Downed

Downed is a condition in which a creature (human, animal, etc) is alive but incapable of movement. This is caused by one of the following states, listed in order of severity:

1. Unconscious. Consciousness is below 30% but above 0%.
2. Pain shock. Pain reaches Pain Shock Threshold.
3. Incapacitated. Moving capacity is 15% or less.

"Incapacitated" and "incapable of movement" are often used as synonyms for downing. Creatures properly inside a bed are usually called "incapacitated" or "resting" rather than "downed", but they are functionally similar. A pawn that is only incapacitated, but still conscious, can have mood changes; needs like Recreation and Beauty will only decay when a pawn is conscious.

Downed pawns will drop their weapons and other carried items but will not drop equipped apparel and utility items. The vast majority of enemies will stop attacking a downed target. Pawns under murderous rage and predator animals looking for food can continue to target them, however. Also, downed pawns are still vulnerable to explosions.

Death on down

Enemy pawns have a chance to instantly die when downed from certain causes, even when the condition would otherwise not kill them:

• Pain Shock
• When Moving drops below 15% directly by damage
• Heatstroke & hypothermia
• Toxic buildup
• Lung rot

This chance is dependent on current population intent and the storyteller settings, the latter of which can be adjusted at any time. Other causes of downing, such as consciousness reductions from ailments, do not trigger this death chance, so are preferred if you want to capture somebody.

Certain enemies will always die when downed these include:

• Enemy mechanoids. However a known bug does exist that rarely prevents this death, and friendly mechanoids are an exception to this rule.
• Revenants , which will play their death animation.
• Dreadmelds , which will spawn Fleshbeasts regardless if they were knocked out through various means.

Bypasses

Notably, death on down doesn't occur when blood loss or the expiration of a hediff is the cause for incapacitation. This can be used to guarantee the capture of valuable enemy pawn by applying the hediff, then damage them to a certain level and wait for the hediff to expire.

• Painblock and Go juice multiplies pain by 10%. The pain shock threshold of most pawns are below 90%, meaning if their pain level is 9% and pain block expires, they will be downed without dying. However beware that apparels such as the war mask increases the pain shock threshold of their wearer
• Psychic Focus improves movement by ×130%, the pawn will be downed if the movement of the pawn drop below 20% and the hediff expire

Tox gas exposure applies +25% pain and can be used to immediately bring pain level over the threshold. But it also cause −60% breathing, which will kill the pawn if their breathing is already below 60%.

Actions

An incapacitated creature is a valid target for a variety of actions:

• Rescue.
• Ranged or Melee attack to death by a drafted pawn, which does not give XP.
• Being carried by any drafted pawn, even if incapable of hauler work. They can be dropped in place at will or carried to a bed.^{[Other targets]}
• Being tended by a drafted pawn on the spot.
• Involuntary loading into a cryptosleep casket.

Actions specific to incapacitated humans:

• Imprisonment by a drafted pawn.
• Stripping of apparel, including utility items.

Actions specific to downed animals:

• Neck cut. A colonist set to Hunting will finish off any animal that are set to hunt.
  • Tame animals cannot be hunted, but slaughtering is functionally similar and does not require downing.

Crawling

When downed, a human pawn with manipulation will begin crawling after some time to the nearest bed or away from hostile threats, if bleeding, a trail of blood will follow them where they crawl. Downed enemy pawns will attempt to crawl to the map's borders and escape.
If the pawn is being rescued by another pawn, then they will stop crawling.

Shamblers can also crawl but unlike raiders and colonists they will still continue trying to attack their target in melee range.

Version history

• 1.3.3066 - Drafted pawns can tend to others in the field, and will use medicine if they are carrying any. They can also be ordered to carry another downed pawn and drop them on command.
• 1.5 - Downed pawns will now crawl away from danger and towards beds
• 1.5 - Death on down chance now applies to heatstroke, hypothermia, tox gas, and lung rot.