[Rules] Josef's revised injuries, healing and crit charts

Continued from the previous forum (adress listed in my signature):

This is the final section to the Head Injuries chapter. I've repeated it under a new thread name to show it's a rules thread.

Alternate simplified version of Head Injuries:
Jaw Fractures:
â€¢ A Minor Jaw Fracture causes a penalty of -20% to all speech-related tests and necessitates a liquid diet for six weeks. A successful Heal skill test with the Surgery Talent or a quick-heal spell will halve that time. Either a repair-heal or miracle-heal spell will instantly heal a Minor Jaw Fracture.
â€¢ A Major Jaw Fracture causes the same penalties as a Minor Jaw Fracture and, if untreated, also causes a permanent reduction of Fel by d10/2% due to asymmetries of the face and general grumpiness caused by the constant headaches resulting from the misaligned teeth. A successful Heal skill test with the Surgery Talent, a repair-heal spell or a miracle-heal will remove the Fel reduction; the time required to heal is affected the same as for a Minor Jaw Fracture.
â€¢ A Severe Jaw Fracture causes death within 3xTB turns due to choking unless a successful Heal skill test with the Surgery Talent or repair-heal spell is performed. In either case the character now no longer has a functional lower jaw and is effectively mute and has his Fel reduced to a mere 5% due to the hideous appearance of his face. In addition he may never increase his S or T any further (and may thus not complete any career requiring this) due to having to subsist on a liquid diet.
Eye Injury:
â€¢ A Damaged Eye reduces BS and sight-related Perception skill tests by -10%. Only a miracle-heal spell can restore full eyesight.
â€¢ A Lost Eye reduces BS and sight-related Perceptions skill tests by -20% and opponents get an additional +10% to hit bonus if outnumbering the character. Only a miracle-heal spell performed within two turns may restore a Lost Eye.
Concussion:
â€¢ A character with a Concussion is unconscious for 2d10 hours and will also suffer a penalty of -10% to all tests for an additional 2d10 hours after waking up. Unless passing a T test he will also suffer a memory loss of the hours immediately preceding his Concussion. If he rolls a natural 100 on the die-roll when testing for amnesia he doesnâ€™t wake up, instead sliding into a coma.
â€¢ A quick-heal spell will instantly awaken a Concussed character. A repair-heal spell will also remove any penalties and amnesia upon awakening. A miracle-heal spell is the only thing (apart from using a Fate Point) that can awaken a character in a coma.
Intracranial Bleeding:
â€¢ A character with an Intracranial Bleeding will begin to suffer a penalty of -20% to all tests 24 hours after receiving the injury. A further d10 hours after that he will lose consciousness and will die within another d10xTB hours.
â€¢ A repair-heal spell cast before the character has lost consciousness will stop the Intracranial Bleeding from progressing further and the character will instead count as having just awakened from a Concussion. If already unconscious only a successful miracle-heal spell or surgery can help him. The former will make the character count as having just awakened from a Concussion. The latter requires either a proper operating table with restraining straps or that the character has the Fearless, Stout-Hearted or Very Resilient Talent, in which case he can manage to endure the operation with a minimum of restraints. Success with a Heal skill test with the Surgery Talent will count as the character having just received a Concussion rather than the original injury.
Brain Damage:
â€¢ The effects vary but no natural or surgical healing is possible. Magical healing with miracle-heal spells performed within one hour of receiving the injury or a long period of physical therapy (allowed only at the GMâ€™s call) may in some cases lessen the effects (see main text).

Sword Fodder Version Rules for Unimportant NPCs:
â€¢ A Minor Jaw Fracture forces the NPC to pass a T test or be knocked unconscious. If he passes he will be stunned for d10 turns.
â€¢ A Major Jaw Fracture causes an instant KO on the NPC.
â€¢ A Severe Jaw Fracture will cause the NPC to become Helpless and choke to death within d10 turns.
â€¢ A Damaged Eye will force the NPC to retreat from the battle.
â€¢ A Lost Eye will make the NPC Helpless for the duration of the battle, as well as blinding him.
â€¢ A Concussion will knock the NPC unconscious and make him feel very sick when he wakes up the next day, assuming he survives the battle.
â€¢ An Intracranial Bleeding will knock the NPC unconscious. Heâ€™ll never wake up, sliding into a coma and quietly dying within the next day or two.
â€¢ Brain Damage is instantly fatal for Unimportant NPCs.

Yes you can, Josef! =)
You just have to edit the first topic.

But thanks anyway^^
would you mind deleting the original thread?

You can't delete a thread with replies.

Can't each poster delete his own reply, which would finally allow for the original poster to delete the first post though?

Ok, looking at my reply, which is currently the last one, I can see that's impossible on this forum.

whew.. glad to see you here josef

Whew, was worried there for a moment.
Glad to see you here Josef, looks good as always.

DISLOCATED JOINTS
This chapter deals with injuries to the soft tissues of joints, the sort that does not properly fit into either the Fractures or Muscle & Tendon Damage chapters. Depending on the nature of the injury they might be quite temporary in nature (a simple matter of popping the joint back again) or quite severe and crippling (such as when ligaments are torn).
Dislocated Shoulder:
The shoulder is an odd joint, allowing great mobility but hardly being very stable, depending mostly on muscular connections for stability. A powerful blow can separate the bone of the upper arm (the humerus) from the shoulder (actually from the joint against the shoulder-blade, the scapula), causing great pain and significantly reduced mobility.
A dislocated shoulder effectively makes the arm useless, though the hand can still be used for gripping lighter objects. Unless the arm is immobilized with a sling the pain is so great that the character suffers a penalty of -10% to all other physical activity as he tries to keep his injured arm from being jarred. Providing a sling does not require any Heal skill tests.
Natural Healing: If left unattended with nothing but a sling to ease the pain the arm will remain useless for d10 weeks, whereupon some function is regained, enabling the character to use the arm with a penalty of -20% for any tests requiring any amount of force or strength. This penalty will be halved within another two weeks after which the character must pass an Easy (+20%) T test to regain full function after a further two weeks. Failure will mean the penalty becomes permanent.
A successful Heal skill test performed at any time before the penalty has become permanent will pop the shoulder back in place. This represents a rather rough method of doing things which is very painful for the patient, with one or more people forcefully tugging the arm back into place. The character will suffer a -20% penalty to any tests made with that arm for the next d10/2 days whereupon full function is regained.
Surgical Healing: A trained surgeon with a certain amount of anatomical knowledge can often make the process of popping a shoulder back into place significantly less unpleasant, sometimes even manipulating both arm and body position in such a way as to literally let it â€œdropâ€ back into place. A successful Heal skill test with the Surgery Talent performed at any time before the penalty has become permanent will immediately restore full function without penalties.
Magical Healing: A quick-heal spell will reduce the time the arm is useless from d10 days to none but any penalties after that remain unaffected by the spell. A repair-heal spell performed at any time before the penalty has become permanent will immediately restore full function without penalties. A miracle-heal spell will also remove any permanent penalty caused by an untreated dislocation.

