Page 98 - Chronicles of Darkness

If harm from electricity is more than just instantaneous,
such as there’s a constant flow such as through power cables,
a victim may not be able to escape. His muscles contract, Environment Levels
which can prevent him from pulling away. Roll Strength as
a reflexive action during each turn of contact. Failure means Level Example Environs
your character is still connected to the source and suffers its 0 Safe environment
damage each turn until a successful roll is made.
1 Light snow, heavy storms; too cold to
Source Damage sleep safely; air pressure causes short-
ness of breath; sweltering sun can cause
Minor; wall socket 4 (B) first-degree burns
Major; protective fence 6 (B) 2 Heavy snow; cold causes physical pain
Severe; junction box 8 (B) and potential hypothermia; sun quickly
causes first degree burns, can cause
Fatal; main line feed/subway rail 10 (B) second degree burns with time; minor
radiation poisoning
Worn armor provides no protection against electrocution,
although specialized, nonconductive clothing can reduce or 3 Desert exposure; heat rapidly causing
eliminate the hazard. second-degree burns; moderate radia-
tion exposure
Extreme 4 Desert sandstorm, severe hurricane, tor-
nado, tsunami
Environments

The human body is not conditioned to
withstand extreme heat, cold, air pressure,
or other extreme weather conditions. These
harsh conditions hinder and endanger unpre-
pared characters. When exposed to a harsh
environment, the Storyteller assigns a level to
the environment, using the chart below as a
guideline. Survival gear can reduce the effective
environment level.
As long as characters are exposed to these
conditions, they suffer the level of the envi-
ronment as a penalty to all actions. After a
number of hours equal to the character’s
Stamina, he takes bashing damage, once per
hour. In the case of a level three exposure, the
damage is lethal. Fourth level environments
cause lethal damage each turn after a number
of turns equal to the character’s Stamina.
Any damage caused by level two through
four exposure leaves lasting marks, scars, and
tissue damage. Damage caused by extreme environ-
ments cannot be healed until the character is back
in a safe environment.
Falling

Falling inflicts one point of damage per three meters
fallen. This is bashing damage, unless the character
falls on something that would inflict lethal damage,
like a sharp fence post or broken glass. If a character
falls 30 meters or more, he reaches terminal velocity,
and instead takes a flat 10 lethal damage, regardless of the
total distance he falls.
If the character has the opportunity to slow his fall, for
example by grabbing an awning, or to soften it, such as by

97
Sources of Harm