Pain
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Pain (sometimes referred to as Pain damage) is a statistic and a damage value, which represents a quantity of pain, shock, or trauma. It is one of the primary damage values in the game (alongside Limb damage). It is expressed as a percentage value with no decimals (e.g. "30% Pain").
When in reference to a creature, Pain refers to their Pain level; the current amount of Pain they are experiencing. When in reference to an item, it refers to the amount of Pain that this item will either inflict (e.g. weapons, ammunition) or cure (e.g. meds).
Other statistics, such as Pain Sensitivity, Pain Blackout Threshold (PBT) and Pain Death Threshold (PDT) all have an effect on Pain as well.
Pain levels
Pain cannot go under 0%, but has no upper limit; it is possible to reach multiple hundreds and even thousands of % Pain, though that usually means massive overkill.
| Pain level | Status name | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| PDT and beyond | Dead | Creature is killed |
| PBT - PDT -1 | Blacked out | Creature blacks out |
| 70% - PBT -1 | Agonizing | FT +2 |
| 40% - 69% | Hurting | FT +1 |
| 0% - 39% | OK | No effects |
- PBT: Pain Blackout Threshold
- PDT: Pain Death Threshold
Pain Sensitivity
"Pain Sensitivity" and "PS" redirect here.
Pain Sensitivity (sometimes shortened to PS) is a statistic, which represents the creature's sensitivity to pain and shock. It is a percentage value which acts as a multiplier for all received Pain damage.
By default, this stat is at 100% (1.00x). PS values under 100% will reduce incoming Pain, while PS values over 100% will increase incoming Pain. In other words, lower is better.
- Examples: Pain Sensitivity 85% means all incoming Pain is multiplied by 0.85x, whereas Pain Sensitivity 120% means all incoming Pain is multiplied by 1.20x.
PS has no upper limit, but cannot go lower than 0%, at which point a creature would be totally immune to Pain.
Pain Thresholds
"Pain Blackout Threshold", "Pain Death Threshold", "PBT" and "PDT" redirect here.
The two Pain Threshold stats, Pain Blackout Threshold and Pain Death Threshold, are percentage values representing the amount of Pain needed for a given creature to, respectively and as the names imply, blackout and die.
- Pain Blackout Threshold is 100% by default and is not normally affected by any effects or items. Some player characters may have a different PBT, usually defined during character customization.
- Pain Death Threshold is defined as "PBT + 50%" and is fixed. Since PBT is 100% by default, that means PDT is 150% by default in turn.
As a rule of thumb, NPCs should always have a PBT of 100% (and thus a PDT of 150%). Exceptions to this rule should be made clear to players.
| Tips for Game Masters |
| If all player characters have blacked out, but did not die and are no longer in danger for whatever reason, they will be rendered helpless and unable to do anything. What happens to these characters is a matter of GM discretion, but the typical recommendation is to have them wake up somewhere safe (a hospital, etc.) sometime later, but with missing money and/or inventory. The explanation as to why is also a matter of GM discretion - maybe they were looted by their enemies, maybe the person that dragged them to safety helped themselves to a payment... It's up to you to decide. If the situation calls for it, don't hesitate to have these characters wake up captured or imprisoned. If you must threaten the player characters with death for blacking out, make sure your players are well aware ahead of time that there will be no mercy. |