Dislocated Knee:
This represents damage to the ligaments and cartilage inside the knee joint, the kind of injury that happens to soccer players or other athletes who take bad stumbles or tackles. The result is that the whole knee joint becomes unstable, leading to â€œwobblinessâ€ and poor balance. These ligaments tend to heal poorly and Old World surgical techniques are insufficient for any kind of repair.
Dislocated Knee (Minor):
This represents damage to some of the cruciate ligaments and/or a meniscus that causes a penalty of -1 to M and makes all Dodge Blow tests count as Difficult (-10%). The GM should use any opportunity to harass the character with descriptions of various aches and other discomforts caused by bad weather or long marches.
Dislocated Knee (Major):
This represents a very bad injury with most of the ligaments entirely severed and the cartilage badly torn. The knee is either so stiff or so unstable that the character suffers a penalty of -2 to M and makes all Dodge Blow tests count as Hard (-20%).
Natural Healing: This type of injury does not resolve spontaneously, nor can someone with the Heal skill do more than wrap the knee in order to keep any swelling down, having no effect ruleswise.
Surgical Healing: No further benefit can be had from the Surgery Talent.
Magical Healing: A quick-heal spell has no effect. A repair-heal spell cast within one week of receiving the injury means a Dislocated Knee (Minor) will heal without penalties while a Dislocated Knee (Major) injury will turn it into a Dislocated Knee (Minor). A miracle-heal spell cast at any time will completely heal a either injury if cast within one week of receiving it; if cast later it will completely heal a Dislocated Knee (Minor) while turning a Dislocated Knee (Major) into a Dislocated Knee (Minor).

Short summary on Dislocated Joints:
Dislocated Shoulder:
â€¢ A dislocated shoulder makes the arm useless, though the hand can still be used for gripping lighter objects. Unless the arm is immobilized with a sling the pain is so great that the character suffers a penalty of -10% to all other physical activity tests.
â€¢ Dislocated Shoulder, Natural Healing: The arm will remain useless for d10 weeks, thereafter suffering a penalty of -20% for any tests requiring any amount of force or strength. This penalty will be halved within another two weeks after which the character must pass an Easy (+20%) T test to regain full function after a further two weeks. Failure will mean the penalty becomes permanent. A successful Heal skill test performed at any time before the penalty has become permanent will pop the shoulder back in place although the character will suffer a -20% penalty to any tests made with that arm for the next d10/2 days whereupon full function is regained.
â€¢ Dislocated Shoulder, Surgical Healing: A successful Heal skill test with the Surgery Talent performed at any time before the penalty has become permanent will immediately restore full function without penalties.
â€¢ Dislocated Shoulder, Magical Healing: A quick-heal spell will reduce the time the arm is useless from d10 days to none but any penalties after that remain unaffected by the spell. A repair-heal spell performed at any time before the penalty has become permanent will immediately restore full function without penalties. A miracle-heal spell will also remove any permanent penalty caused by an untreated dislocation.
Dislocated Knee:
â€¢ A Dislocated Knee (Minor) will cause a penalty of -1 to M and make all Dodge Blow tests count as Difficult (-10%).
â€¢ A Dislocated Knee (Major) will cause a penalty of -2 to M and make all Dodge Blow tests count as Hard (-20%).
â€¢ No benefit can be had from the Heal skill, with or without the Surgery Talent.
â€¢ A quick-heal spell has no effect. A repair-heal spell cast within one week of receiving the injury means a Dislocated Knee (Minor) will heal without penalties while a Dislocated Knee (Major) injury will turn it into a Dislocated Knee (Minor). A miracle-heal spell cast at any time will completely heal a either injury if cast within one week of receiving it; if cast later it will completely heal a Dislocated Knee (Minor) while turning a Dislocated Knee (Major) into a Dislocated Knee (Minor).

Alternate simplified version of Dislocated Joints:
Dislocated Shoulder:
â€¢ A Dislocated Shoulder makes the arm useless. If left untreated the arm will regain function after d10 weeks but suffer a penalty of -20% to all tests requiring any amount of force or strength for a further d10/2 weeks before healing completely.
â€¢ Either a successful Heal skill test or any healing spell will pop the shoulder back into place and no further penalties are suffered.
Dislocated Knee:
â€¢ A Dislocated Knee (Minor) will cause a penalty of -1 to M and make all Dodge Blow tests count as Difficult (-10%).
â€¢ A Dislocated Knee (Major) will cause a penalty of -2 to M and make all Dodge Blow tests count as Hard (-20%).
â€¢ A repair-heal spell will reduce the level of a Dislocated Knee by one step (Major to Minor, Minor to none, although it canâ€™t be repeated twice) while a miracle-heal spell will restore full function regardless of the level.

Sword Fodder Version Rules for Unimportant NPCs:
â€¢ A Dislocated Shoulder makes the NPC retreat from the battle and makes his arm useless for several weeks unless treated by a healer who pops it back into place.
â€¢ A Dislocated Knee (Minor) reduces the NPCâ€™s M by -1 and makes him unable to perform Dodge Blow tests for the duration of the battle.
â€¢ A Dislocated Knee (Major) leaves the NPC unable to stand or walk for the duration of the battle and leaves him permanently crippled and in need of crutches if he survives.

Ouch!

Can't wait for the complete compilation! (=How much more is there until you've covered everything you plan to cover, J?)

For simplicity, to answer your question, Z, I'll just copy most of a post from the previous forum regarding where I am and where I'm heading:

What we have so far is:
Wounds, injury levels, basic healing and magical healing
Infections
Critical Hit Effects - some generic notes and terms
Fractures
Muscle/Tendon Damage
Bleeding
Chest Injuries
Abdominal Injuries
Head Injuries
Dislocated Joints

Some additional chapters still remain to be written before I start on the charts themselves, including but probably not limited to:

Burns and Frostbite (including rules on how to put out burning clothes)
Missing Limbs (rules for crutches, hooks, etc, plus the usefulness of the Golden Tears spell to prevent limb loss when a crit inflicts an outright traumatic amputation)
Removal of Arrows and Bullets (bullets and arrows tend to drag fragments of clothing into the wound, a source of infection)
Armour Damage (how difficult and expensive it is to repair a slashed mail shirt or buckled plate)
Orcs, Beastmen and other Tough Guys (suggestions for how to modify crit results when the victim is supposed to be very resistant to pain or have an otherwise inhuman toughness, also including suggestions for how to handle foes that don't really have a working or natural physiology, such as many Undead and Daemons)

The crit charts will all have three possible outcomes for each hit result, depending on armour type (None/Leather, Chain/Scale and Plate), and will include:
Hacking & Chopping Damage (for heavy chopping weapons such as axes, swung halberds, Norse broadswords, falchions, etc)
Slashing & Cutting Damage (for slightly more refined blades, such as most shortswords, longswords, etc)
Crushing Damage (hammers, maces, etc)
Thrusting Piercing Damage (spears, thrusting swordpoints, etc)
Stabbing Piercing Damage (daggers, picks, etc)
Bullet Damage
Arrow/Bolt Damage
Shrapnel/Explosion Damage
Teeth & Claws Damage (probably two versions, one for roughly man-sized foes, another for Large Monsters with results including being flung into the air or bitten in half, the kind of results unlikely to be inflicted by a wolf but not by dragon)
Flame & Energy Damage
Freezing & Cold Damage
Unarmed Combat Damage
(The Flame & Energy, Freezing & Cold and Shrapnel/Explosion charts will probably be "generic" rather than separate charts for each hit location as most such damage is caused by magic which ignores hit location or templates that also ignores hit location, although individual results might well affect certain locations more than others.)

