A new damage system for Fudge

Apr 26, 2020 #fudge #rpg #combat #wounds #rules

Wounds

Every character has a number of wound boxes equal to 5 + Health + Scale modifier. This value measures how much damage a character can take before getting knocked out, killed, or worse. There are three kinds of damage: Bashing, Lethal and Aggravated.

Bashing damage is inflicted when a character is punched, pummeled and hit with blunt objects. Bashing damage is usually not immediately lethal, but can be deadly if it goes on. Bashing damage heals fairly quickly.

Lethal damage is inflicted when a character is stabbed or cut with pointed or sharp objects. Guns also inflict Lethal damage. In general, if there is blood, the damage is Lethal. Lethal damage heals slowly for ordinary humans.

Aggravated damage is inflicted by supernatural means. Magical attacks will deliver Aggravated damage. Some supernatural creatures are especially vulnerable to certain elements or weapons, for example werewolves to silver. Damage by such weapons are always Aggravated. Aggravated damage heals even more slowly than Lethal damage. Many supernatural beings deliver aggravated damage.

Example wound track:

When the 3rd last box is is checked all the character’s actions will be at -1. When the rightmost box is checked, he rolls at -2 instead. Additionally, the player needs to roll a Body roll to remain conscious. The difficulty is Fair, but the -2 to all actions does apply. If the roll fails and the right-most wound is bashing, the character is knocked out. The character stays knocked out until his bashing wounds heal. If the rightmost wound is Lethal, and the Body roll failed, then the character is down and dying. He receives an aggravated wound every minute until dead (all boxes checked with aggravated). If he succeeds the body roll he is still dying and takes an aggravated point of damage every minute unless treated by first aid, but may operate at a -2 to all actions, and all further wounds result in Aggravated damage. Aggravated damage results in an additional -1 to all actions, this is in addition to the -1 or -2 from receiving wounds.

Combat

Combat is resolved as per basic Fudge rules, however, the hit points delivered result in a number of Fudge dice to be rolled. Each [+] means 1 check mark on the wound track. They type of wound depends on the weapon used.

When receiving a mixture of damages always record damage from left to right, so that the more severe damage pushes the less severe to the right.

Example

Round 1

Beowulf is fighting Grendel and kicks Grendel for 3 points of Damage. Grendel’s wound track looks like this (Grendel has Great Health and a +1 Scale):

Round 2

Beowulf strikes Grendel with his sword and delivers a nasty blow, 4 Lethal hits. Grendel is now at -1 to all actions.

Round 3

Beowulf manages to hit Grendel again before his sword dissolves by grendel’s Blood. He delivers 2 Lethal wounds. Grendel must now roll a body roll at -2 to remain conscious, and even if he succeeds he is at -2 to all actions. Notice how the 3rd bashing damage is pushed out of the boxes, and is ignored.

Round 4

Beowulf kicks Grendel again for another 3 points of Bashing damage. Since all the wound boxes are full the remaining Bashing wounds are converted to Lethal, and since the track is full with lethal wounds, any new Bashing or Lethal damage is going to upgrade the existing Lethal damage to Aggravated damage. Grendel is now in a bad shape and must make a Body roll to stay conscious. He will also die if he doesn’t get help soon!

Round 5

Beowulf strikes again and Grendel receives 2 points of Lethal damage. Grendel is now at -3 to all actions, from receiving Aggravated damage, and having checked the right-most box. Grendel flees and later dies in his mother’s arms.

Healing

Healing times are: Bashing: 15 minutes heals all. Lethal requires 1 days of rest per point of damage, and Aggravated damage requires 1 weeks per point. A successful medicine roll versus Good will halve the required healing rate, and heals Relative Degree amount of wounds. If this heals all damage it will still require one rest cycle.

If the character is receiving treatment and doesn’t rest, but also don’t strain themselves, i.e sleep 8 hours and perform light activity (traveling, at regular pace) for the next day, will double the required healing time.

If the character spends an active day (fights, runs, climbs, does gymnastics, casts spells), then the healing rate is quadrupled, and the character has to make a health check or else the wounds reopen and worsen.

When wounds worsen, the character receives an additional point of Aggravated damage (wounds re-open and become infected), and has to make a new health check next day, to see if his condition worsens again.

If the character is treated by a skilled doctor, the doctor may heal more than one point of damage. The doctor can only roll once per day. A Good result heals a single point of damage, and any better result will heal one extra damage for each level above Good. Aggravated wounds can’t be healed by normal means, and will require either supernatural healing or simply waiting the normal healing time.

Stabilizing a dying patient will require the paramedic to roll a successful Great First Aid roll. It takes 1 minute per attempt.