Hit Points
Every creature and object begins with a number of hit points based on its size to a minimum of 1: Fine (+0), Diminutive (+5), Tiny (+10), Small (+15), Medium (+20), Large (+40), Huge (+80), Gargantuan (+160), Colossal (+320). If something has a temporary size change, it adjusts their total hit point pool temporarily as well.
Creatures above level 0, gain an additional amount of hit points equal to 5 + Constitution modifier for each level they possess. Increasing one's Constitution modifier retroactively increases this pool.
Objects double their base hit points if they are heavy or cut them in half if they are light.
Rest & Recovery
A short rest takes only about 15 minutes but you can benefit from a short rest only once every 2 hours. A short rest restores an amount of focus points (FP) equal to your level.
A long rest takes about 8 hours and restores all FP and an amount of HP equal to your level.
Grievous wounds typically deal long-lasting conditions to a creature rather than just hit point damage. For example, a broken leg would be you suffering from a Slowed 3 condition as a permanent effect. You'd need a successful medical ritual to reduce this to a 3d6 months. Special items can reduce this by 1 additional month per success.
Damage
Damage accumulates into a pools based on type. The sum of these pools is compared to the creature's health to determine what condition they're in. Damage below half their health is generally considered to be nothing more than minor damage such as scratches and bruises. Damage exceeding this amount is considered severe. The damage types follow, with examples to help a GM assign a damage type to a new effect.
- Bludgeoning damage is caused by blunt force trauma.
- Cold damage is caused by extremely low temperatures.
- Corrosive damage is caused by caustic chemical burns, be they acidic or basic.
- Electricity damage is caused by high voltage electrical currents.
- Heat damage is caused by high temperatures deal heat damage.
- Ion damage is effective against most silicon-based and synthetic lifeforms and electronic devices. Ion effects are often referred to as "electromagnetic" but they extend to other fields of energy as well as they can disrupt force effects.
- Mental damage represents stress, insanity, mental fatigue, emotional trauma, phobias, compulsions, memory loss, psychic damage, and other problems of the psyche.
- Nonlethal damage heals faster than lethal damage and usually won't kill a target.
- Piercing damage is caused by deep gouging wounds.
- Slashing damage is caused by lacerations and cuts.
- Sonic damage is caused by debilitating noises and vibrations.
- Stamina damage is caused by loss of nutrients or vital resources such as blood loss, exhaustion, fatigue, sleep loss, starvation, suffocation, or thirst. Even inorganic creatures such as androids can run low on battery power, fuel, or lubricant for their hydraulic parts.
- Toxic damage is causes by poison, venom, and other toxic effects.
Resistance & Immunity
Some creatures and objects are exceedingly difficult or unusually easy to hurt with certain types of damage and effects.
Minor Resistance: You have advantage on saves against it and take half damage.
Major Resistance: As minor resistance but you also reduce the damage by your level after halving it.
Immunity: You're truly immune regardless of tier. You must have the appropriate creature type and vulnerability to an opposing effect to acquire immunity to anything.
Stacking: Multiple instances of resistance or vulnerability do not stack but vulnerability and resistance do cancel each other out treating major resistance/vulnerability as effectively two resistances/vulnerabilities.
Weakness: Functions like minor and major resistance but in reverse suffering disadvantage and taking additional damage (double damage + level).
Vulnerability: You're hurt by something humanoids normally are not harmed by.
Healing & Temporary Hit Points
Unless it results in death, damage isn't permanent. Rest and medical procedures can restore a creature's hit points. When a creature receives healing of any kind, hit points regained are added to its current hit points. A creature's hit points can't exceed its hit point maximum, so any hit points regained in excess of this number are lost. A creature that has died can't regain hit points unless something restores it to life.
FADING
When you drop to 0 hit points or 0 focus points, you gain the Fading condition.
INSTANT DEATH
When damage reduces you to 0 hit points and there is damage remaining, you die if the remaining damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum.
MEDICAL AID
You can use an action to administer first aid to a creature, which requires proper tools and a successful DC 11 Wisdom (Biotics) check, or an Intellect (Mechanics) check for an android or construct. The target can use your check as their next saving throw result against whatever wounds or ailments they suffer from or can make their own saving throw normally, but with advantage thanks to your assistance.
MONSTERS AND DEATH
Most GMs have a monster die the instant it drops to 0 hit points, rather than having it fall unconscious and make death saving throws. Mighty villains and special nonplayer characters are common exceptions; the GM might have them follow the same rules as player characters.
TEMPORARY HIT POINTS
When you take damage, temporary hit points are lost first and any leftover damage carries over to your normal hit points.
- Because your temporary hit point pool is separate from your actual hit points, you can receive temporary hit points even while at full hit points.
- Healing can't restore temporary hit points and they can't be added together. If you have temporary hit points and receive more of them, you decide whether to keep the ones you have or to gain the new ones.
- If you have 0 hit points, receiving temporary hit points doesn't restore you to consciousness or stabilize you.
- Unless a feature that grants you temporary hit points has a duration, they last until they're depleted or you finish a long rest, whichever occurs first.
Wounds
This variant rule adjusts how hit points work to create more narrative tension during action scenes. Rather than having a full pool of hit points, you have a wound threshold and accumulate wounds when damaged.
Every character has an assigned role as determined by the player and their GM: harbinger, sentinel, vanguard, or warden. You have a wound thresholds based on your Constitution modifier, level, and role.
Each time you take damage from an effect (after armor and resistances), compare it to your wound threshold to determine if you suffer a minor, moderate, or major wound. You roll a wound randomly unless the attack is a called shot (see Called shots). If you are wounded with the same debuff you're already wounded with, it worsens from minor to moderate, or from moderate to major. If you already have a major wound and take the same debuff, you instead gain the Fading debuff.
Minor Wound: < WT
Moderate Wound: More than minor, less than major
Major Wound: > (WT * 2)
Harbinger Wound Threshold: 3 + Constitution modifier + 3/10 level.
Sentinel Wound Threshold: 4 + Constitution modifier + 2/5 level.
Vanguard Wound Threshold: 5 + Constitution modifier + 1/2 level.
Warden Wound Threshold: 4 + Constitution modifier + 2/5 level.
MINOR WOUND
Roll 1d20 and gain a random debuff on the table. Also roll 1d4 to determine the stage of the wound. This lasts until you take a short rest. A saving throw DR10 + level of attacker resists this condition. This debuff has the same effect types as the attack that inflicted the wound.
MODERATE WOUND
Roll 1d20 and gain a random debuff on the table. Also roll 1d4 to determine the stage of the wound. This lasts until you take a long rest. Every short rest you can attempt a saving throw DR10 + level of attacker resists this condition. This debuff has the same effect types as the attack that inflicted the wound.
MAJOR WOUND
Roll 1d20 and gain a random debuff on the table. Also roll 1d4 to determine the stage of the wound. This debuff is permanent until removed from a restoration effect that can remove permanent debuffs. The tier of this effect is always equal to half the level of the attacker that inflicted the wound.
| Example: |
| A 10th level warden with a +1 Constitution modifier would have a wound threshold of 4 + 1 (Constitution modifier) + 8 (2/5 level) = 13. This means if they take 1-12 damage, they get a minor wound, 13-25 damage they get a moderate wound, and if they take 26 or more damage they get a major wound. |