The Tension Pool

Tension Points are the stress, pressure, and conflict of being in daring situations. The GM begins the game with a number of Tension Points equal to the number of players and gains more over the course of play each time the players roll a 1 in their pool of dice There is no upper limit on the number of Tension Points that may be in the pool, but it may not be reduced below 2.

Tension is used to make things more challenging for the players, through conflict rolls against the Environment or being spent to boost Conflict totals or to keep additional dice. As well, many Adversaries may have special abilities called Features which might require Tension Points to be spent to generate effects.

Exploding Tension

The Tension Pool also has another inherent property that players and GMs should watch closely. If the total points in the Tension Pool ever climb to a multiple of ten it explodes! This means that stress has hit a breaking point and something is about to happen.

Before beginning an Adventure, determine six events that would startle players or make their situation more difficult (nothing should benefit them) and note that on a table. When a Tension Explosion occurs, roll a d6 and work the resulting event into the story secretly.

While GMs are encouraged to build their own Tension Tables, here is an example:

Delving

1.An Adversary bursts through an opening, thicket, door, wall, etc., and attacks.

2.Ominous drumbeats can be heard in the distance. Add two Tension Points to the pool.

3.A group member experiences a horrific dream or vision. That character cannot use Advantages during the next Conflict.

4.A shadowy figure is glimpsed but cannot be found or caught. Add one Tension Point to the pool.

5.The character with the lowest Willpower suffers lethargy and in their next conflict must subtract 2 from their total.

6.The character with the lowest health is wracked by a powerful coughing fit. They've been infected with something. That character takes one Health damage.

Adversaries

Adversaries are people, beings, and monsters that oppose player characters. They come in different shapes and sizes and are used by the GM to create stress and encourage action. Their statistics are simplified to streamline GM management.

Human Or Monster

Adversaries can be Human or Monster. They have the same Traits and Features, but Monsters keep three dice in Conflicts instead of two. Human Adversaries follow the same rules as player characters and the Environment.

Traits

Unlike player characters, Adversaries are made up of very few characteristics. Rather than the list of Attributes and Skills available to player characters, Adversaries are simplified and are made up of only three Traits: Power, Dread, and Stamina.

Power

The Adversary's physicality is accounted for by this stat, which creates dice pools for physical tasks and attacks. Attacks made with this stat reduce the player character's Health.

Dread

The Adversary's cunning or otherworldly nature is represented by a single stat. It's used to create dice pools for mental tasks, as well as magical and supernatural attacks. These attacks reduce the player character's Willpower.

Stamina

This pool is the combined value of the Adversary's Strength and Horror. When the Adversary takes damage, this pool is reduced by that amount. Once it reached zero, the Adversary is defeated.

Features

Features are the various special abilities that a wide swath of Adversaries may have. Some Adversary Features are always on and require no additional activation but some Features require the GM to expend Tension Points when the effect is used.

Here are a few sample features:

Armored

Whether it's due to heavy chainmail or a stony exterior carapace, these Adversaries are very hard to damage. Reduce all damage dealt to this Adversary by 1.

Ghostly

These ethereal and spectral forms may be echoes of the afterlife or psychic projections of living beings. If it is night or otherwise dimly lit (such as in an underground cave), this Adversary gains +2 Dread. If it is day or otherwise brightly lit (such as by a floodlight), this Adversary gains -2 Dread.

Quick

These Adversaries have a blinding speed and reaction time beyond that of normal humans. Spend 1 Tension Point to take a second action with this Adversary during its turn.

Regenerating

Muscle, bone, and sinew regrow and heal at a prodigious rate. Each time a roll generates any number of Tension Points, this Adversary heals one Stamina.

Bestiary

Here are a few sample Adversaries:

Bruiser

An average human thug.

2 Power / 0 Dread / 2 Stamina – Human

Callous Golem

Magically animated from clay or stone, golems are difficult to harm and single-minded in pursuing their assigned task.

3 Power / 2 Horror / 5 Stamina - Monster

Armored.

Dark Shadow

A shadowy form, whispering in the minds of those who catch a glimpse of it, urging them toward acts of depravity.

0 Power / 4 Dread / 4 Stamina – Monster

Ghostly.

Nimble Thief

Supremely talented at their vocation and faster than the average human, these thieves make a living by darting in and out of places they shouldn't be.

2 Power / 2 Dread / 4 Stamina - Human

Quick.

Troll

Massive and thickly muscled, trolls are fearsome when angered – and their tempers are very short. Even worse, their rough, barklike skin is not only difficult to pierce, but heals at a prodigious rate.

4 Power / 2 Dread / 5 Stamina - Monster

Regenerating.