Aurora Consurgens: Health, combat, experience!

Gm Note: This system can be considered a work in progress: overall starting Health may increase if we feel the need. Suggestions to alter/improve the following are welcome. The plan is to get a quick a and simple damage system that moves Risus away from the death spiral cliché vs. cliché kind of battle.

Health:

Every PC begins with 10 health. Add 1 for every combat/health dice one has in cliches and determine starting health. So a PC with with Swordfighter (3) and Tougher Tha Nails (4) would begin with 17. Armoured skin and the like will reduce damage rather than increase health.

Combat: 

Dice vs. Dice in appropriate Clichés, with defenders winning ties. (If the attack cannot be avoided, one rolls to try and get half-damage.)  The difference between successful attack and failed defence is the damage.

So God of Hellfire (4d6) vs. Run Like Hell (3d6) results in 20 vs 16. the defender takes 4 damage. 

If one is holding back, damage is halved. If it's a test match, assume you pin/grapple successfully once you do more overall damage than the other party has health for.

Note: Damage and health and the like can be altered depending on clichés, but starting clichés aren't at 'omg! this is awesome!' levels of power as is. A PC who picks Invulnerable is much harder to hurt but still could get hurt. Someone with 'death glare' can hurt others a LOT (say, damage is ruled as doubled) but won't necessarily flat-out kill. 

Inappropriate Cliché Bonus?: 
No, unless it would annoy Sparkie.

Advancement: 

XP will be be given in 1d6 die bursts every X sessions. You get the option of increasing a cliché by 1d6 or starting a new cliché at 2d6 that one has taken time in-game to learn. 

PC cliches will be considered to max out at 5 dice (6 for something one is really, really good at). XP can be spent to increase dice or to increase the power of an ability beyond what it begins the game as.

IOW, an NPC with Fire (4) defined as 'create fireballs from thin air, lob at target' could advance to flight via fire, covering oneself in a shield of fire and so forth as options. You may also begin with flaws/limits on a cliche to buy off during the game if you desire. 

Keep in mind that it is obviously easier to alter one's power ability than one's mutation.