Hazards

A **hazard** is anything that is harmful, but is not an Attack. This means that nearly every natural source of injury is considered a hazard, from accidental electrocution to heat and cold, from falls to radioactive contamination. There are many ways to avoid being hurt by a hazard, the easiest of which is to wear armor or ride in a vehicle that negates the effects of a particular hazard, or to simply avoid it altogether. In the vast majority of instances, robots and vehicles are either resistant or altogether immune to hazards. The rules for each type of hazard are described below.

### Falling & Momentum

If a character, object or vehicle falls from a high place while in a gravity well or flies into a hard object at high speeds, they will take damage based on the speed that they are moving at when they collide. A character who falls while in a gravity well will fall 640' straight down on the first turn they spend airborne, and will fall 1,080' on each subsequent turn they spend falling.

The minimum height at which a character will take damage if they fall is 10'. The damage is equal to Xd8, where X is the height of the fall in feet divided by ten. So for example, falling 20' deals 2d8 damage, while falling 50' deals 5d8 damage.

When colliding with an object, the minimum speed a vehicle will take damage at is 10mph. The damage is equal to Xd8, where X is the speed of the collision in miles per hour divided by ten. For characters, the minimum speed they will take damage at is 5mph and the speed of the collision in miles per hour is divided by *five* instead. So for example, a character who jumps out of a car moving at 20mph will take 4d8 damage when they hit something, while a vehicle that hits a wall moving at 80mph will take 8d8 damage. Characters and vehicles that are struck by other moving objects of the same Size take damage as though they collided with something at that speed. If the objects are different Sizes, you increase or decrease the damage based on the relative Size of the two objects. For example, a Size 5 character that gets struck by a Size 1 metal pipe flying through the air at 20mph will 4d8-4 damage, while they would take 4d8+7 damage if struck by a standard Size 12 Car at the same speed.

Vehicles take the damage to whichever Armor Facing hits the surface, while Characters take the damage to 1d6 random hit zones.

Sometimes, a character or vehicle will collide with something that is quite a bit softer than they are, causing it to buckle in the process. When this happens, they take a quarter of the damage they would have taken from a collision at that speed otherwise. This occurs at the discretion of the Game Master, but can generally be predicted by comparing the Armor and Sizes of two objects. A Semi-Truck would take only 1/4 collision damage from striking a person in street clothes at speed, for example, and a tank would take 1/4 damage from striking a car.

Whenever you take damage from a fall or collision that exceeds half your total HP on an affected hit zone, you must succeed on a VIG roll against the damage you take or suffer a Critical Wound.

### Temperature

When a character suffers the harmful effects of extreme heat and cold, either from ambient sources (the weather) or more concentrated sources (an electrical fire or a pool of freezing ice water), they take damage based on the **temperature** of the source. Temperatures have a greatly reduced effect on vehicles and robots.

#### Ambient

The human body remains generally safe in ambient temperatures between **260** and **340** degrees Kelvin. Under 260, characters will begin taking 1 damage to all body parts each turn, increasing by an additional 1 damage per turn at **160** degrees, and then another 1 damage for every 40 degrees Kelvin lower thereafter. Likewise, over 340, characters will begin taking 1 damage to all body parts each turn, increasing by an additional 1 damage for every 40 degrees Kelvin higher the environment is.

The average temperature of the empty space between celestial bodies is **3** Kelvin, meaning that characters without space suits will take **4** damage per turn to all body parts.

Damage taken from ambient temperatures ignores Armor, but ambient cold deals no damage to characters wearing Spacesuits or Freezeroom Suits and ambient heat only deals half damage to characters who are wearing armor with the Fireproof property.

Vehicles and robots, meanwhile, are safe in temperatures between **1** and **5000** kelvin. They are essentially immune to ambient temperatures unless they move too close to a star or get cooled to absolute zero.

#### Concentrated

More concentrated sources of extreme temperatures are far more dangerous and very difficult to counteract. They deal elemental damage and can severely disable victims. The damage per turn dealt by concentrated temperature sources is reduced by the Cryoproof and Fireproof properties. Robots and vehicles are always fireproof, and are only damaged by Metal Fires.

