Damage, Armor & Death
Damage is a number. Hit Points are how badly that number hurts you. Your class sets your starting HP.
Damage Thresholds
Your armor lists two base thresholds, Major and Severe. Add your level to each to get your damage thresholds. A level 1 character in Leather Armor (base 6/13) has thresholds of 7/14.
| Damage | Severity | HP Marked |
|---|---|---|
| At or above your Severe threshold | Severe | 3 |
| At or above Major, below Severe | Major | 2 |
| Below your Major threshold | Minor | 1 |
| Reduced to 0 or less | — | 0 |
Optional rule, massive damage: damage of at least double your Severe threshold marks 4 HP.
Armor Slots
Your Armor Score is the number of Armor Slots you have. When you take damage, you can mark 1 Armor Slot to reduce the severity by one threshold: Severe to Major, Major to Minor, or Minor to nothing.
- Only one Armor Slot per damage instance.
- With every slot marked, you can't use armor this way until you repair it during downtime.
- With an Armor Score of 0, you can't mark Armor Slots.
- Your total Armor Score can never exceed 12.
- Unarmored: Armor Score 0, Major threshold equal to your level, Severe threshold equal to twice your level.
Example. At thresholds 7/14, you take 15 damage. That's Severe, 3 HP. You mark an Armor Slot to reduce it to Major and mark 2 HP instead.
Death
When you mark your last Hit Point, you make a death move. Choose one:
- Blaze of Glory. You embrace death and take one action, at the GM's discretion, that critically succeeds. Then you cross through the veil.
- Avoid Death. You drop unconscious and the situation worsens. While unconscious you can't move, act, or be targeted by attacks. You wake when an ally clears at least 1 of your Hit Points or the party finishes a long rest. Then roll your Hope Die. If it's equal to or under your level, you gain a scar.
- Risk It All. Roll the Duality Dice. If the Hope Die is higher, you stay on your feet and clear Hit Points or Stress equal to its value. If the Fear Die is higher, you cross through the veil. On a critical success, you stay up and clear all Hit Points and Stress.
Scars and Resurrection
A scar permanently crosses out one Hope slot. It can be a physical scar, a painful memory, or a deep fear. Scars can heal at the GM's discretion through a downtime project, a quest reward, or something of similar weight.
Resurrection can be a long and costly undertaking set out by the GM, or the level 10 Splendor spell Resurrection.