Severity

When a Critical Hit is made, or when a Backstab or Called Attack hits, the character gains Severity.

Severity Points

The character gains an amount of Severity dependent on the nature of the attack.

If the attack was a Critical Hit, the character gains 1d4 points of Severity.

If the attack was a Backstab, the character gains Severity equal to their Backstab level -1 - if the attack was a Sneak Attack, the character gains Severity equal to their Backstab level instead.

If the attack was a Called Attack, the character gains 1d3 point of Severity.

If the target has no Natural Armour or Equipped Armour, the attack gains 2 points of Severity.

If the target has Natural Armour but no Equipped Armour, the attack gains 1 point of Severity.

All of the above stack. For example, a Level 10 Thief makes a Called Attack against a target with a Backstab of 5 would gain 4 points for a Backstab (that isn't a Sneak Attack) and an additional 1d3 for it being a Called Attack. They roll 2 and thus gain 6 points.

Limitations

Points gained from Called Attacks may only be spent on Severity Effects that are available to them. If it is also a Backstab, it can be spent on anything that a Backstab can be spent on. If it is also a Critical Hit, it can be spent on anything.

Similarly, a Backstab cannot be spent on effects that a Critical Hit may qualify for, unless it is also a Critical Hit.

If the attack is a Called Attack, any Injuries or Wounds applied must reasonably be applied to the area or make sense in regards to the area hit. A Called Attack against the head could knock someone over, blind them or remove their voice but it is unlikely to paralyze a leg.

Severity Effects

Severity Points can be spent on a number of effects, based on the least limited type of attack it was as per the table.

Requirements describes what else must be taken from Severity Effects or the situation the character must be in to impose it.

The levels listed for Severity are Called Attack, Backstab and Critical Hit - this lists the minimum level required for it.

All additional damage dealt by Severity Effects, except where specified in Injuries and Wounds, is considered to be of the same Damage Types as the initial damage caused.

Injuries are small, usually short term effects that the attacker can directly inflict. Wounds, meanwhile, are much longer term and may be deadly but the character has less control over.

Severity Effects
Name	Cost	Requirements	Level	Effects
Critical Damage	1	n/a	Backstab	Maximise initial damage roll or deal +1d6 damage. Can be taken once.
Extra Critical Damage	2	Critical Damage	Backstab	Increase damage by +1d6. Can be taken multiple times, up to +8d6, including Critical Damage.
Damaging Blow	1	n/a	Called Attack	Increase damage by 2. Can be taken multiple times, to deal up to 1/2 the Character's Level or HD in damage.
Sunder Armour	1	n/a	Called Attack	Target makes an Item Save for an area of their Armour of the Attacker's choosing. On a failure, it suffers a level of Item Damage and that area of the target becomes Unprotected. On a Glancing Hit, the Armour is not damaged but the area becomes Unprotected. On a Success, no damage is done. If a Helmet or Shield would become Damaged, the character equipped with it may instead allow it to be knocked up 1d3 tiles per Touch Range of the character in a random direction.
Heavy Sunder	2 initially, 1 after	Sunder Armour	Called Attack	Target suffers a -3 to save against all Item Saves applied to their Armour. Can be taken multiple times. If taken a second time, this increases to -5. Beyond this, the save penalty increases by -1 per point. The maximum penalty that can be applied is equal to 1/2 the attacker's Level or HD or -5, whichever gives the greater penalty.
Minor Injury	1	n/a	Called Attack	Attempt to apply a Minor Injury of choice to the target. Armour receives an Item Save - if successful or a glancing hit, no Injury is applied. Character then makes a Save vs. Death; on a success or Glancing Hit, they are unaffected, on a failure, they suffer the Injury. Can be taken multiple times.
Major Injury	2	n/a	Called Attack	Attempt to apply a Major Injury of choice to the target. Armour receives an Item Save - if successful, no Injury is applied. If a Glancing Hit, the Injury is treated as a Minor Injury as above for target's Saving Throw. On a failure, character then makes a Save vs. Death; on a success they are unaffected, on a glancing hit it is reduced to a Minor Injury, on a failure, they suffer the Injury. Can be taken multiple times.
Wound	2	n/a	Called Attack	Attempts to apply a Wound to the target. The character rolls randomly to determine which location is hit, unless it is a Called Attack, in which case it uses the table for that area. Armour receives an Item Save - if successful, no Wound is applied. If a Glancing Hit, the Wound suffers a -5 on the Wound table roll, on a failure no penalty is applied to the roll. In either of the latter cases, the target must then makes a Save vs. Death; on a success they are unaffected, on a glancing hit it is reduced by a further -5 on the Wound Table roll, on a failure no penalty is applied to the roll. The table is then rolled on to determine the nature of the Wound. If the result is 0 or less, no Wound is inflicted. May be taken once.
Extra Wound	3	Wound taken	Called Attack	Attempts to apply an additional Wound to the target. It may use the same wound table or the character may roll randomly to determine which table is used.
Deep Wound	1 per Adjustment up to 5, 2 after	Wound taken	Called Attack	Increases the range of a Wound's result for a selected Wound. For every point spent, the character can move up to 1 point up or down the table of Wounds.
Painful Attack	2 initially, 1 after	Injuries or Wounds taken	Called Attack	Target suffers a -3 to save against all Injuries applied. Half this penalty is applied to Wounds. Can be taken multiple times. If taken a second time, this increases to -5. Beyond this, the save penalty increases by -1 per point. The maximum penalty that can be applied is equal to 1/2 the attacker's Level or HD or -5, whichever gives the greater penalty.
Grievous Attack	1 (Minor Injury), 2 (Major Injury), 4 (Wound) per 5 HD or Levels of Target	Injury or Wound taken	Called Attack	An Injury of choice does not require a Save vs. Death to be made, though still must get through Armour (by either an Item Save or Armour Bypass).
Shield Bypass	1	Injury or Wound	Called Attack	An Injury or Wound ignores the target's Shield. Can be taken multiple times, once for each effect.
Armour Bypass	2	Injury or Wound	Called Attack	An Injury or Wound ignores the target's Armour on the area hit. Can be taken multiple times, once for each effect.

Quick Severe Attacks

To speed things up, a Backstab or Critical Hit may always deal Maximum Damage or deal +1d6 damage for 1 point and add 1d6 per 2 points of Severity. Any remaining points are converted to 2 damage.