H. Suffer Moves

These moves are made as a result of a perilous event or bad outcome on other moves. They represent what happens to you, and how you hold up against the trauma.

• When you face physical damage, make the Endure Harm move.
• When you score a miss on the Endure Harm move, and your health is at 0, you may need to Face Death.
• When your companion is exposed to harm, make the Companion Endure Harm move.
• When you are demoralized, afraid, or acting against your best intentions, make the Endure Stress move.
• When you score a miss on the Endure Stress move, and your spirit is at 0, you may need to Face Desolation.
• When you lose provisions or expend munitions, make the Sacrifice Resources move.
• When your supply falls to 0, all characters make the Out of Supply move. If you are at 0 supply and suffer additional -supply, you each need to reduce your health, spirit, or momentum tracks by that amount.
• When you face a situational delay or narrative disadvantage, Lose Momentum.

Typically these moves are made when you must Pay the Price, but making a suffer move is not the only possible outcome of a failure. You might face story complications or new dangers. You might lose an item. Your relationship with another character might be tested. Keep it fresh and interesting. When in doubt, Ask the Oracle.

The suffer moves are tied to a mechanical result, reducing the value of an associated resource (momentum, health, spirit, supply, or a companion’s health) by an amount appropriate to the severity of the incident or nature of a foe. But when you apply the mechanical cost of a suffer move, don’t just move numbers around. Take a moment to envision the details in the fiction. How does the situation change? What happens next?

Your momentum meter tracks your character’s overall inertia, luck, and confidence, and will ebb and flow through a session. Make this move when you must Pay the Price and face a situational delay or disadvantage. Also, moves and assets will prompt you to Lose Momentum as a cost or concession, and may indicate a specific amount to suffer, phrased as “Lose Momentum (-X).”

When you make this move, reduce your momentum meter according to the nature of the setback: minor (-1), serious (-2), or major (-3). If the cost is open to interpretation, consider the scope of the situation. A minor setback is a slight inconvenience, while a major setback is a dramatic delay or hindrance. If in doubt, make it serious.

Not every new problem should result in a loss of momentum. A complication or danger is often a great enough cost by itself, and doesn’t need mechanical impact to affect your character and story. Use the Lose Momentum move for meaningful but short-lived setbacks. Bigger misfortunes can stand on their own.

When you suffer a loss of momentum while your momentum meter is at its lowest point (-6), the leftover -momentum must be traded for an equal cost through another suffer move. Or it must be accounted for as lost progress in a progress track, using the vow, connection, expedition, or fight that is most relevant to the current situation. Make a choice between those two options as appropriate to the situation, and envision how this setback is reflected in the fiction.

If you fail to defend against an attack, suffer an injury, are stricken with disease or sickness, or bear the brunt of an arduous action, make this move.

When you are forced to Pay the Price, you should Endure Harm if physical damage is an obvious and dramatic outcome of the current situation. Also, some moves and assets will direct you to Endure Harm as a cost or concession, and may indicate a specific amount of harm to suffer.

When you Endure Harm, first, reduce your health meter by the amount of harm suffered: minor (-1), serious (-2), or major (-3). If the cost is open to interpretation, consider the severity of the situation or nature of your foe. For example:

• Minor (1 harm): Unarmed brawl; taking hits from a simple weapon; bumps and bruises; lesser creature attack; tiring effort; mild sickness; exposure to an unhealthy environment.
• Serious (-2 health): Sabers and knives; forceful impact; small arms fire; deadly creature attack; draining effort; lingering sickness; exposure to a toxic environment.
• Major (-3 health): Heavy weaponry; mighty creature attack; stunning injury; exhausting effort; exposure to a deadly environment.

If in doubt, make it serious.

If your health is at 0, you must Lose Momentum and apply any remaining -health to your momentum meter. Then, roll.

Next, you’ll make a choice: Do you attempt to resist this harm and make an action roll, or suffer the cost and move on? If you are at 0 health, you have no choice - you must make the roll.

If you do make the roll, resolve the outcome as detailed. On a strong hit, you are undaunted. You can regain 1 health and Lose Momentum (-1), or take +1 momentum.

On a weak hit, you are battered but manage to persevere.

On a miss, you must suffer an additional -1 health or Lose Momentum (-2). When you score a miss and your health is now at 0, you also need to make an important decision. Do you risk the potential of a dire outcome by rolling on the table, or do you suffer a disability? The wounded disability is temporary and can be dealt when you successfully Heal. But becoming permanently maimed is an enduring, life-changing event.

