Endurance
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Parent Stat | Body |
| Values | |
| Stat Min | -10 |
| Base Value | 0 |
Endurance represents a character's ability to sustain physical effort and continue functioning when the body is pushed beyond its ordinary limits. It governs feats of stamina and exertion, from long-distance running and swimming to steep climbs, prolonged marches, and other activities that require a character to keep going long after a less hardy person would have stopped. Where Strength determines how much force a character can exert, and Agility determines how precisely they can control their body, Endurance determines how long that body can continue to perform.
Endurance is also an indicator of a character's ability to resist conditions that place stress upon the body. It may determine how well a character withstands disease, intoxication, exhaustion, extreme temperatures, starvation, dehydration, asphyxiation, and other physical hardships. A character with high Endurance may not be the strongest or most agile person in the room, but they are often the one still standing when everyone else has had enough.
Endurance Checks
When performing a feat that relies primarily upon stamina, sustained physical effort, or the ability to continue functioning under difficult conditions, the GM may ask for an Endurance Check. A basic Endurance modifier is zero, but hardy characters such as Hunters, Friggaelfes, or a Friggaelf Hunter may have high Endurance modifiers even at low levels of Power.
An Endurance Check is performed by rolling a 20-sided die, to which the Endurance bonus is added, or the Endurance penalty subtracted. A total roll of 11 or higher indicates success. Extremely difficult tasks may require a higher roll, as determined by the GM. Critical successes occur when the required total is reached or exceeded on a natural 20. This may inspire the GM to sweeten the outcome of the check. Conversely, a natural 1 is an automatic failure, even if the addition of a bonus would otherwise exceed the required roll. This Critical Failure may inspire the GM to impose additional consequences upon the failed feat of endurance.
Feats of Endurance are extremely varied and might include running a long distance, swimming for an extended period, climbing a steep mountain, marching for hours without rest, holding one's breath, surviving in extreme heat or cold, or continuing physical activity despite exhaustion. Endurance may also be tested when a character must perform strenuous work for an extended period or remain physically active while carrying a significant burden. In each case, the question is not simply whether the character can perform the task, but whether they can keep performing it.
Endurance Saving Throws
When something happens to a character that Endurance alone can mitigate, the GM may call for an Endurance Saving Throw. The player rolls a 20-sided die and adds their Endurance modifier to the roll. The resulting total indicates to the GM whether the character resists the physical effect or is subjected to the calamity requiring Endurance.
Endurance Saving Throws are particularly appropriate when the character's body must withstand something harmful rather than simply accomplish a physical task. Examples might include:
- Resisting the effects of disease or infection.
- Resisting intoxication from alcohol, drugs, poisons, or other substances.
- Surviving without sufficient air or resisting asphyxiation.
- Withstanding extreme heat or extreme cold.
- Resisting exhaustion after prolonged physical exertion.
- Continuing to function despite hunger, thirst, or other deprivation.
- Withstanding a debilitating environmental condition.
- Resisting the physical effects of poison or a creature's special attack.
- Remaining conscious or functional after suffering severe physical stress.
- Surviving conditions that would otherwise overwhelm the character's physical constitution.
Endurance Saving Throws can therefore determine whether a character's body gives in to a hostile condition or manages to endure it. This makes Endurance particularly important when the danger cannot simply be dodged or overpowered. Sometimes there is nowhere to run and nothing to push. The character simply has to survive it.
Loss of Endurance
A character's Endurance may be reduced by disease, curses, special creature attacks, injuries, debilitating conditions, or other effects. A reduction in Endurance results in a corresponding reduction of the character's Endurance modifier and may also cause the loss or suppression of powers that require a minimum Endurance modifier. Such a loss can therefore affect both a character's ability to withstand hardship and their ability to perform strenuous physical feats.
The effects may be temporary or permanent, depending upon their source. A temporary reduction may disappear once the underlying condition has been overcome, while a permanent loss represents a more serious weakening of the character's physical resilience. Permanent losses of Endurance can be recovered by Powering Up and converting Power to Endurance in the Player's Workshop.
Related Stats
Endurance is one of the three Body stats, along with Agility and Strength. Together, these stats describe the fundamental physical capabilities of a character. Strength represents physical force, Agility represents coordination, precision, and movement, while Endurance represents stamina, resilience, and the ability to withstand physical stress.
The three Body stats are also used to calculate increases in a character's Body Point totals, making them particularly important to martial characters such as Hunters and Brutes. Endurance completes the physical foundation of the Body stats: Strength determines what a character can force, Agility determines what they can control, and Endurance determines how long they can keep doing it, and how much punishment their body can take along the way.
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