These optional rules for Impresa Express and Iron Gauntlets can be used to alter the amount of damage inflicted in an attack rather than negating the attack entirely. This is not recommended for blocking with shields.

1.	Determine the outcome of the attack task using normal modifiers and difficulties. Disregard all difficulties/modifiers associated with blocking.

2.	The defender must attempt to block, using a difficulty value equal to the number of steps achieved by the attacker. Attempts to block weapons that cause fatigue receive +2diff and weapons that cause injury receive +4diff when the defender is unarmed.

3.

For each step the defender achieves, convert one grade of injury to fatigue. If the attack inflicts only fatigue (or all injury has been converted to fatigue and there are remaining steps to be applied), each step increases the character’s armor rating against fatigue by one for this attack only. The character’s armor rating may not be increased above eight (8) in this manner.