Strain

Whether it's in the heat of battle or heated negotiations heroes are constantly pushing their limits during their adventures, but what happens when they push beyond them? Strain is the measure of your hero pushing beyond their limits during a scene or encounter, taking a point of strain will temporarily move your hero -1 on the condition track until they've had a Short Rest. After this time all Strain your hero has accumulated will be cleared. Unlike a persistent step, Strain can be treated by the standard methods a hero can move +1 on the condition track, it is merely the last to do so. (Example: If you are currently at step 5 on the condition track and 2 steps are from strain, 1 step is persistent, and the other 3 steps were granted normally, you may use actions to clear the 3 normal steps, then the 2 steps from strain, and lastly the persistent step must be clear in accordance to what gave it to you.) Taking a Strain Action takes a Free Action.

Strain Uses

• You may take 1 Strain to add your full Hero Level to your next Skill Check.
• You may take 1 Strain to reduce the time taken on an Attribute/Skill check to the minimum amount necessary.
• You may take 1 Strain to gain an additional Swift Action in Combat or an additional Action in a non-combat Scene.
• You may gain 1 Strain to reduce the number of rounds in a negative Character State by 1. This excludes States that leave you helpless.
• When you take limb damage that would lower the condition of your limb past Broken, you may take 1 Strain to hold it at Broken.
• You may gain 1 Strain to gain another use of a Once per Day Ability, Feat, or Talent.
• You may gain 1 Strain to reduce a Devastating Injury result by 10.
• You may gain 1 Strain to reduce the Damage taken on a Critical Hit by 1/3.
• You may gain 1 Strain to change your Combat Focus when targeted for an Attack.
• You may gain 2 Strain to turn a non-critical Attack Roll into a Critical Threat, with a successful Confirmation Check. Reroll your attack roll against the target's General Defense. If your Confirmation Check meets or exceeds the target's General Defense your attack is counted as a Critical Hit and you may proceed to Damage Calculation. If your Confirmation Check is a Natural 20 you may clear the strain you received from this action. A Natural 1 on your Confirmation Check is counted as a result of a 2 but you take 1 additional strain.
• You may gain 2 Strain to reroll a check to resist/negate/overcome a harmful State or Affect, this reroll takes a Swift Action.
• You may gain 2 Strain to treat a Natural 1 as a 1 and not a Critical Failure or Despair.
• You may gain 2 Strain to ignore the penalties of a limb injury for one turn.
• You may gain 2 Strain to free yourself from 'Mind-Affecting' effects.
• You may gain 2 Strain to clear 1 lingering Devastating Injury.
• You may gain 2 Strain to increase a Devastating Injury roll you inflicted by 10.
• You may gain 3 Strain to free yourself from the Paralysis state.
• You may gain 3 Strain to take an additional Move Action in Combat or two additional Actions in a non-combat Scene.