Damage

Stamina

Stamina represents the ability of a trained character to control a dangerous situation: to duck at the last moment, roll with a blow, twist away from a blade, and keep fighting despite exhaustion. It is not the same as physical toughness — it is the hard-won awareness and reflex of someone who has survived many fights. After several battles with no rest, Stamina runs out. The next hit lands clean.

Battle-ready

Stamina is a separate pool from Wounds. All incoming damage depletes Stamina first. Only when Stamina reaches 0 does excess damage carry over into Wounds. A character with Stamina remaining cannot be pushed below 0 Wounds in a single hit unless the damage exceeds both pools combined.

Beast Nature

Only intelligent, trained beings have Stamina. Monsters and unintelligent creatures do not — all damage they receive goes directly to their Wounds. Their durability comes from toughness, size, and natural armour, not from experience or readiness.

What bypasses Stamina

Not all damage can be avoided through skill. The following sources go directly to Wounds, ignoring Stamina entirely:

Attacking an unaware target — the victim has no opportunity to react (see Combat Actions)
Attacking a helpless or paralyzed target — the body cannot answer; skill is irrelevant
Poison and venoms — physiological; no amount of experience stops a toxin already in the blood
Falling — too fast for trained reflexes to intercept; see Environmental for the exception available to certain careers

Area effects — explosions, spell blasts, breath weapons, collapsing ceilings — do not bypass Stamina, provided the character is mobile and aware. A soldier who rolls clear of a fireball, or dives from a dragon’s breath, is burning Stamina to do so. If the character is helpless or pinned when the area effect hits, Stamina is bypassed as normal.

Damage

When a character (or creature) suffers damage, the amount of damage is deducted from the character’s current Hit Points. When his Hit Points go below 0, the character falls prone, and becomes unable to take most actions. Characters can still crawl being unable to stand up, and perform simple actions which do not require any stamina, such as attacking, casting spells or invoking miracles. Reaching state below 0 Hit Points causes critical injury according to the table below by rolling 1d4 and adding the number of negative Hit Points reached (for example, if a Character had 2 Wounds and got 4 Damage, it sends them to -2 Wounds, thus triggering an injury roll of 1d4+2). Any damage received when the Character is below 0 Wounds, instantly kills any character.

Roll Total	Effect
1-3	Knocked out. No lasting damage
4-5	Minor wound
6-7	Permanent injury
8+	Death

Determine target location:

d4 Roll	Location
1	Head
2	Torso
3	Arm (d2: 1 - primary, 2 - secondary)
4	Leg (d2: 1 - left, 2 - right)

Head Injuries

Roll	Minor Wound (4-5)	Permanent Wound (6-7)
1	Cut across the face	Brain Lesion; -1 Device and Magic saves
2	Ringing ears; -2 all saves for d4 days	Brain trauma; -1 Leadership, Willpower, Intelligence
3	Concussion; -2 for all saves for d4 weeks	Lost eye
4	Lost d8 teeth and 1 Leadership until replaced	Beheaded

Torso Injuries

Roll	Minor Wound (4-5)	Permanent Wound (6-7)
1	Deep Cut; -1 Paralysis and Breath Saves for d4 days	Spinal Damage; -1 Paralysis and Breath Saves
2	Bruised Sternum; -1 Toughness, Agility, Strength for d4 days	Collapsed Lung; -1 Toughness, Agility, Strength
3	Cracked Ribs; -1 Paralysis and Breath Saves for d4 days	Gut Wound; in d4 days Poison save vs death
4	Wrenched Collarbone; -1 Toughness, Agility, Strength for d4 weeks	Torn Apart

Arm Injuries

Roll	Minor Wound (4-5)	Permanent Wound (6-7)
1	Wrenched arm; -1 AC for d4 days	Crushed Elbow; +1 AC
2	Sprained Wrist; -1 Attack for d4 days	Mauled Bicep; -1 Attack
3	Torn Muscle; -1 Attack for d4 weeks	Arterial Damage; Poison save vs death
4	Dislocated Shoulder; surgery required to use arm	Arm severed

Leg Injuries

Roll	Minor Wound (4-5)	Permanent Wound (6-7)
1	Sprained Ankle; +1 Encumbrance for d4 days	Crushed Foot; count as 1 item in inventory, surgery required within d10 days, otherwise the foot is lost
2	Twisted Knee; +1 Encumbrance for d4 weeks	Severed Foot, +1 Encumbrance
3	Cracked Shin; leg useless for d4 days	Arterial Damage; Poison save vs death
4	Ruptured Tendon; surgery required to use leg	Lost Leg