Fatigue
Fatigue measures the slow damage done by exhaustion, stress, exposure, injury, and supernatural pressure. HP tells you how close a Hunter is to dropping right now; Fatigue tells you how much of themselves they have already spent getting this far.
Effects of Fatigue
Each point of Fatigue reduces all of a Hunter's attribute modifiers by 1, to a minimum of -5. The modifier calculated from an attribute score is its base modifier. After applying Fatigue, the result is its effective modifier. Use effective modifiers for checks, attacks, your Core Modifier (CM), and the values that depend on them.
Effective modifier = base modifier - Fatigue, with a minimum of -5
Fatigue does not change attribute scores themselves. Your Strength score still determines your carrying capacity, so exhaustion does not make your pack grow heavier with every step.
Calculate the following values from effective modifiers once. Do not subtract Fatigue from them again:
- HP: Use effective Durability to recalculate maximum HP as described in Health. Keep the original HP rolls or chosen fixed values; do not roll again. Maximum HP cannot fall below 0, and current HP cannot exceed the new maximum. Recovering Fatigue can raise maximum HP, but does not itself restore lost current HP.
- Hit Threshold: Use 10 + effective Dexterity modifier + applicable bonuses.
- Pace: Roll 2d10 + effective Dexterity modifier + effective Awareness modifier. One Fatigue usually lowers a new Pace roll by 2, since both modifiers are affected. Reaching the -5 floor or having a protective trait can change this. Fatigue gained or removed during combat does not rearrange an already established turn order.
- Core Threshold and abilities: Your effective Core Modifier determines your CT and any modifier-based dice or charge limits. Apply the minimum quantities described in Limits and Interactions and Traits And Abilities, without raising the modifier itself.
Specific protections still apply. Some Hunters have traits and abilities that allow them to shrug off or resist fatigue. Other Hunters should keep an eye on the danger rules below. There is only so much of yourself you can spend.
Accumulating and Recovering from Fatigue
Hunters can gain Fatigue points in various ways, such as:
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Not resting for an extended period, typically 24 hours
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Engaging in strenuous activity for hours without taking a break
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Remaining in exhausting conditions like extreme heat or cold
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Being affected by certain Horrors' abilities or supernatural effects
To recover from Fatigue, Hunters must rest somewhere safe enough for sleep, treatment, and decompression. A normal full rest takes 8 hours, including at least 6 hours of sleep, and removes 1 Fatigue. Resting with armor or weapons equipped does not remove Fatigue and leaves you with at least 1; it never lowers a higher total. See Rest And Recovery for the full procedure and any exceptions to sleep or equipment restrictions.
Keep track of Fatigue gained from overloading separately. A normal full rest clears that strain as described in Carry Weight, then removes 1 remaining Fatigue. Downtime spent on Recovery removes all Fatigue instead. Medical care, therapy, safe shelter, or certain abilities may reduce additional Fatigue at the Overseer's discretion. None of these reductions takes Fatigue below 0, and a feature's explicit recovery limit still applies.
The following table provides examples of scenarios and their associated Fatigue points:
| Scenario | Fatigue Points |
|---|---|
| Not resting for 24 hours | 1 |
| Strenuous activity for 1 hour without rest | 1 |
| Extreme temperatures for 1 hour | 1 |
| Significant injury, such as a broken bone or deep laceration | 2 |
| Severe mental trauma, such as witnessing an intimate supernatural violation | 2 |
| A Horror's draining ability | 3 |
| 1 hour in a supernaturally oppressive environment | 2 |
| A complex ritual attempted without proper preparation or materials | 3 |
| A mildly toxic substance, such as spoiled food or impure water | 1 |
| A powerful psychic attack | 4 |
Dangers of Fatigue
Fatigue becomes deadly when it strips away the last of a Hunter's ability to function.
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If Fatigue reduces a Hunter's maximum HP to 0, the Hunter dies from systemic collapse.
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If Fatigue reduces three or more of a Hunter's attribute modifiers to -5, the Hunter becomes incapacitated (this is not the Downed state unless their HP is also 0) and cannot recover until their Fatigue is reduced. If they gain any additional Fatigue while in this state, they die.
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If a Horror ability or hazard says it kills through exhaustion, suffocation, or collapse, apply that rule directly.
David: "I've been awake for almost 24 hours now, hunting that poltergeist. I'm exhausted."
Overseer: "That's one Fatigue. All your attribute modifiers drop by 1. At level 3, your Durability modifier falling from 3 to 2 drops your max HP from 29 to 26. Your HT drops by 1, and your next Pace roll will be 2 lower. You're slower to notice trouble and slower to move when you do."
Amy: "You should rest, David. If the trail is still there in the morning, we can follow it without seeing monsters in every shadow."
John: "Counterpoint: if the shadow starts seeing us, we win."
Overseer: "David can keep going, but if Fatigue keeps stacking, this stops being a penalty and starts becoming a medical emergency."