Harm

Harm represents physical damage and fatigue. You inflict harm on your foes in combat, and you Endure Harm when you are attacked or fail to overcome a physical hazard or ordeal.

Inflicting Harm

When you successfully attack a foe using the Strike (page 79) or Clash (page 80) moves, you inflict harm. If you are armed with a deadly weapon (such as a sword, axe, spear, or bow), you inflict 2 harm. If you are unarmed or using an improvised or simple weapon (such as a shield, stick, club, staff, or rock), you inflict 1 harm. You may have an option to inflict additional harm through the choices you make in a move.

Each point of harm you inflict is marked as progress on your foe’s progress track, as appropriate to their rank. For example, each point of harm equals 2 ticks when fighting an extreme enemy, or 2 full progress boxes when fighting a dangerous enemy.

Enduring Harm

When you face physical injury or hardship, make the Endure Harm move (page 91). As part of that move, you reduce your health track by the amount of harm suffered. There are five ranks of harm.

• Troublesome (1 harm): An attack by a minor foe, a painful injury, or a tiring effort.
• Dangerous (2 harm): An attack by a skilled foe or deadly creature, a nasty injury, or a demanding effort.
• Formidable (3 harm): An attack by an exceptional foe or mighty creature, a serious injury, or an exhausting effort.
• Extreme (4 harm): An overwhelming attack by a monster or beast, a grievous injury, or a debilitating effort.
• Epic (5 harm): An attack by a legendary foe of mythic power, a horrific injury, or a consuming effort.

When you are fighting a foe, they inflict harm based on their rank. Sample foes are in chapter 5 (page 133). 

If you are at 0 health, a miss on the Endure Harm move puts you at risk of suffering a debility or dying. You can recover health through rest and recuperation, using moves such as Heal (page 63), Make Camp (page 64), and Sojourn (page 71).