SLSS: Fatigue

--- Fatigue ---

 

 Running long distances, casting spells, being suffocated and many extra other things can cause "Fatigue", a temporary loss of Fatigue Points. Your Fatigue Point (FP) maximum starts as equal to your Vit (so 10 by default), but perks and other things can modify this. In the same way HP represents physical damage accumulated, fatigue represents lost energy and exhaustion, being similar to non lethal damage from ESSS. When you lose FP, keep track of it the same way as HP. Note that many of these rules are optional, tracking exactly how much you sleep or eat a day can usually be safely ignored, but if such a situation should become relevant (such as when determining if you fall asleep while standing guard on an adventure), here is where to look for guidance!

 

 

-- Lost Fatigue Points --

 

 As you lose Fatigue Points, you become continually more and more exhausted. Below are summarized the effects of low or negative FP:

 

- Less than 1/3 of your maximum FP left -

 You are very tired, this state is also caused "exhausted". Your Move, Dodge and Str is HALVED (round up). Str based quantities such as HP are unaffected, but skill checks based on Str are.

 

- 0 FP or less -

 You are on the verge of collapse. If you suffer further fatigue, every point of lost FP also causes 1 HP of damage due to overexertion. Thus fatigue from starvation, dehydration, etc, will eventually kill you - and you CAN work yourself to death! To do anything but talk or rest, you must roll a Will roll against SN (10+FP below zero times 2) once per 10 minutes out of combat or per round in combat. On a success, you can act normally. You may use FP to cast spells or anything else and if you are drowning you continue to struggle, but you still lose 1 HP per lost FP. On a failure, you collapse, incapacitated, and can do nothing other than light conversation or sleeping until you recover to positive FP. On a critical failure, make an immediate Vit roll against SN (10+negative FP). On a failure, you suffer a heart attack (See Mortal Conditions)!

 

- -1xFP -

 You fall unconscious. While unconscious, you recover lost FP at the same rate as for normal rest. You awaken once you reach positive FP. Your FP can never fall below this level. After this stage, any FP cost comes off HP instead!

 

 

-- Fatigue Costs --

 

The following activities are the most common causes of FP loss.

 

- Fighting a Battle -

NOTE: This rule is optional and can be ignored pretty safely if you think the normal FP cost from using abilities and such to be sufficient to simulate the fatigue from combat.

 Any battle that lasts more than 5 rounds will cost FP - you expend energy quickly when fighting for your life! Those that make no attack actions and are never targeted by attacks are exempt from this fatigue, but other actions such as casting spells still have their normal FP cost. At the end of the battle, you lose 1 FP per level of encumbrance (1 if no encumbrance, 2FP is light encumbrance, 3FP if medium encumbrance, etc). If the day is hot, add a further 1FP, or 2FP for anyone in plate armor, an overcoat, etc.

 These costs are per battle, not per 5 rounds. A very long battle may cost more (GM's decision), but it would have to run for 5 minutes (300 rounds!) or longer before extra FP cost would be realistic.

 

- Hiking -

 When characters are on a extended journey, calculate FP cost as for fighting a battle, but asses it per HOUR of road travel, e.g. one hour of marching with light encumbrance costs 2FP or 3FP on a hot day. If the party enters combat while on the march, assume they've =been walking for an hour, unless events dictate otherwise, and asses fatigue accordingly (This means that adventurers off to far away places that are ambushed most often begin combat missing some FP!). See Hiking in the Environment and Movement guide for a more indepth look.

 

- Overexertion -

 Carrying more than extra-heavy encumbrance, or pushing/pulling very heavy loads, costs 1 FP per round. For FP costs for other forms of heavy exertion, see Extra Effort in the Environment and Movement  Guide.

 

- Running or Swimming -

 Every minute of sprinting or 5 minutes of paced running or swimming requires a Vit roll versus SN (10+1 per previous check) to avoid losing 1 FP. Encumbrance has no direct effect on this, but you run or swim more slowly. See Running and Swimming in the Environment and Movement Guide.

 

- Special Abilities -

 Most magic spells and many other abilities cost FP to use, see the individual description of the ability to find how much.

 

- Starvation and Dehydration -

NOTE: If keeping up with the party's meals doesn't sound like fun, feel free to ignore this section. Travel is much more dangerous when you have to keep track of food and water!

 

 When you buy equipment for an upcoming journey, always remember to pack food, even one meal can weaken you quite a lot! And you need to be at your best if you want to survive out in the wild.

 

Starvation

 A pony needs three meals per day (which are pretty small compared to a human meal but still quite a lot for their size). For each meal you miss, you lose 1 FP. You can only recover "starvation" fatigue with a day of rest: no fighting or travel and three full meals. Each day of rest makes up for three skipped meals.

