Stress Points represents the mental and physical strain put on your character during their adventures. Some effects require you to mark a Stress Point. Additionally, you can somtimes choose to mark a Stress Point to affect the narrative; when you do, consider the burden your character knowingly accepts. Does your anxiety increase as you use a new tactic in a high-stakes negotiation? Do you accept the impact of witnessing horrors in order to dive back into danger and save an innocent? Are you willing to take minor abrasions to fatally wound your foe?

Marking Stress Points

When an effect requires you to mark a Stress Point, do so on your character sheet. Whenever you mark your last Stress, you become Vulnerable (see “Conditions”) until you either clear at least 1 Stress or clear the Vulnerable condition through other means (such as a spell, ability, or GM fiat).

If you’re ever forced to mark one or more Stress Points but your slots are already full, instead mark 1 Hit Point. For example, if you should take 3 Stress from an adversary but your stress slots are already filled, you instead mark a Hit Point.

As with Hit Points, when you take Downtime actions (see “Downtime”), you have the opportunity to clear some of your Stress. Additionally, when you gain levels, you’ll be able to increase the amount of Stress you can withstand.

Stress from Adversaries

Some adversary actions might require you to mark Stress. These actions represent the adversary’s ability to demoralize you, exhaust you, or similarly push your physical and mental limits.

Stress from Complications

Your GM can also inflict Stress as the complication or consequence of an action, especially when a roll doesn’t go as well as it could have. For example, you might mark Stress as a complication from having a difficult conversation, clashing swords with a worthy foe, or committing an act of incredible bravery.

The GM might also give you the option of marking Stress to avoid a different complication.

Stress from Moves

You might be able to mark Stress to perform certain moves that call for it. Unless an effect states otherwise, you can’t mark Stress multiple times on the same feature to increase or repeat its effects. For example, if an ability lets you mark Stress to add 1d8 to a damage roll, you can’t mark 3 Stress and add 3d8 instead.

You can’t use any move that requires you to mark Stressif you don’t have any slots to mark.