A few special charts that reflect special circumstances concerning the nature of the foe receiving the damage rather than the nature of the weapon inflicting the damage will also be included:
Large Monster Damage (for creatures that are supposed to be considerably tougher than frail humans, the sort you have to chop apart practically piece by piece before they die, who aren't incapacitated or slowed down by anything less than having major chunks carved away from them)
Wing Damage
Quadruped Damage

If you've read my first version of the charts and all the notes attached to them (at Chuck's site) you'll recognize a lot of the names and ideas.

When everything is finished I'll email the whole shebang (Words files) to Chuck and he'll make pdf magic and post it on his site. (For the charts currently at his site I kept emailing him changes forever, making tiny corrections, almost certainly raising the poor guy's IP value by several points!) Of course, there's nothing preventing me from emailing all this stuff to other people as well, if they want to publish it on their own sites.

So feel free to put up feedback, questions, requests for clarifications on unclear segments, etc. Even requests for particular results on the crit charts are welcome! Got a favourite scene/injury from a book or movie and want to see it included? Just tell me!

EDIT 22 March 2008 added loss of fingers

LOSS OF LIMBS
This chapter deals with traumatic amputation as well as the various prosthetics and crutches available in the Old World.
Traumatic Amputation & Limb Loss:
This is damage that is so severe a limb is severed or torn off outright, either fully or so nearly as to make no difference, the limb hanging by a few threads of flesh. It is usually accompanied by some degree of Bleeding critical damage result as well (see the Bleeding chapter) since one or more large arteries are severed as a result of the injury. Limb loss can also be the result of deliberate amputation to save a patient from gangrene or to remove an offending mutation. In the critical hit charts an outright amputation will be referred to as Traumatic Amputation (Limb) but will always have the effects of Limb Loss (Limb) described below apart from the immediate effects (bleeding, stunning, etc) described in the hit result. The main difference is that a Traumatic Amputation (Limb) can sometimes be helped by the Golden Tears miracle-heal spell from the Shallyan Lore, as described below.
Limb Loss (Hand): This represents a functional loss of the hand. It can be through loss of most of the whole lower arm or merely loss of all the fingers, rendering any remaining part of the hand useless.
The character can still use the remainder of the arm to perform simple tasks that requires neither grip nor finesse, such as pushing things around on a table surface or carrying saddle-bag by its straps, but is severely limited in the normally two-handed tasks he can do, having to use his mouth to make knots, hold lock-picks, etc. If such a task can conceivably be performed with only one hand the GM should allow it at no penalty but double or triple (or more) the amount of time it takes. He may not use any two-handed close combat weapons and can only reload and use slings, gunpowder weapons or crossbows (taking three times the usual time to reload and staying in the same spot while doing it).
The arm will still have to be armoured as enough of it remains to be considered an intact hit location, although of course any damage results affecting the hand are exchanged for the nearest reasonable higher result.
Limb Loss (Arm): This represents a loss of the arm at approximately the level of the elbow or above.
For normally two-handed tasks, use the same limitations as for Limb Loss (Hand) except that only slings and pistols may benefit from the Aim manoeuvre due to the lack of steadying provided from an extra arm.
The arm is no longer considered a hit location and does not need armour. Any hits from ranged weapons are considered to have missed and an extra die-roll is made to determine hit location by close combat hits (hitting the same missing limb a second time is considered a miss).
Limb Loss (Foot): This represents a functional loss of the foot. It can be through loss of most of the whole lower leg or merely the loss of a significant part of the foot itself, rendering normal walking on it impossible.
Unaided by a peg-leg or crutches (see below) the character is unable to move faster than at M 1, hopping along on one leg. He is unable to use the Dodge Blow skill and must pass an Ag test each turn he moves like this on any but the most even ground or if he engages in combat, falling down if he fails (counting as knocked down). The alternative is crawling at M Â½ which entails no risk of falling and counts as being knocked down in combat, counting all Dodge Blow tests as Hard (-20%) and close combat attacks as Difficult (-10%).
The leg will still have to be armoured as enough of it remains to be considered an intact hit location, although of course any damage results affecting the foot are exchanged for the nearest reasonable higher result.
Limb Loss (Leg): This represents a loss of the leg at approximately the level of the knee or above.
Unaided by a peg-leg or crutches (see below) the character is unable to move faster than at M 1, hopping along on one leg. He is unable to use the Dodge Blow skill and must pass an Ag test each turn he moves like this on any but the most even ground or if he engages in combat, falling down if he fails (counting as knocked down). The alternative is crawling at M Â½ which entails no risk of falling and counts as being knocked down in combat, counting all Dodge Blow tests as Very Hard (-30%) and close combat attacks as Hard (-20%). The increased difficulty is because of the loss of leverage that can still be exerted by half a leg; a character still able to kneel (even if one leg ends somewhere below the knee) is capable of twisting and turning without too much difficulty compared to someone with only a single knee.
The leg is no longer considered a hit location and does not need armour. Any hits from ranged weapons are considered to have missed and an extra die-roll is made to determine hit location by close combat hits (hitting the same missing limb a second time is considered a miss).
Limb Loss (Legless): This represents loss of both feet and/or legs from having contracted Limb Loss (Foot) or (Leg) on both sides.
Unaided, the character can only move along by crawling or lifting himself along by his arms at M Â½, counting all Dodge Blow tests as Very Hard (-30%) and close combat attacks as Hard (-20%). He is capable of climbing ropes or ladders by pulling himself along by his arms but the GM should require S tests to do this.
Limb Loss (Fingers): The hand has one thumb and four fingers. Losing just one joint does not count as loss of a finger; a Limb Loss (Fingers) represents losing enough of one or more fingers to make them useless. The critical hit result will tell you which fingers are lost (sometimes both number and location are random) and the effects are described below.
Losing a thumb means you no longer have an opposing digit to create a strong grip. Since you can no longer grip a weapon properly you suffer a penalty of -10% to battle skills when using that hand. Tests requiring fine manipulation and delicate manual dexterity suffer a -20% penalty if the injured hand is the characterâ€™s main hand (usually the right unless he has the Ambidexterity Talent), reduced to -10% if the opposite hand is the injured one and the task requires two hands (usually the case).
Losing one finger is more of a cosmetic concern than a reduction of function, causing no penalties. (Strictly speaking this depends on the finger but for simplicityâ€™s sake this is ignored.) Losing two fingers means you suffer penalties. Tests requiring fine manipulation and delicate manual dexterity suffer a -10% penalty if the injured hand is the characterâ€™s main hand (usually the right unless he has the Ambidexterity Talent). Losing three fingers (including the thumb, if that was also lost) means you can no longer use close combat weapons with that hand. You can fire a bow, handgun or crossbow although reloading will take twice as long. (To fire a bow if all you have on your right hand is a thumb and one more finger requires a thumb ring of bone or leather as you draw it with your thumb.) Pistols, crossbow pistols or slings cannot be used. Penalties for other tasks are the same as for losing a thumb. Losing four or more fingers means the hand is effectively useless for most tasks.

