Aen Damage Types

There are three core damage categories: Standard, Elemental, and Esoteric. Each of these categories have damage subtypes that can be dealt. Impale, for example, is a Standard Damage Type that deals piercing damage, such as by a rapier. Holy, on the other hand, is an Esoteric Damage Type that deals deific damage.

Standard Damage

Most anyone is capable of dishing out standard damage. Grab a steak knife or a cudgel and you can stab or bludgeon any enemy. Standard damage is typically non-magical, though there are ways to Enhance these damage types to make them magical, such as by enchanting a longsword or an arrow.

Impale

Stabbing damage typically dealt by piercing weapons. You’ll receive impale damage when you are stuck with a rapier, step on a caltrop, or fall into a spike pit.

Lacerate

Slashing damage typically dealt with edged weapons. You’ll receive lacerate damage when you are hit with a longsword, struck by a swinging axe trap, or are cut by broken glass.

Strike

Blunt damage typically dealt with bludgeoning weapons. You’ll receive strike damage when you are hit by a club, fall from a great height, or are thrown against a wall.

Elemental Damage Types

The elemental damages are those that can occur both naturally and through control. Acid, for example, is both a natural and a magical substance, depending on how it is created. While mages were the first to harness the power of the elements, they aren’t the only ones capable of doing so in the modern age.

Acid

A naturally corrosive element, acid eats away at armor, flesh, and most other materials, consuming them with its harsh, stinking chemicals. Acid is commonly wielded by mages, but it also exists in the natural world and has many non-combat uses, too.

Electric

Flashes of lightning, arcs of electricity, and other such sparks of power can cascade either from technological inventions or the very heavens. This form of damage is remarkably powerful when wielded by an adept user.

Fire

The first non-standard damage type to be invented by hominals, fire was initially used to simply light up the darkness, but was shortly thereafter used as a horribly deadly weapon meant to destroy men and structures alike. It’s remarkably effective, but difficult to control.

Frost

The bitter cold of the mountains or harsh arctic seas, frost damage is a biting cold that can claim the flesh and limbs of those who suffer it if they do not receive proper treatment quickly.

Toxic

Venoms, poisons, and other such toxins can be especially harmful. The most dangerous thing about toxic damage is that it can be difficult to detect at first—at times, one might slip a powerful poison into someone’s tea, for example. The tea may not taste any different at first, but within hours or even minutes, the target could find themselves on death’s door.

Esoteric Damage Types

Esoteric damage types are extremely difficult to harness naturally. Most who can wield these with any level of effect are wielders of great magic, capable of tapping into what others deem unnatural. Science has sought ways to control these elements, though the effects of such works currently pale in comparison to what powerful spellcasters are capable of doing.

Holy

Magic sent from the heavens. Holy Damage is often wielded by clerics and other divine servants. It is tended to shun that which is vile and detested. This magic tends to be especially effective against the undead and ethereal.

Rot

Some would call Rot Damage the antithesis of Holy Damage, but it is in fact much more—rot damage is an accelerant of the natural process of necrosis. It causes severe, sometimes instantaneous decay of those who suffer it, be they human, plant, or otherwise capable of decomposition. It is a nasty, brutal thing to suffer and is thus considered an abhorrent violation to use by most reputable spellcasters.

Sonic

While it could very well be considered an elemental damage type, harnessing enough Sonic Damage to actually harm someone can prove to be difficult even for the most experienced scientists. Some inventions have been crafted that can bring harm through Sonic, but it is nothing compared to the damage that can be dealt by powerful spellcasters, some of whom can use this sound-based damage to cause blood vessels to explode and skulls to split.

Will

Where Rot damage causes the body to decay, Will Damage decays the soul. Will Damage affects the desire to carry on—the strength to persevere. It saps this from the target. The result can be anything from a mild depression to an immediate flight response. While Will Damage may not seem to physically harm its targets, it very much is. Not only that, the damage taken can often be long-term, unable to be shaken with mere bandages and alcohol swabs.