Optional rule: health complications

This is one of the rules present as ‘add-on’ in the book VIII·XII·XX Expanded Rules. I have decided to post it here in a system-less form as a sample of what is present in this book.

May the fun be always at you table!

Once a combat is over, if the character has taken a damage of 25% of his total health or higher from a single attack, the GM can ask the player to roll a 'complication check' (d%): if he rolls above 25% (or the effective loss in %) there will not be any consequence other than the damage taken; otherwise the GM determines which complication affects the character by rolling the probabilities of the following table for type of wound:

Modifiers can be applied to the complication check by the GM: a bonus on the result if the wound has been cured (either with magic or natural means), a malus if the environment is unfavorable (i.e., wet and/or dirty) and any other circumstance the GM deems notable for the roll.

In case of success, no complication occurs. In case of failure the character loses 1 cumulative damage per day (i.e., 1 at the first day, 2 at the second day, and so forth) on the related stats (see above table).

Unless the hit is a called shot, the GM can determine the location of the complication by rolling the result in the following table:

The cumulative damage can be stopped either with magic cures or a successful check on Workmanship (sawbones) or similar with an average threshold from a baseline of 25% health loss and 1-step harder for each 5% after the baseline. The GM is free to define the outcome of the complication based on how many days it lasted, on the location, and the type: as overall guidelines, magic cures leave no relevant physical consequences, while ES Sawbones (or application of a therapy after a success in ES Education medicine) instead does bring consequences: for example, a sepsis on a forearm which lasted four days may bring to the amputation of the arm at the elbow or a fracture of tibia and fibula cured after one week can make the character permanently crippled.

It is recommended to opt between this additional rule or Massive damage, avoiding applying both at the same time. The GM, however, can look at the effects of the massive damage tables to define the outcomes of a health complication.

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