Iron & Myth is dangerous.
HP keeps a character in the fight.
Injuries cause lasting harm.
Wounds place a character near death.
Death comes when the body, mind, or spirit can no longer endure.
HP does not measure how close a character is to death.
HP represents guard, grit, breath, luck, pain tolerance, bruises, scrapes, near misses, and the ability to avoid serious harm.
As long as a character has HP, damage reduces HP normally.
When HP reaches 0, the character is Exposed.
At 0 HP, damage no longer wears down protection.
It threatens real harm.
A healthy character’s Ability Dice range from d8 to d12.
Ability Die | Meaning |
|---|---|
d12 | Defining |
d10 | Strong |
d8 | Capable |
d6 | Wounded |
A d6 Ability Die is not a normal healthy rating.
It means that part of the character has been seriously harmed.
An Ability Die cannot be reduced below d6.
An Injury is real harm.
An Injury may be a broken arm, torn muscle, deep cut, cracked ribs, blood loss, poison, shock, terror, curse, or spiritual trauma.
When a character suffers an Injury, one Ability Die steps down one step:
d12 → d10 → d8 → d6
The Referee chooses the Ability that best fits the fiction.
Harm | Ability Usually Affected |
broken bones, crushing blows, heavy trauma | STR |
cuts, pierced limbs, torn muscles, impaired movement | AGI |
blood loss, poison, sickness, burns, shock | CON |
curses, memory damage, magical confusion, psychic harm | LOR |
fear, despair, charm, domination, spiritual pressure | PRE |
If an Injury reduces an Ability to d6, the character is Wounded.
A character at 0 HP is Exposed.
An Exposed character may still act if the fiction allows.
They are not automatically dying.
However, any further harm is dangerous.
Make an Injury Check when:
damage reduces a character to 0 HP
a character at 0 HP takes damage
the Referee rules that a hazard threatens serious harm
HP never falls below 0.
Apply Armor before making the Injury Check.
If damage reduces the character below 0 HP, count the excess as overflow.
If the character is already at 0 HP, all damage taken after Armor counts as overflow.
Then make an Injury Check:
CON + CON vs TN
Overflow | Injury Check TN |
No overflow | 10 |
1–3 overflow | 14 |
4 or more overflow | 16 |
Before rolling, the character may spend 1 Stamina to brace, endure, twist aside, hold firm, or cling to life.
If they spend 1 Stamina, they gain a Boon on the Injury Check.
Stamina cannot grant more than one Boon.
Result | Outcome |
Critical Success | No Injury. The character does not lose HP. |
Success | No Injury. The character remains at 0 HP. |
Failure | The character suffers 1 Injury. |
Fumble | The character suffers 2 Injuries. |
If an Injury reduces an Ability to d6, the character is Wounded.
If a Wounded character suffers another Injury, they die unless the Referee rules there is room for a Last Stand.
A character is Wounded if any Ability Die has been reduced to d6 by an Injury.
A d6 Ability Die means that part of the character has been badly hurt, weakened, broken, or shaken.
The injury should matter in the fiction.
A Wounded character can still act, but they are close to death.
While Wounded:
all Checks suffer 1 Bane
weapon damage rolls of 1 or 2 deal no damage
the character cannot score Critical Blows
if the character suffers another Injury, they die
The player should roleplay the injury.
The Referee should use it when describing danger, movement, effort, and consequences.
A character’s maximum HP is based on their current CON Ability Die.
Maximum HP equals:
CON maximum + CON maximum
If an Injury reduces CON, maximum HP is reduced immediately.
CON Die | Maximum HP |
d12 | 24 |
d10 | 20 |
d8 | 16 |
d6 | 12 |
If current HP is higher than the new maximum HP, reduce current HP to the new maximum.
If the character is already at 0 HP, they remain at 0 HP.
A character has 3 HP and takes 8 damage.
Armor reduces the damage to 6.
The character loses 3 HP and drops to 0.
The remaining 3 damage is overflow.
The Injury Check is TN 14.
Before rolling, the character may spend 1 Stamina to gain a Boon on the Injury Check.
On a success, the character remains Exposed but suffers no Injury.
On a failure, the character suffers 1 Injury.
A character dies when they suffer an Injury while already Wounded.
Death is not a hidden state.
If a Wounded character is about to make an Injury Check, the Referee should tell the player the danger clearly:
“If you suffer another Injury, your character dies.”
No secret death rolls.
No soft warnings after the fact.
The danger should be clear before the dice are rolled.
When death comes, make it fast, fair, and memorable.
When a character would die, the player may choose a Last Stand.
A Last Stand means the character accepts death and takes one final action.
The action must fit the fiction.
The Referee may allow one of the following:
Last Stand | Effect |
Final Blow | The character makes one final decisive attack or action against a single foe. Treat it as a Critical Blow. |
Greater Deed | The character attempts one final heroic act, such as holding a bridge, sealing a gate, dragging an ally to safety, or buying time for others to escape. The Referee may call for one final Check if needed. |
After the Last Stand is resolved, the character dies.
A Last Stand should be rare, final, and memorable.
Be direct.
Tell the player when their character is at 0 HP.
Tell the player the Injury Check TN before they decide whether to spend Stamina.
Use the fiction to decide which Ability is injured.
Do not always choose the weakest Ability unless the fiction clearly points there.
A d6 Ability means serious injury.
Another Injury while Wounded means death.
Let the table see the danger.
Death should be fast, fair, and memorable.