Natural Healing: It is not possible to reattach a severed limb with Old World surgical techniques but various other critical hit effects from a Traumatic Amputation (Limb), such as Bleeding, are usually treatable (see the relevant chapters).
Surgical Healing: See Natural Healing.
Magical Healing: Quick-heal and repair-heal spells cannot reattach a severed limb but various other critical hit effects from a Traumatic Amputation (Limb), such as Bleeding, are usually treatable with these spells (see the relevant chapters). The only miracle-heal spell that can heal a Traumatic Amputation in such a way as to save the affected limb is the Shallyan Lore Golden Tears spell, which not only affects all secondary effects (such as Bleeding) but also reattaches the limb without any loss of function, but the latter effect only if the spell was cast within two turns of the wounded character receiving the injury. It has no effect on severed heads, only hands/arms and feet/legs.

Prosthetics:
Despite rumours of near-miraculous Dwarven artefacts such as artificial golden hands and rocket-powered legs most people in the Old World have to make do with significantly less advanced prosthetics if they are so unlucky as to emerge from a fight minus a limb or two.
Limb Loss (Hand):
Hook: Price and exact appearance varies wildly, some examples including various (more or less) practical refinements such as extra or exchangeable blades and even tools or clamps for gripping. A simple hook counts as an Improvised Weapon in close combat and cannot be used for parries or be thrown. Although useful for many things, such as waving in someoneâ€™s face when you use the Intimidate skill or peeling apples (if you have a really sharp edge on the hook) it does not allow normally two-handed tasks to be performed well enough to remove the effects described under Limb Loss (Hand).
Weapon Prosthesis: Various Hand Weapons (usually a heavy cleaver-like blade), Daggers, Morning Stars and even Bucklers can be attached to the wrist stump for use in combat. However, the absence of the flexibility and extra control afforded by a hand and wrist reduces WS by 10% when using such a Weapon Prosthesis. Crossbow Pistols or gunpowder Pistols are also (barely) possible but loading takes extra time, just as for Limb Loss (Hand), and BS is reduced by 10% when aiming such a weapon (which cannot be detached and used as a normal pistol).
Limb Loss (Arm):
Unless the GM feels like introducing various Dwarven (or Chaotic) artefacts there are no good prosthetics to replace an entire arm.
Limb Loss (Foot):
Single Crutch: Using a single crutch allows the character to move at M 1 and even to fight, although one hand (usually the one opposite to the lost limb) will be occupied holding the crutch and all Dodge Blow tests count as Hard (-20%). The character may use the crutch as an Improvised Weapon but will have pass an Ag test each turn he does this to avoid falling.
Two Crutches: Using one crutch under each arm the character can move at M 2 although both arms will be occupied holding the crutches and all Dodge Blow tests count as Very Hard (-30%). Dropping one crutch will make the character count as having a Single Crutch (see above).
Peg Leg: A character with a Peg Leg suffers a penalty of -1 to M and all Dodge Blow tests count as Difficult (-10%). The GM should also increase the difficulty of all tests requiring significant use of both legs (such as Climbing) by one (or even two) levels, possibly forcing Ag tests to retain footing on slippery surfaces. Walking long distances on a Peg Leg is brutal punishment for a stump that isnâ€™t as well designed as a real foot to withstand the constant bumping and chafing, so distances travelled on foot should be reduced by as much as 25-50% per day of march.
Limb Loss (Leg):
Single Crutch: See Limb Loss (Foot).
Two Crutches: See Limb Loss (Foot).
Long Peg Leg: This is a Peg Leg that reaches above knee-level, making for a much less stable platform than the ordinary shorter Peg Leg. A character with a Long Peg Leg suffers a penalty of -2 to M and all Dodge Blow tests count as Very Hard (-30%). The GM should also increase the difficulty of all tests requiring significant use of both legs (such as Climbing) by one (or even two) levels, possibly forcing Ag tests to retain footing on slippery surfaces. Distances travelled on foot should be reduced by as much as 50-75% per day of march. It is often combined with either a Single Crutch or Two Crutches in which case the lower penalties are used for any given situation.
Limb Loss (Legless):
Cart or Wheelchair: This is a small wheeled box or chair in which the character sits, dragging himself along either by pulling at the wheels or pushing against the ground (usually with a pair of wooden blocks held in his hands to prevent damage and wear to the them). The speed is totally dependent on the terrain over which the cart/wheelchair is travelling, ranging from practically zero in deep mud to ludicrous speeds when going downhill on a flat surface (in which case the GM should force various tests as well as consult any houserules he may have regarding high-speed collisions). The character counts all Dodge Blow tests as Very Hard (-30%) and suffers a penalty of -10% to his WS when trying to hit opponents in close combat due to his limited range and mobility when confined to his vehicle.
If the cart/wheelchair is pulled by animals of one kind or another (large dogs for example) the maximum speed is the animalsâ€™ M minus 1, with suitable penalties depending on the terrain. The GM should frequently ask the character to test against his Drive skill for this kind of travel.
Crutches & Peg Legs: If two Peg Legs (whether Long or ordinary) are combined with Two Crutches the character can move at M 1 but may not use the Dodge Blow skill and must pass an Ag test each turn he fights (for which he must first drop one crutch or use it as an Improvised Weapon) to avoid falling down. Due to extremely poor balance his WS suffers a penalty of -20%.

Short summary of Loss of Limbs:
â€¢ A Traumatic Amputation (Limb) can be healed completely without loss of function if a Golden Tears spell from the Shallyan Lore is cast successfully within two turns. Other spells may only affect other effects of such an injury, such as Bleeding.