**Fire** deals Fire damage to all body parts every turn. The amount of damage dealt depends on the type of fire.

* Fires involving solid materials such as wood, paper or textiles deal **4** Fire damage per turn. They have a Penetration of **8**.
* Fires involving flammable liquids such as petrol, diesel or oils, as well as fires involving combustible gases such as propane or natural gas deal **6** Fire damage per turn. They have a Penetration of **8**.
* Fires hot enough to combust metal deal **10** Fire damage per turn. They have a Penetration of **9**.
* Fires involving live electrical apparatus deal **4** Fire damage and **4** Electrical damage per turn. They have a Penetration of **8**.

Concentrated sources of extreme cold, such as freezing water or liquid noble gasses deal Cold damage every turn. The amount of damage dealt depends on the source of the cold.

* Naturally cold liquids, such as the ice water found beneath the surfaces of frozen lakes, deal **4** Cold damage per turn. They have a Penetration of **8**.
* Liquid states of noble gasses, such as liquid nitrogen or helium, deal **10** Cold damage per turn. They have a Penetration of **9**.
* Cold gasses that are *not* in a liquid state, such as the gaseous Hydrogen coolant used in turbogenerators in conventional power plants, deal **6** Cold damage per turn.They have a Penetration of **8**.

When rolling VIG to resisted the **Burning** condition imparted by Fire damage caused by a hazard or the **Slowed** condition imparted by Cold damaged caused by a hazard, you roll against a number of dice equal to the source's damage per turn, as it has no attack roll.

### Radiation

An extremely common hazard throughout the entire solar system on account of the popularity of nuclear power generation and weaponry. Radiation does not directly damage characters, but instead weakens and sickens them, making them feeble and vulnerable. There are only two types of radiation hazards: those that can be survived, and those that cannot. All radiation hazards that follow these rules are of the former variety, as the latter would simply kill anyone unfortunate enough to be exposed to them.

When a character is exposed to severe radiation, they roll 1d100 and suffer the special **Radiation Sickness** condition. Radiation Sickness lasts for a number of days equal to 14-VIG and lowers all the character's attributes except AUR by 1. If the character rolls a 100, they gain a random Mutation. If the character rolls a 1, they then roll a 1d6 to determine an attribute between VIG/PHY/AGI/CUN/INT/SEN. That attribute is permanently lowered by 1. Radiation Sickness can be cured with some special items or abilities, and vehicles and robots are completely unaffected by it.

### Asphyxiation

An ever-present danger for those who dare to venture into the vacuum of space protected by nothing but layers of metal, wires and pumps, running out of oxygen is a very common cause of both natural and unnatural death. When a character starts to suffocate, they are **Asphyxiating**. Asphyxiating is a special Condition with the following effects:

* Starts when the character runs out of breath, not when they start to hold it. Characters can hold their breath for 1 minute + an additional minute for each rank they have in the Swimming skill.
* Drains Stamina by 4 per turn.
* If the character is also **Unconscious**, they take a Critical Wound each turn and automatically fall into Critical Condition.

Robots, vehicles, and other things that don't breath cannot suffocate.

### Pressure

Pressure in this context refers to the weight of an environment pressing down on things within it, and is usually measured in kilopascals (kPa). The standard pressure in an Earth-like environment is 101.325kPa, also called a Standard Atmosphere, while the standard pressure in space is 1.322 × 10−11kPa, also called "basically zero." There are two types of pressure that can imperil characters, and which are important to know how to deal with:

