ST and Damage

The progression of unarmed and melee weapon damage with ST is rather odd. In order to simplify things and satisfy my urge to make all the rules nice, tidy, and logical, I came up with the following modifications. Note that this damage system is designed for use with my semi-cumulative wounding system.

Basic damage: Every 15 points of ST does 1d damage. If you don't have a full 15 points, consult the table below:
ST Damage 1 2 3 4 5 6
ST Damage 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 1d/5 0 0 0 0 1 1
2 1d/4 0 0 0 1 1 1
3 (1d+1)/4 0 0 1 1 1 1
4 1d/3 0 0 1 1 1 2
5 (1d+1)/3 0 1 1 1 2 2
6 1d/2 0 1 1 2 2 3
7 1d/2 0 1 1 2 2 3
8 1d/3+1 1 1 2 2 2 3
9 (1d+1)/2 1 1 2 2 3 3
10 (1d+1)/2{6} 1 1 2 2 3 4
11 1d/2+1 1 2 2 3 3 4
12 1d/2+1{5} 1 2 2 3 4 5
13 1d{:4} 1 2 3 3 4 5
14 1d{:6} 1 2 3 4 5 5
15 1d 1 2 3 4 5 6
16 1d{5} 1 2 3 4 6 7
17 1d{4} 1 2 3 5 6 7
18 1d{3} 1 2 4 5 6 7
19 1d+1 2 3 4 5 6 7
20 1d+1{6} 2 3 4 5 6 8
21 1d+1{4} 2 3 4 6 7 8
22 1d+1{3} 2 3 5 6 7 8
23 1d+2 3 4 5 6 7 8
24 1d+2{6} 3 4 5 6 7 9
25 1d+2{5} 3 4 5 6 8 9
26 1d×2-1 1 3 5 7 9 11
27 1d×2-1{5} 1 3 5 7 10 12
28 1d×2-1{4} 1 3 5 8 10 12
29 1d×2-1{3} 1 3 6 8 10 12
30 1d×2 2 4 6 8 10 12
31 1d×2{5} 2 4 6 8 11 13
32 1d×2{4} 2 4 6 9 11 13
33 1d×2{3} 2 4 7 9 11 13
34 1d×2+1 3 5 7 9 11 13
35 1d×2+1{6} 3 5 7 9 11 14
36 1d×2+1{4} 3 5 7 10 12 14
37 1d×2+1{3} 3 5 8 10 12 14
38 1d×2+2 4 6 8 10 12 14
39 1d×2+2{6} 4 6 8 10 12 15
40 1d×2+2{5} 4 6 8 10 13 15
41 1d×3-1 2 5 8 11 14 17
42 1d×3-1{5} 2 5 8 11 15 18
43 1d×3-1{4} 2 5 8 12 15 18
44 1d×3-1{2} 2 6 9 12 15 18
45 1d×3 3 6 9 12 15 18
46 1d×3{5} 3 6 9 12 16 19
47 1d×3{4} 3 6 9 13 16 19
48 1d×3{3} 3 6 10 13 16 19
49 1d×3+1 4 7 10 13 16 19
50 1d×3+1{6} 4 7 10 13 16 20
51 1d×3+1{4} 4 7 10 14 17 20
52 1d×3+1{3} 4 7 11 14 17 20
53 1d×3+2 5 8 11 14 17 20
54 1d×3+2{6} 5 8 11 14 17 21
55 1d×3+2{5} 5 8 11 14 18 21
56 1d×4-1 3 7 11 15 19 23
57 1d×4-1{5} 3 7 11 15 19 24
58 1d×4-1{4} 3 7 11 16 20 24
59 1d×4-1{3} 3 7 12 16 20 24
60 1d×4 4 8 12 16 20 24
The progression should be obvious: for every increase in ST by 15, increase the multiplier of the die roll by one and then apply the adds and other extra modifiers.

The rest of the notation requires some explanation. When dividing a die, drop all fractions - if you are rolling 1d/3, then a roll of 2 becomes 0 points of damage, a roll of 5 becomes 1 point. Note that the order in which you add to damage is important. (1d+1)/2 is different than 1d/2+1; if you roll a 2, (1d+1)/2 becomes (2+1)/2=1 while 1d/2+1 becomes 2/2+1=2.

A number in braces { } means that if the die roll is that number or higher, add an additional one point of damage. If the number in braces is followed by a colon {: }, subtract one if the die roll is that number or higher.

Damage per die: When computing damage before the game begins, every ±1 per die of damage gets translated to ±30% to effective ST for causing damage. Round all fractions down. To avoid slowing things down once the game is in progress, just add or subtract directly from the die roll when these modifications occur, such as an All Out Attack (strong). The minimum die roll is still 1.

Optional: If you have them, you can roll 1d4 for the damage die instead of 1d6 at -1 per die. You can roll 1d8 instead of 1d6 at +1 damage per die. You can roll 1d10 instead of 1d6 at +2 damage per die.

Weapon damage: Weapons add to your effective ST when causing damage. When wielding a weapon with both hands, increase your effective ST by 25% before adding the weapon bonus. Regardless of the ST added, your effective damage ST with a weapon cannot exceed a given multiple of your basic ST, as detailed on the table below. To simplify matters, this only ever comes into play when you are using a weapon with a Min ST greater than yours:
typeMax effective ST
1H2H
thr ST×1.2 ST×1.5
sw ST×1.6ST×2

Weapons also have a Size attribute which limits how well you can use it. If the weapon's Size is equal to your SM+1, the weapon is unbalanced when used one handed - you cannot use it to parry and make a swing attack on the same turn. If the weapon Size is equal to your SM+2, it is unbalanced regardless of how many hands you use; if used one handed, it becomes unready after a swing attack. If the weapon Size is equal to or greater than your SM+3, it is both unbalanced and becomes unready after a swing attack.

Training and skill with melee weapons can increase the damage done. If you have spent 4 points on a melee weapon skill, you get +1 damage per die when using that skill. If you have spent 12 points on the skill, you get +2 damage per die when using that skill.

Unarmed combat damage: Normal kicks, punches, and bites all do -1 point of damage per die. This should be computed as full damage using 70% of the character's ST and recorded on the character sheet. Advantages like Sharp Claws and Sharp Teeth that modify the damage type but not amount are also based on this unarmed combat damage.


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