Limb Loss:
â€¢ Limb Loss (Hand): If a task can conceivably be performed with only one hand the GM should allow it at no penalty but double or triple (or more) the amount of time it takes. The character may not use any two-handed close combat weapons and can only reload and use slings, gunpowder weapons or crossbows (taking three times the usual time to reload and staying in the same spot while doing it). The arm remains a hit location although any damage results affecting the hand are exchanged for the nearest reasonable higher result.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Arm): Use the same limitations as for Limb Loss (Hand) except that only slings and pistols may benefit from the Aim manoeuvre due to the lack of steadying provided from an extra arm. The arm is no longer considered a hit location and does not need armour. Any hits from ranged weapons are considered to have missed and an extra die-roll is made to determine hit location by close combat hits.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Foot): The character is unable to move faster than at M 1. He is unable to use the Dodge Blow skill and must pass an Ag test each turn he moves on any but the most even ground or if he engages in combat, falling down if he fails (counting as knocked down). The alternative is crawling at M Â½ which entails no risk of falling and counts as being knocked down in combat, counting all Dodge Blow tests as Hard (-20%) and close combat attacks as Difficult (-10%). Any damage results affecting the foot are exchanged for the nearest reasonable higher result.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Leg): The character is unable to move faster than at M 1, hopping along on one leg. He is unable to use the Dodge Blow skill and must pass an Ag test each turn he moves like this on any but the most even ground or if he engages in combat, falling down if he fails (counting as knocked down). The alternative is crawling at M Â½ which entails no risk of falling and counts as being knocked down in combat, counting all Dodge Blow tests as Very Hard (-30%) and close combat attacks as Hard (-20%). The leg is no longer considered a hit location. Any hits from ranged weapons are considered to have missed and an extra die-roll is made to determine hit location by close combat hits.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Legless): The character can only move along by crawling or lifting himself along by his arms at M Â½, counting all Dodge Blow tests as Very Hard (-30%) and close combat attacks as Hard (-20%).
â€¢ Limb Loss (Fingers): Loss of the thumb gives a penalty of -10% to battle skills when using that hand and a penalty of -20% to tests requiring fine manipulation if it was the right (main) hand, -10% if it was the left (or the character has the Ambidexterity Talent). Loss of one finger has no effect. Loss of two fingers gives a penalty of -10% to tests requiring fine manipulation if the affected hand was the right and the character lacks the Ambidexterity Talent. Loss of three fingers means the character cannot use close combat weapons and pistols, crossbow pistols and slings while reloading bows and crossbows take twice as long and other penalties are as for losing a thumb. Losing four or more fingers makes the hand useless for most tasks.

Prosthetics:
â€¢ A Hook (Hand) counts as an Improvised Weapon in close combat and cannot be used for parries or be thrown.
â€¢ Various Hand Weapons (usually a heavy cleaver-like blade), Daggers, Morning Stars and even Bucklers can be attached to a Weapon Prosthesis (Hand) for use in combat at a WS penalty of -10%. Crossbow Pistols or gunpowder Pistols are also (barely) possible but loading takes extra time, just as for Limb Loss (Hand), and BS is reduced by 10% when aiming such a weapon (which cannot be detached and used as a normal pistol).
â€¢ No prosthesis is possible for Limb Loss (Arm).
â€¢ A Single Crutch (Foot or Leg) allows the character to move at M 1 and even to fight, although one hand (usually the one opposite to the lost limb) will be occupied holding the crutch and all Dodge Blow tests count as Hard (-20%). The character may use the crutch as an Improvised Weapon but will have pass an Ag test each turn he does this to avoid falling.
â€¢ Two Crutches (Foot or Leg) allows the character to move at M 2 although both arms will be occupied holding the crutches and all Dodge Blow tests count as Very Hard (-30%). Dropping one crutch will make the character count as having a Single Crutch.
â€¢ A Peg Leg (Foot) reduces M by -1 and all Dodge Blow tests count as Difficult (-10%). The difficulty of all tests requiring significant use of both legs (such as Climbing) should be increased by one or two levels with optional Ag tests to retain footing on slippery surfaces. Distance travelled on foot should be reduced by as much as 25-50% per day of march.
â€¢ A Long Peg Leg (Leg) reduces M by -2 and all Dodge Blow tests count as Very Hard (-30%). The difficulty of all tests requiring significant use of both legs (such as Climbing) should be increased by one or two levels with optional Ag tests to retain footing on slippery surfaces. Distance travelled on foot should be reduced by as much as 50-75% per day of march. A Long Peg Leg is often combined with either a Single Crutch or Two Crutches in which case the lower penalties are used for any given situation.
â€¢ A Cart/Wheelchair (Legless) makes all Dodge Blow tests count as Very Hard (-30%) and WS is reduced by -10% when the character tries to hit in close combat. Speed is dependent on terrain as the GM sees fit. An animal-drawn Cart/Wheelchair is allowed by the GMâ€™s permission.
â€¢ With Crutches & Peg Legs (Legless) the character can move at M 1 but may not use the Dodge Blow skill and must pass an Ag test each turn he fights (for which he must first drop one crutch or use it as an Improvised Weapon) to avoid falling down. Due to extremely poor balance his WS suffers a penalty of -20%.

Alternate simplified version of Loss of Limbs:
â€¢ Any Traumatic Amputation (Limb) can be healed without loss of function by successful casting of the Golden Tears spell within two turns. Other healing spells merely affect other effects than the Limb Loss, such as Bleeding.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Hand) means the character cannot use two-handed weapons. Tasks that usually require two hands but that can conceivably be performed using only one hand take three times as long. A prosthetic hook can be used as an Improvised Weapon.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Arm) means the character cannot use two-handed weapons. Tasks that usually require two hands but that can conceivably be performed using only one hand take three times as long. The arm no longer counts as a hit location.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Foot) means the character counts as knocked down and can only crawl at M 1 without prosthetics. A peg leg reduces M by -1 and makes all Dodge Blow tests count as Difficult (-10%).
â€¢ Limb Loss (Leg) means the character counts as knocked down and can only crawl at M 1 without prosthetics. A peg leg reduces M by -2 and makes all Dodge Blow tests count as Hard (-20%). Adding a crutch reduces it to -1 and Difficult (-10%) respectively, but means one hand is occupied holding the crutch.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Legless) means the character counts as knocked down and can only crawl at M Â½ without either a cart or a wheelchair, which allows him to roll along at M 1 (or faster if downhill or on smooth ground) if using both arms to push. If immobile (due to using his arms to fight) he counts as knocked down even though technically he is upright.
â€¢ Limb Loss (Fingers) means the character suffers a penalty of -5% per finger to his battle skills when using that hand and the same penalty to tests requiring fine manipulation and manual dexterity.

Sword Fodder Version Rules for Unimportant NPCs:
â€¢ Any Traumatic Amputation (Limb) results in the NPC bleeding to death within d10 turns. Loss of fingers instead makes him retreat from the combat.
â€¢ Any Limb Loss or Prosthetics are either totally cosmetic or variously crippling with penalties as the GM sees fit. (Usually loss of free parry for a lost arm or hand and penalties to M and Dodge Blow for peg legs.)

Go, Josef! Go!

We love your crits and special rules!
I can't wait to see this finished, so that i can put it in a big book!

Josef wrote:(For the charts currently at his site I kept emailing him changes forever, making tiny corrections, almost certainly raising the poor guy's IP value by several points!)

One thing I'll say for Josef: the man is thorough. That's why his crits are so very, very good.

ARMOUR DAMAGE
This chapter deals with damage to armour rather than flesh. The exact effects of the damage done to a piece of armour are described in the critical hit result and mostly consist of either of two effects.
Reduced AP: Pieces have been torn away or large rents been made, reducing the AP on that location by one or more points. This effect lasts until the armour is repaired.
Reduced mobility: A plate has been buckled or straps have snapped, hindering normal movement, resulting in a penalty to battle skills. This affects a character until the armour has been removed and will affect him again if the armour is worn without first being repaired.