* **Positive Pressure** is an environment that has a pressure *higher* than a standard atmosphere. Human beings are surprisingly robust with regards to positive pressures, and are capable of slowly adapting to higher and higher pressures over time. The maximum pressure a character can withstand *without* adapting first is 506.625kPa, or around 5 standard atmospheres. If a character slowly adapts to pressure over time, they can withstand pressures up to 1013.25kPa, or about 10 standard atmospheres. If a character is in an environment that is over their pressure threshold, they begin to asphyxiate and start taking 1 damage to all hit zones per turn, increased by another 1 damage for each additional standard atmosphere over the limit. Damage dealt by Positive Pressure ignores Armor.
* **Negative Pressure** is an environment that has a pressure *lower* than a standard atmosphere. Humans are very vulnerable to negative pressure environments, as they require an air pressure of at least 90kPa to breath. Characters will begin to asphyxiate in places such as this, but the effects of *very* low pressures are even worse. If a character enters an environment with a pressure of less than 40kPa, such as the vacuum of space, they begin taking 1 damage to all limbs each turn, increased by an additional 1 damage for every 10kPa under 40, up to a maximum of 5 damage per turn. Damage dealt by Negative Pressure ignores Armor.

Positive pressure environments are the ones humans have the most experience with, having mastered the art of diving long before we even knew what pressure was. You can adapt to very high pressures by spending at least 12 hours in an environment just below your threshold. Each time you do this, your threshold is increased by 1 standard atmosphere. Additionally, wearing at least one item that grants the Fireproof property doubles your positive pressure threshold. Vehicles and robots take no damage from positive pressure, barring extreme instances; pressures in the millions of kPa would still destroy them, for example.

Negative pressure environments have become a common and deadly threat in Sol over the past several hundred years, owing to the universality of space travel. Wearing space suits or staying inside a pressurized vehicle grants total immunity to negative pressure. The only way to protect oneself from a vacuum without technological aid is to close one's eyes and cover their nose, ears and mouth with their hands while "blowing" out to expand their lungs and prevent the pressure differential from collapsing them. This is called **vacuum exhalation**, and doing so will reduce the damage you take from negative pressure each turn to 1, but cost you 4 stamina and render you Blind and Deaf.

### Electricity

Despite its ubiquity and fundamental importance to the functioning of every known society in the galaxy, there is almost nothing in the universe more dangerous than an electrical current. When a character suffers electrocution, they take **2d6** Electrical damage. This damage is influenced by the following factors, but **always has 8 Penetration**:

* If the electrical source is a standard vehicle, hardsuit, tiny or light mech or robot, its **power is drained by 1d3 and the result is added to Xd6**. For example, if you rolled a 2, it would lose 2 power and the damage total would become 4d6.
* If the electrical source is a medium or heavy mech or a spaceship, its **power is drained by 1d6 and the result is added to Xd6**. For example, if you rolled a 4, it would lose 4 power and the damage total would become 6d6.
* If the electrical source is an old, condemned or otherwise ill-maintained structure, the damage is increased by 1d6.
* If the electrical source is a high-quality, expensive and well-maintained building, the damage is **reduced by 1d6**.
* If the electrical source is an open, visible arc of electrical current, you must roll VIG against the damage you sustain. If you fail this roll, you immediately die. Vehicles and robots instead take an additional 6d6 damage, for a **total of 8d6**.

When rolling VIG or DUR to resist the **Stunned** condition imparted by Electrical damage caused by a hazard, you roll against the damage it deals, as it has no Attack roll.

### Being Spaced

When a character enters the vacuum of space without protection, they have been spaced. Being spaced almost always results in guaranteed death, with very few exceptions. It inflicts a character with a combination of 3 different hazards at once: extreme cold, negative pressure, and asphyxiation. As it is not unlikely for spacings to occur in game, here are all the effects that happen to a character who has been spaced:

* They begin taking **4** damage each turn from the ambient cold.
* They begin taking **5** damage each turn from the negative pressure.

* They begin to suffocate immediately due to the air being forced out of their lungs.
* If they are space by decompression, they are ejected at a speed of 35mph, moving 300' straight away from the breach or airlock each turn.

What this means:

* Normal humans without Improved Toughness will die in 3 turns, having taken a total of **27** damage to all body parts.
* Asphyxiation will drain their Stamina by 4 each turn, knocking them unconscious and causing Critical Wounds if it reaches 0 while they're still alive.
* Characters who perform vacuum exhalation lose 8 Stamina instead of 4, but will take **4 less** damage per turn, allowing them to survive for *much* more time, up to half a minute, or even longer if they have Improved Toughness.
* If the character hits something while hurtling through space, they take 3d8 collision damage.