Damage and Healing

Kaernest does not use hit points.

Instead, harm is tracked using Impact, Strain, and two parallel harm tracks: - Physical Wounds, based on Vigor - Mental Trauma, based on Will

These tracks represent different ways characters are worn down, broken, or forced out of action. Harm always has consequences beyond simple loss of capacity.

Overview

• Attacks do not roll for damage.
• The defender does not roll to “soak” damage.
• A single opposed roll determines success and decisiveness.
• Impact determines the severity of the wound.

The goal is to translate numbers directly into meaningful fictional outcomes.

Physical and Mental Tracks

All characters have 2 Strain boxes regardless of Vigor or Will. These same boxes are shared across both Physical and Mental Tracks.

When absorbing Impact, wounds and trauma are mark at the targeted severity. If there is no available box at the targeted severity then the defender can choose to either mark a box at a higher severity, or mark a box at a lower severity for each level of Impact taken. Impact must be taken on the appropriate track, and all on the same track.

The chart below lists wound/trauma boxes only, from least to most severe. Vigor and Will of 7 or higher are normally reserved for monsters.

Vigor or Will	Minor	Light	Moderate	Serious	Critical	Total
0	2	1	1	—	—	4
1	1	2	1	—	—	4
2	1	2	1	1	—	5
3	1	1	2	1	—	5
4	2	1	2	1	—	6
5	1	2	2	1	—	6
6	1	2	2	1	1	7
7	1	1	2	2	1	7
8	2	1	2	2	1	8
9	1	2	2	2	1	8
10	2	2	2	2	1	9
11	1	2	2	2	2	9
12	2	2	2	2	2	10

Strain

Strain represents glancing blows, exhaustion, shock, and near misses.
- Strain does not represent lasting injury.
- Effort may be spent to clear Level 0 Strain boxes only.

If a character takes a wound or trauma at Level 1 or higher, all Strain boxes are immediately cleared. Strain acts as a short-term buffer, not a second health bar.

Resolving Physical Damage

Step 1: Resolve the Attack

An attack is resolved using the normal opposed roll.
- Attacker rolls 2d12 + relevant Skill (Melee, Ranged, or Unarmed) + Attribute.
- Defender rolls 2d12 + relevant defense Skill¹ (almost always Evasion) + Attribute.
- The higher total wins.
- Ties go to the defender.

If the attacker does not win, no damage is dealt.

Step 2: Determine Margin of Success (MoS)

If the attack succeeds:
Margin of Success (MoS) = Attack Total − Defense Total MoS measures how decisively the attack landed.

Step 3: Determine Force

Force represents the attacker’s ability to turn a successful hit into serious harm.
Force is:
- The attacker’s Vigor, plus Weapon Force, plus - Either Brawn or Precision (if applicable)

You may never apply both Brawn and Precision to the same attack.
Weapons determine which Force traits may be applied, if any.

Force should usually be written directly on the character sheet.

Step 4: Determine Impact

Impact = floor((MoS + Force − Mitigation) / 6) Impact cannot be negative.
For ease of play, resolve this using 6-point bands:

Result	Impact
0–5	0
6–11	1
12–17	2
18–23	3
24–29	4

Step 5: Impact Mitigation

The defender may choose whether or not to use their armour to reduce Impact. See Armour below.

Step 6: Apply the Wound

Impact directly determines the wound or trauma level inflicted.

• Impact 0: Strain
• Impact 1: Bruised / Minor Trauma
• Impact 2: Light Wound / Light Trauma
• Impact 3: Moderate Wound / Moderate Trauma
• Impact 4: Serious Wound / Serious Trauma
• Impact 5: Critical Wound / Critical Trauma

If the appropriate level is full, wounds are marked from the targeted severity downward until all Impact is accounted for. Each level of Impact fills a wound; so if Impact is 4, and the character only has Moderate wounds and lower available, they would mark 4 wounds. If Impact cannot be fully absorbed by wounds, the character is taken out. Remember Strain is not considered a wound.

Conditions and Harm

Taking a wound or trauma typically justifies a Condition.
- Light wounds cause the "Exposed" condition. - Light trauma causes the "Distracted" condition. - Moderate wounds cause the "Shaken" condition. - Moderate trauma causes the "Withdrawn" condition. - Serious wounds cause the "Off Balance" condition.
- Serious trauma causes the "Dissociated" condition. - Critical wounds cause the "Injured" condition and always carry serious narrative consequences. - Critical trauma causes the "Catatonic" condition and always carries serious narrative consequences.
Conditions reflect how harm affects the character, not how much harm was taken.

Overflow Between Harm Tracks

The Physical and Mental Tracks are distinct, but they are not completely isolated. At extreme levels of harm, one track may influence the other, reflecting moments where a character is pushed beyond ordinary limits. Overflow is rare, contextual, and never automatic. It represents breaking points, not routine suffering.

Physical to Mental Overflow

Severe physical harm can inflict mental consequences. Near-fatal injuries, prolonged pain, torture, or disfigurement may result in fear, shock, despair, or lasting trauma. When appropriate, the GM may apply a Mental Condition or advance Mental harm as a consequence of serious physical injury. This reflects loss of safety or agency, not simple discomfort.

Mental to Physical Overflow

Mental harm may affect the body only at the most extreme levels. Severe trauma can manifest as collapse, exhaustion, psychosomatic illness, or loss of coordination. When this occurs, the effect should be limited to Strain or Bruises, not full physical wounds, and should arise from narrative context rather than numerical conversion.

Burn and Overflow

Burn does not overflow between tracks. Burn represents chosen exertion and sacrifice, not loss of control. While unresolved Burn may worsen existing trauma or complicate recovery, it does not directly cause physical injury or mental breakdown on its own. Overflow should always reinforce the fiction and the stakes of the moment, not create additional bookkeeping.

