Strain
💢Strain is a Character’s overall mental pressure, including stress, pain, exhaustion, cold, hunger, etc.
Recording Strain
When a Character is in a state which would cause 💢Strain, record it as a ⚕️Status effect.
You need to record the following pieces of information (which the storyteller will give you):
- Brief description of the injury (usually 1 or 2 words)
- Whether it is "Strain" or "Impairment"
- The severity rating
Here are some examples of how you might record various 💢Strain ⚕️Status effects:
- Leg bruise (strain) | 1
- Ankle sprain (impairment) | 3
- IMPAIRMENT: concussion | 2
- Strain (supplies): 3
- 4 strain due to cold
Choose whichever format is easiest for you to understand, as long as the storyteller can easily find the 3 pieces of important information listed above.
Strain Severity
💢Strain severity is a number which corresponds to how straining a ⚕️Status is.
Many ⚕️Status effects record a rating to indicate how powerful they are, which we call Severity for 💢Strain ⚕️Status effects.
Severity should follow a scale corresponding to these example injuries:
| Severity | Injury examples |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Severe bruise, large cut |
| 3-4 | Non-vital gunshot wound, deep gash |
| 5+ | Limb destruction, vital bleeding |
In practice, this scale generally ends at the point the Character would fail an Exhaustion Challenge. It should usually be impossible for any Character, no matter how hardy, to stay conscious with 10 or more 💢Strain.
Strain Effects
Strained
If a Character has any 💢Strain ⚕️Status effects, apply the following effect:
- During Rest, instead of raising 🌠Willpower to a maximum of 6, raise it to a maximum of 4.
Impaired
If any of the 💢Strain ⚕️Status effects are 'Impairing', also apply the following effect:
- Using Boost in Challenges costs 2 🌠Willpower instead of 1.