 

Dehydration

 In temperate areas like 4C, where water is easy to come by, assume that you can renew your supply as needed. But if water is in a short supply, watch out! A pony needs about a liter of water minimum per day - 3 in a hot climate or 5 in the heat of a desert! If you get less than you need, you lose 1 FP every eight hours. If you drink less than half a liter per day, you lose an EXTRA 1 FP and 1 HP per day. You can regain all FP lost to dehydration after a day of rest and ample water supplies. You recover lost HP at the usual rate once hydrated.

 

- INTERLUDE: Foraging -

 

 When out traveling long distances to the next adventuring site in extended PnPs, some GMs may want to allow thei PCs to forage for food while they are out. This of course only makes sense if the PnP is stretched over multiple IC days.

 In hospital terrain (To which despite dangerous local wildlife most of the 4C area belongs), you can supplement your supplies by foraging for food. On any day, each character can "forage" as the party travels. A successful Survival (Defaults to Perception) roll versus SN 10. On a success, you collect enough edible berries and plants for one meal. You forage an additional meal per 4 you rolled above 10. On a nat1, you collect enough for a 1d3 meals, but they are poisoned! You and whoever you shared food with must make a Vit roll versus SN 10, on a success you suffer 1d6 FP of fatigue, on a failure 1d6 HP of damage. Each PC rolls independently. On a critical success, you find enough for five meals and a particularly interesting creature, plant or item, as determined by the GM.

 In suitable terrain, a Survival roll + your ranged attack bonus versus SN 10 if you have a ranged weapon bags you a rabbit or similar small creature, providing enough meat for two meals. Sadly, eating too much meat gives ponies terrible stomach aches, eating more than three meals of meat a week costs 1 FP from stomach discomforts per additional meat meal that takes a week abstinence from meat to recover. Having the Carnivore perk or being a Batpony negates this. A successful fishing roll (defaults to Dex) with a fishing rod provides the same in fish meat.

 Alternatively, the party can take some time off from travel to do some serious foraging. Each character can make FIVE Survival rolls AND five missile or fishing rolls per day. Foragers can smoke meat and fish over a fire to add it to regular rations, but most berries and wild plants spoil rather quickly and need to be eaten within a few days at most.

 The GM may impose penalties in areas with little plant or animal life (e.g -3 for snow or -6 in a desert), and cumulative penalties for repeated foraging in a small area. (Suggested is -1 per 5 meals collected per square kilometer if you wanna get super technical).

 

- Missed Sleep -

 

The average pony can function for a 16-hour "day". He must then rest for an eight hour "sleep period". Some perks (Less Sleep) shorten this sleep period, thereby increasing the useful day length, while some flaws (Extra Sleep, Sleepy) do the opposite. Getting less sleep than your required period costs FP that you can only recover by sleeping.

 Interruptions, noise and flaws such as Chronic Pain, Insomnia or Nightmares can reduce the QUALITY of your sleep. In game terms, your sleep counts as fewer hours, or none at all. See the individual flaw or situation for more info.

 

Staying Up Late

 If you've been awake for more than your normal day (typically 16 hours), you start to get tired. You lose 1 FP if you fail to go to sleep, and 1 FP per quarter day (usually four hours) you stay awake after that.

 If you've lose half or more of your FP to lack of sleep, you must make a Will roll against SN (10+1 per four hours beyond your day period awake) every two hours you spend inactive (such as standing watch). On a failure, you fall asleep, sleeping until you are awakened or get a full night's sleep. On a success, you have -2 to Dex, Int and Will rolls (Yes, that makes a net loss of -4 Will).

 If you're down to less than 1/3 of your FP due to lack of sleep, roll as above once per 30 minutes of inaction or two hours of action. This can be very dangerous!

 

Getting up Early

 If you sleep for less than your full sleep period, you'll still be tired when you wake up (As probably all of us know). Subtract twice the hours of missed sleep from your day to determine how long you can stay awake. For example, if your sleep period is eight hours and you sleep only six hours, you've missed two hours of sleep. You will suffer the effects of staying up late after only 12 hours: your usual 16 hour day minus the four hours (twice the hours of missed sleep).

 

-- Recovering From Fatigue --

 

 You can recover "ordinary" lost FP by resting quietly. Reading, talking and thinking are all fine, walking around or anything more strenuous is not. Lost FP return at the rate of 1 FP per 10 minutes of rest. A particularly restful setting including a comfortable bed, controlled climate and a decent meal allows you to recover an additional FP. Certain drugs, magic potions and spells can restore missing FP, see the individual descriptions for more info.

 You can only recover from fatigue caused by missed sleep by sleeping for at least one full sleep period. This restores 1 FP. Further uninterrupted sleep restores 1 FP per hour.

 You need food or water to recover FP lost to starvation or dehydration, see above.