DAMAGE

 Damage

            For melee and thrown weapons damage inflicted with each successful hit is based on the character’s strength score adding the appropriate modifiers.  For most dedicated ranged weapons damage is fixed.   Typically, bow and firearm damage is NOT usually increased by ability modifiers; but situational bonuses might still apply.

            The radium weapons of Barsoom explode with tremendous force in daylight and this is reflected in their high damage rating.  If dim light or nocturnal use, damage is halved; however, in general, non-explosive bullets (-1d6) are used at night.

 

Regardless of modifiers, all successful

hits inflict a minimum of one hit point

of damage per damage die rolled.

 

There are four basic Types of weapons:

Blunt weapons like clubs, fists, paws and tentacles, rely on brute force and prudence to break bones and rupture internal organs.

On the damage dice roll, ones will be rerolled if attack is sonic or bludgeoning in nature and the defender or target is wearing rigid armor.

               

            Energy weapons like blasters and lasers use a battery or power pack to generate a charge that electrocutes or incinerates a target.  

            Earthly firearms and energy weapons reroll all ones against all armor types except polymer armor.

 

Piercing weapons such as spears, arrows, talons, beaks, horns and non-explosive bullets, depend upon a sharpened point that causes injury by penetrating organs or causing bleeding.

 On the damage dice roll, ones will be rerolled if the attack is acid or piercing in nature and the defender or target is wearing flexible armor.

 

Slashing weapons like sabers, axes, claws, teeth, and radium weapons use an explosive force or a sharp edge to tear an enemy apart.

On the damage dice roll, ones will be rerolled if the attack is fire or slashing and the defender is wearing soft armor or the target is unarmored.

                 

When any die is rerolled, you must accept the result of the second roll. A dice can only be rerolled once.

 

            “I never before had seen two green Martian warriors battle with nature’s weapons and the exhibition of animal ferocity which ensued was as fearful a thing as the most disordered imagination could picture.  They tore at each other’s eyes and ears with their hands and with their gleaming tusks repeatedly slashed and gored until both were cut to ribbons from head to foot.”             (PM, XVII)

 

            Masterwork weapons are five times ordinary cost adding +1 to hit with no damage bonus, while typical +1 weapon has a resale value of about 500gc. If your game master chooses to mix your game or campaign with high fantasy, then magic weapons add their bonus to both to-hit and damage rolls.

A light saber would be considered a +5 long-sword.

For faster play, Roll attack and damage dice at the same time.  After their first hit, have the players keep track of their opponent’s damage by placing percentile dice next to the appropriate miniature to monitor how much damage they have already inflicted on an individual opponent.   

Art work is from
Thomas Yeates