Damage Modifiers
Damage in W.A.W.N. has many additional modifiers compared to base Pathfinder, especially with the addition of Psyche.[X%] Cruel Damage
Cruel Damage deals damage both to the victim's Health and their Max Health (or if it is Psychic damage, then it hits both Psyche and Max Psyche). Damage dealt this way is restored on a long rest, but otherwise is incurable outside of a powerful spell such as Greater Restoration or Wish.If “X%” is included, only a certain portion of the damage is dealt to the victim as Max-whatever damage. For example, dealing 20 Fire damage with the 50% Cruel modifier to a creature with Fire Resistance 5 will look like this:
1. The damage is reduced by 5 (20 → 15).
2. The current damage is dealt to the victim's Health (they suffer 15 damage to health).
3. The damage is halved (15 → 7). (Unless specified, numbers always round down in Pathfinder.)
4. The current damage is dealt to the victim's Max Health (they suffer 7 damage to max health).
True Damage
True damage strikes Health with absolute certainty.True damage can't be modified (increased or decreased) in any way, and associated attacks strike true (ignoring Armor Class, Spell Resistance, etc.).
Most sources of True damage deal dramatically decreased damage compared to their normal counterparts.
True damage does not deal Max Health damage (unless it is Cruel as well), meaning it can still be healed like any other damage.
Silent Damage
Silent damage is dealt as normal, but it causes a creature to be unaware of suffered damage. Additionally, most feats, conditions, spell effects and contingencies are not triggered by Silent damage, and it does not show up on detectors, and falling below 0 Health or Psyche because of Silent Damage will not down you! Instead, it will afflict you with Decayed or Depraved silently, which will begin accumulating Silent Damage until you are fully dead.(For players who do not share their sheet with the DM, if you suffer Silent damage, you will have zero DR regardless of the damage type, as though it were True damage. This only really applies to Dismal, lol)
Nonlethal
Nonlethal damage is otherwise normal, but can't reduce a victim's Health or Psyche below 0.Polite
Polite damage is otherwise normal, but cannot reduce the victim's Health or Psyche below 1. This means it can't cause a creature to fall unconscious (though it can bring them incredibly close).This damage type is incredibly rare, and is generally useless.
Damage Types
Kinetic Damage Types
Piercing
Piercing damage, dealt most often by bullets and spears, indicates being hit with force over a very small area of contact.Slashing
Slashing damage, dealt most often by blades and other sharp objects, indicates being cut with friction over a thin line of contact.Bludgeoning
Bludgeoning damage, dealt most often by heavy objects and improvised weapons, indicates being hit with great force over a wide area of contact.Force
Force damage is incredibly rare to see, and almost nothing has resistance to it. Generally, it indicates being hit with great force over a 3-dimensional section of the body (or the entire body), which feels almost like your body being hit by a wave from the inside and outside.Untyped
Untyped damage, which is what all damage is assumed to be unless a Type is listed, can mean a variety of things and has no consistent appearance. It does get affected by Non-Affinity resistance/weakness.Energy Damage Types
Fire
Fire damage is the easiest energy damage type to deal, and resist. It can be dealt through magics, explosions, or natural fires.Sufficient heat can also deal Fire damage even though it isn't called “Heat” damage.
Cold
Cold damage is relatively rare. It is often dealt by certain magics, environmental effects, or breath attacks.Sonic
Unlike most damage types, Sonic attacks can strike through walls and otherwise without Line of Effect (unless otherwise listed).It is dealt rarely, but by a wide variety of possible sources.
Acid
Acid damage is often the result of dangerous environments or toxic atmospheres, but can come from magics or even just from having acidic substances thrown at you.Electric
Electric damage is incredibly rare in this world, and therefore equally rare to resist.Few magics can deal electric damage, but certainly not none. There's no other known ways to consistently deal Electric damage.
Special Damage Types
Precision
Precision damage is only dealt with a part of an attack that deals a different type of damage, and it functions as adding to that damage type. For example, striking a creature with Piercing Resistance 5 with a 1d6 Piercing and a 2d8 Precision hit might look like this:1. Damage is rolled for the first hit. 1d6 → 4.
2. Damage is dealt for the first hit. The Piercing Resistance reduces it to zero.
3. Damage is rolled for the second hit. 2d8 → 2+8 → 10.
4. Damage is dealt as Piercing damage, adding onto the first hit. Since Piercing Resistance already blocked 4 damage, it can only block 1 more (totalling to 5 blocked), so the damage is reduced by 1 (9) and dealt.