View source for Injury Tolerance

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===Injury Tolerance===
{{Advantage}}{{Physical}}{{Exotic}}
{{Variable Cost}}

You have fewer physiological weaknesses than ordinary living beings. The cost of this advantage depends on the precise frailties eliminated. Note that some forms of Injury Tolerance include others, and that [[Diffuse]], [[Homogenous]], and [[Unliving]] are mutually incompatible.

=====Diffuse=====
Your body is fluid or particulate, composed of a swarm of smaller entities, or perhaps made of pure energy. This makes you immune to crippling injuries and reduces the damage you suffer from most physical blows; see [[Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets]] (also included below). Most foes (GM's decision) cannot slam or grapple you! Diffuse includes all the benefits of [[No Blood]], [[No Brain]], and [[No Vitals]]. ''100 points.''

=====Homogenous=====
Your body has no vulnerable internal organs, bones, muscles, or other mechanisms. As a result, you are less susceptible to piercing and impaling attacks; see [[Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets]]. Homogenous includes the benefits of [[No Brain]] and [[No Vitals]]. This trait is intended for entities such as iron golems, trees, and slimes. ''40 points.''

=====No Blood=====
You do not rely upon a vital bodily fluid (like blood) for survival. You do not bleed (see [[Bleeding]]), are unaffected by blood-borne toxins, and are immune to attacks that rely on cutting off blood to part of your body. ''5 points.''

=====No Brain=====
Your brain – if you have one – is distributed throughout your body, or isn't your true seat of consciousness. Your opponents cannot target it for extra damage. You may have a head, but a blow to the skull or eye is treated no differently than a blow to the face (except that an eye injury can still cripple that eye). ''5 points.''

=====No Eyes=====
You lack eyes or other vulnerable optics, but can somehow see despite this (unless of course you suffer from [[Blindness]]). As you have no eyes, they cannot be attacked. You are also immune to blinding attacks. ''5 points.''

=====No Head=====
You have no head at all. This includes the benefits of [[No Brain]]. As well, you lack "skull" and "face" hit locations, and have no need for head armor. You can still see, speak, hear, smell, taste, etc. unless you take the appropriate disadvantages. Specify how you do this (supernaturally, technologically, via organs on your torso, etc.). It is common – but not mandatory – for those with No Head to have [[No Neck]], [[No Eyes]], or both. ''7 points.''

=====No Neck=====
You have no neck. As a result, you have no "neck" hit location, and cannot be decapitated, choked, or strangled. ''5 points.''

=====No Vitals=====
You have no vital organs (such as a heart or engine) that attackers can target for extra damage. Treat hits to the "vitals" or "groin" as torso hits. ''5 points.''

=====Unliving=====
Your body is not composed of living flesh. You take reduced damage from piercing and impaling attacks, but are not quite as resilient as if you were [[Homogenous]]; see [[Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets]]. This trait is intended mainly for machines and corporeal undead. ''20 points.''

{{Injury to Unliving, Homogenous, and Diffuse Targets}}

===Martial Arts===
A new form of Injury Tolerance suits some cinematic action heroes:

''Damage Reduction:'' You divide the injury you suffer by 2, 3, or 4 after subtracting [[DR]] from damage and applying wounding modifiers. This normally reduces all injury, but the GM should require the Limited modifier (see [[Limited Defenses]]) in a Martial Arts game. "Physical Attacks" gives ''-20%'', while "Crushing" or "Unarmed" gives ''-40%. 50 points for a divisor of 2, 75 points for 3, 100 points for 4.''
[[Category:Martial Arts]]
===Powers Book===
Injury Tolerance is meant for those with fundamentally nonhuman physiologies. Three forms are of particular interest when creating superscience constructs and supers:

''Diffuse:'' Appropriate for beings made of a loose collection of tiny particles (bees, dust motes, nanites, etc.), liquid, gas, plasma, or energy. Examples include sapient swarms, living flames and tornadoes, liquid-metal robots ("nanomorphs"), and superscience "holograms" that can interact with the material world. In some settings, spirits, magical illusions, and related entities that are tangible but not solid also have this trait.

