Help me understand the damage effects

**Maetco** · March 10th, 2023, 07:16

What is the difference between Invulnerability and Immunity?
Does FGU understand the concept "Magic" as a damage type or are the damage types completely custom things that must be added to the attacker as well?
Where are the Key Words written for damage types?
What is concerned "Arcane"? Does it mean anything sourcing from the Power tab?
How should I make resistance against non-magical attacks? My guess is that I should increase the Toughness to represent the non-magic damage and give a bonus to magic damage. For example giving the target [@Magic +2].

**Zacchaeus** · March 10th, 2023, 10:38

I'm not terribly familiar with the SW ruleset but there's a section on the wiki which describes the effects available and what they do https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassia...Worlds+Effects

**Maetco** · March 10th, 2023, 14:34

Originally Posted by Zacchaeus

I'm not terribly familiar with the SW ruleset but there's a section on the wiki which describes the effects available and what they do https://fantasygroundsunity.atlassia...Worlds+Effects

I know, but it doesn't explain what Arcane, Immunity or Invulnerability are. It also doesn't have an example of creating some kind of resistance against non-magical attacks. So instead of doing a lot of trial and error, I decided to ask for help.

But I now noticed that there is a text box for the Key Words, so question #3 should be solved.

**Mike Serfass** · March 10th, 2023, 19:48

Immunity negates all or some damage from a damage type.
Invulnerability negates all damage from all sources, except any specified.

Code:

[@Invulnerability]

makes the character invulnerable to everything.

Code:

[@Invulnerability, @Normal Silver Damage]

makes the character impervious to everything except silver.

Code:

[@Invulnerability, @Halve Arcane Damage]

makes the character impervious to everything, but take half damage from arcane (spells).

Code:

[@Invulnerability, @Double Melee Damage]

makes the character impervious to everything, except melee damage, which causes double damage.

Immunity is like the flip of that.

Code:

[@Immunity Frost]

makes the character take no damage from frost, and take damage as normal from everything else.

Code:

[@Immunity Arcane|Frost]

the character is immune to spells and frost. So a frost blade only tickles, and powers ruffle her hair, but no harm is done.

Note that
[@Immunity]
makes the character immune to all incoming damage because you didn't specific what the character is immune to, so it defaults to everything.

If a character is unharmed by everything except silver and sunlight, it's easier to use @Invulnerability.
If the character is unharmed only by a couple of damage types, use @Immune.

Immunity takes damage type keywords.
Invulnerability uses the keywords @Normal, @Halve, @Double.
There's no @Quarter or @Triple. @Halve@Halve doesn't quarter. @Double @Double doesn't quadruple damage. I tried those.

I hope that clarifies.

**Mike Serfass** · March 10th, 2023, 19:56

Arcane is a reserved keyword the SWADE code understands.
All powers are Arcane. That's handled in the underlying code.
If you put Arcane as a keyword on a sword, it will count as a power / spell. You probably don't want to do that unless it's a spirit blade.

Melee is another reserved keyword that' automatically applied to melee weapons.
Ranged is applied to shot weapons (guns, bows).
Thrown is for turtles and tortoises.
I'm kidding. It's for weapons that use Athletics as their attack skill. I wanted to see if I could throw you.

There's one or two other built-in attack types which rarely come up. Like Bombadier, only needed by WWII bomber pilots and beetles.

Other attack types, like Frost, Fire, Laser, Sonic, Sunlight, Turtles, are ad-hoc. I mean, they're damage types you add to weapons and powers in the keywords box, whatever you want.
So sci-fi will have things like sonic, laser, psionic. The GM decides what damage types and trappings things have.
Fantasy would have fire, frost, enchanted, moonlight, whatever fits the setting.

**Mike Serfass** · March 10th, 2023, 20:09

Toughness has some variations.

Code:

[Toughness +4]

adds 4 to general Toughness, of course.

Code:

[Arcane Toughness +4]

adds 4 Toughness only against powers.

Code:

[Arcane Toughness -2]

lowers Toughness against spell damage by 2. This makes a nice cursed item for an annoying character.

[Ranged Toughness +4]
makes the character tougher against shot weapons.

You recognize those built-in attack / damage keywords?

Code:

[Arcane Defense +2]

makes powers harder to affect. The caster must make a TN 6 against this character.

Code:

[Arcane Defense -2]

makes powers easier to affect. The caster must make only a TN 2 against this character.

Code:

[@Arcane Damage -2]

decreases incoming arcane damage by 2 points

Code:

[@Arcane Damage +2]

increases incoming arcane damage by 2 points (another nice cursed item or heritage weakness effect)

Code:

[>Arcane Damage +2]

increases the outgoing power / spell damage. Put this on a power or wand / arcane device, for example.

Arcane can be replaced by Melee, Ranged, Thrown.
Are you starting to see the pattern?

That should get you on your way.

**Maetco** · March 13th, 2023, 11:03

Thanks a lot @Mike Serfass.

**Maetco** · March 21st, 2023, 08:52

Originally Posted by Mike Serfass

Toughness has some variations.

Code:

[Toughness +4]

adds 4 to general Toughness, of course.

Code:

[Arcane Toughness +4]

adds 4 Toughness only against powers.

Code:

[Arcane Toughness -2]

lowers Toughness against spell damage by 2. This makes a nice cursed item for an annoying character.

[Ranged Toughness +4]
makes the character tougher against shot weapons.

You recognize those built-in attack / damage keywords?

Code:

[Arcane Defense +2]

makes powers harder to affect. The caster must make a TN 6 against this character.

Code:

[Arcane Defense -2]

makes powers easier to affect. The caster must make only a TN 2 against this character.

Code:

[@Arcane Damage -2]

decreases incoming arcane damage by 2 points

Code:

[@Arcane Damage +2]

increases incoming arcane damage by 2 points (another nice cursed item or heritage weakness effect)

Code:

[>Arcane Damage +2]

increases the outgoing power / spell damage. Put this on a power or wand / arcane device, for example.

Arcane can be replaced by Melee, Ranged, Thrown.
Are you starting to see the pattern?

That should get you on your way.

Hi, I tried the [Arcane Toughness -2] but with a custom damage type "Magic" and it didn't work. Does the damage type not work with the Toughness syntax? Is there a way to add multiple types in the same code, like [@Arcane, Magic Damage -2]. I know this doesn't work as I tested, but is there a syntax to have multiple types in the same code?

**Ikael** · March 21st, 2023, 20:18

Originally Posted by Maetco

Hi, I tried the [Arcane Toughness -2] but with a custom damage type "Magic" and it didn't work. Does the damage type not work with the Toughness syntax? Is there a way to add multiple types in the same code, like [@Arcane, Magic Damage -2]. I know this doesn't work as I tested, but is there a syntax to have multiple types in the same code?

I just tested [Arcane Toughness -2] and it worked as expect. I added that effect as Hindrance called "Magic allergy" to PC with normal Toughness of 6 and made Power damage roll against the character. Chat and combat tracker showed following:

Code:

[Ikael] Toughness: 6, Magic allergy -2 = 4 -> Shaken!

You can add multiple types by separating them with | for instance

Code:

[Arcane|Melee Toughness -2]

Would make your Toughness be 2 less if damaged by Arcane or Melee

**Mike Serfass** · March 22nd, 2023, 01:54

Where did you put the custom damage type "Magic"? On a weapon or power or elsewhere?

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