |
1D4 |
1D6 |
1 |
2 |
Chain Mail |
2D4 |
2D8 |
2D6 |
1D4 |
-- |
1D6 |
1D6 |
2 |
2 |
Plate Mail |
2D8 |
2D10 |
2D8 |
1D4 |
1D4 |
1D8 |
1D8 |
4 |
2 |
Full Plate |
2D10 |
3D8 |
2D10 |
1D4 |
1D4 |
1D10 |
1D10 |
6 |
2 |
Flak Vest |
2D4 |
2D6 |
2D6 |
2D8 |
1D6 |
1D10 |
1D4 |
4 |
8 |
Kevlar Suit |
1D8 |
2D8 |
2D10 |
2D10 |
1D6 |
1D8 |
1D4 |
3 |
9 |
Plastex |
2D8 |
2D8 |
2D10 |
2D10 |
1D10 |
2D6 |
2D8 |
3 |
10 |
Ablative |
1D6 |
1D6 |
1D6 |
1D4 |
2D8 |
1D6 |
2D10 |
2 |
10 |
Alloyed |
2D10 |
2D10 |
2D10 |
2D10 |
2D10 |
2D10 |
1D10 |
4 |
11 |
Absorbent |
1D6 |
1D6 |
1D6 |
1D6 |
3D8 |
1D6 |
3D8 |
2 |
12 |
Absorbent Field |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
3D10 |
-- |
3D10 |
0 |
12 |
Force Field |
1D10 |
1D10 |
1D10 |
1D10 |
1D10 |
1D10 |
1D10 |
0 |
13 |
Combat |
4D10 |
4D10 |
4D10 |
4D10 |
4D10 |
4D10 |
3D10 |
6 |
12 |
Powered |
6D10 |
6D10 |
6D10 |
5D10 |
5D10 |
6D10 |
4D10 |
6 |
12 |
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Plate Mail: Refers to partial plate
(breast plate and greaves)
Full Plate: Full body plate mail.
Flak Vest: Old fashioned bullet proof vest, i.e. a
vest lined with lead shot.
Kevlar Suit: Modern suit of woven Kevlar (a super
strong plastic) fibers.
Plastex: Futuristic plastic based (hard shell) body
armor.
Ablative: Chemical based stiff foam which absorbs
heat. It burns away as it takes heat damage. Has the consistency of soft wood and hence,
not much good against physical attacks.
Alloyed: Hard-shell armor made of advanced metals.
Absorbant: Matrix of energy absorbing cells which
absorbs beam and energy weapons (the energy of which it uses to supplement it's power
supply). The cells are sewn onto something similar to leather armor for extra protection.
Absorbant Field: Like above but a field is generated
from a central source. It creates egg-shaped field 6 ft. high and 3 ft at its widest
point. May be combined with other armor.
Force field: Your basic sci-fi force field. Enough
thought will present some interesting problems (Can someone touch himself while the force
field is up...?). May be combined with other armor.
Combat Armor: Super strong hard-shell armor. May
contain communications equipment and/or also be a Vacuum Suit. Jet pack optional.
Powered(3): Armor so massive it requires its own power
assist. The limbs can't move as fast as most people's limbs (hence the -6 on agility
(minimum agility of 3)). The strength bonus/penalty won't affect agility here. It does
however, provide the wearer with an effective strength of 60. A punch while wearing this
armor will be slower than a normal punch so just use half the strength bonus for damage.
May also contain weapons, communications gear, and/or jetpack.
Powered(4): An improvement on the above. The limbs are
now powered by opposing force fields (or the imaginative power source of your choice)
enabling the limbs to move as fast or faster than the limbs of the user. Technically, this
armor has no agility minus but it is so hard to control that an inexperienced wearer has
an agility minus of -8 (he has to be §real§ careful about how he moves). See powered
armor skill. The strength of 60 is real. Use the full strength bonus for damage. Ability
to run and jump doubles if you can make the skill roll. May also have the full complement
of techno-stuff.
Shield
Type |
Speed Class |
Parry Bonus |
Max Damage |
Small Shield |
IV |
+25% |
15 |
Medium Shield |
V |
+30% |
20 |
Large Shield |
VI |
+35% |
25 |
Tower Shield |
VII |
+40% |
30 |
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Max damage indicates the number of points that shield
can take from a blow. Any amount in excess of this amount means the shield breaks and the
character takes all left over damage.
Structural Armor & Strength:
For damage to structures we are more concerned with the damage to
the armor or wall than we are in with what is wearing it. The values below represent the
degree to which a barrier will prevent an amount of force from passing through to the
other side. They also effect the amount of damage that a structure made of the particular
material can absorb before collapsing.
Whenever damage is inflicted upon a structure subtract the number of
points the structural armor will stop from the amount of damage dealt. Example: a bullet
doing 27 points of damage a 4mm panel of Steel Plate. Steel Plate stops 3 pts./1mm against
bullets, so (3x4mm)=12 points is subtracted from the bullet's damage. If the bullet
strikes a target on the other side it will do (27-12)=15 points of damage to the target.
The Armor is pierced where the bullet hits.
When a section of armor/structure takes more hit points than it can
stop, the entire area hit by the weapon is pierced. Thus when dealing with explosive
weapons the entire area within the kill zone would be destroyed. If the damage in the
casualty zone is still greater than the structure can take then the all parts of the
structure in the casualty zone are destroyed also. At this point the GM must make a
decision about whether the structure may still stand without the blown up parts.
Armor piercing shells do normal explosive damage to whatever is on
the other side of the barrier. Treat barrier as having HALF its actual thickness for
purposes of stopping armor piercing shells.
Structural Armor & Strength
Armor Type |
Pum-
mel |
Edged |
Pierce |
Bullet |
Beam |
Expl. |
Engy |
Hits |
Tech Lev |
Earth/6" |
4 |
4 |
8 |
10 |
6 |
4 |
10 |
100 |
0 |
Stone/3" |
6 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
100 |
1 |
Wood/1" |
4 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
50 |
0 |
Concrete/1" |
4 |
4 |
5 |
8 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
75 |
6 |
Steel Plate/1mm |
4 |
6 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
20 |
6 |
Titanium
Plate/1mm |
6 |
8 |
6 |
5 |
3 |
2 |
3 |
30 |
9 |
Alloyed Plate/1mm |
7 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
35 |
10 |
Alloyed Plate/1mm |
8 |
10 |
9 |
9 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
40 |
11 |
Alloyed Plate/1mm |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
6 |
7 |
4 |
50 |
13 |
Force
Screen/Layer |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
-- |
12 |
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Next: Wrestling
Previous: Combat
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