The Body Eclectic

Three Point Pools describe each character’s physical and story potential. These are Endurance Points, Virtual Damage Points, and Damage Points.

Endurance Points

Endurance Points describe the extent to which the character can handle exertion. Endurance Points are used when the character runs, lifts something, or uses a power. When Endurance Points are at 0 or less, the character is officially tired.

There are usually two types of lost EP. There is EP that returns per round, and EP that returns per hour. Most EP lost is EP that returns per round. Powers, skills, and ability rolls all use this type of EP. This EP is easily regained by stopping for a moment and resting.

EP that returns per hour returns when sleeping. Characters who don’t get enough sleep use EP this way. Only very special actions use EP that returns per hour. Heavy physical exertion within a short time will also use this type of EP:

When healing back EP Lost (heals per round), every time the number of EP Lost goes past a multiple of 10 (..., 30, 20, 10), one EP is added to EP Lost (heals per hour).

The EP Use Chart: Most of the rules which require EP use tell you which row on the EP chart to use. For example, a character who is lifting a refrigerator, and who has moved EP Use to row 5 will use 1 EP per round to hold up the refrigerator.

Using EP Rows 1, 2, and 3: When the character is performing an action that uses 1 EP per hour or 1 EP per day, this EP will not heal until the character stops using the EP at that rate. If the character uses EP at that rate for an entire day, it moves to EP that heals per hour.

Staying Awake: If the character stays awake for longer than 8 hours, the character will start to lose EP, for every succeeding hour. If the character was energetic (1 EP per round or more) at any point during the hour, 4 EP are lost. If the character was resting (1 EP per hour or less), the character loses 1 EP. An active character loses 2 EP. This EP lost is EP that returns per hour.

Resting: A character is considered to be resting when the character is using 1 EP per hour or less.

Active: A character is considered to be active when the character is using more than 1 EP per hour and less then 1 EP per round (usually, when using 1 EP per minute or ten minutes).

Energetic: A character is considered to be in Fast Action when the character is using 1 EP per round or more.

Less than Zero EP: A character with less than 0 EP has a penalty equal to EP on all d100 rolls, and to the Bonus Pool for all 2d10 rolls.

A character cannot rest and remain conscious while at zero or less EP, unless a saving throw is made vs. Willpower plus Constitution, on d100. This saving throw must be made each panel that the character is both resting and at 0 or less EP. On a failure, the character falls asleep.

Mass or Size Changes: When a character’s mass or size changes, EP changes as well, since DP affects EP, and Mass affects DP. The amount of EP Lost remains the same.

Virtual Damage Points

Virtual Damage Points measure the likelihood that the character will survive an attack unscathed. Damage done to the character is usually taken from VP first, and is only taken from DP after the character runs out of VP. An attack that causes the character to lose only VP hit, it just didn’t hit well enough.

VP represent luck, skill, and the ability to roll with attacks. Objects do not have VP unless they are being operated by a character, in which case they have the VP of the operator. Multiple operators (a pilot and copilot, for example) add both their VP totals to the object. VP that the object loses is divided evenly between the operators.

Damage Points

When a character loses DP, the character has been damaged, and feels it. When a character reaches 0 or less DP, the character is in serious trouble, and is near unconsciousness. When Body or Head DP are negative, the negative DP is used as a penalty to all d100 rolls, and to the Bonus Pools of all 2d10 rolls. When a limb reaches 0 or less DP, the negative DP is applied as a penalty directly to any Action Rolls the limb is used for. Unless specified otherwise, DP lost is Body DP.

Damage Types: There are two basic types of damage: bludgeoning and penetrating. Fists and blunt weapons generally do bludgeoning damage to the victim. This damage heals fairly quickly. Penetrating damage, on the other hand, heals much more slowly. Blades, points, and projectiles usually do penetrating damage. One tenth of penetrating damage, though, is bludgeoning. A laser that does 13 points damage will do 2 points bludgeoning and 11 points penetrating.

Injuries: Both bludgeoning and penetrating damage can cause injuries. Injuries only occur to Special characters when they lose DP and one of their DP scores is at or below zero. Look up the amount the current DP score is below zero, on the Doubles Chart. Add the weapon’s penetration. This is the Injury Roll. The player rolls 2d10 and adds the character’s Resist Death.