Removing and putting on armour:
Removing armour is a time-consuming process, involving multiple straps and fastenings. It takes one half-action per point of AP per location. You must remove one full layer at a time, outermost first, meaning first any plate, then any mail and finally any leather.
Example: Removing Full Plate from one leg takes first one full action (one half-action per point of AP) to remove the Plate part, then another full action to remove the Mail legging, and finally one half-action to remove the Leather legging.

Sleeved Mail Shirts, Sleeved Mail Coats and Leather Jacks must be removed as a single unit; you cannot remove parts of them but must remove them on all covered locations at the same time. Being interrupted while in the process of removing any of those means your arms are trapped and cannot be used until youâ€™ve taken enough actions to complete the removal. All Helmets, Coifs and Skullcaps can be removed with only a single half-action each.
Example: A Full Plate Armour suit is to be removed. Since the Plate parts are worn over Full Mail Armour and Full Leather Armour (which includes a Sleeved Mail Shirt and Leather Jack) the Plate must be removed from Body and Arms before either of the latter can be removed. Helmet, Coif and Skullcap require one half-action each. Removing the Plate from Body and Legs takes three full actions (two half-actions per location since Plate has AP 2). The Sleeved Mail Shirt must be removed as a single unit, taking another three full actions (same amount of AP, same number of locations). The Leather Jack takes one and a half action (one point of AP on a total of three locations). The character is now wearing armour on his legs only. Each layer and leg can be removed separately, each Plate Legging taking one full action (AP 2 each), each Mail Legging another full action (AP 2 each) and the Leather Leggings one half-action each (AP 1 each). The whole process has taken fourteen full actions (one half-action per layer on the head plus one half-action per AP for four additional locations is 1Â½ plus Â½x5x5 equals 14).

Putting armour on takes roughly twice as long, meaning a full action per point of AP. Double that time for each location where you have only one hand available, usually meaning when youâ€™re putting armour on your own opposite arm.
Multiple people can help with putting on armour, doing one location per person, but this prevents the wearer from spending actions since he can only stand there and allow himself to be helped.
Example: An Imperial Knight wants to put on Full Plate Armour. If doing it himself itâ€™ll take one full action per point of AP per location on Body, Legs and Arms plus an additional one full action per AP on the Arms (since that takes double the time because he can only use one arm) plus one full action each for Skullcap, Coif and Helmet; a total of 38 turns. If two squires were to put it on for him it would take five full actions for the Arms (one full action per AP, taking one arm each) and the same for the Legs. One squire would then take another five full actions for the Body while the second would deal with the Head (taking only three full actions), for a total of fifteen turns. Note that this is not described in the correct order since the Sleeved Mail Shirt and Leather Jack would had to be put on as single units before any further layers could be added.

Note that putting on armour was historically and realistically a lot more time-consuming than this but the above rules should suffice for combat situations where PCs are caught without their armour on or where they need to remove pieces for access to stop bleeding or when wanting to shed dented plates that reduce mobility.

Armour Repair:
This section describes how to â€œhealâ€ armour. It usually requires time, effort and money, although a competent armourer is usually easier to find than a competent healer.
Only the outermost layer counts as damaged, so Full Plate Armour taking damage from a critical hit always counts as Plate Damage rather than Mail or Leather Damage.
Magical Repair: The Transformation of Metal spell from the Lore of Metal can be used to completely repair any damage to Mail or Plate although the Quality of the item may change as a result, as described in the rulebook and the Realms of Sorcery supplement. The spell can be cast even if the armour was described as irreparable due to damage.

Leather Armour Damage:
Minor: This represents mostly damage to the seams with little or only minor damage to the larger surfaces, easily stitched together. A successful Normal Trade (Armourer or Tailor) will remove the effects of the damage. Any professional armourer or leatherworker with access to a shop will automatically succeed, charging 10% of the cost of the armour for that location.
Major: This represents a badly slashed or torn piece of leather armour. Patching is possible but will look unattractive and clumsy. A successful Normal Trade (Armourer) test will remove the effects of the damage but the itemâ€™s Craftsmanship can never exceed Good. Failure will also repair the damage but Craftsmanship will be Poor. Any professional armourer with access to a shop will automatically succeed, charging 25% of the cost of a similar Good craftsmanship item but will be more likely to try to get you to buy a new item since itâ€™ll offend his professional pride to repair such a disastrously mangled item.

Mail/Scale Armour Damage:
Minor: This usually represents a large hole where rings have been split or scales have been torn away. Replacement rings or scales will have to be riveted or stitched into place to close up the defect. Performing such repair in the field is difficult but not impossible, requiring a successful Difficult (-10%) Trade (Armourer) test to remove the effects of the damage. If performed in a proper shop the test is Easy (+20%) and the armourer will charge 10% of the original cost of the armour for that location regardless of whether he performs the job himself or a character does it with borrowed tools (the tools and equipment to draw wire and rivet rings are usually constantly in use in any shop manufacturing mail, so the character is basically just interfering with the normal routines).
Major: This represents a badly torn item, literally hanging from the character by a few scraps of leather backing and a single row of links, providing little in the way of protection. Repair will require a multitude of new rings or scales! This work must be performed in a proper shop with access to the right tools and amount of materials necessary. A professional armourer will automatically succeed and charge 30% of the original cost of the armour for that location, or 20% if a character borrows the shop and performs the work himself (the cut represents the extra work repairing the backing and the comparatively larger amount and complexity of new riveting required as compared to that required for Minor damage, meaning this is the kind of work the armourer could not have left to his apprentices to do most of) in which case a successful Normal Trade (Armourer) test is required.

Plate Armour Damage:
Minor: This usually represents damage to straps or some minor denting, requiring only minor repairs to remove the effects of the damage. A successful Easy (+20%) Trade (Armourer) test is required, if done by a character in the field; no more tools than a hammer and/or some spare straps are required (always included in the appropriate Trade Tools). Any professional armourer with access to a shop will automatically succeed, charging 1% of the cost of the armour for that location.
Major: This represents serious denting with a lot of distortion and possibly even cracking of the plates. A full smithy with access to a hot forge and an anvil will be required to remove the effects of the damage. Cost will be 20% of the original cost of the armour for that location, or 5% if a character borrows a smithy and do the work themselves (which will require a successful Normal Trade (Armourer) test).

REMOVING ARROWS AND BULLETS
This chapter deals with the removal of embedded arrowheads and bullets (or shrapnel). A hit from an arrow/bolt or bullet/shrapnel that only causes Wound loss but no critical hit are considered to either have not become embedded in the victim or to be stuck in such a way as to make removal easy enough not to require any rolls or tests. Only critical hits that mention the need for either Bullet Removal (including shrapnel from the Explosion/Shrapnel chart) or Arrow Removal (including crossbow bolts) require use of the rules below.

Removal is defined by two qualities; the difficulty of removing the bullet/arrow and what the effects will be if it is not removed. The levels of difficulty are Easy, Regular or Hard. The possible effects are Minor Wound Infection (MWI), Abscess, Ache or None. A removal might thus be referred to, for example, as Arrow Removal (Regular/Abscess), indicating that removal will require some work and that leaving the arrowhead in the wound will result in an abscess forming.

Magical healing cannot assist in removal of arrows/bullets/shrapnel but may limit the effects, as described below.

