One of the things I liked about the old beta was how fatigue was a more interesting mechanic. I don't think it would transplant directly but I do think that fatigue is a pretty naff mechanic that could do with looking at again. If my computer hadn't decided to break I would have posted up some ideas so I thought I'd just toss this out there to get the ball rolling.

I find this simple change to the old Beta works.

Fat igue

Fighting heretics, dodging las blasts, and withstanding psychic assaults can all tax an Acolyte’s fortitude. The amount of stress a character’s body and mind have undergone since he has last been able to rest is measured by his fatigue score. Starting at zero, fatigue slowly ticks up as the character performs strenuous activities, fights in combat, and faces the horrors of the galaxy. It is very difficult to remove fatigue except through rest.

Effects of Fatigue

All characters can handle a certain amount of fatigue without slowing down. However, once fatigue starts building up, it can have a detrimental affect on that character’s abilities. As it grows, it slowly starts to affect the character’s faculties, starting with the areas in which the character is the weakest.

Any time a character gains or loses fatigue, he compares his new fatigue score to his characteristic bonuses. Any characteristic with a bonus lower than the character’s current fatigue score becomes “fatigued.” Fatigued characteristics affect the character is different ways depending on if the game is currently in narrative time or structured time:

Structured Time: Any time the character wishes performs an action that includes a test of a fatigued characteristic, the character must spend 1 addition action point to perform the action suffers a –10 penalty to the test.

Narrative Time: Any time the character performs a task that includes a test of a fatigued characteristic, that task takes twice the normal time to attempt.

Fat i gue T hreshold

A character’s fatigue threshold is equal to his Toughness bonus and Willpower bonus added together. If a character’s fatigue value ever exceeds this threshold, the character passes out, gaining the Unconscious condition until his fatigue is reduced beneath his threshold.

If a character’s fatigue ever exceeds double the amount of his fatigue threshold — such as from suffering from Blood Loss while unconscious — the character dies.

G a i n i ng Fat i gue

Fatigue is gained whenever a character pushes himself beyond his normal limits or is subjected to strenuous or stressful situations.

Fatigue from Combat: Certain weapon qualities and wound effects can cause characters to gain fatigue during combat.

Fatigue from Fear: Whenever the character fails a Fear test, he suffers 1 fatigue.

Situational Fatigue: Many other situations that characters find themselves in can cause fatigue, from running long distances to disarming an explosive. It is up to the Game Master to decide whether or not a character suffers fatigue based on the situation.

Remov i ng Fat i gue

Fatigue goes away with time and rest. At the end of each hour of rest during which a character does not participate in combat, use psychic powers, or engage in other forms of strenuous activity, he removes 1 fatigue. If he rests for six consecutive hours this way, he removes all of his fatigue.

This might be a bit brutal, but I've considered making it so you suffer -5 to a characteristic's tests for every point that fatigue exceeds the bonus.

So a dude with 35 Agility would take -5 to all agility based tests if he's on 4 fatigue. He'd take -15 if he was on 6 fatigue.

Makes stacking fatigue a lot more of a concern.

Well the current DH2 "Only War" rules when you get -10 to all tests if you have any fatigue.

A stacking fatigue system might be better though.

Structured Time: Any time the character wishes performs an action that includes a test of a fatigued characteristic, the character must spend 1 addition action point to perform the action suffers a –5 penalty to the test for each point of fatigue higher than his characteristic bonus.

The more you are tired, the harder it is to do stuff.

Getting people to do large numbers of x5 calculations on the fly slows things down a lot. Sure, it's an easy calculation, but everything counts man.

Thats calculation should really be doable

I think this would be a great way to improve fatigue.

And it would be easily integrated into both old and new lines.

Keep in mind the following though:

> Blood Loss needs to be redefined to create fatigue

> Shocking needs to get the function of the former Sapping

This might be a bit brutal, but I've considered making it so you suffer -5 to a characteristic's tests for every point that fatigue exceeds the bonus.

So a dude with 35 Agility would take -5 to all agility based tests if he's on 4 fatigue. He'd take -15 if he was on 6 fatigue.

Makes stacking fatigue a lot more of a concern.

I was thinking along those lines, I know it can be another thing for players to work out/forget though so I wasn't sure about it. I also wasn't sure about things with unnaturals that could end up with lots of negatives for stats. On the other hand the straight -10 has always annoyed me because it goes -10, -10, -10, uncouncious, which just seems weird.