Wounds & Injury

This module introduces injury triggers and recovery procedures that support SystemRPG’s cinematic-but-crunchy combat ethos. It integrates with simultaneous resolution, tier-driven contests, and per-second timing.

When to Check for Injury

Make an Injury Check when any of the following occur after damage is applied per Damage Application Order:

1. Massive Hit: A single hit deals damage ≥ 25% of target’s Max HP after mitigation.
2. Overwhelming Margin: The attacker wins the contest by 3+ net successes.
3. Critical Botch (Defense): The defender’s check results in a severe botch (e.g., cascading 1s producing multiple net failures) at SO discretion.

Tables may tune thresholds after playtesting (e.g., 20–30%).

Injury Check

Roll a Flux Check using the target’s defensive capability against the attack’s effective Power Level:

• Physical Injury: (Endurance × 2 + Reaction × 1) vs attacker’s Physical Attack PL
• Mental Injury: (Willpower × 2 + Control × 1) vs attacker’s Mental Attack PL

Apply tier differences per Flux Check System#Milestone Tier Advantage System.

Outcomes (on Injury Check)

• Success: You avoid lasting injury (narrate close call, minor bruise).
• Fail by 1: Suffer a Minor Wound (e.g., -1 to a relevant category, or apply a light condition like Slowed or Off-Balance for 1 round).
• Fail by 2: Suffer a Moderate Wound (apply a stronger condition such as Prone or Bleeding; -1 to related checks until treated).
• Fail by 3+: Suffer a Severe Wound (e.g., Stunned next round, ongoing Bleeding, or limb impairment as appropriate; -2 to related checks until treated).

The SO selects a thematically appropriate effect guided by attack type and fiction, using Conditions as the canonical effects.

Stabilization & Treatment

• First Aid: An ally spends 1 action to attempt a Flux Check (Medicine/Heal + relevant Stat) against the Injury’s PL; success downgrades injury severity by one step.
• Magical Aid: Healing effects may downgrade injury severity or remove specific conditions as described by the spell.
• Natural Recovery: At scene’s end or during rest, attempt a new Injury Check; success downgrades one step. Severe Wounds may require multiple rests or specific care.

Death & Setting Integration

Follow setting-level death rules in Death and Survival Mechanics. Injury severity should escalate narrative stakes without undermining the “permanent death under normal circumstances” philosophy.

Design Notes

• Injury triggers scale with power via tier differences, naturally making high-tier hits more dangerous without forcing lethality.
• Conditions provide a unified language for effects; keep the list compact and evocative.