On Radiation, Indirectly
I'm going to talk about the radiation rules for my game, which requires me to talk about Hit Points, and also Strain, and also the base stats.
Base Stats
You got your roll-3d6-in-order Attribute scores of Brawn, Agility, Knowledge, Willpower, and Leadership. Your Brawn score affects Hit Points, while your Strain is equal to the higher of your Willpower or Brawn scores.
So What's Strain, Then?
Life essence, vitality, your ability to absorb grievous physical and psychological trauma: That's Strain. Damage from traps, psychic monsters from beyond comprehension, and critical hits all take a toll on your Strain, as does massive damage from sources like fire or being stepped on by a giant beast. Casting some magic spells requires Strain, and some special abilities are powered by spending Strain as well (for example a character of Sasquatch heritage can spend a point of Strain to perform a feat of superhuman strength - think "bend bars/lift gates"). If you're out of Strain, you're unconscious. Strain is usually recovered at the rate of 1 point per week.
How Is That Different From Hit Points
Hit Points are your ability to keep in the fight. I think of HP as a combination of grit, morale, skill at defense, and a well of sheer luck that depletes in battle. Minor injuries wear away at HP, as do near misses and dirty strikes. A character who's out of Hit Points isn't necessarily unconscious but they are no longer capable of mounting an effective defense. When you're reduced to zero Hit Points by damage, apply any leftover damage to Strain and roll a d6; reduce the corresponding attribute by 1 and apply the effect on the table below. At 0 Hit Points you can still make a melee attack, shuffle around at half speed, assist with skills and flanking, attempt a Low Magic spell, or say a few words on your turn, but you must choose only one and you must choose it at the top of the combat round.
| d6 | Attribute Affected | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Strength | Deep Wound: You cannot attack. |
| 2 | Agility | Maimed: You cannot move. |
| 3 | Knowledge | Dazed: You cannot assist. |
| 4 | Willpower | Stunned: You cannot cast spells. |
| 5 | Leadership | Senseless: You cannot speak. |
| 6 | Lucky | No effect: You do not lose an Attribute point. |
If you're out of both Strain and Hit Points, you're dead.
This is why more experienced soldiers and deadlier monsters tend to have more Hit Points - they simply have a greater reserve of defenses and defiance to pull from.
Great
Why Are You Talking About Encumbrance Now
So I thought about carry capacity a lot and my own experience as a very very amateur hiker and if all the above is true then one other thing is - walking around with a heavy pack is exhausting and is going to cause problems when you're in a fight. So, among other factors, carrying a Medium Load or greater actually costs you a Hit Point per day. As you recover one Hit Point every day as long as you have food, water, and rest, this isn't a big deal for an army on the move but it's absolutely a problem for a routed army being pursued.
That matters because radiation always wins.
Finally Talkin Bout Thos Rads
Radiation and other ambient hazards (extreme climate conditions, miasma, cursed lands) affects all the above. It is rated in levels of Severity. A character might dip into higher levels of radiation for a few moments or hours and still use the original severity; the referee will determine which level of exposure to use.
Level 1: Nominal. Each day, lose 1 HP. At the end of a week, make a Luck save (call a coin toss) or lose an attribute point (determined randomly as above).
Level 2: Moderate. As above, but lose 2 HP per day and the Luck save is made with disadvantage. Each week lose a point of Strain.
Level 3: Extreme. As above but lose a point of Strain every day and roll your luck save every day with Disadvantage.
Level 4: Lethal. As above. Make a Luck save every day or die.
Level 5: Overkill. As Level 4 but the save to stay alive is made every minute.
Characters with Gremlin heritage treat radiation as 1 Severity lower.