Damage represents when a Target has been harmed in some way, although not always physically. It could be exhaustion, mental stress, wear on their armor, or any number of other effects which cumulatively would serve to wear down a Target.

All Characters have a number of Hit Points (HP).

Taking Damage does not change your HP. Your HP represents the limits of how much Damage you can take (i.e. add up the total Damage and compare it with your HP).

If the Damage you have taken exceeds your HP, you become Wounded. This Condition Ends when your Damage no longer exceeds your HP.

When the Damage you have taken exceeds twice your HP, your Story Ends. See Ending a Story for more.

When Wounded you are helpless and much less able to participate in the Scene.

You continue to be able to See and Speak, however if you wish to use any Action or Reaction to affect the Story, you must expend 1 Momentum Point for each Action you use.

When you are Wounded, you are typically no longer considered an active threat to combatants and will no longer be the target of further attacks.

Like Characters, Objects will also have HP and a Block Rating.

If the Damage taken by an Object exceeds it’s HP, it becomes Broken and can no longer be used as normal (e.g. a Broken door can no longer be locked, Broken restraints no longer restrain a Character etc).

A Broken object must be repaired before it may be used again.

It the Damage taken by an Object exceeds twice it’s HP, it is entirely Destroyed and cannot be repaired except by magical means.

Many effects in the game may cause what is called Additional Damage.

When Additional Damage is caused it is considered part of the original instance of Damage.

A separate instance of Damage will typically require a separate Attack or Defense Check.

If the Type of the Additional Damage is not described by the effect, then the Additional Damage takes the same form as that of the Damage it is added to.

For example, the Brute’s Rage Feature allows them to add Additional Damage to an attack with a Weapon. If the Weapon were to cause Slashing Damage then the Additional Damage would also be Slashing Damage. See Damage Types for more.

Small amounts of Damage can in some cases be ignored. How much Damage you can ignore is determined by your Block Rating (often abbreviated to Block).

Block Rating = Might + Block Bonus from Armor

If an instance of Damage does not exceed your Block Bonus, it is Blocked and you take no Damage.

If Damage exceeds your Block Bonus, you take all of the Damage (it is not reduced by you Block).

If an effect would reduce the Damage you take, reduce the Damage before you determine whether you can Block it.

In some cases, an instance of Damage may state that it “cannot be Blocked“.

This is referred to as Direct Damage, and represents instances of Damage which ignores the benefits of Armor, or a Character’s inherent sturdiness.

In such cases, the Target takes an Instance of Damage even if it is equal to or less than their Block Bonus.

If Additional Damage is applied to an instance of Direct Damage, it is also becomes Direct.

The Damage Type represents how the harm of an instance of Damage is caused.

There are a total of 13 different Damage Types, which are separated into three broad Damage Categories: Physical, Natural and Supernatural.

Some effects may cause a Character to have Resistance, Vulnerability or Immunity to certain Damage Types.

If you have Resistance to the Type of Damage caused by an Attack, the Attack will have Disadvantage to Hit you. You will also have Advantage on Checks to avoid, resist or otherwise mitigate Damage to effects which cause Damage of that Type.

If you have Vulnerability to the Type of Damage caused by an Attack, the Attack will have Advantage to Hit you. You will also have Disadvantage on Checks to avoid, resist or otherwise mitigate Damage to effects which cause Damage of that Type.

If you have Immunity to the Type of Damage, ignore any Damage with that Damage Type. You are also considered Resistant to that Damage Type.

Ignore Additional Damage when determining if a Character is Resistant or Vulnerable to the Damage of an Attack or Effect.

An effect may increase a Character’s ability to tolerate Damage. This is represented by Protection Points.

When a Character with Protection would take Damage, instead of adding that Damage to their previously accumulated Damage their Protection Points are instead reduced by the Damage they would have taken.

If the Damage taken exceeds a Character’s Protection Points, they take any remaining Damage as normal.

Sometimes a Character will gain additional benefits while they have the Points for a given source of Protection. Those effects will remain while they have at least one point of that Protection.

You cannot benefit from multiple sources of Protection. If multiple features grant you Protection, you must decide which source they gain Protection from. You will forgo the Protection from the other sources, and any additional effects caused by that Protection will end early.

Damage can be reduced by Healing it.

The most common way to Heal is by Resting. See the Resting Page for more details, but in short you will Heal Damage equal to your Hit Points when you complete a Short Rest, and you will Heal all Damage when you complete a Long Rest.

You may also Heal themselves and Characters Adjacent to you by making a DC 10 Focus or Dexterity with Medicine Skill Check, and expend 1 Supplies.

If Healing Objects, use the Technology Skill instead.

The Result of the d20 (i.e. the Performance) determines the Total amount of Damage which can be Healed. The Performance otherwise has no effect on the outcomes of the Check.

This Healing can be distributed between yourself and any Characters Adjacent to you.

For Example, you Succeed on a Medicine Skill Check and the d20 result is a 10. You have only taken 7 Damage, but an Adjacent Character has taken 10 Damage. You could choose to Heal all of your own Damage, and 3 of the Adjacent Character’s Damage; or 5 of each of your Damage; or all of the Adjacent Character’s Damage and none of your own.

On a Critical Success, the Supplies you would have used are not expended.

Healing Tools (or in the case of Objects appropriate crafting tools) you are Skilled in may be used as a part of this Check also.

Many Characters may gain features which provide other ways to Heal.

When a Character’s Story has ended, effects which Heal Damage cannot undo the Ending of a Story.