Increasing Fatigue?

[TippetsTX]

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck

Could you clarify though what you mean by "that cap" that makes you fall prone but conscious? Do you mean the cap is just the total tallies under fatigue equaling ST, or is it when the combined totals under wounds and fatigue equal ST? Either way it's an improvement, I'm just wondering which way you meant it.

The former. With this proposal, damage and fatigue would no longer stack, but remember, spellcasting will now have to compete with other fatiguing actions.

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck

In the system I'm writing for myself (but haven't playtested) I similarly divide the tallies against ST into two boxes I call "Lethal Hits" (where I mark wounds that lead to death) and "Non-Lethal Hits" (where I mark both fatigue and a few other things that can lead to unconsciousness). Whenever the total of the two boxes equals or exceeds ST I call that unconscious, but only when the total under "Lethal Hits" equals or exceeds ST do I call that death. No reason it has to be that way to apply your proposal to TFT, I'm just noting we've been thinking along very parallel lines.

I distinguish between 'lethal' and 'non-lethal' damage as well, but those would still come from the same bucket (i.e. ST) under this proposal.

Originally Posted by Steve Plambeck

My 80's/90's group did add a Mana attribute, but your proposal makes the need for one obsolete in every way, except one. The only part it doesn't address is that old trope, Conan the Wizard. As long as spell costs are paid for by ST, higher ST makes for a more powerful wizard (the unwanted side-effect being they can also bench press 400 lbs - LOL!) But that's an issue that can be tweaked by other means, and no reason not to use your fine proposal. I really like the ability to apply fatigue costs to all the things you mentioned, and I'd add tackling a big flight of stairs to that list.

That's another thing that this idea opens up IMO. Now that fatigue (FA or FG?) is separate from ST, it also becomes a new 'control plane' on which we can hang other rules and effects. For example, why couldn't we have a new talent (let's call it ENDURANCE for now) that increases the character’s FA capacity by 50%? Now the ST 8 wizard can choose to invest their XP there (even if it's costly for them) and get an immediate bump in their spellcasting pool to 12 points. No more spellcasting Conans (unless you really want one).

I really think I'm on to something with this idea.