Rules: Saving Throws

SAVING THROWS

When subjected to dangerous situations, one often receives a saving throw to mitigate incoming damage or effects. There are three types of saving throws: Body, Reflex, and Mind, notated as BS, RS, and MS.

BODY SAVES

Body saves are used when one comes in contact with bodily dangers like disease, poison or paralysis. Diseases can be contracted through contaminated food or water and diseased or poisonous enemies. For these enemies, a Body Save is made upon a successful hit at 12 + 3 per 2 HD of the carrier. Diseases can be lifted if 3 saves are made during the course of the disease or by waiting out the symptoms.

Minor Illness – BS12 Common, Causes -2 to all rolls for 2d6 days

Disease – BS15 Concerning, Causes -1d6 ability score damage for 2d6 days, -1 permanently on a roll of 6

Serious Disease- BS18 Death in 1d12 days unless treated -2 to all rolls

Plagues- BS21 Most serious, Death in 1d12 days and -4 to all rolls unless treated

Infection- BS15 Open wounds roll 1d6 daily. Infected on 1 and 2d6 dmg/day until treated

POISON (THANKS TO JEFF RIENTS)

Poison is fairly common in Swords & Sorcery settings. The severity of a poison ranges from I to V and stands for both the damage done by the poison, and the number of rounds it stays in effect, dealing (severity)d6 damage per round. Poisons have an initial save and a save for each round if the first fails. Severity is also added to a range of 1 in 6 on a d6 of whether or not a character is stunned from pain. When employing a poison with a weapon, a critical fumble results in the character poisoning themselves, and forcing a Body save vs. the poison. Alchemists do not run this risk, but they are not immune to poisons from enemies. Poisons can be treated during their duration with spells, antidotes, and first aid.

REFLEX SAVES

Reflex saves are used to avoid effects to an area including; trap effects, dragon breath attacks, and spells like fireball. Area of effect spells have Reflex save equal to their Mind save, and halve damage from effects. RS for Dragon breath attacks are 10 + Dragon HD. Traps have a RS 15^+/- modified by the complexity of the trap. Damage from traps is always equal to 1d6 + complexity mod. (min 1 damage). The RS for traps is also their tinker DC. Complexity modifiers:

Type of Trap	Complexity Mod
Simple Pin Trap	-5
Trap Doors	-3
Snares	-1
Arrow/ Dart traps	+0
Bear traps	+1
Jet Traps	+3
Swinging Blades	+5
Advanced Traps	+10
Tomb of Horrors	+15

MIND SAVES

Mind saves represent a characters resistance to mind bending effects from magic, supernatural horrors, or curses. Mind saves vs. spells are equal to 10 + ½ Magician Level + INT Mod. Curses have their own specific MS and horrors are determined ad hoc based on a MS15^+/- standard. Common curses:  

Evil-eye - MS12 -1 to all rolls

Un-luck - MS14 Roll twice, taking the lower result

Mind Fire– MS15 casters can only remember their INT mod. spells

Weakness - MS16 Exhausted until curse removed

Fumblers Curse - MS18 -3 to all skill and ability rolls

Curse of Ages- MS18 character begins rapidly aging at a year each day until they die in 1d20+10 days

Lycanthropy - MS21 Lycanthropy

Cursed items have the opposite effect of the original item.