Limb damage (no ontology)
From Mazeworld
Limb damage is the term used to refer to general injuries sustained, outside of wounds, fractures and of course limb loss. The limb damage system attributes a certain amount of health (or HP) to every limb group that can sustain damage. Every attack and weapon in the game possesses a Limb Damage Value (LDV) which indicates how damaging it can potentially be.
The chart on the left indicates all of the possible areas that can suffer damage on a human, as well as their default maximum amount of HP:
- Red: Head
- Light blue: Chest (Upper body)
- Blue: Arms
- Orange: Hands
- Light green: Hips (Lower body)
- Green: Legs
- Yellow: Feet
Limb Damage Value (LDV)
The LDV is a numerical value, expressed as +x where x is the amount; the + would be a - if the value is negative. When an attack is rolled and it connects successfully, the calculation of limb damage is a new step of damage calculation during combat.
Calculating limb damage in combat
NOTE: Limb damage and limb health are stats that are not known to the player. Only three statuses can be identified without aid: Healthy, Damaged, and Disabled, which respectively correspond to 50% and above, under 50%, and 0% health. The mechanics described below are purely for informational purposes - in an actual session, there is no way to know exactly how much damage has been done unless with a Vital HUD, or with indirect information. All of the rolls below are done out of the player's sight.
Several factors may influence the total amount of damage suffered. The following applies per hit, not per attack - for multiple hits, such as in the case of automatic fire, for example, multiple such rolls may be done.
EXAMPLE: A shooter uses a Colt M4A1, a firearm chambered in 5.56x45mm NATO, to attack a target. He fires three rounds at said target, and for the purpose of this example, all three rounds hit.
- First, a 1d6 is rolled for every hit.
- Example: Having fired three rounds, our shooter rolls 1, 3, and 5.
- Add the LDV of the attack, to the result of this 1d6.
- Example: 5.56x45mm NATO has LDV +3. So far, this means 4, 6 and 8 dmg.
- Check the Armor Class of the target - AC provides LDV reduction on its own.
AC | Unarm. | Light | Hard | Kev-2 | Kev-3 | Kev-4 | HEV |
LDV | -0 | -0 | -1 | -2 | -3 | -4 | -5 |
- Example: Let's say our shooter's target was hit in the chest, and that chest is protected with a Type-2 Kevlar vest, which offers Kevlar-2 AC. As such, it provides LDV-2 to the calculation. So far, our values are 2, 4, and 6 dmg. Assuming no other factors, the target will suffer 12 damage to the chest on top of the other results of damage calculation.
Other factors may influence LDV calculation, such as:
- For firearms, bullet types, which may affect the score either positively or negatively.
- For melee weapons, clothing resistances. -resistant clothing divide the total by 2 (rounded up), while -PROOF clothing negate entirely limb damage.
- Attacks noted as "LDV N" means they do not cause limb damage at all, as such it is simply not calculated.
- Explosions work in a particular manner, because they do not damage just the target but the entire body, with the following rules:
- Explosion limb damage affects ALL limbs on a victim.
- Explosion distance affects the total score in the same way as Pain does ; Far-hits result in x0.5 damage, Close-hits result in x0.75 damage, and direct hits result in full (1x) damage.
- Limb damage sustained from explosions also applies for encounters behind cover, due to splash damage - simply apply a further LDV malus equal to that of the cover's. (if the cover has a LDV-4 property, then the blast limb damage has an LDV-4 malus applied)
Each weapon and each attack has its own LDV, it would be impossible to list them all here; check the relevant weapon, ammunition and encounter articles to know about their particular LDV.
Effects
As seen in the chart, every limb has a health counter, written "<limb> HP". The numbers shown represent the maximum amount of HP that each limb has, without modifications.
