Wounds
Wounds represent serious physical harm — the kind that changes how a character operates and does not go away on its own. A Wound is not a scrape or a bruise. It is a gunshot, a broken bone, a blade between the ribs. Every Wound is a reminder that the universe does not care how skilled you are.
Wound Capacity
A character's Wound capacity equals their Strength + Will. An average, untrained civilian with Strength 1 and Will 1 has a Wound capacity of 2 — a single bullet puts them one hit from death. Player characters are harder to kill because they are exceptional people, not because of a separate hero mechanic.
| Character | Strength | Will | Wounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average civilian | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Starting PC | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Tough marine | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Focus adept | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Hardened veteran | 3 | 3 | 6 |
A character with high Strength survives because their body can take punishment. A character with high Will survives because they refuse to stop. Both are equally valid, and the reason a character stays standing tells you something about who they are.
Taking a Wound
A character takes a Wound when the fiction demands it. The most common triggers are:
- Losing an active opposed roll involving violence.
- Critical Failure in a dangerous situation where physical harm is plausible.
- Costly Success where the GM determines that injury is the price.
The combat module defines additional triggers. The GM always has final say on when a Wound is inflicted.
Consequences of a Wound
Each Wound may carry a specific consequence determined by the GM — a broken arm, a limp, impaired vision, internal bleeding. These consequences are narrative and functional: a broken arm means you cannot use that arm. The GM does not need to assign a mechanical penalty beyond the Wound itself. The fiction handles the rest.
In the core rules, Wounds do not impose a systemic penalty on rolls. A character with four Wounds rolls the same pool as a character with none. Their injuries constrain what they can attempt, not how well they perform what they can still do. The combat module introduces additional mechanical consequences for accumulated harm.
This is deliberate. A wound spiral — every hit making the next hit easier — is brittle. The side that takes the first hit loses faster, and the scene's outcome is decided by the opening exchanges rather than the choices that follow. R10 keeps the pressure on the situation, not on the sheet.
Wounds in Structured Play
When a character takes a Wound during a Structured Scene, the player must spend 1 Momentum or the character is out of the scene. They are not dead. They are incapacitated, pinned down, or otherwise unable to continue. But the team pays for keeping them in the fight.
If no Momentum is spent — either because the team cannot afford it or chooses not to — the character is out. They can be brought back in later by spending 1 Momentum at any point during the scene. An ally drags them to cover, a medic gets them back on their feet, or they grit their teeth and crawl back into the fight. The character returns with the Wound they took. They are not healed, just functional again. This keeps players at the table and in the action rather than watching from the sideline.
A character who takes Wounds beyond their capacity is dying. They will die at the end of the scene unless another character stabilizes them. Stabilization requires an Intellect + Medicine roll. The GM sets the Risk and consequences based on the severity of the situation.
Recovery
Wounds do not heal on their own between acts. They require medical attention and time. Minor Wounds may be treated between acts with a successful Intellect + Medicine check. Serious Wounds require extended downtime between missions. The GM determines what constitutes adequate treatment based on the fiction and the severity of the injury.
Each table should decide how harsh they want healing to be. Some tables will heal one Wound per act with access to a medkit. Others require days or weeks of in-game downtime for anything serious. The recommendation is to follow TV and movie logic, not video game logic. A character who took a bullet in the gut doesn't walk it off by next scene. They limp, they wince, they need help, and eventually, they heal. How fast "eventually" is depends on the story you're telling.
A future module will add more detailed rules for medical treatment, recovery timelines, and healing checks. For now, the GM and the table should agree on a healing pace that fits their campaign.