VERS:Damage Trackers: Difference between revisions

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Determine an object’s Condition by adding the object’s Size and Hardness. If an object is solid (no moving parts) then double this value, if its mechanical then halve it, and if it’s delicate then quarter it to get an object’s total starting Condition.
Determine an object’s Condition by adding the object’s Size and Hardness. If an object is solid (no moving parts) then double this value, if its mechanical then halve it, and if it’s delicate then quarter it to get an object’s total starting Condition.
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Revision as of 20:10, 6 October 2019

VERS -> Book II - Gamemaster Rules -> Optional Rules -> Complex Combat -> VERS:Damage Trackers


The standard VERS system of conditions is good at that cinematic style of combat in which the hero gets knocked around and is fine after quickly brushing of the dust on their clothes and making some one-liner quip. Dipping down into more nuanced tracking of health brings us to tracking wounds using a Vitality tracker that has a different number of boxes for each character based on their stats. Focus and Morale are also tracked this way, as is the Condition of inanimate objects.

The following rules replace any and all references to Injury, Focus, or Morale conditions.

Focus

Focus is the attribute that describes a character’s ability to keep their attention on the task at hand. Mental attacks such as distractions, surprises, puzzles, and some magical effects damage Focus, while it heals through time, meditation, or rest. On the character sheet Focus takes the form of a Focus tracker made up of a number of boxes equal to twice the character’s Resolve (minimum 1). When the character takes Focus damage, mark a number of boxes equal to the total damage taken on the Focus tracker with an X. Mark these left to right (and top to bottom if enough of them exist to have multiple rows), and erase in the opposite direction when healed.

At the halfway point of Focus damage, the character begins taking a -1 penalty on all rolls involving concentration, focus, or mental acumen. This penalty is upgraded to a -2 upon the tracker reaching 3/4 full. When marking the last point of Focus a character becomes dazed, confused, or shaken (as dramatically appropriate) and takes a -4 penalty. These penalties are cumulative with any other penalties from other types of damage, Difficulty Ratings, and environmental concerns. In addition, a character with a full Focus tracker must make a Discipline roll to perform any action that might require concentration. In game this manifests as the character becoming easily manipulated or tricked, willing to tell secrets, give away important items, or believe gross fabrications in line with the origin of their confusion. For every hour that passes with a full Focus tracker the character must also make a Discipline roll against losing a point of Morale.

Focus also determines how many ongoing abilities a character can sustain at one time. She can manage a number of active abilities equal to her remaining Focus (not the maximum). This means that when a character takes Focus damage they are less able to maintain the concentration needed to sustain those abilities and can only do so at a reduced capacity until they take some time to gather their Focus again.

Focus naturally heals back over time at a rate of 1 point per 15 minutes, although quiet, calm, or peaceful environments can halve that recovery time. Characters must remove, defeat, evade, or otherwise deal with all sources of Focus damage before Focus can naturally heal. In the case of Focus damage due to environment Focus can only be regained through Meditation, special advantages or abilities, or sleep.

Certain situations can actually increase a character’s Focus above the maximum temporarily. This state is called Focused, which allows the character to grant themselves a bonus on rolls equal to the overage. The overage does not have to be used all at the same time but can be spread out over multiple turns, one roll per turn. Just remember, any Focus damage will also take away this bonus and the Focus overage fades at the same 1 point per 15 minutes.

Starting Focus is equal to twice the character’s Resolve attribute plus any applicable health bonus (see the GM section for more information about tone and health bonuses), and has a minimum of 1.

Morale

Morale is the attribute that describes a character’s ability to keep their cool under pressure. Social attacks like intimidation, frightening or tragic events, or loneliness damage Morale, while it heals though time, camaraderie, and rousing speeches. On the character sheet Morale takes the form of a Morale tracker made up of a number of boxes equal to twice the character’s Composure. When the character takes Morale damage mark a number of boxes equal to the total damage taken on the Morale tracker with an X. Mark these left to right (and top to bottom if enough of them exist to have multiple rows), and erase in the opposite direction when healed.

At the halfway point of Morale damage, the character begins taking a -1 penalty on all rolls involving social interaction, hope, or bravery. This penalty is upgraded to a -2 upon the tracker reaching 3/4 full. When marking the last box of the Morale tracker a character becomes paralyzed by fear, apathy, or sadness (as dramatically appropriate) and takes a -4 penalty. These penalties are cumulative with any other penalties from other types of damage, Difficulty Ratings, and environmental concerns. In addition, a character with a full Morale tracker must make a Discipline roll to perform any action that that involve the sources (real or perceived) of these negative emotions. In game this manifests as the character becoming easily manipulated, quickly obeying direct orders in line with their fears, depression, or apathy. For every hour that passes with a full Morale tracker the character must also make a Discipline roll against losing a point of Focus.

