Consequences

 Consequences are an optional expansion of the concept of Lasting Injuries (Icons, p. 72) which give players some additional narrative and tactical options in conflicts. In essence, when a character suffers Stamina damage, players may choose to take on a temporary damage-related challenge in exchange for a lessening of the damage level, allowing the character to remain in the conflict longer. The severity of the consequence determines how long it lasts and how much damage it eliminates:


 * A moderate consequence reduces Stamina damage by 2 points and lasts for the duration of the chapter or until treated in some fashion determined by the GM.
 * A major consequence reduces Stamina damage by 5 points and lasts for the duration of the game session.
 * A massive consequence reduces Stamina damage by 10 points and lasts for multiple game sessions (at least two).

The challenge imposed by the consequence can be anything agreed upon by the player and GM, ranging from things like concussion or sprain to muscle pull, fracture, contusion, or even more exotic “injuries” related to a character’s powers or even mental state. For example, a consequence of a particular attack might be some kind of mental trauma, leaving a “flashback” or “traumatized” challenge as a consequence. So long as the temporary challenge is in place, the GM can tag it like any other challenge, and the first tag in each chapter is free, not awarding the player Determination (see Free Tags under Maneuvers).

Example: ''While fighting Gila-Master, Saguaro suffers 6 points of burning damage from one of the sinister shaman’s spells; since that would potentially take him out of the fight, Saguaro’s player offers take apply a major consequence—“crippled”—to Saguaro, for the arm that reached into Gila-Master’s fiery aura. The GM agrees and Saguaro lessens the damage by 5 to only 1 Stamina, allowing him to stay in the fight long enough to triumph. Later, however, as Saguaro is trying to clamber down the side of a sheer mesa, the GM tags his crippled challenge to increase the difficulty, and Saguaro’s player gets no Determination due to the free tag. When the GM tags it again during the confrontation with the criminal gang as the base of the mesa, she awards Saguaro’s player a point of Determination normally, since it is the second tag in the same chapter.''

Characters may only have one consequence of each level of severity at a time. If all three levels are currently “filled” the character can take on no further consequences to lessen Stamina damage.

Consequences and Game Master Characters
Game Master characters can also use consequences to lessen Stamina damage, much like heroes do. The GM announces that a character is doing so and the nature of the challenge applied by the consequence. The heroes get one free tag against the temporary challenge per chapter as a group, that is, one free tag total rather than one per hero.

Example: ''In a confrontation with the heroes, the GM chooses to applythe major consequence “rattled” to the Octofather, representing a blow that leaves him reeling. When the heroes catch up with the fleeing villain, one of them can tag the rattled challenge without spending Determination, but any further tags that chapter cost Determination as usual.''