When you get a Critical wound, you are in mortal danger. You probably have heavy internal bleeding, and suffer from shock. Whenever you get a Critical wound you must make a CON or WIL check to avoid dying within the next minutes. Roll a d10 again and make sure it is a high roll! Add your CON or WIL, whichever is best for you.

You must make a 9 or better to stay alive. If you fail, you die. If someone immediately gives you first aid (skill check 9+), and is succesful, you may be a bit more lucky. In that case you only need 6 or better to stay alive. But even if you live, you will be incapacitated and hardly able to stand, until you have taken a very long rest, have tended to your wounds, and are healed.

The dagger had struck deep into Sylyana’s breast. Blood gushed out of the wound, and out of her mouth. Garlock did his utmost to save her, and tried everything he had learnt from the old healer. But his attempts were feeble (roll 3, First Aid skill 2, makes only 5, not 9). For a moment it seemed she might make it, as she was fighting with all her willpower to stay alive (WIL 3, her CON was only -1, and would not help her much). But then the light in her eyes faded. (roll only 4, plus 3 from WIL is 7, two points short for a 9). Garlock cried in agony. He lost her.

Some people, you may note, have more Critical woundboxes. Because they have extremely high endurance (CON), they can take a much worse beating. But even they have to make the above CON or WIL check each time they get a Critical wound. And once you receive more Critical wounds than you can take (no more boxes?), the game is over anyway. You die straight away then, without any further checks.

The same goes for an aimed attack to kill you (15+, see before). You just don’t live anymore when you lose your head.