If you score a miss and your debilities are already marked, you have no choice. Roll the dice and hope for the best.

Make this move when your courage fails you, when you are unnerved or disheartened, or when you act against your best intentions.

When you are forced to Pay the Price, you should Endure Stress if mental hardship is an obvious and dramatic outcome of the current situation. Also, some moves and assets will direct you to Endure Stress as a cost or concession, and may indicate a specific amount of stress to suffer.

When you Endure Harm, first, reduce your spirit meter by the amount of stress suffered: minor (-1), serious (-2), or major (-3). If the cost is open to interpretation, consider the severity of the situation or nature of your foe. For example:

• Minor (1 harm): Doldrums or melancholy; unsettling incident; frustrating failure.
• Serious (-2 health): Loneliness or heartache; shocking incident; demoralizing failure; stinging remorse.
• Major (-3 health): Heart-rending despair; horrifying incident; dreadful failure; profound guilt.

If in doubt, make it serious.

If your spirit is reduced to 0, or was already at 0, you must Lose Momentum and apply any remaining -spirit to your momentum meter. For example, if you were at 1 spirit and suffer major stress (-3), reduce your spirit to 0 and apply the remaining -2 to momentum.

Next, you’ll make a choice: Do you attempt to resist this stress and make an action roll, or suffer the cost and move on? If you are at 0 spirit, you have no choice—you must make the roll.

If you do make the roll, resolve the outcome as detailed. On a strong hit, you are unfazed. You can regain 1 spirit and Lose Momentum (-1), or take +1 momentum.

On a weak hit, you are rattled but carry on.

On a miss, you must suffer an additional -1 spirit or Lose Momentum (-2). When you score a miss and your spirit is now at 0, you also need to make an important decision. Do you risk the potential of a dire outcome by rolling on the table, or do you suffer a debility? The shaken debility is temporary and can be dealt when you successfully Hearten. But becoming hardened is an enduring, life-changing event.

If you score a miss with 0 spirit and those debilities are already marked, you have no choice. Roll on the table to determine your fate.

A companion is an NPC asset which complements your abilities and can help support your actions. When you leverage a companion on a move, you are inherently putting them at risk. If you roll a 1 on your action die when using a companion ability, you should make the companion the focus of any negative outcome for that move. Depending on the fiction of the current situation, this might include harm.

Inflicting harm on your companion might also happen as a reasonable outcome of any move, or through a roll on the Pay the Price table.

Your companion asset has a health track which functions the same as your own. If they face physical damage, reduce the health track as appropriate to the circumstances or the rank of your foe, and take any leftover as -momentum. Then, roll this move.

If your companion’s health is reduced to 0, or was already at 0, you must Lose Momentum and apply any remaining -health to your momentum meter. For example, if they were at 1 health and suffer major harm (-3), reduce their health to 0 and apply the remaining -2 to momentum. To aid your companion, make an appropriate move, such as Heal, Make Camp, or Sojourn.

When your companion’s health is at 0 and you score a miss, they are out of action. You cannot leverage their support until they gain at least +1 health. Envision what this means in the fiction of your scene.

If your companion is killed, give yourself 1 experience point for each marked ability. Then, remove the asset. If you acquire the same type of companion through the narrative of your quest and journeys, you are free to rebuy the asset at the normal cost.

You should also Endure Stress and suffer -spirit as appropriate to the fiction when your companion is wounded or dies.

Make this move to reduce supply when you deplete provisions, expend munitions, use up fuel or energy, give up resources as a trade or concession, or otherwise suffer an impact on your preparedness.

If the cost is open to interpretation, consider the situation and reduce your supply meter as appropriate to the severity. A minor loss might be using up provisions while traveling or using extra ammo in a firefight. A serious loss is a bag getting broken apart or making a costly bribe. A major loss is getting robbed. If in doubt, make it serious. When your supply is reduced to 0, mark deprived.

While you are deprived, you cannot increase your supply track. If you suffer additional -supply while deprived, you and your allies must exchange each -supply for some combination of -momentum, -health, or -spirit. Select an option appropriate to the situation. A lack of provisions can have an obvious impact on your fitness, morale, and readiness for challenges. This debility can be cleared when you successfully Resupply.