Morale naturally heals back over time at a rate of 1 point per 15 minutes, although food, friendship, and/or rest can halve that recovery time. Characters must remove, defeat, evade, or otherwise deal with all sources of Morale damage before Morale can naturally heal. In the case of Morale damage due to the environment (traveling a devastated wasteland, having nothing to eat or drink, no shelter, etc), Morale can only be regained through advantages, abilities, or through sleep.

Certain situations can actually increase a character’s Morale above the maximum temporarily. This state is called Inspired, which allows the character to grant themselves a bonus on rolls equal to the overage. The overage does not have to be used all at the same time but can be spread out over multiple turns, one roll per turn. Just remember, any Morale damage will also take away this bonus and the Morale overage fades at the same 1 point per 15 minutes.

Starting Morale is equal to twice the character’s Composure attribute plus any applicable health bonus (see the GM section for more information about tone and health bonuses), and has a minimum of 1.

Vitality

Vitality is the attribute that describes a character’s ability to take physical damage and continue on. Physical attacks like punches, kicks, gunshots, or stab wounds damage Vitality, while it heals through time, the First Aid skill, or advantages. Unlike Focus and Morale, Vitality comes in two types: lethal for cuts, stabs, and other deadly wounds and non-lethal for bruises and breaks.

On the character sheet Vitality takes the form of a Vitality tracker made up of a number of boxes equal to twice the character’s Stamina. When the character takes non-lethal Vitality damage mark a number of boxes equal to the total damage taken with a slash. Mark these left to right (and top to bottom if enough of them exist to have multiple rows). If there are not enough empty boxes then upgrade non-lethal boxes to lethal damage (marked with an X). This upgrade upgrade also happens from leftmost to right starting with the first box with no lethal damage marked until all the damage has been marked. Lethal damage starts as an X, and it upgrades non-lethal damage first before spreading into unmarked boxes. Erase boxes right to left when healing.

At the halfway point of Focus damage, the character begins taking a -1 penalty on all rolls involving concentration, focus, or mental acumen. This penalty is upgraded to a -2 upon the tracker reaching 3/4 full. When marking the last point of either type of Vitality the character becomes disabled and takes a -4 penalty. These penalties are cumulative with any other penalties from other types of damage, Difficulty Ratings, and environmental concerns. In fact, he must also make a Discipline roll to even act at all. In addition every turn in this state the character also takes a single point of unresisted damage to both Focus and Morale as he sinks into desperation. When all of his Health trackers are full then he is either unconscious (if the last physical attack was non-lethal) or dead (if it was lethal).

Vitality naturally heals back over time at a rate of 1 point per day for lethal wounds, or 1 point every hour for non-lethal damage. Applications of the First Aid skill can reduce those times by half. A character must heal all non-lethal damage before the character can begin healing lethal damage.

Certain situations can actually increase a character’s Vitality above the maximum temporarily. This state is called Invigorated, which allows the character to grant themselves a bonus on rolls equal to the overage. The overage does not have to be used all at the same time but can be spread out over multiple turns, one roll per turn. Just remember, any Vitality damage will also take away this bonus and the Vitality overage fades at the same 1 point per hour as non-lethal damage. Also, unlike Focused and Inspired, the bonus from Invigorated can only be used on physical actions.

Starting Vitality is equal to the character’s Size + twice the character’s Stamina plus any applicable health bonus (see the GM section for more information about tone and health bonuses).

Condition

Condition is a measure of how intact an object is, tracking the damage dealt to an object from attacks or other sources. Like the other health attributes, it is represented on the sheet as a Condition tracker, and its damage is marked in X. Condition does not heal back naturally, and can only be healed by successful application of a related Engineering, Art, or Profession skill, often requiring additional materials. Some items cannot be repaired at all. Any damage dealt to an object also impairs its function, with the item taking a -1 penalty when reaching half of its Condition tracker full, -2 at when the tracker is 3/4 full, and being completely broken once full.

Determine an object’s Condition by adding the object’s Size and Hardness. If an object is solid (no moving parts) then double this value, if its mechanical then halve it, and if it’s delicate then quarter it to get an object’s total starting Condition.


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