Physical DT is a creature’s protection against Physical damage (ballistic, kinetic, and concussive). It is the Physical-damage counterpart of ♨️ Energy DT and ☢ Radiation DT, and mirrors the 💎 Hardness property used by Cover Objects. See 💥 Damage Types for the full damage-type system.
When a creature is hit by a Physical ⚔ Attack, Physical DT is subtracted from the damage of each hit. If Physical DT is equal to or greater than the incoming damage, the attack is fully mitigated and deals no damage on that hit.
Post-DT Damage = max(0, Physical Damage − Physical DT)
After DT is subtracted, the creature’s DR (a percentage reduction) is applied to the remaining damage.
Sources of Physical DT
- Armor — armor pieces grant Physical DT on the limbs they cover. Each limb is calculated independently for direct-fire attacks.
- Traits and perks — some traits and perks grant flat Physical DT
- Chems and consumables — some chems temporarily grant Physical DT
- Creature stat blocks — non-player creatures may have natural Physical DT (tough hide, chitin, plating)
Physical DT vs. Cover
Physical DT applies to creatures. 💎 Hardness applies to Cover Objects. They use parallel rules but are tracked separately:
- An attack against a creature behind a hard Cover Object first interacts with the Cover (penetration rules using 💎 Hardness), and only the surviving damage is then reduced by the creature’s Physical DT.
- An attack against an exposed limb bypasses Cover entirely and applies Physical DT directly.
Physical DT and Explosives
For explosive attacks, the system uses the creature’s Average DT across all 6 limbs rather than the per-limb value. See 💣 Explosives Attack for the full calculation.