Violence and Harm

Initiative

In physical contests agile Wardens act first, then enemies and environment, then heavy Wardens. Wardens should all declare their actions before the Referee resolves any of them. Each participant can reposition themself and take an action on their turn.

When a Warden is trying to harm someone or something, first establish the relative tier difference so everyone’s on the same page.

• If they’re relying on surprise and stealth, they’re probably Shadowing and there’s probably a Threat they’re spotted or flushed out of hiding.
• If they’re setting up a contraption or gadget, they might be Rigging and there’s possibly a Threat that things don’t go to plan.
• If they’re firing away at a distance, they might be Scouting and there may be a Threat that they miss entirely.
• If they’re relying on raw, untamed, physical aggression they might be Muscling. There is probably a Threat that they get outmaneuvered, cut off, or surrounded in the process.
• If they’re using a delicate or precise weapon, they might be Finessing and there’s possibly a Threat that they’re bowled over by superior force.

A reasonable risk on most attacks is the target dodging, negating, or block the blow. Damage is negated on a 1-3 and halved (rounded up) on a 4/5.

Foes have two avenues for their own actions: Actions and Counters. Actions take place on their own turn, and may change the situation or attack Wardens directly. Counters add Threats to the Wardens’ own actions (a “dogged hunter” may leave traps to avoid, a “clawed beast” may shred any who try to approach, and a “cruel magus” may dispel Aetheric effects that Wardens summon.)

NPCs should generally make a Threat roll to keep their motivation once the tide turns against them (usually loss of half their number, a leader’s defeat, or the loss of a key objective). Start with dice equal to the number of combatants on their side. Pack animals or drilled soldiers get 2d each instead. Add 1d for each leader to rally the side. Assign the resulting dice to characters at the discretion of the Referee; characters run on a result of 1-3 and flinch on a 4/5.

Harm

Harm can be quantified numerically, on a scale of about 1 to 4.

• Improvised weapons or tools deal 1 Harm (a knife, a pick, a hatchet)
• Standard weapons or attacks deal 2 Harm (a spear, a bow, a bear’s claws)
• Powerful weapons deal 3 Harm (a firearm, an enchanted sword)
• Devastating weapons deal 4 Harm (a beam cannon, a column of flame)

Tier may increase harm dealt as well.

If any character would take Harm, but the Harm is reduced to 0, they instead stumble or flinch. The attacker (or the Referee if there is no attacker) chooses one:

• Next turn, you may only move or act, rather than being able to do both
• You lose your grip on something important
• You are forced to a different position

When a character takes Harm, they may distribute it between their Armor (equipment that defrays damage; must be repaired) and Guard (luck, dodging, ability to take a hit; restores naturally) as they like. If any is left over, they take a Wound; if all their Wound slots are full, they die. Then refill their Guard to full.

When a Warden takes a Wound, describe and note it on their sheet. It may apply penalties to their actions until it is healed. They must make a Threat roll. Start with 4d, and subtract one for each Wound they have (including the new one). On a 1-3, they are knocked unconscious or taken out for the duration of the situation. On a 4/5, the Referee chooses one:

• Lose your grip on something important
• Lose your footing or be repositioned
• Miss noticing something important

At any time, including before or after they roll, a Warden may choose to ignore a Wound and push through. It then becomes a Scar. Wardens are not impaired by Scars, but they take up a Wound slot and continue to contribute as a Wound when making an injury roll. Scars do not heal at the beginning of downtime. If all a Warden’s Wound slots are full of Scars, then they must retire at the next opportunity.

An average NPC has 1 Guard and can suffer 1 Injury; beyond that, they die.

Armor

Various equipment may provide Armor to characters. Armor points are generally depleted before Guard, and block various Effects that may otherwise be inflicted. After a piece of armor is damaged, it will require one watch per point of damage to repair.

Shields also provide Armor, but not when one is struck by surprise. Attacks blocked by a shield may be fully negated if the Warden chooses to shatter their shield, destroying it beyond repair.

Effects

• Pierce: Damage and effects ignore armor, going straight to Guard or Wound
• Stun: Target incapable of acting for a short amount of time, a few seconds if unspecified
• Burn: Damage dealt by this effect takes twice as long to heal or repair (mark “B”, then when “B” is cleared mark “X”). Blocked by armor.
• Poison: Target cannot recover until treated by an expert or poison abates with a watch of rest. Blocked by armor.
• Drain: Removes Aether as though it were Guard (if no Aether, then damage goes to Guard).
• Shock: Target drops one randomly chosen item. May pierce armor as appropriate (e.g. electric shocks are not stopped by metal armor)
• Snare: Target’s movement is impaired. Ignores armor
• Confuse: Target gains risk of mis-targeting or mis-directing on their actions.
• Crush: Deals double damage to armor.
• Slice: Deals half damage to armor, but double damage to guard.
• Bash: Target is pushed some distance or knocked off their feet.

Tier

Tier quantifies the scale and power of beings and machines. The tiers are as follows:

1. A person. A wolf. A handheld machine.
2. An extraordinarily powerful person. A bear. An automobile.
3. A house-sized war machine. An elephant. Most warships.
4. An awful sky-scraping colossus. A dragon. A trireme.
5. An ancient starship that may transit between Terra and her daughter Luna. Deep-sea behemoths. An entire town.
6. Goliath machines that make the cold, lonely voyages between worlds. A mountain range.

A gang acts as though it had +1 Tier; an army or crowd acts as though it had +2.

When an entity of one Tier harms another, add or subtract their difference in Tier to the harm inflicted. A light weapon (1 harm) on a Tier 3 warship used against a Tier 1 person (2 difference in Tier) inflicts 3 harm (1 + 2). An enchanted sword (3 harm) wielded by a Tier 1 combatant striking a Tier 2 Giant Rat inflicts 2 harm (3 - 1), and no harm at all on a Tier 4 dragon (3 - 3).