How many different ways are there to be hurt?

[Asmor]

I'm trying to think of all the different ways that damage can be categorized. Note that I'm specifically talking about physical trauma; the sort of things we'd think of as causing 'hit point damage' in D&D. So things like disease are probably not appropriate, but a fast-acting poison might be. Then again, maybe it won't. This is for a an RPG, where characters would have varied resistance to different damage types.

I'm trying to come up with fairly broad categories; so for example bludgeoning would refer to any kind of blunt force; hit by a club, being crushed in a giant's grip, falling damage.

It's not always exactly clear where it's useful to differentiate things, though. For example, is it worth separating piercing and slashing? My gut says it is, but I could be convinced otherwise. Slashing implies damage caused by opening wounds and cleaving flesh; piercing would cause damage more by causing relatively clean wounds, but penetrating deep and possibly puncturing important things.

Another example: fire vs. acid. From a real-world perspective, the two behave fairly differently even if both do cause burns. From a game perspective, is it important to differentiate? Would I feel boxed in by requiring anyone resistant to fire to also be resistant to acid, or vice versa? And would that happen often enough that it would be worth the effort of tracking yet another stat?

Here's what I've got so far:

Blunt
Piercing
Slashing
Burning (including fire and acid)
Cold
Electricity

"Bad Magic" (Enervation/Entropy?). Catch all for magics that attack you in non-physical, but still damaging, ways. Not sure if I'll actually even have a resistance for this or just make it so that these magics do damage that can't be resisted. This would be things like a specter's lifedraining touch, zapping someone with negative energy, maybe even drinking someone's blood.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

For "bad magic" maybe you want "necrotic"?

Necrotic means "death" basically, but if you look up poisons, you'll see necrotic as one type (it causes cell death). (Others target blood and make it clot or target nerves and cause paralysis/lack of breathing).

Necrotic could mean "death of cells" which would be from some poisons (maybe all hp poisons rather than slowing or sleep or paralysis poisons), harmful necromantic magics that do hp damage (as opposed to level drain or insta-death which might be soul damage instead of cell damage).

Hope that helps.



Spiritual might be another possible magic, like when you take holy damage or unholy damage (like the 1/2 of a flame strike from 3e that can't be resisted by fire resistance) or when good creatures take more damage from a spell than neutral creatures, for example.

 

[Asmor]

For "bad magic" maybe you want "necrotic"?

I worry that necrotic might be too much of a loaded term; I don't want it to be pigeon-holed as "death magic," even if most of the examples I can think of off the top of my head could certainly be thus described.

 

[Aberzanzorax]

Fair enough.

The best I've got as a synonym is "gangrenic" or "gangrenous" but I don't love those terms.

 

[Tayne]

Maybe this is off topic and maybe it isn't, but there's also things that are painful but not dangerous, like the way a cop manipulates pressure points.

 

[the Jester]

Psychic, if you are going to have such a thing.

What about sonic/thunder damage? Or will that just inflict one type or another of physical damage (and if so, which)?

Are you going to deal with things like suffocation with a damage type or some other mechanism?

Are you going to have a separate category of nonlethal damage?

What kind of damage do you see disintegration effects dealing?

Is there going to be a "typeless" damage for unforeseen, miscellaneous damage sources?

 

[Ahnehnois]

It's not always exactly clear where it's useful to differentiate things, though. For example, is it worth separating piercing and slashing? My gut says it is, but I could be convinced otherwise. Slashing implies damage caused by opening wounds and cleaving flesh; piercing would cause damage more by causing relatively clean wounds, but penetrating deep and possibly puncturing important things.

Another example: fire vs. acid. From a real-world perspective, the two behave fairly differently even if both do cause burns. From a game perspective, is it important to differentiate? Would I feel boxed in by requiring anyone resistant to fire to also be resistant to acid, or vice versa? And would that happen often enough that it would be worth the effort of tracking yet another stat?

