• NOW LIVE! Into the Woods--new character species, eerie monsters, and haunting villains to populate the woodlands of your D&D games.

Stress Tracks and Consequences as resource depletion

Right, but the consequences are supposed to be related to the attack that caused you to take them. If you are taking stress on a new track, it implies there may be a new brand of consequences.

Oh, yes. That's entirely the case. And the bad guys are only supposed to tag ones that are narratively appropriate.

The point is more that taking a hit in your finances becomes as important as taking a punch to the gut. If you've taken your Severe consequence as having the IRS on your tail for tax reasons, and someone stabs you with a sword, you may have a problem, because you have nowhere left to shunt that damage.
 

log in or register to remove this ad

Umbran - extra tracks can add extra consequence slots. Page 289 of Fate Core mentions this. Several other places also mention this.

Also, while not explicit in Fate Core, several other Fate rulesets have the "locked aspect" mechanic - a locked aspect is an aspect that is always on - it's invoked for free and the compel is automatic, but neither generates fate flow. A complication under fate core is explicitly an aspect, but note that compelling a complication...

Also, see page 123 - where it discusses Resources and Wealth - and how to deal with limited use skills - by adding aspects. It explicitly calls out that these are additional aspects, and NOT consequences - but that they are easily compelled.

Likewise, same page ... it discusses that a limited resource bought as a skill might be reduced for each failure, or even for success by 0...

These could also be combined... and/or used with a stress track

Plus, the stress track added need not use the progression used by Physique and Will... If adding a resources stress track, it's probably best to use it on that same, but if one wants a really potent wealth track, then one might make it 2+(Resources)...

Also note: If you attempt a conflict with a track that's already full, you just started already taken out - in other words, if you add a mana track, and you've runout of mana, until you recover some of that track (by whatever means needed) you can't win in a Mana affecting action. You immediately lose with all the usual effects.

Looking at the various bits scattered through Fate Core...
A resource depletion can be modeled several ways:
  • failure adds aspects
  • Failure lowers skill
  • Failure applies stress to a new track
  • failure applies a new consequence
If adding a new track, there are several ways to do it:

[table="class: grid"][tr][td]skill[/td][td]Mod[/td][td]Std.[/td][td]2+(Skill/2) [/td][td]0+skill[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Superb[/td][td]+5[/td][td]1 2 3 4 min [/td][td]1 2 3 4 5 [/td][td]1 2 3 4 5[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Great[/td][td]+4[/td][td]1 2 3 4 [/td][td]1 2 3 4 [/td][td]1 2 3 4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Good[/td][td]+3[/td][td]1 2 3 4 [/td][td]1 2 3 4 [/td][td]1 2 3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Fair[/td][td]+2[/td][td]1 2 3 [/td][td]1 2 3 [/td][td]1 2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Average[/td][td]+1[/td][td]1 2 3 [/td][td]1 2 3 [/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mediocre[/td][td]0[/td][td]1 2 [/td][td]1 2 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Poor[/td][td]-1[/td][td]1 2 [/td][td]1 2 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Terrible[/td][td]-2[/td][td]1 2 [/td][td]1 [/td][td]0 [/td][/tr][/table]

One could decide to alter consequences for it as well.
The options include:
  • Full set of separate consequences for new track (as per example on 285), with fixed meanings
  • Full set of separate consequences, picked when taken
  • use standard consequences only
  • use concession imposed aspects only
  • reduce skill as consequence
  • one or more track specific consequence slots, plus can take standard slots (just like extra slots from skills of great+ work

One might even make the skill for the track grant only the track, and a separate skill grant consequence slots and resistance to drain... for example one might add a wizardry skill and a power skill. Wizardry is used to resist drain, and grants consequence slots, while Power creates the mana track... and Pow is used to recover, too.
Which might look like:
[table="class: grid"][tr][td]Wiz[/td][td]Slots[/td][td][/td][td]Pow[/td][td]Track[/td][td]Alt Track[/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Superb[/td][td] 2 2 4 6 [/td][td][/td][td]Pow[/td][td]1 2 3 4[/td][td]1 2 3 4 5 6 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Great[/td][td]2 4 6[/td][td][/td][td]Pow[/td][td]1 2 3[/td][td]1 2 3 4 5 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Good[/td][td]2 4 6[/td][td][/td][td]Pow[/td][td]1 2 3[/td][td]1 2 3 4 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Fair[/td][td]2 4 [/td][td][/td][td]Pow[/td][td]1 2[/td][td]1 2 3 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Average[/td][td]2 4[/td][td][/td][td]Pow[/td][td]1 2[/td][td]1 2 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Mediocre[/td][td]2[/td][td][/td][td]Pow[/td][td]1[/td][td]1 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]Poor, Terrible[/td][td]none[/td][td][/td][td]Poor, terrible[/td][td]—[/td][td] —[/td][/tr][/table]
This would give a REALLY powerful set of options... especially if "real damage" can be taken as well...
Also note that by using two skills, it's a REALLY severe penalty to everything else - because a powerful starting wizard loses their Great and a Good... but he's also got a full set of mana consequences and a 3 box mana stress. If you wanted a bigger allowance, use the alt track. The alt track, by giving a taller stress track, allows bigger failures and many more small failures without consequence. It's a matter of setting the tone.
 

Into the Woods

Remove ads

Top