* If the result is less than or equal to the Injury Roll, the character is Injured and possibly unconscious. If the result is less than or equal to the Injury Roll+3, the character is possibly unconscious. Characters will not fall unconscious due to limbs unless the limb receives a Deadly Injury.

* If the result is less than or equal to the Injury Roll-3, part of the character’s Injury is a Permanent Injury.

* If the result is less than or equal to the Injury Roll-6, part of the Permanent Injury is a Deadly Injury.

If only Bludgeoning Damage has been lost, the chances are reduced by 1.

Deadly Injuries to limbs do not kill the character, but that limb becomes useless. If the Deadly Injury has more points than the limb’s maximum DP, the limb is destroyed.

Characters are allowed a saving throw vs. Willpower plus Constitution, minus the Injury Roll, before falling unconscious. Once a character falls unconscious, the character will not awaken until all DP scores are above 0, or Body and Head DP fully heal.

If an attack causes an injury, d100% of damage lost is Injury Damage. Permanent Injuries are d100% of the Injury, and Deadly Injuries are d100% of the Permanent Injury. Round those up.

Remember that the Injury Roll will be affected by both low EP and low DP--the more tired and wounded you are, the worse you’re going to be injured when you get hit.

Players can replace a Permanent Injury with a permanent disability. The disability is 1 point stronger than the injury. A player might choose to transform a 5 point head injury into 6 point blindness, for example. The disability can be cured in the same way as a Permanent Injury of the same number of points, except that the doctor must be a specialist in that disability.

Bleeding: Whenever a character has less than 0 DP in any part of the body, that wound may bleed. The wound must be at least partially penetrating damage. The Bleeding Roll is vs. Constitution (Sphere) minus the DP lost (Doubles) plus 10. If the roll is successful, nothing happens. If the roll is successful by 8 or more, double the time between bleeding rolls from now on (this is cumulative). If the roll fails, look up the failure amount on the Doubles chart. Half of this (round up) is lost as penetrating DP to the Body. The rest is lost as penetrating DP to the body part in question. Low EP and DP do affect the Bonus Pool for this roll. Only Body DP will be relevant. If either of the dice come up ‘10’ on the roll, DP is lost to the Head instead of the Body.

For example, a character with a Constitution of 15, 10 Body points and 7 Arm points has lost 10 points to the arm. The arm is at -3 DP. Constitution (15, becomes 10 on the Sphere chart) minus the Wound (10, becomes 4 on the Doubles chart) plus 10 is 16. The player rolls 2d10 and gets (10,9) 19. This fails by 3. Three on the Doubling Chart is 2. The arm’s wound is worsened by 1 point, and the character loses 1 point of Head DP (because one of the dice was 10. Normally this point would have been lost to the Body).

When a character loses DP due to bleeding, an Injury Roll is not necessary unless the character loses blood (on a single roll, and to a specific area) exceeding the character’s Resist Death (Doubles).

The Bleeding Roll is made every minute (on segments ending in 250, 500, 750, or 000). Eventually, bleeding should slow to every 2 minutes, every 4 minutes, etc., if the player can manage a few good rolls.

Optional Bleeding Rule: When a wound is still at zero DP or higher, a Bleeding Roll is required if the wound includes any penetrating damage. Only the penetrating damage is used to determine the Bleeding Roll. If a character has lost 3 points of penetrating damage and 8 points of bludgeoning damage to the body, but still has 5 points left, the Bleeding Roll will be reduced by 2--the number of penetrating points lost, on the Doubling Chart.

The roll is still made every minute. Use this rule if you want more blood.

Unconsciousness: If a character loses more than maximum DP in a single attack, or loses any DP in a surprise attack, the player must save vs. Willpower plus Constitution (Sphere Chart), or fall unconscious. Remember to modify by low DP and EP.

Mass or Size Changes: When a character’s mass or size changes, DP changes as well, since Mass affects DP. The amount of DP Lost remains proportionally the same. Multiply DP Lost by New DP and divide by Old DP.