Fire causes damage in the same way as hits from weapons. Fire is considered to be at S 3, but a D4 is rolled for damage, rather than a D6. Armour and magical Aura spells have normal effects. Where fire is all-engulfing, assume the least-protected area is hit. Damage from fire can cause additional damage on the dice roll of a 4; instead of re-rolling to hit, just take it as a 10% chance. D4 points of damage are caused, re-rolling on scores of a 4 and adding the total until a dice roll of less than 4 is scored.
Flammable Targets[]
Some creatures and structures are considered to be flammable targets because they are composed of dry, combustable material. Also, characters will often want to ignite things like hay-stacks, fields, woods, houses, etc. The gamesmaster must decide whether targets are flammable. This may vary according to circumstances - it might have been raining solidly for days or it might be in the middle of a drought.
Flammable targets receive additional damage automatically. An extra D4 points of damage should be added to the damage caused before modifying for T or armour. So, a flammable target attacked by a fire ball receives 2D4 damage before any modifiers are applied. If the second dice scores a 4, there is the normal additional damage.
Setting Fire To Things[]
Only a flammable target can actually be ignited, so that it will continue to burn. To accomplish this, the target must receive five damage points from fire during the round or over consecutive rounds. So, four points caused in round 1, none in round 2, and three in round 3 will not succeed.
Once ignited, a flammable target will continue to burn, taking a further 2D4 points of damage per round thereafter. Fires will burn until the object is completely destroyed or until it is put out by some means.
Burning Oil[]
Burning oil sticks to skin and clothing and is very difficult to put out. To burning oil, everything and everybody is a flammable target - including people! Characters or creatures hit by burning oil suffer 2D4 points of damage and will be ignited if they take 5 or more damage.
To make Molotov Cocktails, bottles or flasks of oil must be fitted with a rag wick, and they count as improvised weapons. They burst into flame only 50% of the time and attempting to throw one necessitates a Risk test. A failed test means that the contents of the bottle or flask end up all over the thrower, with the usual 50% chance of igniting. Characters carelessly soaked in inflammable oils and spirits count as flammable targets to all fire damage.
Putting Fires Out[]
Burning targets take 2D4 damage every round. The only way to put the fire out is to reduce this to zero. If a burning character has complete armour, then there is a small chance this will happen naturally.
Otherwise, the amount of damage can only be reduced by beating (-1 point), by another character beating (-1 per character), by dowsing with water (-1 point per bucket), or total immersion in water (automatic). Burning characters may do nothing else except attempt to extinguish flames.