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Stat Tracks

Stat Tracks are properties possessed by entities. There are four Stat Tracks: Power, Resilience, Mind, and Skill. Each entity has all four Stat Tracks.

Setup and Use

Each Track consists of a number line ranging from -5 to +5, featuring 11 slots in total. Each slot from +2 to +5 contains a different bonus effect, while each slot from -2 to -5 contains a different penalty effect. There are no effects from -1 to +1 on any Tracks.

Each entity has a base value for each track. For PCs, this comes from a combination of Background, Role, and Gear. Only the Role relevant to the current scenario type is used. If a Track is needed for some reason outside of scenarios, the DM should pick the most relevant Role (or don't include effects from any Role).

Adversaries and Opponents get their base values from their rank. Challenges get their base values from their type.

Ranks: Mook, Regular, Mini-boss, Boss
Challenge Types: Creature, Environ, Obstacle, Seeker, Trap

Stat Tracks start at their base value in each scenario (usually restricted from -2 to +2, though some effects such as Diseases can result in starting values outside this range). Effects within scenarios cause Tracks to adjust upward or downward.

During the Draw Phase, after drawing cards, Stat Tracks that weren't changed within the previous round move 1 slot closer to their base value.

Whenever an effect from a +5 or -5 slot happens, it is immediately reset to its base value.

It is recommended for each player to use a Stat Track mat or printout in order to keep up with their Track values. DMs should use spreadsheets or printout tables for their various entities.

While the mats and printouts summarize the effects, the rules here provide a comprehensive explanation, including effects that are special for some of the DM's entities.

Power

-5 Skip the next Action. This is usually the entity's next Action Phase, but it may happen sooner if the entity is granted another Action before then. Mini-bosses need only skip one of the two Actions they are able to play on their turn, but only if they would have been able to play two (having a valid Action card in hand). Power is reset the moment the Action is skipped.
-4 Can't play Action cards from hand. Entities that don't draw cards instead lose any Piercing or Special entries on their Actions.
-3 Damage dice levels -1; can't advance Debate Counter in a beneficial direction.
-2 Accuracy Dice -1 level.
+2 Accuracy Dice +1 level.
+3 Damage dice +1 level.
+4 Actions that fail return to your hand. This applies to cards that would be discarded, and the opposed roll was lost or the Action was otherwise made to miss. Entities that don't draw cards may instead add the following text to any hostile Action played - Special: The target suffers -1 to any one Stat Track of your choice.
+5 Automatically win the next opposed roll from an Action. Power resets the moment such an Action takes effect. This doesn't apply if there is no opposed roll. If the Action is forced to miss by some other effect after the opposed roll would have occurred, Power stays at +5, and this applies to the next valid Action instead.

Resilience

-5 Can't play a Reaction against the next hostile Action. Resilience is reset the moment such an Action takes effect.
-4 Can't play Action cards from hand. Entities that don't draw cards instead lose any Piercing and Special entries on Reactions.
-3 Defence dice levels -1.
-2 Evasion Dice levels -1.
+2 Evasion Dice levels +1.
+3 Defense Dice levels +1.
+4 Reactions that fail return to your hand. This applies to cards that would be discarded, and the opposed roll was lost or the Reaction otherwise couldn't take effect. Entities that don't draw cards may instead add the following text to any Reaction played - Special: The target suffers -1 to any one Stat Track of your choice.
+5 Automatically win the next opposed roll from a Reaction. Resilience resets the moment such a Reaction takes effect. This doesn't apply if there is no opposed roll. If the Reaction is forced to fail by some other effect after the opposed roll would have occurred, Resilience stays at +5, and this applies to the next valid Reaction instead.