''Homogenous:'' Use this trait for creatures made out of largely undifferentiated solid matter – living or otherwise. Common examples are dancing swords, golems, unpowered vehicles, walking plants, and anything else made of solid ice, metal, plastic, stone, wood, etc. Very dense supers often have this advantage, despite appearing superficially human.

''Unliving:'' Anything that has differentiated "vital" areas but isn't made of living tissue is Unliving. Powered vehicles and robots, and most other complex machines, qualify – as do vampires, zombies, and similar walking corpses. A total cyborg with few living parts might qualify, at the GM's
option.

The GM may invent new forms. Some examples of special importance:

=====Damage Reduction=====
You divide the injury you suffer by 2, 3, or 4 after subtracting [[DR]] from damage and applying wounding modifiers. Unmodified, this trait reduces all injury – but except in high-powered supers games, the GM should consider requiring the Limited modifier; see [[Limited Defenses]]. It would be fair to restrict heroes to "Common," "Occasional," or even "Rare" classes, or to damage types directly related to their powers. 50 points for a divisor of 2, 75 points for 3, 100 points for 4.

=====Independent Body Parts=====
{{35 points}}

See below. This complex form of Injury Tolerance is intended for undead and fantasy monsters.

=====Unbreakable Bones=====
{{10 points}}

Your bones are nearly indestructible, or you have alternative structural support that's difficult to damage (e.g., internal force fields). Damage to limbs and extremities still causes injury, subject to the usual maximums, but the injury needed to cripple these body parts is twice normal; that is, the amount usually required to dismember. This represents damage to the covering, not the "skeleton." Crippling is at worst lasting; you never suffer permanent crippling or dismemberment. The GM may rule that injury that destroys your body (-10&times;HP) breaks your skeleton, but since you're dead, this is a special effect. If this protection extends to your vitals and brain, add No Vitals and No Brain: your vitals and brain are in their usual locations, but your indestructible skeleton encloses them and prevents severe injury effects.

====Alternatives====
The line between Diffuse and such traits as [[Insubstantiality]] and [[Shadow Form]] is fine indeed. The deciding factor is whether the character can affect the material world. If he can, take Diffuse. The essence of Homogenous, Unliving, and Damage Reduction is extreme toughness. Alternatives include [[Supernatural Durability]] and [[Unkillable]] – or just lots of [[Damage Resistance]] or [[Hit Points]]. Damage Resistance is superior for those who expect never to face high-damage attacks.

====New Special Enhancements====
=====Infiltration=====
For Diffuse only. Your body is a fluid that can flow through the tiniest of holes. In addition to the usual benefits of Diffuse, you can ooze through porous barriers and narrow cracks. You can't shapeshift, stretch abnormally, or sprout new body parts – just seep under doors, through screens, etc. +40%.

=====Swarm=====
For Diffuse only. You're a coordinated swarm of tiny creatures. You can scatter by taking a [[Concentrate]] maneuver. Your outer perimeter travels at your best applicable [[Move]]; maximum radius is 1/2 mile (buy [[Area Effect]] to change this). While scattered, only area-effect, cone, and explosion attacks can injure you, and only in proportion to the area they blanket; e.g., an attack that covers 5% of your area does 5% normal damage. You can focus your senses on any point within your area; changing viewpoints requires a [[Ready]] maneuver. Otherwise, treat this state as [[Insubstantiality]]. To resume your normal form, you must contract to your usual size (at your Move score) and then take a [[Concentrate]] maneuver. Swarm includes Infiltration. +80% if you can't affect the material world; +160% if you can.

====Powering Up====
Elemental powers often grant Damage Reduction (limited to their element), or give access to [[elemental meta-traits]] that include Homogenous or Diffuse. Someone with matter-control or spirit powers that  let him become a semi-solid specter could also justify Diffuse. With the addition of Infiltration, Diffuse suits shapeshifting powers. The GM might allow shapeshifters with particularly outré powers to buy other forms of Injury Tolerance – No Head, No Neck, etc. – with [[Switchable]].

