Most damage falls into one of two broad damage types. There are always unique cases where damage cannot be categorized as Energy or Physical. Often damage is hybrid and a mix of 2 or more damage types. When a damage source has multiple sources it is treated as each type at once for all purposes. Often Damage is increased or decreased based on a targets defensive abilities. (If Garry using fire damages against foe with Fire Resistance; the damage will be reduced based on the foes defensive ability.)

• Energy Damage - There are two sub-categories for Energy, Aligned and Elemental.
• Physical Damage - The three main types of Physical damage are bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing.

If your attack succeeds, you deal damage. The type of weapon used determines the amount of damage you deal.

Damage reduces a target’s current hit points.

If penalties reduce the damage result to less than 1, a hit still deals 1 point of nonlethal damage.

Many weapons add damage based on a characters Ability bonus. Most often this is Strength or Dexterity, however many Talents and weapon Traits can change this.

• When you hit with a melee or thrown weapon, add your Strength modifier to the damage result, by default.

• When you deal damage with a light weapon in your 1/2 your Ability bonus.
• If you have a Strength penalty, the entire penalty applies.

• When wielding a weapon two-handed, add 1-1/2 times your Ability bonus (Strength penalties are not multiplied).
• You do not get this higher bonus when using light weapons with two hands.

Sometimes you multiply damage (e.g., on a critical hit).

• Roll the damage (with all modifiers) multiple times and total the results.

Note: When multiplying damage more than once, each multiplier uses the original, unmultiplied damage. For example, doubling damage twice results in three times normal damage.

Exception: Extra damage dice (beyond the weapon’s normal damage) are never multiplied.

Certain creatures and magical effects can cause temporary or permanent ability damage (a reduction to an ability score).

Damage (That's a lot of damage!)

ⁱ Add +2 Hardness for each +1 enhancement bonus.
² HP values are for Medium-sized items. Divide/multiply for different sizes.
³ Add 10 HP for each +1 enhancement bonus.
⁴ Varies by material; see Substance Hardness and Hit Points.

*Condition DC Adjustments: Hold portal (+5), Arcane lock (+10); use the higher value if both apply.

You can smash or break an object with a weapon or sheer strength.

• Use the sunder maneuver with a weapon.
• Combat maneuver check is opposed by the object’s AC.

• AC = 10 + size modifier + Dexterity modifier (usually –5) – 2 penalty
• Full-round aiming: automatic melee hit or +5 to ranged attack

• Represents how much damage is resisted.
• Subtract hardness from each damage instance.
• Only excess damage is subtracted from HP.

• Depends on material and size.
• Damage ≥ 50% HP: broken condition
• HP = 0: destroyed

• Ineffective Weapons: Some weapons cannot damage certain objects
• Immunities: Objects are immune to nonlethal damage and most critical hits
• Magical Items: +1 enhancement = +2 Hardness, +10 HP
• Vulnerabilities: Some attacks deal double damage and ignore hardness
• Damaged Objects: Still function (with broken condition) until 0 HP; can be repaired via Craft or spells (e.g., *make whole*, *mending*)

• Magical Items: Always allowed; save bonus = 2 + 1/2 caster level
• Unattended Non-Magic Items: No saving throws; always fail
• Attended Items: Use owner's save bonus unless otherwise stated

• Use creature rules for Armor Class

• Use Strength check (not damage)
• DC based on construction, not hardness
• Broken condition lowers DC by 2
• Size bonuses/penalties:

• Fine –16
• Diminutive –12
• Tiny –8
• Small –4
• Large +8
• Huge +16
• Gargantuan +24
• Colossal +32

Tools: Crowbar or ram improve checks (see Equipment)