Difficulty of removal:
Easy: This usually represents either an arrow that has pierced all the way through the affected location, needing only to have its point or fletching broken off in order to withdraw the shaft or push the arrow the rest of the way through, or a bullet (or piece of shrapnel) that has lodged just underneath the skin, often both visible and discernable by touch, requiring no more than a minor incision in order to remove it.

No roll against skill is necessary. Removal can be swift once all armour on the location is removed, taking little more than two turns (one full action to break off the shaft or make the incision, and one full action to withdraw the shaft or remove the bullet). Double the time if the injured character does the work himself and double it again if he can only use one arm (usually the case if the arrow/bullet is removed from the other arm). However, if the healer totally lacks the Heal skill the injured character must make an extra test for Minor Wound Infection, even if he passed the original test for having become Heavily Wounded at the time of suffering the critical hit that necessitated the removal, since the wound was not properly cleaned and irrigated.

Regular: This represents a case where the arrowhead/bullet/shrapnel has lodged deep and requires tools and skills (or lacking this, a lot of brute force and a high threshold for pain) to remove.

With access to proper tools such as an arrow extractor for arrowheads or a pair of suitable pincers for bullets (included in the Trade Tools of Barber Surgeons or Physicians) and the Heal skill with the Surgery Talent no roll is necessary. The arrow/bullet/shrapnel comes out automatically and the wound is professionally cleaned afterwards. This takes about five minutes in total. If the tools are lacking a successful roll against the Heal skill is required as the surgeon has to improvise with whatever sharp blades or other implements he can muster.

If the healer lacks the Surgery Talent things get a bit more interesting. Either the arrow/bullet can be literally dug out or the arrow needs to be pushed through the body and withdrawn from the other side, something that is not always practical depending on which anatomical structures might get in the way (such as lungs, large blood-vessels, etc). Unless a Hard (-20%) Heal skill test is passed the arrow/bullet must be left inside the wound, automatically causing whatever effect a non-removal is described as causing for that particular result.

No attempts may be made without the Heal skill.

Hard: This represents a really difficult case with the offending arrowhead/bullet/shrapnel having lodged somewhere highly inaccessible, such as near the spine or a large blood-vessel where attempts to remove it may cause more harm than good. Only the most skilled surgeons would even attempt removal in these cases!

With access to both the Surgery Talent and a proper surgical theatre, complete with an operating table with suitable straps and restraints, a Hard (-20%) test against the surgeonâ€™s Heal skill is required for successful removal.

If someone lacking the Surgery Talent should attempt removal the GM should ask the injured character if he has any Fate Points left and inflict the poor bugger with a Collapsed Lung, a Bleeding (Major/Hard), permanent paralysis or some other suitable injury if there are none available.

Effects of non-removal:
None: This actually does not represent no effect at all but merely means that the character cannot use the pierced limb properly until the arrow/bullet is removed. A typical case might be an arrow through the biceps that causes pain whenever you try to flex the arm, a bullet lodged under the skin in the palm of your hand preventing you from holding a weapon properly, a bolt through the neck that somehow missed your arteries but makes you very reluctant to make any sudden moves or a large jagged chunk of shrapnel grating against your shinbone that keeps you hopping on one leg until the offending metal has been removed. In most (but not all) cases the removal is Easy; see the relevant critical hit result.

If the wound is in the arm the character cannot use that arm. If the wound is in the leg he may not use the Dodge Blow skill and can only move at half his M. If the wound is in the body or head/neck he loses one half-action per turn. If the GM feels generous he may allow the character to roll against his WP to make an otherwise forbidden action with a penalty of -20%.

Magical healing has no effect; as long as the bullet/arrow remains the penalty also remains.

Minor Wound Infection (MWI): The character automatically contracts a Minor Wound Infection (see the Infections chapter) after TB/2 days if the arrow/bullet/shrapnel hasnâ€™t been removed before then. This can be due to either the arrowhead/bullet itself or scraps of clothing, armour or other foreign objects having been pushed into the wound by the hit.

Heal tests and Healing Poultices for treating a Minor Wound Infection caused in this manner may not be used until the arrow/bullet/shrapnel has been removed.

If the character survives the infection and the arrow/bullet/shrapnel is left in the wound it will be encapsulated by fibrotic scar tissue and will cause no further problems.

A Cure Disease spell will of course heal any Minor Wound Infection. Either a quick-heal or repair-heal spell cast before the infection has occurred will prevent it from happening as any foreign matter is also quickly encapsulated in scar tissue. A miracle-heal spell will do the same and heal any infection even if it has progressed to Septicaemia.

Abscess: The character automatically contracts an Abscess after TB/2 days if the offending arrow/bullet/shrapnel hasnâ€™t been removed before then. This is usually the case when the wound is in close proximity to a joint or a large amount of foreign matter has been drawn into the wound, sometimes including fragments of the projectile itself.

Abscesses are usually treatable by Heal skill tests with the Surgery Talent (see the Infections chapter) but no such tests may be used until the arrow/bullet/shrapnel has been removed.

If the character survives the abscess and the arrow/bullet/shrapnel is left in the wound it will be encapsulated by fibrotic scar tissue and will cause no further problems although any permanent effects from an Abscess that turned serious due to failed T tests (see the Infections chapter) will remain.

Abscesses caused in this manner are affected by healing spells the usual way (see the Infections chapter). If cast before an Abscess has occurred a quick-heal spell will have no effect, a repair-heal spell will reduce the Abscess to a Minor Wound Infection and a miracle-heal spell will completely prevent any infection from occurring at all.

Ache: The character suffers some kind of long-term penalty if the offending arrow/bullet/shrapnel hasnâ€™t been removed. This happens when the arrowhead/bullet/shrapnel is lodged in such a manner as to interfere with normal function. There are many possible causes such as direct mechanical interference with muscle/tendon or joint movement, pressure on a nerve or large amounts of scar tissue forming. Removal is generally (but not always) Hard; see the relevant critical hit result.

An Ache in an arm causes a penalty of -10% to battle skills when using that arm. An Ache in a leg causes a penalty of -1 to M and makes all Dodge Blow tests count as Difficult (-10%). An Ache in the body permanently reduces the W characteristic by 2. An Ache in the head/neck means the character must pass a T test each morning; if successful all he feels is a dull pain; if unsuccessful he suffers a penalty of -10% to Fel and Ag the rest of the day due to sharp spasms of pain shooting through his head, neck and sometimes one or both of his arms.

No heal spells except a miracle-heal spell has any effect on an Ache. Such a spell will completely heal an Ache, often causing the offending arrowhead, bullet or piece of shrapnel to migrate to the surface and fall to the ground, making a useful object for an amulet or other keepsake as a reminder of worse days.

Short summary on Removing Arrows and Bullets:
â€¢ Removal of arrows/bullets/shrapnel is defined by difficulty of the removal (Easy, Regular or Hard) and the effects of non-removal (None, Minor Wound Infection, Abscess or Ache). The effect is suffered if removal fails. A critical hit might thus require, for example, Arrow Removal (Regular/Minor Wound Infection).