Talent rarely affects Injury Tolerance, but the GM might permit those with Unliving, Homogenous, or Diffuse to add Talent to [[HT]] rolls for structural integrity; e.g., to avoid disintegration or resist [[Affliction]]s that cause Insubstantiality. Those with Independent Body Parts or Unbreakable Bones may add Talent to HT rolls for crippling.

{{Independent Body Parts}}

==Horror Book==
Many demonic or other monstrous entities can become (or are composed of) a swarm of something – bats, centipedes, flies, rats, spiders, worms, etc. This is [[Injury Tolerance (Diffuse)]] with some specific fillips. For an entirely new form of Injury Tolerance, see [[Independent Body Parts]].
===New Special Enhancements===
These enhancements apply to Injury Tolerance (Diffuse)
only. The Swarm modifier in GURPS Powers is a combination of Infiltration and Scatter.
====Body of Swarm:====
You can become a [[swarm]] of gnat- to rat-sized bodies. This moves at your best applicable [[Move]]; can bite, sting, etc. for thrust crushing damage for your [[ST]]; and is dispersed by injury equal to your [[HP]]. A dispersed swarm is effectively "unconscious" and unable to act in concert. A determined foe might contain and continue to damage your dispersed bodies, though. Should you reach -[[HP]], enough of your bodies have been killed to dissociate your consciousness and kill you! +0% for rat- or bat-sized bodies; +40% for cockroach- or gnat-sized bodies with full Infiltration.
====Flying Swarm:====
Requires Body of Swarm. While in swarm form, your component bodies can fly. Air Move is twice Basic Speed. +30%.
====Humanoid Form:====
Requires Body of Swarm. You can assemble your component bodies into any vaguely manlike form, giving you a limited ability to "morph" (although you won't pass close inspection). +50%.
====Infiltration:====
Your body is a fluid. It can filter or flow through the tiniest of holes. In addition to the normal benefits of Diffuse, you can ooze through porous barriers and narrow cracks and keyholes. You can't shapeshift, stretch abnormally, or sprout new body parts – just seep under doors, or through screens, ventilation grates, clothing (2 seconds), chinks in armor (5 seconds), etc. +40%.
====Scatter:====
Requires Body of Swarm. You can scatter your component bodies by taking a [[Concentrate]] maneuver your outer perimeter travels at your best applicable [[Move]].

Your constituent bodies can communicate instantly and work in a coordinated fashion over a half-mile radius (buy Area Effect to change this). While scattered, only area-effect, cone, and explosion attacks can injure you, and only in proportion to the area they blanket; e.g., an attack that covers just 5% of your area does 5% of its normal damage. You can focus your senses on any point within your area; changing viewpoints requires a Ready maneuver. Otherwise, treat this state as [[Insubstantiality]]. +40% if you can't affect the material world while scattered; +120% if you can.
===New Special Limitations===
These limitations are for [[Injury Tolerance (Diffuse)]] only.
====Misty:====
You can become a fog or a mist. While Diffuse, you cannot affect the material world in any meaningful way. You cannot speak, attack, or even block others' sight-lines. You drift at half your normal [[Move]]. Though immune to most attacks, you're still material; you can be affected by strong winds, powerful suction, etc. Misty includes Infiltration. -20% if you can use magic or psi in mist form; -40% if not.
====Tenuous Form:====
Requires Body of Swarm. You must make a conscious effort to maintain cohesion. Whenever you suffer injury or fail a [[HT]] roll, make a [[Will]] roll. Failure means your body collapses into a normal swarm of its component creatures. To reform, you must concentrate for seconds equal to the injury taken or the margin of failure on the [[HT]] roll. Additional damage to the swarm while reforming adds to the total time needed. -50%.
[[Category:Powers]]
[[Category:Horror]]