Effects of Injury

Injury to artifacts works much like
injury to living beings (see Injuries,
p. 418), with the addition of a few spe-
cial rules.
Less than 1/3 HP left – An artifact
damaged
this
badly
may
suffer
halved
(or
otherwise
reduced) effectiveness, at the GM’s
discretion.
0 HP or less – Roll vs. the artifact’s HT
each second while it is under stress
(but not if it isn’t being used): a
chair rolls each second someone
sits on it, a car rolls each second its
engine is running, and so on. On a
failure, the object suffers a severe
malfunction and is disabled. Most
disabled artifacts don’t function at
all
until
repaired.
Sentient
machines
fall
“unconscious.”
Homogenous objects, such as
swords, bend or break, but might
remain partially usable (see Broken
Weapons, p. 485). Ropes, cables,
etc., are cleanly severed – not
chopped to bits.
-1¥HP – Artifacts don’t “die,” as they
were never truly alive, but must still
make HT rolls to avoid “death” as
described under General Injury
(p. 419). On a failure, the object is
destroyed. For instance, a sword
might shatter instead of merely
bending or snapping. A destroyed
computer loses all data stored in it –
including memories, if it is sapient.
-5¥HP – The artifact is automatically
destroyed, as described above.
Shock: Most artifacts don’t feel pain,
but damage can temporarily disrupt
their functionality unless they have
appropriate backup systems (repre-
sented by High Pain Threshold). Apply
the usual shock penalty to any use of
that object. For example, if a vehicle
suffers sufficient injury to impose a -3
shock penalty, the driver has -3 to his
vehicle operation skill next turn.
Major Wounds: An artifact can suf-
fer a major wound, referred to as
“major damage.” When a machine with
many subsystems – like a vehicle – suf-
fers a major wound, the GM may call
for a HT roll. On a failure, one or more
systems fail. For example, major dam-
age to a tank might knock out its gun or
cause a fuel leak. If using a rulebook
that supplies a “major damage table”
for a specific type of machine, roll ran-
domly and apply the result.
Knockdown and Stunning: A non-
sentient artifact ignores these effects. A
sentient machine (IQ 1+) can suffer
these results as a damage-induced mal-
function. For instance, stun means the
machine doesn’t function that turn, but
can function again after it recovers.
Crippling and Hit Location:
A
human- or animal-shaped artifact uses
the normal rules; see Crippling Injury
(p. 420). Other objects with distinct
parts (e.g., a vehicle with a body, turret,
and wheels) can suffer crippling
injuries to specific hit locations; for
vehicles, see the Vehicle Hit Location
Table (p. 554). In all cases, a crippled
location is “disabled.”
Fragile Objects: Artifacts are often
Fragile (p. 136). Those made of paper,
dry wood, etc. are Combustible; those
that contain highly flammable material,
such
gasoline
or
hydrogen,
are
Flammable. Artifacts containing unpro-
tected explosives, sizeable stocks of
ammunition, or volatile compressed gas
are Explosive. Objects such as glass-
ware, pottery, and televisions are Brittle.