Limbs may be in either of three statuses:
- Healthy
- Damaged
- Disabled
- Severed
Healthy limbs are in good condition; of course, no ailments or special effects occur. The other two effects are detailed below:
Damaged limbs
When a limb is under half of its maximum, it is damaged and the victim begins suffering adverse effects. Note that is a limb is at exactly half the maximum health, it is still considered "undamaged".
Denomination: "Damaged <limb>"
- Head: FT+1, Pain sensitivity +10%
- Chest: Pain sensitivity +10%
- Hips: Limping
- One arm: FT+1, Strength -10%.
- Both arms: FT+2, Strength -20%.
- One hand: FT+1
- Both hands: FT+2
- One leg: Limping, Strength -10%.
- Both legs: Limping, Strength -20%.
- One foot: Limping.
- Both feet: FT+1, Limping.
- One hand + Opposite arm: Add the effects together as normal.
- One foot + Opposite leg: Add the effects together as normal.
Disabled limbs
When a limb falls to 0 HP or less, it is disabled, and the victim loses the use of said limb.
Denomination: "Disabled <limb>"
- Head: Instant kill. Cause of death: "Traumatic brain injury".
- Chest: Instant kill. Cause of death: "Traumatic cardiac arrest".
- Hips: Pain sensitivity +10%, Crippled.
- One arm: Strength -20%, FT+1, Cannot use two-handed weapons, Cannot use Front-mount accessories, Can't dual-wield.
- Both arms: Strength -40%, FT+2, Cannot use any weapon, Crippled.
- One hand: Strength -10%, FT+1, Cannot use two-handed weapons, Cannot use Front-mount accessories, Can't dual-wield.
- Both hands: Strength -20%, FT+2, Cannot use any weapon, Crippled.
- One leg: Strength -20%, Crippled.
- Both legs: Strength -40%, Crippled.
- One foot: Strength -10%, Crippled.
- Both feet: Strength -20%, Crippled.
- One hand + Opposite arm: Strength -30%, FT+2, Cannot use any weapon, Crippled.
- One foot + Opposite leg: Strength -30%, Crippled.
Severed limbs
Limb health can fall into negative numbers. Sufficient damage can bring limb health to a bottom threshold which will result in that limb being torn away from the body of its owner.
A limb will be severed if it falls to half maximum under zero, or lower. As an example, for an arm with maximum 20 HP, the arm will be severed if that arm health falls to -10 HP or lower.
Long-term effects of a severed limb are the same as disabled ones, the only difference is that the limb is simply not on its owner's body anymore instead of simply being disabled, and that upon losing a limb, instant effects may occur:
Instant effects
The following is one-time effects that occur at the moment of limb loss:
- Head, torso, hips: As falling to 0 HP on these limbs mean instant kill already, reaching "disabled" health is purely for the cosmetic effect of extra gore.
- Per hand lost: One-time loss of 2.0 units of blood, Missing limb effect causing blood loss of 0.5 unit per turn
- Per arm lost: One-time loss of 4.0 units of blood, Missing limb effect causing blood loss of 1.0 unit per turn
- Per foot lost: One-time loss of 2.0 units of blood, Missing limb effect causing blood loss of 0.5 unit per turn, Crippled status
- Per leg lost: One-time loss of 4.0 units of blood, Missing limb effect causing blood loss of 1.0 unit per turn, Crippled status
Cures
Medical aids exist to treat limb damage: First aid kits (FAK) and Field Surgery Kits (FSK). Of course, visiting a medic for treatment is also possible.
- First Aid Kits can only treat limbs in Healthy or Damaged condition.
- Field Surgery Kits can also treat Disabled limbs.
- Naturally, if a limb takes so much damage it becomes Severed, things become more complicated.
- An Emergency tourniquet can stop the constant bleeding caused by the missing limb - Gauze rolls, IBs and HAPs are unable to do so because the bleeding comes from an effect, not Wounds.
- If the victim of limb loss isn't dead, which implies they did not die from instant kill or whatever caused them to lose a limb in the first place, augmented limbs can replace natural ones, restoring ability and health.