The world is out to get you! Well, it may seem like that sometimes, especially with the plethora of dangerous things at the GM’s disposal.
Not all damage is created equal in Shapers. Chemicals burn and electricity is truly shocking. Below you find rules for those and other types of damage.
Damage Types
Chemical
Toxic chemicals can react violently with different substances, especially living flesh and they have an annoying habit of sticking to what they touch as well and burning through. Assume all chemical weapons have the Burn special effect. However, not all chemicals are created equal. Some may have been engineered to be harmless to particular materials while being safe for others.
Cold
Severe and sudden drops in temperature can cause burns and frostbite when coming into contact with exposed flesh. Plants wither and die and even solid objects are not immune to the numbing cold as moisture expands and cause fractures to appear.
Direct
Some forms of attack go beyond the norm and attack matter on the atomic scale, ripping apart the very building blocks of life. Damage of this type is catastrophic and exceptionally deadly and puts coffin makers out of business. Clothing, armour and shields pose no barrier to attacks of this type and take damage as if they were the target of the attack as well.
Kinetic
If you get socked in the jaw by a sucker punch, or take a bullet in the chest, or get stabbed in the back, that’s kinetic energy we’re talking about. Most weapons and projectiles deal kinetic damage of one variety or another.
Psychic
Psychic damage affects the mind of the victim, preventing them from being able to think clearly and causing extreme mental pain.
Radiation
Most armour and clothing cannot stop radiation damage. Only special suits specifically designed for the purpose can stand a chance at it and only for a limited period of time. This is represented by the environment suit’s soak rating. Once this has been depleted by soaking up radiation damage, then the suit becomes useless.
Shock
Shock damage will stun a target for 1 round per point of damage if they fail a Hard (TN 30) Physical Fortitude test. Shock damage ignores metal armour. Creatures vulnerable to Shock damage take double damage and do not get to use Physical Fortitude to reduce it, additionally they are stunned for 2 rounds per point of damage on a failed Physical Fortitude test.
Terror
Terror is a direct assault on the emotions of a character. Frightening creatures, magical powers and traumatic events can all cause Terror in people.
Thermal
Excessive or concentrated amounts of heat can do a lot of damage and often stand a good chance of causing fires. Creatures and objects that are vulnerable to thermal damage automatically have the Burn special effect applied when taking damage, even if the weapon itself does not normally have it.
Damage Resistance and Immunity
People wear armour for a reason, as it has the capacity to stop you from taking damage. Some creatures may have a resistance to certain types of damage as well, or they may even be completely immune. It’s rather hard trying to stab a Stone Guardian, but that doesn’t hold a candle to a Red Dragon’s immunity to fire!
In game terms, Damage Resistance or DR for short, reduces damage of its type by its rating, before reductions for Fortitude. A Fire DR 5 will therefore reduce all incoming fire damage by 5 points.
Damage Immunity, or DI for short, is expressed as a percentage and reduces damage taken by its rating, rounding down to the nearest whole number. This is calculated before DR or Physical Fortitude is used. For instance, an Acid DI 50% will halve all incoming acid damage. If the incoming damage was 9, that would be reduced to 4.5, which is then rounded down to 4 points of damage.
Asphyxiation, Suffocation and Drowning
When starved of oxygen characters are able to hold their breath for a number of rounds equal to their Physical Fortitude x 2, or 6 seconds per point of Physical Fortitude if you prefer.
Once that time is up they will automatically lose 1 Physical Health Point per round (3 seconds) until they either die, or are able to breathe again.