Fatigue Point Use for Wizards AND Warriors

[flankspeed]

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NOTE: These rules have been consolidated from multiple posts, slightly revised, and re-posted under a new heading to make them easier to use. Please see the following:

Using ST-Based Hit Points & Fatigue Points Instead of Fatigue-ST

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=159605



FATIGUE POINTS

More flavor and more tactical options can be added to the game through a slightly different take on Fatigue Strength. This can be accomplished without adding a fourth stat such as Health in GURPS. Every character, wizard and warrior alike, would find some use for Fatigue.

In a sense, Strength generates a secondary stat of equal value called Hit Points because even though ST equals the Hits a character can take, accumulated damage is never said to reduce ST for wielding weapons. Strength could also generate another secondary stat of equal value called Fatigue Points. Thus a character with ST=12 would have HP=12 and FP=12.

This would give all players a way to track Fatigue loss without having it affect Hit Points. Wizards would be able to mark off Fatigue Points from spell casting without the loss putting them closer to death. This would not give them more Fatigue Strength than they had under the original rules, but it would allow them to use their Fatigue more freely.


EFFECTS OF FATIGUE POINT LOSS

The GM may allow the use of Fatigue Points during game play, ruling that every combat of a certain length, perhaps 6 consecutive turns or longer, costs 1 Fatigue Point. When Fatigue Points fall to 2 or less, the character is extremely tired and suffers -2 to any roll against an attribute, whether attacking, casting a spell, or making a saving throw. This would be cumulative with the -3 for Hit Points falling to 3 or less if the character is also seriously injured.

When Fatigue Points fall to 0, the character collapses from exhaustion, falling prone in the current hex. Make a 3d6 vs ST save to remain conscious. Failure means the character will pass out and enter forced rest until they regain 1 Fatigue Point, at which time they become conscious again and are at -2 to attribute rolls until Fatigue recovers to 3 or higher.

A Critical Failure roll of 17 means the character passes out and is dying from exhaustion unless someone renders medical aid (3d6 vs IQ for Physicker or Master Physicker) within 5 minutes, which expires before the character is able to recover 1 Fatigue naturally from 15 minutes of rest. A Critical Failure roll of 18 means the character dies immediately from exhaustion.

Success on the 3d6 save means the character stays conscious, but is forced to remain prone for that turn. On subsequent turns, the character may sit up or kneel or crawl, but is unable to stand and move on foot unless another 3d6 vs ST save succeeds (or Fatigue recovers to 1 or higher), permitting the character to stand up again. After standing with Fatigue Points at 0, the character suffers -2 to Movement Allowance until Fatigue recovers to 1 or higher and remains at -2 to attribute rolls until Fatigue recovers to 3 or higher.

A character at 0 Fatigue Points who losses any further Fatigue begins to suffer Hit Point damage instead. The Fatigue loss is equivalent to Hits of lethal damage. This is how a character in extreme situations can gradually die from exhaustion. If the GM is permitting use of Fatigue Points for heroic extra effort or allowing wizards to cast using Hit Points after Fatigue Points are depleted, then any loss or use of Fatigue after Fatigue Points are at 0 inflicts Hit Point loss instead.


CASTING SPELLS WITH FATIGUE POINTS & HIT POINTS

The GM may rule that when wizards have exhausted all Fatigue Points, they can continue spell casting using Hit Points, sacrificing pure life force and risking death. They may do this in one turn by casting a spell that takes Fatigue Points to 0 while also consuming enough Hit Points to finish powering the spell. The GM may limit the amount of points that can be spent at once so this system is not abused, such as limiting Missile spells to 5 ST points or something similar.

Once the wizard casts the spell and both Fatigue Points and Hit Points have been marked off, the wizard would then collapse as described above when a character’s Fatigue is reduced to 0. If Hit Points are reduced to 1, then the wizard falls unconscious, and if Hit Points are reduced to 0, then the wizard has died from the shock.


HEROIC EFFORT USING FATIGUE POINTS

Characters could expend a Fatigue Point to put forth an extraordinarily heroic effort for one turn, gaining +1 to a specific hit roll, damage roll, or saving throw. Also, characters could expend a Fatigue Point to add +2 to Movement Allowance for one turn.

Characters who are armed with a melee weapon (or a missile weapon, but GM may rule it risks breaking), are using a shield or main-gauche, or who are unarmed but know Unarmed Combat, Brawling, or Acrobatics could expend a Fatigue Point to put forth extraordinary defensive effort for one turn, gaining an extra -1 Hit of damage stopped from a specific incoming damage roll. This effort may be applied to melee attacks and thrown attacks, but only using a shield or knowing Unarmed Combat or Acrobatics would apply to missile attacks.


DESIGNER’S NOTES

Fatigue Points are an expendable resource that allow for heroic effort in times of need, but players must use them wisely. A wizard can’t afford to waste too much Fatigue on such heroic effort, but warriors have a fair amount of freedom to put in a little bit of extra effort that may turn the tide of battle.

This take on Fatigue makes it harder to die from exhaustion, but offers more flavor and more tactical options for characters to choose from. A character lost in the desert may last a bit longer, but will still be in grave danger of death.

The defensive option to allow an extra -1 Hit of damage for 1 FP was chosen because the original rules for shields, main-gauche use, Two-Weapon Fighting, etc., always refer to stopping hits of damage. They never mention applying a minus to an opponent’s DX. If the GM wishes, 1 FP could impose a -1 DX on a single enemy attack.