Just as you will make attacks on monsters and NPCs with your abilities, your opponents will make attacks and use powers on you. The mechanics of suffering attacks are described briefly in the How to Play section, but are also detailed below.

Suffering Damage

Any time you suffer damage from an attack, it subtracts from your current hitpoint total. There are a number of ways that damage can be avoided, the most common of which are described below.

Temporary Hitpoints

Certain powers and abilities can grant Temporary Hitpoints. Whenever you suffer damage, the damage is first applied to your temporary hitpoints. If the temporary hitpoints are reduced to 0, any remaining damage is then applied to your current Hitpoint Total. If Temporary Hitpoints are not used within 1 phase, they are lost.

Damage Reduction

Damage Reduction represents a flat reduction to the amount of damage you suffer. Some abilities grant Reduction to a certain Type of damage, such as Caustic, Cold, or Force damage. If an ability grants reduction to Weapon Damage, it will effect Bludgeoning, Chopping, Piercing, and Slashing damage. Some abilities will simply grant reduction to all damage.

If a creature has multiple abilities granting Damage Reduction to the same type of damage, the greater Reduction applies. A Natural 20 on an attack roll overcomes all Damage Reduction.

Damage Resistance

Damage Resistance represents a 50% reduction to damage suffered. This is almost always granted to a specific type of damage, and not against all damage. If a creature has both Damage Reduction and Damage Resistance to the same type of damage, Damage Reduction is applied first. A Natural 20 on an attack roll overcomes all Damage Resistance.

Damage Immunity

Immunity represents a complete lack of susceptibility to a specific Damage Type. Creatures with Immunity never take damage of the specified type, and this immunity cannot be overcome through the use of any powers or abilities.

Subdual Damage

If a creature intends to subdue you, instead of cause you harm, he may instead choose to deal Subdual Damage. Subdual damage never causes injuries and merely knocks a creature Unconscious on a failed Resilience check. See Subduing a Creature for more information.

Disabled

When you are reduced to 0 hitpoints, your character becomes Disabled and you must make a Resilience check [DC 20] to avoid an injury. Each time you suffer damage while at 0 hitpoints, you must make an additional Resilience check [DC 20] to avoid injury, suffering penalties to the check for each injury based on the damage done and the number of injuries you've already received. The severity of your injury will depend on the result of your check, with injuries typically becoming more and more severe as they accumulate (due to the penalty to your check), until you suffer a Lethal Injury that kills you. See Injuries for more details.

If you regain hitpoints, you are no longer Disabled and need no longer make Resilience checks to avoid injury, unless you are again reduced to 0 hitpoints.

Healing

Healing can be granted through a variety of sources and serves to restore lost hitpoints. Unless otherwise noted, healing can only restore hitpoints up to your Maximum Hitpoint Total and all excess healing is lost. Most forms of healing grant you hitpoints immediately, but a few will grant you a steady stream of hitpoints over time.

Fast Healing

Fast Healing restores a small amount of hitpoints each round (at the very end of each round, before a new round begins). Unlike Regeneration (below), it will not reduce the effects of injuries.

Regeneration

Regeneration is similar to Fast Healing in that it restores a small amount of hitpoints at the end of each round. Regeneration, however, also heals Injuries over time. It can restore severed limbs and even bring a character back from death. Regeneration must already be active to repair damage this severe, however, as it does not restore permanent injuries already sustained beforehand. See Regeneration for more details.

Healing Injuries

Injuries are long lasting and usually take days to weeks to heal. Magical abilities and the First Aid skill can decrease this time. Every injury has a DC which determines how difficult it is recover from. After each Extended Rest the DC of the injury is reduced by 2 and a Resilience check is made to recover from the injury (DC based on the injury). If the check succeeds, the creature heals and no longer suffers any ill effects. If the check fails, the injury remains and the creatures suffers any lingering effects of the injury (based on the current, reduced DC). As long as the injury lingers, the creature runs the risk of suffering more injuries in the future (as each injury imposes a penalty to future Resilience checks made to avoid injuries).

Preventing Attacks

There are a number of abilities that allow a creature to prevent attacks all together. Some of these occur when an attack is initiated, while others occur after the result of the attack is known (this is determined by the Trigger of the ability). Some examples of common ways that attacks are prevented are described below.

Attack Deflection

Some powers and abilities allow you to Deflect an incoming attack, preventing it from striking you. Attack Deflection requires an Opposed attack roll, with your attack dependent on the power you are using to Deflect the attack. The outcome of your roll determines the effect (see Attack Deflection for more details), but generally speaking if you succeed the roll you are able to escape the attack unscathed.

Magic Resistance

Magic Resistance represents a level of resistance to all magical abilities. When attacking a creature with Magic Resistance, an Opposed Potency check must be made before the Attack Roll (potency of the Magic ability vs potency of the Magic Resistance). If you succeed the check, then the power affects the target as normal. If the target succeeds, then they are completely unaffected by the power.

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