The Stress System is a core mechanic designed to cap player expedition times in Tier 3+ regions by introducing escalating risks and negative effects as players accumulate sanity damage while exploring, killing monsters, and gathering resources. Stress creates dynamic risk/reward tradeoffs between continuing a run and going back to cash in any loot found, and makes adventuring in higher tier regions a risky endeavor that can turn on a dime, for better or worse.
A persistent player resource from 0 to 200, that starts out at 0. Stress damage is gained passively while out in dangerous regions, with a likelihood rolled every 30s. The following also directly increase Stress:
Once hitting 100 Stress, the player will hit a Resolve test / dice roll, becoming either Tormented (75% chance) or a Exalted (25% Chance). This Tormented or Exalted status persists on the player until death or on entering a SAFE or T2 region.
There are a variety of afflictions that can be gained, that do things like lower all resistances by 15%, reduce player accuracy by 25%, reduce max HP by 10%, etc.
Resets the player’s Stress level to 40. The player also takes 35% reduced Stress damage from all sources until their expedition ends. Exalted players also get one of several possible buffs (healing, stat increase, etc.)
Upon reaching 200 stress, the player loses the ability to run, and immediately begins taking critical damage until they either die or make it back to a SAFE or T2 region. Stress cannot be reduced after hitting 200, only reset upon returning.