Damage Rolls with a Minus Modifier: Minimum 0 or 1?

[JohnPaulB]

Originally Posted by flankspeed

Weapons such as the Cutlass do 2D-2 damage, and bare hands can conceivably do 1D-2 damage or less. When such modifiers reduce the damage rolled to 0 or less, does the attack do a minimum of 1 Hit, or can the modifier actually make a damage roll do 0 Hits before armor is taken into consideration?

I looked in the Damage Roll sections of Melee and Advanced Melee, but could not find a ruling on this. GURPS seems to distinguish blunt and edged/pointed damage rolls as being different, but TFT makes no such distinction.

Does anyone know what the rules-as-written intend? If not, then how have you ruled on this?

I play that a Cutlass 2d-2 capability (or similar weapon) that results in a 0, is a hit that doesn't hurt the person: A thin scar on the face, a sliced boot, an arrow impaling the bible in his pocket and bruising his chest, being hit by the flat part of the blade, could be some examples.

Perhaps a way to include the damage concept, but not making it permanent, is to make it a Fatigue damage.

• Joe hits Sam with his cutlass, rolls a 3 and 1 point of damage goes into Sam.
  
• Joe hits Sam with his cutlass, rolls a 2 and 0 points of damage goes into Sam. Convert that 0 damage to 1 point of fatigue.

This rare instance of a 0 damage roll now has some effect, a bruise perhaps or just being winded, and the fatigue contributes to the risk of dying. It can't be healed away, but its not permanent either.