Page 175 - World of Darkness

and dying. Maybe he’s bleeding internally, his lungs are
punctured and he can’t breathe, or he has suffered burns
over most of his body — whatever is appropriate for the
kinds of injuries sustained. Each minute thereafter in which
your character receives no medical attention — mundane
or supernatural — he suffers one more injury. One Health
box currently marked with an X is upgraded to as asterisk
for aggravated damage, from left to right on your character’s
Health chart. Once all boxes are filled with asterisks, he’s
dead.
If a dying character receives successful medical at-
tention before he fades completely — first aid, supernatu-
ral healing, treatment at an emergency room, a magical
elixir — he can survive. (See “Healing Wounds” in Chap-
ter 3, p. 61.) He’s still a wreck, though. He requires ongo-
ing medical or supernatural attention for the time it takes
him to heal his rightmost wound. He’s surely in a coma or
is bedridden throughout the period. After at least one
Health point has been healed completely, he can safely
leave intensive care and recover on his own. See “Heal-
ing,” below.

Bashing Damage
Any kind of damage that does not pierce the body
but that batters against it is considered bashing damage.
This includes most harm from brawling combat, punches,
kicks, beatings with a blunt instrument and even falling
or being thrown into a brick wall. Certain targeted bash-
ing attacks may cause lethal damage, at the Storyteller’s
discretion (see “Specified Targets,” p. 165). Use a “/” when
marking bashing damage on your character sheet.
Once all your character’s Health boxes are full and
the rightmost is occupied with a slash, begin making
Stamina rolls to see if he remains conscious. (Remember
that your character’s -3 wound penalty does not apply to
these rolls.) If he suffers any more harm, mark any further
damage over your character’s existing injuries (using X’s
or asterisks this time), from left to right. Once your char-
acter loses all Health from lethal damage, he’s comatose.
Once all is lost to aggravated damage, he’s dead.
Lethal Damage

Attacks made with piercing or cutting weapons —
knives, guns, crossbows or swords — deliver lethal dam-
age. Fire also causes lethal damage to ordinary people.
Mark lethal damage on your character sheet with an “X.”
Lethal damage is “upgraded” to aggravated once a mortal
being’s rightmost Health box is occupied by an X.

Optional Rule: Large Fights
Your Storyteller may introduce nameless
and faceless supporting cast members to beef
up a combat scene and make it more challeng-
ing. These people, called extras, may work for
the chronicle’s main antagonist or may simply
be thugs whom your character encounters. The

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Chapter 7- COMBAT