Death's Door, Problematic Wounds, and Recovery

Damage and debilities are mechanical. Problematic wounds are fictional truth that lasts — a twisted ankle that can't bear weight, a severed hand, infection setting in. Inflict them when you hurt someone and the specifics warrant it; messy attacks should produce them often.

A wound is part of the fiction. Use it as the basis for future GM moves: use up resources ("the bleeding starts again, take another d6 ignoring armor"), announce trouble ("Andras is white as a sheet, that snake bite has angry red lines crawling up his arm"), reveal an unwelcome truth ("the flesh is going black, it's infected and getting worse"), or tell consequences ("if you don't tourniquet this, you'll bleed out — your hands are shaking, mark weakened"). Use it as the justification for a Defy Danger on something that wouldn't normally be dangerous.

When you are dying, you glimpse the Last Door and the Lady of Crows (describe them — see The Last Door and the Lady of Crows for prompts). Then roll +nothing.

• 10+: you wrest yourself back to life — return to 1 HP, but say how your brush with death has marked you (a scar, a lost eye, visions, crows always nearby). Bring the mark up often. Write it up as an affliction-style threat (see Threats).
• 7-9: the Lady waves you off. You're no longer dying, but you're out of the action.
• 6-: your time has come. Choose 1: make one last move as if you rolled a 12+ then step through the Last Door; refuse to go and gain the Revenant or Ghost insert; or call on one of the Things Below by name and beseech it — gain the Thrall insert.

You can hold off resolving Death's Door until the scene wraps. Aid is allowed — the Aider's exposure depends on how they help, your table's take on the Lady, and the roll. The Lady and the Door are yours to describe; they might appear differently to different characters.

An undead PC should feel like they're on borrowed time. Push their Terrible Purpose or Impulse into play. They are.

When you take time to catch your breath and tend to what ails you, expend 1 use of supplies and recover HP equal to 4+Prosperity. Can't gain this again until you take more damage. When tending to a debility or problematic wound, say how — the GM either approves or tells you what's required (Defy Danger, more supplies, finding an herb, Making Camp, doing something drastic like cauterizing). Often more than one PC Recovers at once — good time to ask provocative questions and play a little.

Settling in an unsafe area, each member consumes 1 use of supplies (or 1 covers four people with a mess kit, fire & water). Eat, drink, sleep a few hours, then pick 1: regain HP equal to ½ max, or clear a debility. If rest was particularly peaceful, comfortable, or enjoyable, also gain advantage on your next roll — this should be the exception.

A bedroll adds +1d6 HP regardless of choice. Problematic wounds don't go away from Make Camp; treat them with Recover.

Rest for a few days in safety and comfort to set HP to max and clear all debilities. A few weeks under a healer's care heals any problematic wound that can heal. If you've suffered a permanent injury, either retire or Make a Plan to adapt. Adapting might involve something extraordinary (a clockwork hand from the Ustrina) or just ingenuity and practice. Don't make the requirements unduly hard — your job is to be a fan of the PCs, not to penalize injury. Give them a path and see how they handle it.