Injury

Injuries represent physical trauma that exceeds the ordinary loss of hit points. Unlike regular wounds, injuries indicate severe harm caused by falls, heavy blows in combat or accidents. They encompass serious conditions such as broken bones, fractures, ligament and tendon tears, internal organ damage, amputation, dismemberment, lung scarring and long-term effects from disease or poison. These injuries take significantly longer to heal than ordinary hit point loss.

A character sustains an injury whenever they take 15 or more hit points of damage from a single blow. In addition to losing those hit points, they also receive 1 injury point. For every additional 5 points of damage taken in the same blow, the character accrues 1 additional injury point.

For example, Caleb the Druid falls 30 feet and suffers 25 damage, reducing his hit points from his normal maximum of 23 to -2 hit points. Along with this, he receives 3 injury points.

Given the wide range of potential injuries and the many ways they might occur, it is recommended that the DM determine injuries based on the situation rather than relying on a random injury chart. A standardised chart is likely to produce unrealistic or contradictory results too frequently to be practical.

Movement & Action Points

Characters suffering from an injury are appropriately limited by its effects. A character with a broken leg cannot stand or move freely, while those with internal damage must avoid exertion to prevent worsening their condition, such as triggering internal bleeding. Torn ligaments and tendons impair movement and restrict certain actions, making even basic physical tasks difficult.

For each injury point sustained, the character also suffers a -1 penalty to their total action points, reflecting their reduced ability to act efficiently in combat or perform strenuous activities. The severity of the injury should dictate the extent of these limitations, requiring rest, medical treatment or magical intervention to recover fully.

Healing an Injury

Injuries can be healed similarly to hit points, but at a significantly slower rate. For each injury point, 10 points of healing are required before it is removed. Furthermore, all injury points must be healed first before standard hit point recovery can begin. This represents the deeper, more persistent nature of injuries compared to ordinary wounds.

In the example with Caleb, he would need 30 points of healing to eliminate his 3 injury points. Until this process is complete, his hit points would remain at -2, and under the rules governing negative hit points, his ability stats would continue to suffer a 20% penalty. Only after his injuries have been fully healed can Caleb begin restoring his hit points as usual.

See also,
Acupuncture (sage ability)
Regeneration (spell)
The Adventure