Life and Death

LIFE AND DEATH
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life.”

For heroes adventuring in the twilight years of the Third Age, harm and injury have grievous consequences, and even a survivable wound can keep a character out of action for a long time. It is a dark age, where houses of healing are rare and knowledge of the proper treatment of wounds is mostly lost, not least in lordly households where wisdom, if not lore, has slowly withered away.

STATES OF HEALTH
Based on their condition, heroes could be considered to be


 * Weary,


 * Miserable,


 * Wounded,


 * Poisoned.

While normally hale, the Endurance of characters can decrease rapidly or their Hope may dwindle. They can find themselves suddenly Weary or Miserable as a consequence, or they might be Wounded or Poisoned in combat. They could even be knocked out, or fall into unconsciousness through sheer exhaustion.

WEARY
A hero becomes Weary when his current Endurance score is equal to or lower than his Fatigue rating. Other sources of harm may make a hero temporarily Weary, even if his Endurance is still above his Fatigue rating.

As long as a hero is Weary, all the Success dice he rolls for any test that end up giving a result of 1, 2 or 3 are considered to have rolled a zero instead.

When a character is made Weary through the loss of Endurance, check the Weary box on the character sheet with a cross When this is the case, the hero suffers the consequences of being Weary until properly rested.

Sources of strain other than the loss of Endurance generally make a hero only temporarily Weary, usually for as long as the source of strain lasts (for the length of a combat encounter, for instance). When a character is temporarily Weary, place a tick in the Weary box.

When the temporary weariness passes, the mark is simply erased and the hero is once again Hale without the need for an extended rest.

Exhaustion
When a character’s Endurance score drops to zero, he is exhausted and drops unconscious (see Unconscious below). Players whose characters are made unconscious due to loss of Endurance should be careful to check the characters’ Weary box, too (if he wasn’t Weary already).

Miserable
A hero is considered to be Miserable when his Hope score is equal to or lower than his Shadow rating. Other sources of harm may also cause a hero to become temporarily Miserable, even if his Hope score didn’t fall below his Shadow rating.

As long as a hero is Miserable, he is in danger of suffering a bout of madness and temporarily lose control of himself.

When a character is rendered Miserable through the loss of Hope, the Miserable box on the character sheet is checked with a cross When this happens, the hero is considered Miserable until his Hope score rises above his Shadow rating once again. When this happens, the character is immediately restored to his usual spiritual state and no longer experiences the negative effects of being Miserable.

Factors other than the loss of Hope make a hero only temporarily Miserable. Temporary Miseryusually lasts for as long as the cause remains in effect (for the length of a combat encounter, for instance). When a character is made temporarily Miserable, place a tick in the Miserable box.

Spent Heroes
If a character’s Hope score is reduced to zero, the adventurer is spiritually drained. A spent hero cannot bear himself to continue a struggle of any sort, and will flee from any source of danger or stress at the first opportunity, unless cornered and forced to fight.

WOUNDED
A Wounded character has received a life-threatening blow: an open wound or other critical injury.

While losing and recovering Endurance is an everyday occurrence for an adventurer, being Wounded is a more serious predicament, which is going to affect a character for much longer.

Characters are Wounded most often in combat. When a hero is Wounded for any reason, the player checks the Wounded box on the character sheet as a reminder. Players should note that a Wounded character is not necessarily Weary, unless the appropriate box is checked too.

Knock Out
Being Wounded does not have any immediate consequences on the fighting performance of a character, as it is a warrior’s prerogative that of being able to endure such pain, but the injury puts a character in danger of being knocked out of combat: When a character whose Wounded box has already been checked is Wounded again, he immediately becomes unconscious (see below). The second Wound is not recorded in any way. The character was simply knocked out, or passed out from shock.

UNCONSCIOUS
A character who receives a second Wound or who isn’t Wounded but is reduced to zero Endurance passes out and drops unconscious. He is now totally in the hands of his companions – or worse, in those of his opponents. As soon as an unconscious character gains one or more Endurance points, he wakes up immediately (whether he fell unconscious due to loss of Endurance or because he was Wounded after his Wounded box was already checked).

