Wraith
Damage & Combat
A character is unconscious if reduced to zero HP. If the damage taken is lethal (ie inflicted by gunshot or knife) as opposed to non-lethal (punch or blunt weapon) the PC/NPC will bleed at a rate determined by the referee (usually about 1HP/15mins).
Stanching wounds can stop bleeding but a PC must actually have something to staunch the wound with. (Anyone can staunch a wound.)
Hit Points can be healed with First Aid skills (see later) or recuperation (1HP per 3 days rest).
A PC on minus 5 HP is dead. Sorry.
If combat occurs the referee’s decision is final. If you are told to fall over, be unconscious, play dead or actually be dead then you must do so without hesitation.
Damage Guide
| Weapon | Damage | Lethal |
|---|---|---|
| Fist (with Unarmed Skill) | 1HP | No |
| Brick, bat, club etc. | 1HP | No |
| Dagger | 1HP | Yes |
| Small sword | 1-2HP | Yes |
| Large sword | 2HP | Yes |
| Handgun | 2-3HP | Yes |
| Rifle | 3-4HP | Yes |
| Shotgun | 4HP | Yes |
| Grenade | 5HP | Yes |
| Other explosives | 5+HP | Yes |
A PC hit by a weapon will be wounded, incapacitated or killed.
Types of Damage
| Non-lethal | The character is wounded but not bleeding. Their condition is stable. First Aid will help. |
| Lethal | The character is bleeding and will lose blood and further HP unless the wound is staunched. First Aid will help. |
| Vital | The character has been hit in the head or torso and is losing blood at the rate of 1HP every 15mins. While staunching may slow the process a little, the character must receive medical attention, usually within the hour. First Aid may not help. Only Advanced Medicine (surgery) can help here. |
| Critical | The character has received significant damage to the head or torso and is likely to be killed instantly. No skill will help. (Advanced magic or Divine Intervention may.) |
First Aid skills will usually work with all types of wounds except critical wounds. The ref will determine whether or not first aid skills are effective in the case of vital injuries.
A close-range gunshot to a vital area inflicts 3HP damage, whereas longer-range shots (or less vital areas hit) result in 2HP damage.
Examples of combat, damage and healing
Example 1: A first level intellectual character with 1HP is shot by a handgun at close range while fleeing.
The ref rules that he has been hit in the back of the torso. The damage type is vital. The character therefore takes the full 3HP damage and is immediately unconscious. He is now on -2HP and is bleeding to death at the rate of 1HP per 15 minutes. He will therefore reach minus 5 in 45 minutes and will die unless he receives major medical attention within this time. Basic First Aid may heal 1 point (bringing him to -1HP) and may slow down the bleeding. In this instance, the ref determines that the use of First Aid has bought the victim more time but serious medical attention is still needed within one hour.
Example 2: A first level intellectual character with 1HP is shot by a handgun at medium range.
The ref rules that the character has been shot in the shoulder. The damage is lethal but not vital. The character loses only 2HP (therefore now on -1HP) but is still rendered unconscious. If the character’s wound is staunched the bleeding will stop but the character will be unable to use the injured arm for a while once brought back to consciousness. First Aid in this case can stop the bleeding, bring the victim up to zero HP and keep them stable. Only Advanced First Aid would revive them to consciousness.
Example 3: A third level physical character is shot at close range in a gunfight.
The ref rules that the character loses the full 3HP but having started on 9 HP, he has soaked up the shot immediately with little effect. (Now on 6HP.) The wound is lethal, not vital, and does not incapacitate the tough PC. This wound will still bleed until staunched but the character may then continue with moderate effectiveness. First Aid will bring the victim back up to 7HP and prevent further bleeding.
As a guide, characters who lose more than half their HP in one wound should be severely injured and their movement/skills therefore become impaired.
Example 4: A fourth level physical character (10HP) is caught in an explosion and takes 7HP damage (knocking him down to 3HP).
The ref determines the damage is lethal and the victim (though still conscious) is bleeding. Furthermore, the victim has taken more than half his HP in one blast. The ref, therefore, puts the character into shock and the effects of a temporary insanity. In this case, Basic Fist Aid heals the character back to 4HP and stops bleeding. It may be some time before he returns to his senses and can function normally again.
Critical hits
Common sense is the prevailing rule in all combat. If you are shot in the head at point blank range it won’t matter how many Hit Points you have – you’re a gonner. Critical Hits will cause death either immediately or within a matter of minutes.
Magic Hour and Staunching Wounds
Staunching wounds will not heal or otherwise restore HP. Nor will it revive characters to consciousness. It simply stops bleeding, or in the case of serious vital wounds, slows down the rate of bleeding.
First Aid can restore HP and Advanced First Aid can revive unconscious characters. However, a character vitally hit and below zero HP is likely to be in the 'magic hour'. That character will die within the hour unless treated by a surgeon or specialist (Advanced Medical skill may be permitted but First Aid skills will not help here.)
The Knockout Rule
In order to simulate knocking someone unconscious you must have a heavy object and the element of surprise. In other words, you must stand close behind the victim with some weighty implement and shout knockout. Be careful and be warned - this doesn’t always work and really should be considered a last resort. Failed attempts may result in unexpected damage to the target.
NB Only physical characters can knockout at level 1, composite and dilettante characters at level 2 and intellectual characters at level 3.
Knockout is unreliable and should be considered a last resort.
Grapple
A character’s grapple score (GS) is equal to their level:
- +2 if physical
- +1 if composite
- +0 if intellectual
- Characters can boost their GS with Skill Points.
A wounded character cannot grapple.
When grappling an opponent, a player must shout their grapple score. If the target responds with a higher score, the attacker will be thrown back and must stumble. (They may even take damage if confronted by a very high score.)
If the target doesn’t respond, it is because they have a lower score. The attacker may put the target in some form of hold or lock. (However, this might only last for a period of time.)
Example: An attacker is a level 2 physical character and therefore has a GS of 4. (2 for level and a further +2 for physical status.)
He attacks a target and shouts GRAPPLE 4. However, the target responds GRAPPLE 6 and throws him to the ground. (Had the target a lower score he would have allowed himself to be held or overpowered.)
As a guideline – if the target has twice the GS of the attacker – the attacker can take damage at the ref's discretion.
GS can be increased by spending SP on it. 1SP increases the GS by 2.
Combining Grapple
Two or more characters may combine their GS and make a joint-attack. However, they may not hold down a target indefinitely. The referee or NPC will determine how long the combine grapple can last.
It is not possible to carry out a grapple and then attempt a knockout on a grappled target. Remember - knockout requires SURPRISE (and not a cat).
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