I can't find a page in SR4A that covers the question. Then again, the index doesn't seem to ~always~ line up to what it's pointing to. Can someone list it out for me?

Example situation: I'm a mage. I've taken 2 boxes of stun damage, because of drain. Someone shoots me in the back and now I have 4 physical boxes marked off. What happens the next time I get drain? Does it stack on the stun, or does it all just track physical, since my dice pool is limited by my physical damage penalties (-2, in the example)?

You fill out the Stun boxes first for Drain, unless you're overcasting.

Also... ouch.

So, even if I have physical damage, I can still burn through the rest of my stun boxes from drain (let's say I'm not overcasting at all) without worry? And then just the highest wound penalty applies at one time?

Seems a bit unfair, that I can keep running a second damage track when no one else gets that ability. I'm sure there's some way that's ripe for abuse, and makes magic more powerful than it already is. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

I wouldn't say 'without worry', but yes, that's how all damage works in SR4: everyone gets a stun track. If you replace 'drain' with 'being tasered' (or neurostun'd, or sap'd), it's the same thing. Drain is basically normal stun (or phys) damage, with the bonus of not being magically healable.

It sounds like you might be confusing the wound penalties, though: they all stack, not 'take the highest only'. This is SR4A p163 'Wound Modifiers'.

I did miss that. That seems a bit more balanced than my first understanding.

To clarify: The above mage with 2 stun boxes and 4 physical boxes is running a total of -3 dice pool to all tests?

Only a -1 actually. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
You take a -1 per 3 boxes damage. So the 2 Stun Boxes contribute nothing and the 4 Physical is -1.
If, however, you have Low Pain Tolerance as a Negative Quality (-1/every 2 boxes Damage), then you would indeed have a -3 to you rrolls with the above indicated damage (-1 for the Stun, and -2 for the Physical, for total of -3).

But as you can see on p163, if it were 3 Stun and 6 Phys, that'd be -3 (stun 3/3 = -1, phys 6/3 = -2). So they are fully separate (you don't sum the boxes), but the penalties sum.

Indeed, Sorry if I was unclear. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Makes perfect sense now.

Well, I understand the math and how the numbers are applied. I won't pretend the system makes sense. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) (But, hey. At least it's not RIFTS, right?)

Because fighting on completely without issue until you hit a number and instantly fall to the ground does?

There's also the WOD/Exalted method, which is basically a merged multi-track system. Effectively, the boxes stack, instead of the mods stacking… except for the weird way the different 'kinds' of boxes interact.

Other methods include getting rid of damage boxes entirely and taking damage directly out of your physical stats (Traveler).

And others don't even go that far... you could for instance Stun/Wound/Incapacitate/Kill/Vaporize targets. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Does anyone feel that the damage penalties are a bit low?
Nine boxes of physical damage (almost dead) and you -3? Any house ruling ideas?

Which makes you completely unable to default on any skill where your attribute is lower then 4 and that's before modifiers... seems reasonable to me

And takes a lone star cops shooting dice pool from 8 to 5...or so.

Yeah and it doesn't make a dent in any shadow runners dice pool unless you are talking about a very low level game.

That's not a breath away from death in my book. Guess I want something grittier. Any ideas?

Well, you can get up to -6 cumulative penalties just from wounds. Add modifiers for conditions on top of that and you get a bunch more penalties (a bit less if you use the biggest modifier guideline) The very same cop would have a pesky 2 dice in total darkness (assuming thermographic vision)
Also you're assuming that they are good at the skill, our cop friend would be completely unable to chase you over a fence or keep his car from crashing.

Just double the penalties? Have you tried this?

Wound penalties from stun and physical damage stack

Sorry for the shoddy grammar... need to proof read more (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

Ok so then I have to shoot him AND beat him up to get him to not be able to chase me into my dark alleyway of choice:)
Nah I want that gunshot wound to the gut to mean some thing more than a third of mr five-0s dice pool!

Someone tried to make it grittier by house ruling that all physical damage also caused stun damage, thereby in effect doubling the penalty for gunshot wounds and getting stabbed in the liver. How would that work do you think?

To answer your request, Augmentation got optional rules for grittier wounds, slower healing and a table for severe wounds... Stuff like losing limbs and cardiac arrest.

Still not sure why you consider the penalties to be to light although...

how is that any diffrent than doubling the penalties, just means that stun track is also filled & a swift wind can drop you.

Stun still heals faster. The idea is that the pain is fleeting (trauma) but the damage stays on. And a 9 boxes worth of buckshot to the sternum is not a swift wind:)

I want the effect of life threatening damage to impaire the character more then a little. It's an aesthetic thing really.

no, but after getting shot by a rifle round, if you take both types of wounds at once, a swift wind will drop you, since they'd be essentially the same damage, the only difference would be that Stun weapons only do stun damage.