Companion stress

Companion stress tracks how worn a microglial resident (Pip, Mote or Fen) is from what happened in play. The user decided that stress builds only from play, never from real or idle time, and never harms anyone permanently.

How it works#

Stress rises by 1 (cap 4) when the resident:

• is hit by a telegraphed threat in a room (it stood in the telegraph, or took a Huddle);
• holds a duty that a home disturbance strikes;
• holds someone else's duty while stretched (user, 2 November). This is labelled model-inspired: residents start primed because the body is already stressed.

It never rises from elapsed time or from simply coming along.

Stress falls by 1 on every return home, for free, and by 2 with the Calming visit. The user ruled on 2 November that no single action guarantees 0.

Effects#

No level ever causes neuron loss or anything permanent.

Checked against the rules#

Claude B checked that stress is never a recruiting tax. Bringing a recruit adds no stress by itself, careful players avoid hits, and stress falls for free each return. The visit is optional insurance.

Development#

• 1 Nov: the user first described stress rising over time; the same day they ruled it must come only from play.
• 2 Nov: the duty-covered cause and the "−2, never straight to 0" rule were added.
• In the alpha: after a run room, each telegraphed hit on the companion adds stress (threat-hit). A companion's stress is passed into the next room.

See also#

Calming visit · Hearth strain · Home duties · Recruitment

Sources#

1. 215bfbf88:docs/game-balance/31-turn-based-encounters.mdcopy
2. b89f778c2:src/main-game/alpha/public/encounter/src/services/catalog.jscopy
3. b89f778c2:src/main-game/game/encounters.jscopy