Fatigue, Wounds, and Death

Pheidippides was a fluke.

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As written, it’s possible for a wizard to cast spells (or anyone to over-exert themselves) so that their fatigue is close to their ST. Once in this condition, a small wound is enough to kill. We find this difficult to accept; a very tired person doesn’t die from a moderate flesh wound.

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Accordingly, we change the death rules so that fatigue counts towards unconsciousness, but not towards death. Thus, a small wound will cause a very tired person to faint, but not die.

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For example, suppose Malken the Mage has cast three illusions (2 points each, for 6 fatigue points). His ST of 8 allows him to remain standing, but only barely. An enemy archer then targets him, and an arrow hits for 4 points of damage. Malken now has 4 wounds and 6 fatigue points marked off against his ST of 8. Under standard TFT rules, Malken is dead. Under BC house rules, Malken is unconscious (and stable). Since 15 minutes of rest will regain him 1 fatigue point, he must rest for 1 hour to regain 4 fatigue. At that time, he will have 4 wounds and 2 fatigue, and will recover from his faint.

A Physicker or Master Physicker may perform first aid on an unconscious figure, using the standard TFT rules. This may bring someone back to consciousness more quickly.

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Some foes may be careful enough to slit the throats of their unconscious enemies. If you don’t want an enemy to wake up and try for revenge, make sure to do the same. Or you can use this to capture enemies: get them to fatigue themselves, and then tie them up while they’re unconscious.