Stress represents a character’s mental focus, emotional endurance, and spiritual resilience. It is a pressure mechanic—rising when you're strained or using powerful abilities. If it builds too high, it can cause breakdowns or physical harm.

• Stress is a temporary resource that builds up as your character exerts themselves mentally or emotionally.
• If your Stress is at its maximum and you would gain more, you instead take 1 HP of damage per excess point.
• Some features allow you to reduce Stress, such as during rest or by meeting special conditions.

Characters gain Stress through:

• Using abilities or powers that require it (see feature cards)
• Choosing to reduce the severity of incoming damage
• Failing Resistance Checks or experiencing fear, pain, or magical pressure
• Pushing beyond physical or mental limits (at GM discretion)

All of these increase your current Stress level.

Some feature cards allow you to gain Stress as a cost to trigger special effects, such as:

• Rerolling a failed Aspect Check
• Boosting a teammate’s roll with a Team Action
• Avoiding a harmful condition or effect
• Fueling a Domain ability or feature

These cards will always list the specific cost and effect. Any time you use such an ability, mark that much Stress.

Note: Any ability that increases Stress must be granted by a feature card, such as a Domain, Species, or Background card.

If your Stress is full and you gain more:

• You take 1 HP of damage per point you cannot mark
• The GM may describe a Stress Break—a moment of panic, disassociation, or hesitation

Stress is cleared slowly over time or through rest:

• Quick Rest – Recover 1 Stress
• Domain Features – Some domains offer custom recovery (e.g. meditation, rage venting, ritual focus)

In some campaigns (especially those using modular armor), the GM may allow:

• When you would lose 1 HP, you may instead gain 2 Stress to resist the injury
• If this would exceed your Stress limit, you take HP damage as normal

This creates a high-risk way to avoid physical damage by increasing mental strain.

Stress should be tracked visibly at the table using checkboxes, tokens, or sliders.

• Most characters begin with 5 Stress boxes
• Feature cards may increase or reduce this number

• Berserker – Gain 1 Stress to deal +2 damage on a melee hit
• Sorcerer – Gain 2 Stress to amplify a spell or recover one
• Monk – Reduce 1 Stress if you end your turn without taking damage

See also:

• Damage
• Healing
• Team Actions