Here's what I've got so far:

Blunt
Piercing
Slashing
Burning (including fire and acid)
Cold
Electricity

As far as fire vs. acid, people are burned by both but it's important to remember that objects might be different. It's a lot easier to burn through certain metals with strong acid than with heat. Conversely, you'll have more luck setting fire to a tree than using acid on it.

Clinically, puncture wounds (piercing) are a distinct category and are treated differently than blunt force trauma (bludgeoning) or lacerations (slashing). I think it's a distinction worth making.

 

[fba827]

mental damage.... which is the pyshic as mentioned above

 

[Stormonu]

Compression could be used for attacks such as a python's constriction, choking someone, exposure to extreme sea depths, crushed by boulders and the like. Though this *might* fall under bludgeoning.

Inversion - having you insides become your outsides and other explosive tactics occurring from within an entity, instead of from without. Could also cover the effects of vacuum.

Radiant - dealing with light/energy/radiation - think lasers or a ray of burning sunshine or plasma, though this might fall under fire or electricity; it's sort of both of them.

Transformation - simply causing damage/shock by rearranging organs and such. This might fall under your "bad magic" group.

 

[Jack7]

Some of these will be variations on some of the items already listed. But I'll try an approach from a different categorical perspective.


Injuries and Wounding

Organs
Skeletal
Systemic - for example, attacks upon the digestive system
Biological Processes - such as respiration, or circulation
Chronic Wounding so severe it leaves long term incapacity, or repeated wounding to the same area or system that leads to incapacity or diminished function or organ destruction, like kidney failure. Being "punch drunk" is also a form of chronic injury or wounding that can really hurt a guy, or even make him incapacitated.

Biological Attacks

Chemical Attacks

Toxins and Neurotoxins - these can be inflicted by inanimate sources, be magically created, or by insects, arachnids, animals, disease organisms

Infection - acute (severe) and chronic (untreated or unknown until system or organ collapse occurs)

Cellular Attacks - necrosis has already been mentioned, but this could also be cellular mutation or disrupted cellular functioning as well

Diseases (be these natural, biologically targeted, or magically caused or created) that are quickly incapacitating and potentially lethal - Ebola for instance, or a lycanthropy that might inflict severe acute side-effects damaging to organs or skeletal structure, as well as producing neurologically damaging or disorienting effects

Diseases (be these natural, biologically targeted, or magically caused or created) that incapacitate over the long run - including neurological diseases

Exposure - I know from personal experience it doesn't take long to potentially lose fingers or toes to severe frostbite. And recovery from severe exposure takes a long time. It's rough.

Shock - both acute and chronic

Psychological (or what in game terms might be considered psychic attacks or injuries)



In my setting evil Sorcerers and others often inflict diseases upon others that take immediate effect. Such as inflicting Diabetic shock, heatstroke, frostbite, pneumonia (hard to breathe, no energy at all), severe stomach virus, incapacitating migraine headaches, paralysis, triggering heart attacks, magically injecting spider or snake poisons directly into the bloodstream or organs of those they target.

Personally I've never understood why evil Magicians and others, especially evil Clerics don't do this kind of thing far more often. The effects are devastating both upon individual characters and parties when attacks like that are successful. And often such attacks cause chronic problems, like inducing secondary infections or organ failure.

Attacks such as that, say magically inflicted Cancer or Rabies (although those modern medical terms are not sued, the spells mimic those effects) also lead to great adventures or even campaigns in such of Cures (natural or magical or miraculous).

Same can be said for severe and incapacitating Injuries and Wounds. Great adventures can spring up seeking Cures and Healing (natural or magical/miraculous).

Then you've got a whole set of side-adventures in which characters can go in search of artifacts, or items, or relics that prevent or greatly mitigate such Malease (my term) attacks.

Some of the most valuable items, devices, artifacts, and relics in my Setting either Cure, Prevent, or Mitigate Disease and/or Injury. Because evil magicians and clerics are more than willing to make biological and chemical attacks on others.