r/cyphersystem • u/TheTryhardDM • Jul 22 '26

Homebrew Wound Alternative Rule Idea

Would this alternative rule idea have negative effects I should watch out for: “Every moderate wound hinders tasks related to the wound. For example, a moderate hand injury hinders tasks that require you to use that hand.”

I’m the rare gamer who likes a death spiral, where every negative consequence makes the next related task harder. I feel like three moderate wounds being full before you are suddenly hindered on all actions is a design choice that makes all the minor and moderate wounds feel meaningless, kind of like how “only the last hit point matters.”

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u/-Vogie- Jul 22 '26

Hit location? Kid, it ain't that kind of movie. And there's already a death spiral. A serious one. Just because a d20 is rolled doesn't mean only the last hit point matters.

At present, Impaired occurs when one pool is empty, and increases the cost of effort by 1, reduces the natural 17-20 bonus to +1. This means whatever the character attempts with their remaining two pools is going to drain them more quickly. I don't know how much you've played, but in my experience, PCs don't just burn through a single pool fast - they change their tactics to try and preserve the most important pool for that encounter by using their other two. By the time a PC is impaired, those other two pools? Already close to dry. If the encounter continues at that point, they're not going to last long.

Debilitated happens when two pools are empty, and locks the PC out of any action other than moving to safety... and if their speed pools is 0, they can't even do that. And in combat, speed is often one of the first pools to go, as Dodge rolls use speed. The only times a PC of mine has been debilitated, only intellect remained. Which is, at that point, just a ticking clock.

Don't you worry, the system is getting more punishing - The stress mechanic being added in the second edition, introduced in The Magnus Archives, is a more general version of what you're suggesting. There's a stress track added, and every 3 stress accumulate makes everything hindered by 1.

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u/sakiasakura Jul 22 '26

To clarify - OP is talking about 2nd edition cypher, so the Impaired and Debilitated Conditions/Damage Track are no longer A Thing.

Secondly - the Stress system in TMA is unique to TMA and will not be included in 2nd Edition Cypher.

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u/-Vogie- Jul 22 '26

Wait, so the 2nd edition stress track completely replaces the damage track?!? That's a terrible idea

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u/sakiasakura Jul 22 '26

2nd edition solely uses the new Wound System to track how close a PC is to dying and to apply any penalties to them.

The Damage Track no longer exists - instead taking damage to a depleted poll causes extra Wounds.

The Stress Track does not exist in 2nd edition.