Creature Stress

Overview:

Stress is a representation of the toll the adventure takes on the players. Players gain Stress by the conditions and features listed later in this document. This mechanic is intended to replace the base Exhaustion level system and any reference to Exhaustion effects is intended to be covered by this system.

Gaining Stress:

• Pushing Rolls: Players may re-roll a failed Ability Check. They must use the new result. They gain 1 point of stress.
• Falling Unconscious: When a player gains the Unconscious condition, they gain 1 point of stress.
• Sleep Deprivation: Whenever a player end a 24-hour period without finishing a long rest, they must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one point of Stress.
• Grave Actions: While you are under the effect of the Unconscious condition, you can perform unique actions known as Grave Actions. Grave Actions can be performed directly following your Death Saving Throw and cause useful effects at the cost of additional Stress. The list of Grave Actions available are listed below and are limited by your initial Class.
  • All: As a Grave Action, gain 1 Stress to fortify yourself against death. Until you are stabilized, your death saving throws can be rolled with advantage.
  • All: As a Grave Action while stable, gain 1 Stress to regains a number of Hit Points equal to one roll of your Hit Point Dice.
  • All: As a Grave action, gain 1 Stress and choose a target creature within 60-feet. Until the beginning of your next turn, that creature moves up one place in the Initiative order.

Removing Stress:

After finishing a long rest, a creature may expend a Hit Dice to remove a point of Stress. They may do this a number of times equal to their Constitution modifier. Additionally, after a short rest, a creature may expend one Hit Dice to remove a point of Stress.

Fatigue:

When a creature's Stress points becomes greater than their Constitution modifier, they start experiencing negative side effects as Fatigue. For each Stress point above their Constitution modifier, all D20 Tests, except Death Saving Throws, take a -1 penalty.

When a creature's Stress becomes higher than their Constitution Ability Score, they die.

For example, a creature with a 15 Constitution Ability Score and a +2 Constitution Modifier would begin receiving a -1 penalty to their D20 Tests after reaching 3 Stress points. At 4 Stress points this penalty would increase to -2. If that creature continued to receive Stress until they had 16 Stress points at a time, exceeding their Constitution Ability Score, they would die.

Compatibility:

Any effect that causes a level of Exhaustion, and is not explicitly covered in this document, causes 2 points of Stress. Similarly, an effect that removes exhaustion reduces Stress instead as specified in the effect’s description.