Health: Endurance & Stress
Overall Health is a measure of Hit Points and Stress levels. Stress Endurance is the total amount of Stress accumulation a Character can take on before suffering a Stress Collapse. Each form of Stress has a different Stress Collapse.
Stress Types
There are 5 Types of Stress. Emotional, Mental, Physical, Spiritual, and Vocal. While there are rare effects which cause an increase in a Character’s Stress Accumulation Level, Stress is primarily the resource factor which enables a Character to push their limits to perform incredible Actions. While there are many Effect Trees which unlock special resource veins, like Mana and Energy, Stress Accumulation will be the primary Activation Cost for the majority of Actions.
Stress is unique to Characters. Units, Special Units, and Ultimate Units follow their own resource mechanics.
Each Type of Stress Endurance has range minimum of 0 to a maximum of 10.
If the use of an Action causes a Character to Accumulate more Stress of a kind than their Stress Endurance, the Character is subject to Stress Collapse.
Relax: Each Hour, Stress Accumulation is reduced by 1 for each type of stress.
Stress Endurance
At Awakening, especially in a level 1 Awakening, all Characters begin the game with a Stress Endurance of Zero/0 in all Stress Endurance Types, with the exception of the Free Vitality Branch: Endurance they get to allocate. Your chosen Archetype will suggest the best choice which is matched to the type of Stress the Archetype Actions will use most of the time.
Increasing a Character’s Stress Endurance is relatively inexpensive Growth Point wise, and are the least expensive Growth Point options for increasing Vitality, and therefor Hit Points at early levels.
Fun Fact: At level one, someone choosing to lightly Min/Max Hit Points can easily end up with 77 Hit Points, though, this comes as a general sacrifice to the rest of the group in the loss of low level provision, utility, and damage potential.
Emotional Stress
Most Emotional Stress comes from Emotionally intense effects, including many Spiritual, Divine, and Social Effect Trees. Most Leadership and Companion Actions also take a toll on a Character’s Emotional Stress level. Emotional Endurance deals with the exertion of Emotional Energy and the Stress caused by fierce and deeply genuine expressions caused by the emotional drives.
Stress Collapse [Emotional Shutdown]
While affected by Emotional Shutdown, the Character is locked out of using any Action which includes any form of Stress as an Activation Requirement.
Emotional Shutdown last until the Character fulfills a 3 Hour Rest.
Mental Stress
Most Mental Stress comes from raw calculation often used in Spell Casting and also activating or resisting Psyche Effects.
Stress Collapse [Mind Fog]
While affected by Mind Fog, the Character loses any remaining Action Slots in the current Full Round.
The Celerity cost for all Action Activations is increased by 2 Action Slots, or 3 Reserved Slots.
No Action which Activation Cost includes Mental Stress may be Activated.
Mind Fog lasts for 1 Hour.
Physical Stress
Effects which push the body beyond its limits take a toll on Physical Endurance.
Stress Collapse [Strained]
Becoming Strained causes the Character 50 Hit Point Damage. If this damage is enough to cause them to become Vulnerable, they fall Unconscious at the conclusion of their current Action.
While affected by Strained, all Physical Action Activations cost 50 Hit Points per Physical Stress they would Accumulate in stead of Accumulating more Physical Stress.
While Strained, a Character can not benefit from the Momentum Buff.
Strained last until the Character fulfills a 3 Hour Rest.
Spiritual Stress
Spiritual Endurance is thought of the resilience of the thread between the self and the divine or an individual to their internal spiritual nature, while there is a great deal of overlap between Emotional Endurance and Spiritual Endurance, the distinction is Spiritual Endurance is empowered by discipline and connection, not emotional energies.
Stress Collapse [Disconnected]
While Disconnected, a Character is restricted from Activating Divine or Spiritual Actions. This includes any action which normally causes Spiritual Stress Accumulation, Deals Holy or Spite damage, or a granted by a Great Spirit or Deity.
If they choose to Activate such an Effect, they Pay with their own Life Force, taking (v:6 + their own Raw Potency x Focal Potency) Hard Damage.
Disconnected last until the Character spends 1 hour in meditation or prayer, then Relax begins to apply as normal.
Vocal Stress
Vocal Endurance applies primarily to The Wordsake effects, but also governs Shouts and Singing. It is the most forgiving for overdoing it.
Stress Collapse [Lost Voice]
During Lost Voice the Character can not Speak nor activate any Effect which normally causes Vocal Stress Accumulation.
Lost Voice lasts only 1 Minute, and is removed by any effect which regenerates or heals Hit Points.
