NEW RULES: REALISTIC DAMAGE

Most twilight 2000 PC’s, and many NPC’s will withstand more damage than the average APC. This is fine in a game of high fantasy, but if someone wants to create a game of gritty determination, the chance for serious injury must apply to small arms as well as howitzers. Recording wounds

Each time a PC is damaged, the point value of the wound is recorded along with the type, seriousness, and location (or to the “body” in the case of concussion). Each new wound is recorded separately, but the wound level of the body part is equal to the sum of all wounds. The effects of different wound levels is determined by comparison to the constitution of the PC (assume 5-6con for average NPC’s)

Wounds< Con ------- Scratch wound
Wounds= Con ----- Slight wound
Wounds= 2xCon -- Serious wound
Wounds= 4xCon -- Critical wound
Wounds= 8xCon -- Amputation/Death
Wound Levels
Wound Level Head Chest Abdomen Arm Leg
Scratch No effect No effect No effect -1 Agl 3/4 move
Slight Cx roll No effect No effect -1 Str 1/2 move
Serious Unconciousness 1/2 abl,
Cx roll
-1 abilities 1/2 Str 1/4 move
Critical Death Unconcious Unconcious Cx roll Cx Roll
Amputation/Death Death Death Mortal Amputation Amputation
The effects of each level are cumulative, that is: a critical abdomen hit will result in ability loss (from serious wounds) as well as unconsciousness.

Explanation of results

Cx Roll- PC must roll vs current CON to remain conscious. Failure indicates that the PC has frozen or become unconscious for 1-6 phases.

Unconscious- PC immediately becomes unconscious (note that this doesn’t necessarily mean that the PC has fallen into a coma, merely that he is temporarily immobilized/non-functional). This lasts 1-6 phases, then the PC can start rolling vs CON every phase in which he acts.

Ability modifiers- These are cumulative for different wounds, and temporarily effect the player until wounds are healed. If strong pain killers are given, the ability losses can temporarily be restored, but suffer additional damage (1pt per combat round of heavy work, 1pt per 10 min movement).

Mortal wound- The PC will die from internal bleeding in 1-4 days, this requires successful Major surgery to correct.

Death- The PC dies (clinically) from wounds. Recovery is possible only if medical experts are immediately available (Unlikely in most scenarios). In this case, recovery is Major surgery, requiring extensive medical equipment (such as heart/lung machines, etc), and is a Formidable or even Impossible task, depending on the extent of damage (1-4:FOR,5-8:IMP,9- 10:not allowed).

Amputation- Extensive bone pulverizing, massive tissue trauma makes amputation the more viable solution. With amputation, an average surgery, trauma can be halted, otherwise infection is automatic (as is a lingering death). Restoration of the limb requires Formidable Major surgery, and the use of casts/ blood circulators/etc. This restores 1pt per week until healed to the next lower wound level.

BLEEDING

Serious and Critical wounds are most dangerous due to their potential to drain the entire blood volume of the victim. Serious wounds can be patched quickly, Ezy:Trauma aid, or Avg Agility. This requires bandages and direct pressure, it can be done in 2 phases on a success, 1 phase if critical success. Failure indicates that it took 10 phases (2 turns) to bandage, critical failure indicates that the wound will re-open in 1-6 phases. Untreated Serious Bleeding will cause 1pt per turn (6phases) damage to the chest.

Critical wounds are more dangerous, as severe arterial bleeding is involved. Pressure bandages must be used to slow bleeding (to 1pt per 6 turns) Avg:Trauma aid (critical success stops bleeding). This takes 2 turns, 10 if failure, critical failure indicated 1d6pts further damage. Minor surgery is require to stop it normally (Average task:surgery). Critical bleeding drains 1pt/3phases from chest.

Amputation/Death. If the PC survives, (or expert medical teams are available) immediate amputation and pressure bandages will stop bleeding (Avg:Surgery). Otherwise 1pt per phase will be lost from the chest. Splints and pressure bandages (Dif:Trauma Aid) will slow bleeding to 1pt per turn (useful for medical evacuations). Bleeding can be stopped with haemostats while surgery is underway (true in all surgeries, but works only a few hours while the doctors operate). Bleeding damage is kept as a separate chest wound, and is fully cumulative (don’t record separately). IV transfusions can reduce damage immediately, 1pint saline solution will restore 2pts bloodloss (up to 1/4 total bloodloss can be restored this way). Plasma restores up to ½ damage, at 5 points per pint. Whole blood (of the correct type) can fully restore bloodloss at 1 pint per 5 damage. Hooking up an IV is Avg:trauma aid or surgery, and takes 3 phases. Fluids enter the body at a rate of 1 pint per 6 phases.

Task Summary

  1. Apply bandages (up to serious wounds) Ezy:Trauma aid:2 phases. +1 difficulty with makeshift bandages. CS: 1phase, F:10phases,CF:Wound reopens in 1-6phases. Prevents further bleeding
  2. Apply pressure bandages (Critical wounds/Amputation). Avg:Trauma Aid:2 turns +2 difficult with makeshift bandages (and requires constant attention). Slows bleeding to 1pt/10 turns (critical wounds) or 1 pt per turn (Amputation). CS: stops bleeding, F:10 turns to stop bleeding, CF: 1d6pts additional damage, and 10 turns elapse.
  3. IV transfusion Avg:Trauma aid or Surgery 3 phases. Restores bloodloss wound.
  4. Amputate limb Avg:surgery (surgical tools required) 10min. Stops bleeding and prevents infection from amputated limb. (Involves the loss of that limb of course).
  5. Mortal wound recovery Dif:Surgery (surgical tools necessary) +1 Antibiotics, +1 plasma/blood, anaesthetic or sedative necessary. 1-2 hours.
  6. Death recovery: 1-4:For, 5-8:Imp, 9-10:Not allowed. Requires surgical team (surgeon, 2-4 nurses, specialists for particular body part, anaesthesiologist, radiologist), extensive support equipment (heart/lung machine, artificial kidney, monitors, etc) and a functional operation room (field hospital equivalent at least). Takes 2-12 hours, any failure means that the patient has died. Patient must be brought in immediately (medical evacuation). Any delay past 5 min causes +1 on above roll for every minute delayed. Stabilization (Dif:trauma aid) increases the grace period to 10 min and requires drugs (sedative, IV, bandages, etc). Generally this is only possible in a modern city or fully operational modern field army. It almost certainly does not apply to Twilight 2000, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, the Wilds of TNE, most starships of TNE, and anyone except the privileged class of Dark conspiracy.


OPTIONS

If you want a more playable, less realistic game, then a few simple options are available
  1. Heroic Campaign Compare wound points to STR+CON for major PC’s
  2. Superheroic Campaign As above but use 2x(STR+CON)
  3. Cinematic Campaign 3x(STR+CON)
Note: This rule at least gets rid of the ridiculous notion that the chest (with the heart, lungs, and liver) is the least prone to damage from bullets. Almost any bullet puncturing the chest (which is any bullet over .22 caliber, and quite a few .22's as well) will cause major damage, requiring hospitalization, perhaps even death.