Not every attack delivers harm in the same way. Damage Delivery determines how an attack interacts with Armor, while Elemental Effects add secondary consequences such as fire, cold, electrical shock, corrosion, supernatural decay, or psychic trauma.
An attack may have both a Damage Delivery method and an Elemental Effect. For example, an electrical weapon may deal Kinetic Electric damage, while a lightning spell may deal Direct Electric damage.
Kinetic Damage
Most physical attacks deal Kinetic Damage. Bullets, blades, impacts, explosions, and similar attacks transfer force into the target.
Kinetic Damage is reduced by Armor normally.
Toughness and other applicable defenses apply normally.
Direct Damage
Direct Damage bypasses ordinary physical protection.
Armor does not reduce Direct Damage unless the Armor or another effect specifically provides protection against that source.
Toughness and other applicable defenses still apply normally.
Elemental Effects
Elemental Effects are applied in addition to an attack’s normal damage. They do not determine whether the attack deals Kinetic or Direct Damage.
Each Elemental Effect defines when its secondary effect occurs.
Fire
Fire scorches, spreads, and can ignite exposed material.
When an attack with the Fire effect successfully hits, roll 1d10 to determine whether the target ignites.
| Situation | Ignition Threshold |
|---|---|
| Resistant | 9+ |
| Flammable | 7+ |
| Very Flammable | 5+ |
| Extremely Flammable | 3+ |
Resistant is the default for most combatants.
Flammable applies when clothing, equipment, or surrounding material can reasonably catch fire.
Very Flammable represents exposed fuel, dry combustible material, or sustained flame contact.
Extremely Flammable represents targets soaked in accelerants, engulfed in fuel, or similarly easy to ignite.
If the ignition roll succeeds, the target gains the Burning status.
Ignition occurs on a successful hit and does not require the attack to inflict a Wound.
Cold
Cold attacks freeze, numb, and impair movement.
When a successful attack with the Cold effect hits, the target gains 1 stack of Chilled.
Passive Defense and Armor may still prevent the attack from causing a Wound, but they do not prevent the Chilled stack.
Electric
Electric attacks disrupt the nervous system through electrical shock.
When a successful attack with the Electric effect hits, the target gains 1 stack of Distracted.
Passive Defense and Armor may still prevent the attack from causing a Wound, but they do not prevent the Distracted stack.
Acid
Acid burns and corrodes whatever it remains in contact with.
When a successful attack with the Electric effect hits, the target gains 1 stack of Corroding.
Acid effects are written as Acid X, where X is the number of Corroding stacks applied when the attack is not stopped by Active Defense.
For example, Acid 2 applies 2 stacks of Corroding.
Necrotic
Necrotic effects cause supernatural decay, withering, and damage that resists normal healing.
Damage inflicted by Necrotic damage require twice the normal number of Hits to heal.
You can mark necrotic health boxes with a “N”.
Psychic
Psychic effects directly disrupt thought, perception, and consciousness.
When an attack with the Psychic effect inflicts damage, the target gains 1 stack of Stunned.
Any additional effects such as fear, hallucinations, compulsions, memory alteration, or loss of control are defined by the specific ability causing them.