Rationale - To imbue gameplay with exciting physicality; to enforce a qualitative mechanics style over a quantitative one; to emulate the chaotic nature of combat.
Stun
Instant effect. Subtract 1 action from your remaining actions. If the combatant is out of actions, -1 penalty (non-cumulative) to his passive defense score until the end of the round. A stun represents a superficial injury or blow that phases you for a short moment. Category 1
Hurt
Lasting effect: 1 round. Sustain the "stun" effect and your remaining concentration is reduced to zero (not lasting). If you get hurt again within the round, this effect is replaced with the "damaged" effect. Being hurt represents a sharp blow that does superficial damage (for example, a bullet stopped by your headgear), but can accumulate into real damage. Category 2
Damaged
Lasting effect: until healed. Subtract 1 action from your maximum actions, subtract 1 concentration from your maximum concentration and your remaining concentration is reduced to zero (not lasting), and suffer -1 to all attribute checks (-1 to "power" and "effect resistance" as well). If you get damaged again during combat, then "crippled" and/or "incapacitated". Category 3
Crippled (pending)
Incapacitated
Lasting effect: Pending. Reduces actions to zero until recovery, in which only minimal, mundane actions may be taken (pending). When incapacitated, your natural effect reduction is reduced by 2, to a minimum of 0. If the combatant suffers an immediate incapacitation due to a single blow, then he may take no actions whatsoever until recovery. In this case, if the incapacitated combatant was standing, he takes fall damage (remember to account for the combatant's effect reduction change). Category 4
Winded
Lasting effect: until recovery (spending actions to catch your breath during combat allows recovery). -1 penalty to all attribute checks. Category 1
Fatigued
Lasting effect: until recovery. -1 to maximum actions. -2 penalty to all attribute checks. Category 2
Exhausted
Lasting effect: until recovery. -2 to maximum actions. -3 penalty to all attribute checks. Category 3 (recovery means downgrade 1 category)
Pain
Lasting effect: until recovery. -2 penalty to maximum concentration. Must use 2 concentration to remove effect or wait until effect diminishes. Category 1
Excrutiating Pain
Lasting effect: until recovery. Incapacitated. -3 penalty to maximum concentration. Must use 3(?) concentration to downgrade effect to "pain". Category 2. For example, taking a bullet to the kneecap, or being immolated.
Bleeding
Lasting effect: until healed or bleeding stops (pending). Maximum concentration reduced by 1. Represents significant bleeding, as opposed to a paper cut, but is not life-threatening (for example, defensive knife wounds). Category 1. If effect is sustained again, then "profuse bleeding".
Profuse Bleeding
Lasting effect: until healed or bleeding stops (Can only be stopped through first aid intervention. If stopped, then status effects are sustained until healed). Maximum concentration reduced by 2, all attribute checks reduced by 1. Incapacitation in x time. Death in x time. If effect is sustained again, then "excessive bleeding".
Excessive Bleeding
Lasting effect: until healed or bleeding stops (Can only be stopped via tourniquet in the case of limbs or medical intervention in the case of body or head). Incapacitated. Death in x time.
Fear
Lasting effect: until threat disappears. St, sp, po, re, and aw +2. Fo and ag -2, and de -3. Must spend x concentration to remove effect. Category 1
Shaken
Lasting effect: until threat disappears. All attributes -2, and de -3. Must spend x concentration to downgrade. Category 2
Frozen
Lasting effect: until threat disappears. Incapacitated. Must spend 3 concentration to downgrade. Category 3
Off-Balance
Lasting effect: until recovery. All checks -2, including power. Must spend 1 action to recover. Category 1. If effect is sustained again before recovery, then knockback effect occurs.
Knockback
Instant effect. Knocked back 1d4-1 range (minimum of 1), then off balance effect until recovery. Subtract an action from your remaining actions, but if you were already out of actions when knocked back, then you fall as well (pending). Category 2.
Knockdown
Instant effect. Fall, and take fall damage. Category 3
(Notes)
1. Certain abilities or techniques will allow you to mitigate the severity of certain effects. For example, an agile combatant can spend an action to downgrade a knockdown to knockback, or to downgrade a knockback to off-balance.
2. Effects are clustered into categories to represent differing levels of severity for the same type of effect. For example, stun, hurt, etc. are classified as the "injury" effect. It also means that if an effect is stacked, then it becomes more severe and changes to a higher category.