Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table Adventure Edition (SWADE) is a versatile and fast-paced tabletop role-playing system that has garnered a dedicated following among gamers. One of the critical elements in the SWADE system is the “Hardness” mechanic, which plays a vital role in determining how well objects can resist damage. Whether you’re a game master (GM) looking to enrich your campaign or a player eager to understand the nuances of the game, this guide will provide a detailed exploration of the Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table.
What is Hardness in Savage Worlds?
Definition and Importance
Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table refers to the resistance of inanimate objects to damage. Unlike characters who rely on Toughness, objects have a Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table rating that represents how difficult they are to break, destroy, or damage. This mechanic is essential for a variety of situations, from breaking down doors to demolishing walls, or even damaging a vehicle during a high-speed chase.
Understanding Hardness is crucial for GMs who want to create realistic and challenging scenarios, as well as for players who may need to interact with various objects in their adventures.
How Hardness Differs from Toughness
While both Hardness and Toughness are measures of resistance, they apply in different contexts. Toughness is typically used for characters and creatures, factoring in their ability to shrug off hits due to armor, natural resilience, or sheer fortitude. Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table, on the other hand, is used exclusively for objects and represents their structural integrity.
This distinction is essential because it allows the game to handle scenarios where characters interact with the environment in a way that reflects real-world physics. For instance, a sword might do significant damage to a person (Toughness), but it might barely scratch a stone wall (Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table).
The SWADE Hardness Table: A Breakdown
Understanding the Table
The Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table Table provides a list of common materials and their respective Hardness ratings. This table serves as a reference for GMs when determining the outcome of actions involving objects. Here’s a look at some common materials and their Hardness ratings:
| Material | Hardness Rating |
|---|---|
| Paper/Cloth | 2 |
| Wood | 5 |
| Stone | 10 |
| Metal (Soft) | 15 |
| Metal (Hard) | 20 |
| Reinforced Steel | 25 |
| Concrete | 30 |
Interpreting Hardness Ratings
Each material on the table has a specific Hardness rating that represents how resistant it is to damage. The higher the rating, the more challenging it is to damage the object. For example, wood has a Hardness rating of 5, meaning it’s relatively easy to break with a moderate amount of force, whereas reinforced steel has a Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table rating of 25, making it significantly more difficult to destroy.
When an object is targeted by an attack, the attacker’s damage roll must exceed the object’s Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table rating to cause any damage. If the damage roll equals or exceeds the Hardness, the object takes damage as normal.
Common Uses of the Hardness Table
The Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table Table is most commonly used in situations where characters are attempting to:
- Break Down Doors: Whether escaping a room or breaking into a fortified location, characters often need to overcome the Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table of doors. Wooden doors might have a Hardness of 5, making them easier to smash through, while metal doors could have a Hardness of 15 or higher, requiring more effort or specialized tools.
- Smash Objects: Characters may need to destroy objects like crates, locks, or machinery. The Hardness of these objects will determine the success of such attempts.
- Vehicle Damage: In scenarios involving vehicular combat or chases, the Hardness of different vehicle parts becomes crucial. For instance, the Hardness of a car’s bodywork may prevent low-damage attacks from having any effect.
- Environmental Hazards: GMs can use the Hardness Table to determine how environmental effects, such as explosions or collapsing buildings, impact different materials in the environment.
Applying Hardness in Gameplay
Breaking Objects: A Step-by-Step Guide
When a character attempts to break an object, the GM should follow these steps:
- Determine the Material: Identify the material of the object and find its corresponding Hardness rating on the table.
- Roll for Damage: The character rolls for damage as they would with any attack. This could involve a Strength roll, weapon damage, or another relevant skill check.
- Compare Damage to Hardness: Compare the damage roll to the Hardness rating of the object. If the damage exceeds the Hardness, the object takes damage. If the damage is less than the Hardness, the object remains intact.
- Track Object Damage: If the object takes damage, track it as you would with any other target. Objects typically have a certain amount of damage they can withstand before they break or are destroyed.
Example Scenario: Breaking Down a Door
Imagine a scenario where a player character needs to break down a wooden door. Here’s how it might play out:
- Identify the Material: The GM identifies the door as being made of wood, which has a Hardness rating of 5.
- Character Attempts to Break the Door: The player rolls for damage using their Strength or a weapon, such as a sledgehammer.
- Roll for Damage: Suppose the player rolls a total of 8 damage.
- Compare to Hardness: The damage (8) exceeds the door’s Hardness (5), so the door takes damage. If the door has a durability of 10, it would now have 2 points left before it breaks.
This simple example illustrates how the Hardness Table can be applied to create realistic and immersive gameplay scenarios.
Special Considerations: Magic and Hardness
In Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table, magic can sometimes bypass or reduce Hardness, depending on the spell or power used. For example, a spell like “Disintegrate” might ignore Hardness entirely, allowing a character to destroy objects that would otherwise be impervious to physical attacks.
GMs should consider how magic interacts with Hardness when planning encounters, as it can add an extra layer of strategy for players who have access to supernatural abilities.
Enhancing Your Campaign with Hardness
Creating Realistic Challenges
By using the Hardness Table, GMs can create more realistic and challenging environments. For instance, a fortress made of reinforced concrete with a Hardness of 30 will be nearly impossible for characters to breach without the proper equipment or planning. This can force players to think creatively and consider alternative approaches to problem-solving.
Encouraging Creative Solutions
The Hardness mechanic encourages players to think outside the box. Instead of always opting for brute force, players might look for ways to bypass or weaken an object’s Hardness. For example, using acid to corrode a metal lock, or leveraging environmental factors like extreme heat or cold to weaken a material before attempting to break it.
Balancing Gameplay
While Hardness adds depth to the game, it’s essential to balance it with the overall gameplay experience. GMs should ensure that Hardness doesn’t become a roadblock that frustrates players. Instead, it should serve as a tool to enhance the story and create meaningful challenges.
Advanced Applications of the Hardness Table
Customizing Hardness for Unique Objects
In some campaigns, GMs might need to customize the Hardness of specific objects to fit the narrative. For instance, a magical artifact made of an unknown material could have a higher or lower Hardness than standard materials. GMs can use the Hardness Table as a baseline and adjust the ratings based on the object’s unique properties.
Integrating Hardness with Other Mechanics
Hardness can be integrated with other Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table mechanics to create complex and engaging scenarios. For example:
- Crafting and Repairing: Characters with the appropriate skills might be able to reduce the Hardness of an object over time by weakening it in strategic places or by using special tools.
- Combat Encounters: In a combat scenario, the Hardness of cover or obstacles can play a crucial role in determining strategy. Characters might need to break through barriers or find ways to use them to their advantage.
- Survival Situations: In survival-based campaigns, understanding Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table can be the difference between life and death. Characters might need to break through a blocked passage, construct a shelter, or escape a trap, all of which would involve interacting with objects and materials with different Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table ratings.
Conclusion
The Savage Worlds SWADE Hardness Table is more than just a list of numbers—it’s a vital tool for bringing your campaigns to life. By understanding and applying the concept of Hardness, both GMs and players can create richer, more immersive gaming experiences. Whether you’re breaking down doors, smashing through barriers, or crafting intricate puzzles, Hardness adds a layer of realism and challenge that enhances the overall gameplay.
As you continue to explore the world of Savage Worlds Swade Hardness Table close at hand. It’s a powerful resource that can help you navigate the physical challenges of your adventures, ensuring that every encounter is as engaging and rewarding as possible. So, the next time you face a seemingly indestructible object in your campaign, remember: it’s not just about the force you apply, but understanding the very nature of what you’re up against.