DYING
When a Wounded hero is reduced to zero Endurance, he passes out and is considered to be dying. A dying character will perish if he doesn’t get help soon (see Getting Better, below).

KILLING BLOW
Adventurers are at risk of death when they drop to zero Endurance while Wounded, but they can also be killed outright: A character whose Wounded box was already checked is killed immediately when he receives another Wound AND is reduced to zero Endurance points at the same time.

Coup de Grâce
An unconscious, or otherwise defenceless, hero is killed automatically if an opponent has the time to administer a coup de grâce (one combat turn). The action doesn’t require a roll, but the adversary must possess the means to kill the character quickly and efficiently (a weapon or a lethal form of attack).

POISONED
Adventurers can be Poisoned in several ways: they could be bitten by a giant Spider, hit by an Orcish broad-bladed sword, or end up eating venison in the wrong inn oO. A Poisoned character is considered to be Wounded. Thus, if an already Poisoned character is wounded once, he falls unconscious as if Wounded twice (likewise, a Wounded character falls unconscious when Poisoned). Different poisons may provoke different additional effects.

A Poisoned character remains as such until a proper remedy is applied, or the effects of the particular poison affecting him wear off.

GETTING BETTER
Characters improve their health mainly by resting. A good night’s sleep might successfully mend a hero’s spirit, as well as his body. But some injuries are so terrible that they require greater attention and care.

RECOVERY
Fighters soon learn to fully exploit the briefest of pauses to recover their much-needed energies. A character who is not Wounded, and who at the end of combat is given the time to catch his breath (to rest for at least half an hour) recovers a number of Endurance points equal to his Heart score.

A character who fell unconscious because his Endurance was reduced to zero, but wasn’t Wounded, is allowed to recover normally (and thus wakes up after a short rest) If a player-hero’s Endurance score is not yet fully replenished after recovery, he will recuperate the remaining points at the normal rate for resting (see Resting below).

TREATING WOUNDS
A Wounded character may attempt to speed his recovery by making a Healing roll against a moderate difficulty (TN 14). A character who is not unconscious may attempt the roll himself, or allow another character tend to him. A successful Healing roll does not remove a Wound, nor does it restore lost Endurance points, but it lets the player underline the Wounded label on the character sheet, to mark the injury as treated. The Loremaster will not allow a failed Healing roll to be repeated until at least a day has passed, as the failure of the treatment won’t be immediately apparent. A Wounded character whose injury was treated successfully recovers more rapidly than a hero with an untreated injury (see below).

Treating Dying Characters
Dying characters must have their Wound successfully treated with a Healing roll within approximately 12 hours, or they will die. As soon as their wound is treated successfully, they are not considered to be dying any more.

RESTING
Adventurers recover by resting regularly, as they regain Endurance points, shake off Weariness and see their injuries finally mend.

Recover Endurance
Player-heroes recover a number of Endurance points for every prolonged rest they enjoy every day (usually, a night’s sleep). The amount of points recovered depends on the current health of the character:


 * A Wounded hero with an untreated injury recovers one Endurance point.


 * A Wounded hero with a treated injury recovers two Endurance points.


 * An uninjured hero recovers two Endurance points, plus a number of points equal to his Heart rating.

Shake off Weariness
A weary adventurer whose Endurance score is higher than his Fatigue rating after a night’s sleep or comparable rest is now properly rested. A character who was Weary before he rested may now uncheck the Weary label on his character sheet.

Heal Wounds
When the Endurance score of an injured character reaches its maximum rating after a prolonged rest, the hero is considered to have been finally restored to full health, and the Wounded label on his character sheet can be unchecked.

Update Fatigue Rating
If a hero reduced the total Encumbrance of his carried gear before taking a prolonged rest, he may now update his Fatigue rating accordingly