Ultra-Bastard D&D: Wounds and Infection

Pseudo-Galen (15th Century)

For several weeks, I have wrestled my wound and infection rules for Ultra-Bastard. Seeing Josh's recent post on MERP-like wound tables last week and Alex's a couple weeks before that, it seems that this is a topic that's in the air. 

This is the Wounds & Infection option I promised in my hit points post back in March. 

• When an attack deals more damage than you have hit points left, your hit points are reduced to zero and you must roll on the wounds table. Hit points do not go below zero
• When a wound receives care (bandages, a sling etc.) you no longer suffer from the temporary effect, but must apply the permanent effect. 
• For the purposes of rolls on the wounds table, count every wound that has not been treated. Wounds that have been treated are not added.
• Some enemy attacks may make you roll with an additional plus on the wounds table. 
• Some attacks are gross and cause infections. While infected you cannot regain hit points from rest. Some infections grant saves and some get worse over time.
• Optional: Limbs shall be splintered. Once per character (for their whole life) when a blow would kill you, you can instead permanently lose a limb (of course you have the options of a hook, peg-leg, mechanical claw etc.)
• Optional: If an attack reduces you to exactly zero hit points, when you are healed, your hit point maximum is increased by 1 (subject to the hit point cap).

In Fifth Edition D&D, it is common for player characters to drop to zero hitpoints, fall unconscious and be healed back into the fight several times in a single combat. Any fight without player characters getting dropped, feels like a cake-walk. Getting knocked out several times in a minute has no effects that a short rest can't solve. This feels silly.

In Mork Borg (and early D&D editions) if you drop below zero hitpoints, you are dead. End of story. 

Since you don't necessarily drop when you take a wound, a brash character can keep fighting and take several wounds, risking death. A more cautious character can retreat when wounded and is less likely to be killed.

My goal was to create an intermediate effect between "knocked out for six seconds" and "permadeath." These rules make death comparatively unlikely but the permanent stat loss should make dropping to zero feel consequential. We'll see how it works out in play.