In general, higher numbers are higher on the body. Lower are lower. Red is to the right, black to the left. Hearts are more vital than diamonds, and spades than clubs. There are exceptions to this where the GM feels like it. The GM will also push this around, for example a three of a kind to the red two probably hits the ankle by severity, and more than that blows the foot off. Don't get your foot blown off.

Red jokers are player's choice. Black jokers are cruelly funny. Bear in mind that the choice of hit location can't make a lousy shot into a good one. For example, a pair to the left chest, or chosen to the heart, bounces off a rib and doesn't do that much. However, three of a kind to the heart is basically a kill, where three to the leg is not, so hit location can turn a good shot into a great one.

This is an attempt to loosely codify damage levels. In general, the quality of the hand determines damage after consulting with the size of the weapon. Most guns used by serious killers fall into the same category for damage, although they'll have different considerations for range, action, and penetrating power. This chart only applies to humans but can be a model for most others.

• Bruise, Cut, Winged, Scratch: a flesh wound. Unless these pile up, they just hurt.
• Ow, Wound: an impairing injury, -1 to some activity due to the pain in the afflicted area. Wimps will fall down already. Death is only likely with bad treatment complications.
• Stunned: head doesn't work right due to pain. Might be a good idea to fall over. -1 to most actions.
• Break: you've broken some bone. Depending on the bone, it might be good to calm down. -1 to -2 to various actions.
• Severe Wound: a life threatening injury. Affected actions are at -2. Most actions are at -1 due to severe pain. Most people fall over. Death from complications is a danger. Death from blood loss or shock is likely without treatment.
• Mauling: a severe wound to multiple hit locations at once. All actions are at -2 from pain, affected actions at -3. Death from blood loss is certain without quick aid, death from complications is likely even with treatment.
• Mortal Wound: you're gonna die. Maybe not right now, but there's no point arguing. Only heroes continue to act, and not for long. Death is certain without miraculous aid.
• Mangled: a mix of mortal and severe wounds to multiple locations. Even heroes can't be effective, but can prepare good dying words.
• Dead: which word don't you understand?

In general, any wound which opens a hole in you, even a scratch, will have to be tended to remove the danger of infection. Anything that's a real wound won't stop bleeding on its own for a long time, if at all.

Also, lots of scratches and bruises will eventually give you a -1 to everything as you just ache. Lots of wounds will eventually kill you. You won't know exactly how many until you try.

About different sources of damage:

• Brawling covers informal bar weapons as well, and general improvised blunt stuff.
• Real weapons are under "melee weapons" surprise surprise. Really tiny pistols probably get bumped down here as well. Really big brawling attacks (like tables) get up to here.
• Small caliber covers most pistols, with the exception of the Peacemaker and other .45 caliber guns. Shotguns from far away could go here.
• Large caliber covers big pistols and rifles. Really large rifles (.50 cal) will additionally have some penetrating power to go through natural or unnatural armor, but that's not in the wound chart.
• Big and nasty covers supernaturally strong attacks, explosives, trains, and so on. They may also have more penetrating power than you might think. You could put a point-blank shotgun here it you felt like it.

Vamoosing moves hands down on the chart. For example, if you are vamoosing for three of a kind, any hit on you slides down the chart two or three notches depending on the GM's benevolence at the moment. Vamoosing for a pair just makes sure no pairs will hit you, while vamoosing at a higher level will convert most wounds into nicks and misses. But don't expect to vamoose out of four of a kind.

The hand ranking, with some numbers for quick math:

• 1: Pair
• 2: Two Pair
• 3: Three of a Kind
• 4: Straight
• 5: Flush
• 7: Full House
• 10: Four of a Kind
• 15: Straight Flush

So if the original attack is a full house, it takes a flush to move it down to merely two pair. If the original attack was a straight flush, think about what you'd like to be buried in, even four of a kind doesn't bring it down much.

Armor works similarly, taking down the level of the hand. If it brings an attack down to a low level of damage, it will also prevent actual penetration (turning a wound into a bad bruise). If an attack still has three of a kind or better left after penetration, the GM may rule that the armor didn't slow it down much at all and not bother to reduce it even that much.

Weapons have different interactions with armor, making it more or less effective depending on how it's constructed. For typical armor such as metal plating or monstrous hide, a pistol shot leaves it alone, where a low caliber rifle such as a Winchester would make it one level less effective, and a high caliber rifle might make it two levels less effective.

Armor may only cover some locations, or it might be whole body in nature like the Elder's holy armor of god. Armor which fully negates an attack will in general not be lessened, so don't bother to shoot the rattler in the right side many many times in the hopes of working through its skin.