Mind

-5 Enemy sees your hand and forces any one play or Move. “Enemy” refers to the entity that caused Mind to reach -5. “Play” refers strictly to Actions and Reactions and may include forcing the entity to do nothing. Mind resets the moment such a play or Move is forced.
-4 Don't draw in the Draw Phase. Cards may still be drawn from other effects. Entities that don't draw cards instead must reroll each opposed roll win once, keeping the second result. Only the entity with this penalty rerolls; the opposing entity keeps their result.
-3 Can't play Strategies. This applies to cards from hand, on Gear, or any other source. The Strategy Phase may still be used to swap Gear, draw a card, Block, and the like.
-2 Hand Limit -1. This also reduces the number of cards drawn in the first round. Entities that don't draw cards must instead reroll their first opposed roll win each round, keeping the second result. Only the entity with this penalty rerolls; the opposing entity keeps their result.
+2 Hand Limit +1. This also increases the number of cards drawn in the first round. Entities that don't draw cards may instead reroll any one roll each round, keeping the second result. If it is an opposed roll, the opposing entity does not reroll.
+3 Swap Gear or Block when playing a Strategy. This effect is optional. It may be performed whenever the entity plays any Strategy, not solely in their Strategy Phase.
+4 Draw an extra card in the Draw Phase. Entities that don't draw cards may instead reroll any roll once per round and choose either result. If it is an opposed roll, the opposing entity does not reroll.
+5 Search your deck for any one card and put it into your hand. This happens immediately upon reaching +5, and Mind then resets. Entities that don't draw cards instead recover to max HP/EP/WP.

Skill

-5 Injury (combat and exploration), or Debate Counter advances 2 notches unfavorably (interaction). Skill then resets. Challenges are instantly defeated.
-4 Skill Dice additional -1 level; lose special movement forms, any Aquatic keyword, and any Alerted condition. The Skill Dice penalty stacks with the penalty from -2. For Challenges, the Skill Track no longer recovers automatically during the Draw Phase.
-3 Can't play Assists or Interrupts. This does not affect Automatic Interrupts.
-2 Skill Dice -1 level. For Challenges, the Power, Resilience, and Mind Tracks no longer recover automatically during the Draw Phase.
+2 Skill Dice +1 level. For Challenges, the Power, Resilience, and Mind Tracks recover during the Draw Phase even if they were moved during the preceding round.
+3 Play a second Assist or Interrupt within a turn once per round. This may also apply to the Draw Phase or Discard Phase.
+4 Skill Dice additional +1 level; no penalties from sight or swimming. The Skill Dice bonus stacks with the bonus from +2. The loss of penalties from sight occurs in all situations, including Skill Dice penalties while in darkness, being targeted by a Hidden or Invisible entity, and so on. Challenges gain +1 to their base Power, Resilience, and Mind Tracks.
+5 Immediate Move and/or Action. If both are performed, they may be performed in any order. Skill then resets. Obstacles instead gain a +1 bonus to their base and current Power, Resilience, and Mind values until the end of the scenario.

Interpretation

Stat Tracks primarily convey situational advantages or disadvantages of various types. At best, they are tangentally related to an individual entity's actual capabilities, including their physical prowess and overall smarts.

Starting values ranging from -2 to +2 do allow for various specialties and focuses to apply. This sometimes results in small bonuses and penalties at the start of a scenario. Mostly, though, positive starting values make it easier to turn related buffs into major advantages while also resisting related debuffs. Similarly, negative starting values make it easier to suffer painful consequences from imposed disadvantages while making it tougher to turn situational advantages into real boons.

This is why, for instance, PC starting values differ across each scenario depending on their Roles and Gear. A character might be quite clever at fighting, enjoying a bonus to initial Hand Limits in combat, but have no equivalent benefit when dealing with other types of problems. That doesn't say very much definitively about the character's overall intelligence.

Even a character with a Mind penalty in every scenario might still be very smart; perhaps they're just better at reading and learning than at applying knowledge broadly and properly to conflict. Likewise, a character with consistently high Mind could be as dim as a sack of bricks; but they thrive on conflict and competition, showing surprising aptitude and cleverness in those situations.

Essentially, Stat Tracks condense and simplify a number of potential buff and debuff effects into a single standardized system. They are not equivalent to the more descriptive character statistics that many other game systems utilize. Any efforts to interpret them as statements about a character's proficiencies and capabilities should be narrow and/or vague at most.

stat_track.txt · Last modified: 2019/05/09 12:10 by triptycho