Difficulty of removal:
â€¢ Easy: Removal requires removing all armour on the affected location but only takes two turns to accomplish with no roll necessary. Time required is doubled if the wounded character performs the removal himself and doubled again if he only has one arm available. If the healer lacks the Heal skill there is a risk of infection; the character must test for Minor Wound Infection just as if he was Heavily Wounded (even if he has already passed such a test).
â€¢ Regular: Someone with both the Surgery Talent and the appropriate Trade Tools automatically succeeds, taking about five minutes. A roll against his Heal skill is necessary if no tools are available. If the Surgery Talent is lacking the Heal skill test counts as Hard (-20%). No attempt may be made without any Heal skill at all.
â€¢ Hard: With access to both the Surgery Talent and a proper surgical theatre, complete with an operating table with suitable straps and restraints, a Hard (-20%) test against the surgeonâ€™s Heal skill is required for successful removal.

Effects of non-removal:
â€¢ None: If the wound is in the arm the character cannot use that arm. If the wound is in the leg he may not use the Dodge Blow skill and can only move at half his M. If the wound is in the body or head/neck he loses one half-action per turn. If the GM feels generous he may allow the character to roll against his WP to make an otherwise forbidden action with a penalty of -20%. These effects last until the arrow/bullet/shrapnel is removed. Magical healing has no effect; as long as the bullet/arrow remains the penalty also remains.
â€¢ Minor Wound Infection: The character automatically contracts a Minor Wound Infection (see the Infections chapter) after TB/2 days if the arrow/bullet/shrapnel hasnâ€™t been removed before then. Heal tests and Healing Poultices for treating a Minor Wound Infection caused in this manner may not be used until the arrow/bullet/shrapnel has been removed. A Cure Disease spell will heal any Minor Wound Infection. Either a quick-heal or repair-heal spell cast before the infection has occurred will prevent it from. A miracle-heal spell will do the same and will heal any infection even if it has progressed to Septicaemia.
â€¢ Abscess: The character automatically contracts an Abscess after TB/2 days if the arrow/bullet/shrapnel hasnâ€™t been removed before then. Abscesses may not be treated with Heal skill tests with the Surgery Talent (see the Infections chapter) until the arrow/bullet/shrapnel has been removed. Abscesses caused in this manner are affected by healing spells the usual way (see the Infections chapter). If cast before an Abscess has occurred a quick-heal spell will have no effect, a repair-heal spell will reduce the Abscess to a Minor Wound Infection and a miracle-heal spell will completely prevent any infection from occurring at all.
â€¢ Ache: The character suffers some form of penalty depending on the location of the wound, unless the arrow/bullet/shrapnel is removed. An Ache in an arm causes a penalty of -10% to battle skills when using that arm. An Ache in a leg causes a penalty of -1 to M and makes all Dodge Blow tests count as Difficult (-10%). An Ache in the body permanently reduces the W characteristic by 2. An Ache in the head/neck means the character must pass a T test each morning; if successful all he feels is a dull pain; if unsuccessful he suffers a penalty of -10% to Fel and Ag the rest of the day due to sharp spasms of pain shooting through his head, neck and sometimes one or both of his arms. No heal spells except a miracle-heal spell has any effect on an Ache. Such a spell will completely heal an Ache.

Alternate simplified version of Removal of Arrows and Bullets:
â€¢ Removal of arrows/bullets/shrapnel is defined by difficulty of the removal (Easy, Regular or Hard) and the effects of non-removal (None, Minor Wound Infection, Abscess or Ache). The effect is suffered if removal fails. A critical hit might thus require, for example, Arrow Removal (Regular/Minor Wound Infection).
Difficulty of removal:
â€¢ Easy: Removal takes two turns and does not require any rolls.
â€¢ Regular: Success is automatic if the healer has both the Surgery Talent and appropriate Trade Tools. Without the Talent or lacking the tools a successful Heal skill test is required.
â€¢ Hard: A Hard (-20%) Heal skill test with the Surgery Talent must be passed and the operation cannot be performed in the field.
Effects of non-removal:
â€¢ None: The character suffers a penalty of -20% to his battle skills (when using that arm, if the wound is in the arm) or halves his M (if the wound is in the body or legs) or loses one half-action per turn (if the wound is in the head) until the arrow/bullet/shrapnel is removed. (Removal is often Easy, making this effect temporary.)
â€¢ Minor Wound Infection: The character contracts an infection the next day that will give him a penalty of -10% to all tests for d10 days. Any heal spell or the Cure Disease spell will counteract this effect if cast before the infection is contracted. The Cure Disease spell or a miracle-heal spell will remove the effect even if cast after the infection has occurred.
â€¢ Abscess: The character contracts a pus-filled abscess that will give him a penalty of -20% to all tests for 2d10 days. Any heal spell or the Cure Disease spell will counteract this effect if cast before the infection is contracted. The Cure Disease spell, a miracle-heal spell or a successful Heal skill test with the Surgery Talent will remove the effect even if cast after the abscess has occurred.
â€¢ Ache: Unless the arrow/bullet/shrapnel is removed the character will suffer a penalty of -10% to his battle skills (when using that arm, if the wound is in an arm) or -1 to his M (if the wound is in a leg) or -2 to his W (if the wound is in the body) or -5% to his Fel (if the wound is in the head, due to constant pain and the sore temper resulting from it). A miracle-heal spell will completely cure an Ache.

Sword Fodder Version Rules for Unimportant NPCs:
â€¢ Any critical hit resulting in any Arrow/Bullet/Shrapnel Removal becoming necessary will force the NPC to pass a WP test or retreat from the battle to nurse his hurts or simply stare in horror at the shaft sticking out from his body.

Love this last installment. Can't wait for the finished product.

Minor edit to the limb loss chapter, adding loss of fingers.

I'm going to wait a little before writing the chapter on fire/cold damage and instead try to start on the actual crit charts, having already begun on the Hacking & Chopping set. So all the creative GMs out there who have made up their own favourite descriptions of various injuries or anyone who wants to see an injury from a book or movie translated to my charts better hurry up and post! I'll do my best to get anything suitably gory into the charts.

(Currently I'm thinking of an injury I think I saw in a Forgotten Realms novel, with the blade coming down between two finger and splitting the hand lengthwise almost to the wrist... yum!)

One if my favorites from rolemaster was you impale your oponent with a deep blow and your blade becomes wedged in the bone. It will take a round to remove the Blade. Good Luck! (or atleast something to that effect).

Always inspired the look of having to place your foot on the opponent to remove the weapon, or just leave it for later.

Since I had to look many many pages back for this... bump!

Josef, what's going on with your highly acclaimed project?

Busy life, new hospital and a residency in geriatrics. Plus my gaming group has lately had a lot more opportunity to gather at the same place and time so I've actually been able to spend time playing rather than merely writing rules. Plus a few other things in my life all trying to happen all at once...
I don't know when I'll be getting back to it... I'm either very productive or doing hardly nothing, and currently it's not the former.

Fair enough, just good to know you haven't disappeared completely

*Goes back to twiddling thumbs impatiently*