This is just the damage system, and enough of the skills system to justify it. Actual combat task resolution is not included here, but I could include it if someone felt they needed to see it. As usual, I'm fairly confident that the system is sound (though criticism is welcome), I'm looking mostly for comments on how it fits with everything else in the game so far, and input on what sorts of play-attitudes it will create.

Combat Skills:
The hand-to-hand combat skills are devided up according to what kind of injury they are used to inflict. Thus, the offensive skills are

Striking
Bludgeoning
Chopping
Slicing
Piercing
Grappling

And they function just as regular skills, determining how many dice are rolled for an attack.

Weapon Damage Codes:
All weapons have a damage code that reflects how much damage is done with each of the above sorts of injuries. Most weapons can only inflict two or three of the sorts of wounds. Thus, a certain knife may have a damage code of
Piercing: 4, Slicing: 3, Chopping: 3.

This number is multiplied by the size of the attacker's set. Thus, if I hit with this knife and score three of a kind, I would do damage of 9 if Chopping or Slicing, damage of 12 if Piercing (stabbing).

The Damage Record.
All Characters have a range of damage they can absorb, expressed like this:

Superficial Disabling Maiming Killing
4 Trauma 6 Trauma 8 Trauma 10 Trauma
0-----------10+x------------20+x------------30+x-------
Trauma:

(x is a Stat, probably Strength, which will make some character somewhat hardier than others).

The full damage done is compared to the chart above. So, assuming x is zero for now, a character hit for 12 damage would have taken a Disabling wound. This result (Disabling) is combined with the type of attack (say, Chopping), and the combined result helps the GM determine what exactly happened to the character. In this case, the GM may rule that the knife attack severed the tendons in the character's wrist, making his hand useless and causing severe bleeding.
Trauma: Trauma is also taken, according to the above chart. A Disabling wound, you'll see, adds 6 Trauma. The total Trauma the character has taken is added to all attacks the character recieves. Thus, a second, identical attack would count as (12+6) 18 damage. In this case, it's still just a Disabling wound. The GM rules that the second attack (a stab) punctues the character's chest, collapsing a lung. Blood-loss increases, the character can barely move or exert themselves, and they taken 4 more trauma. Another wound of this caliber would inflict (12+8) or 20 damage, which is a Maiming wound. The GM rules that the third attack (a Slice) cut off their ear completely.
Clean Hits: Any attack against a character who cannot (or will not) defend themselves inflicts double damage. Even trying to Dodge or Parry an attack is enough to prevent a Clean Hit, provided the character can move. I mention this, because the victim above is probably going to start going into shock or passing out from blood-loss, so another attack on him would be a Clean Hit...
I think I've made clear where this is going, so I'll stop there. The GM is making his decisions based on a set of reccomendations included in the rules that allow him to cross-reference wound severity with Damage Type and get suggested results. The idea is for this table to be a 'trainer' that a GM will eventually not need to use anymore, once they get a feel for the game.
Hit location is determined purely by circumstance- a killing wound must have hit a vital area, and a Superficial wound to a character actively trying to defend themselves was probably to a hand or arm, etc.


I intend to have specific rules for bleeding, how one-handedness (or one-eyedness) affects skill useage, and all that jazz, but for now, this is all I want to present.
So how does this affect the PC"s desires/behavior in combat? Does it evoke 'horror through fear of violent death' like I want? Any glaring holes?