Armour

Armour reduces incoming harm by absorbing Impact.

Light Armour

• Absorbs 1 point of Impact.
• It can do this three times safely.
• The fourth absorption helps, but breaks the armour.

Heavy Armour

• Absorbs 2 points of Impact.
• It can do this four times safely.
• The fifth absorption helps, but breaks the armour.

Broken armour provides no absorption until repaired.
Repairing armour resets its absorption track.

Endurance and Resolve

Endurance represents toughness, grit, and the ability to endure punishment. Resolve represents mental fortitude, emotional regulation and resistance to fear, despair, and magical burnout.

• Endurance and Resolve reduce harm before Impact is calculated.
• Player characters derive Endurance and Resolve from training.
• Creatures and characters will have a static Endurance and Resolve rating equal to the skill bonus.

Endurance and Resolve represent resistance to escalation, not immunity to harm.

Impact and Conditions

Impact determines wound or trauma severity. Impact may also be spent to apply Conditions instead of increasing harm severity. Conditions applied via Impact represent controlled, deliberate consequences.

Critical Hits

A Critical Hit represents a decisive moment, not increased raw damage. A Critical Hit does not add to Margin of Success or Impact. Instead, on a Critical Hit, the attacker may apply one appropriate Condition without spending Impact. The Condition must make sense within the fiction of the action taken.
Weapon types will include a "Crit Condition List". These are the Conditions that can be selected from when causing a Critical Hit with that type of weapon. Additionally, some Gifts may offer expansion on the list of options from a Critical Hit.

Natural and Skill-Based Healing

This section covers only non-magical healing.

Clearing Strain

• Strain clears easily.
• It may be cleared by rest, downtime, or spending Effort.

Recovery

Recovery represents the body or mind returning to function after harm.
It is slow by default, faster with care, and never instant without magic or extreme intervention.

Recovery is measured in steps down the appropriate harm track (Wound or Trauma).

General Principles

• Recovery always proceeds one step at a time
• Recovery requires time, safety, and rest
• Recovery does not remove Conditions automatically
• Skilled care improves speed and outcomes, not certainty

Magic, Gifts, and special abilities may bypass or accelerate these rules.

Physical Track Recovery

Physical Recovery Without Help

Without medical attention, the body recovers slowly and imperfectly. Requirements: - relative safety - food and water - rest

Recovery Rate: - Bruise → clears after a short rest - Light Wound → 1 step after several days - Moderate Wound → 1 step after a week - Severe Wound → 1 step after multiple weeks - Critical / Near-Fatal → does not recover without intervention

Conditions caused by wounds often linger after recovery. Risks: - reinjury - complications - permanent impairment at GM discretion

Physical Recovery With Chirurgeon

A trained Chirurgeon accelerates healing and reduces complications. Requirements: - access to tools and supplies - time spent tending the patient

Benefits: - recovery occurs in days instead of weeks - complications are identified early - some Conditions may improve alongside recovery

Typical Recovery Rate: - Light Wound → days - Moderate Wound → several days - Severe Wound → 1–2 weeks - Critical / Near-Fatal → stabilized, then slow recovery

Chirurgeons do not perform miracles, but they prevent recovery from going wrong.

Mental Track Recovery

Mental harm recovers differently. It is less visible, more contextual, and more vulnerable to interruption.

Mental Recovery Without Help

Without guidance or care, the mind recovers unevenly. Requirements: - safety - time - reduced stress

Recovery Rate: - Minor Trauma → clears after a short rest - Light Mental Trauma → several days - Moderate Mental Trauma → weeks - Severe Mental Trauma → months - Critical Trauma → may not recover naturally

Mental Conditions are more likely to persist or resurface without help. Risks: - fixation - avoidance - emotional numbing - maladaptive coping

Mental Recovery With Counsel

Counsel provides grounding, perspective, and structured recovery. Requirements: - trust and time - repeated interaction - relative emotional safety

Benefits: - recovery occurs one step faster - Conditions are more likely to improve or resolve - relapse risk is reduced

Typical Recovery Rate: - Light Mental Wound → days - Moderate Mental Wound → one to two weeks - Severe Mental Wound → weeks instead of months - Critical / Breaking Point → stabilized, slow improvement possible

Counsel does not erase experiences. It helps the individual carry them without breaking.

Recovery and Conditions

• A wound step recovering does not automatically remove Conditions
• Some Conditions improve when the wound that caused them improves
• Others require:
  • treatment
  • roleplay
  • time
  • specific intervention Counsel and Chirurgeon are the primary Skills for addressing Conditions directly.

Interruptions and Setbacks

Recovery may stall or reverse if: - the character is re-injured - stress returns - safety is lost - recovery time is skipped Mental recovery is especially sensitive to repeated trauma.

Overflow Between Tracks

At extreme levels of harm, the Physical and Mental Tracks may affect one another. - Severe physical trauma may cause fear, shock, or lasting mental effects. - Severe mental trauma may manifest as collapse, exhaustion, or psychosomatic injury. Overflow is rare, contextual, and never automatic. It represents breaking points, not routine suffering.

Design Intent

• Damage is dangerous, not incremental.
• Wounds are meaningful, not abstract.
• Preparation, positioning, and defense matter.
• A single decisive hit can change a fight.

This system favors tension, consequence, and narrative weight over prolonged attrition. Physical and Mental harm are equally dangerous, but they threaten different aspects of a character’s ability to act and endure.

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1. Shields assist in the Defense Roll. If a character does not have Shield Training then they use either the Shield bonus to their defense roll. If they do have Shield Training, then they can add their Shield bonus to their Evasion skill rating to the defense roll. This makes shields handy for people who don't have Evasion trained, and handy for people with Shield Training and Evasion trained. ↩