Exhaustion represents the cumulative toll of neglecting basic survival needs — not eating, not drinking, and not resting properly. Exhaustion stacks, and each stack makes it progressively harder to function.
Gaining Exhaustion
You gain 1 stack of Exhaustion when:
- You complete a Long Rest without eating
- You complete a Long Rest without drinking
- You go 24 hours without any rest (no Long Rest or Short Rest)
These can stack independently — a character who doesn’t eat AND doesn’t drink during a Long Rest gains 2 stacks (one for no food, one for no drink).
Eating or drinking harmful consumables (irradiated food, polluted water) does prevent the Exhaustion stack from hunger or thirst. The side effects of the bad food are separate from Exhaustion.
Exhaustion Effects
Exhaustion stacks are cumulative. Each stack applies its penalties in addition to all previous stacks.
| Stacks | Effect |
|---|---|
| 1 | -1 🎯 Accuracy, -1 Evasion |
| 2 | -2 🎯 Accuracy, -2 Evasion, |
| 3 | -2 🎯 Accuracy, -2 Evasion, healing from all sources is halved |
| 4 | -3 🎯 Accuracy, -3 Evasion, healing from all sources is halved, -2 ⚡ AP |
| 5 | -4 🎯 Accuracy, -4 Evasion, healing from all sources is halved, -4 ⚡ AP, Disadvantage on all Tests |
| 6+ | Death — your body gives out. The character collapses and begins Dying. |
At 6 stacks, Exhaustion is lethal. A character who has gone several days without food, water, and rest is at serious risk of death.
Removing Exhaustion
Exhaustion stacks are removed by properly resting and eating:
- Completing a Long Rest with food and drink removes 2 stacks of Exhaustion
- Completing a Short Rest with food and drink removes 1 stack of Exhaustion
- Certain medical treatments, chems, or special items may remove additional stacks at the GM’s discretion
Exhaustion cannot be removed faster than 2 stacks per Long Rest under normal circumstances. A character at 4 stacks needs at least 2 full Long Rests with proper nutrition to fully recover.
Quick Reference
Exhaustion:
- Gained from: not eating, not drinking, or not resting for 24 hours
- Each source is independent (no food + no drink = 2 stacks)
- Effects stack: Accuracy, Evasion, healing, AP, and eventually death
- Removed: 2 stacks per Long Rest with food/drink, 1 stack per Short Rest
- Robots use Energy Cells instead of food/drink
- 6 stacks = lethal