Tome of Prowess (3.5e Sourcebook)/Endurance

Endurance

Endurance is a reactive skill; you will only roll it in response to outside stimuli. It allows you to ignore your own physical limits and push on despite fatigue, aggravated wounds, or continually damaging environments. Characters who invest heavily in this skill can push themselves much longer than those who do not, ignore or fight off debilitating magical effects like disintegrate, and sprint for hours at a time.

Key Attribute: Constitution

Special

Taking actions at the different paces tires a character out at different rates. Everyone can move flat-out for 1 round per point of constitution, so even those of average constitution can run for at least a minute. Moving at a hustling pace for 1 minute is equivalent to 1 round of running. As most fights happen at this pace, this means that battles lasting longer than 1 minute per point of constitution may be hazardous for characters. Lastly, moving in a normal way for 15 minutes is equivalent to 1 round of running. While that doesn’t have much bearing on combat, it does mean that you can walk across the mountains for a few hours, resting for a few minutes every hour, without really wearing yourself out. Abilities in the Endurance skill can extend these times, and characters who invest in this skill can do substantially more.

Untrained Uses

Continue Exertion

Whatever action pace brings you to your limit, characters have to start making checks to see if they become tired once there. This is an endurance skill check, or just a constitution check if the skill is untrained. The base DC for this check is 10 or the DC to traverse the terrain, if it is difficult. Use the highest DC applicable. The results of this check appear in the check result table below, and include fatigue and exhaustion. You suffer a penalty to this check based on your exertions since you were last fully rested, however, generally as a result of previous checks.

If you become fatigued during your exertion, you’re done moving faster than a hustle for a while, since the condition actually disallows taking any flat-out actions. If you become exhausted during your exertion, it stops you from doing pretty much anything beyond a normal pace, since it disallows everything except walking or other actions at the normal pace. You may also fall unconscious when you acquire the exhausted condition, if you have taken enough subdual damage, and that disallows everything except sleeping it off. Any subdual damage acquired will need to heal normally and does not heal at all during any hour in which you acquire more of it.

To become fully rested after an exertion, you have to rest for a while. Resting in this case means not taking any actions at even the normal pace, though you can take 5' moves to "walk it off" if you like. You must rest for 1 round per round of flat-out action or 1 minute, whichever is less. After the time has passed, you are considered fully rested, and you are no longer fatigued if you acquired that condition as a result of these checks. If you became exhausted as part of your exertion, you must rest for 10 minutes to clear that condition before any time spent counts towards you being fully rested and clearing the fatigued condition. If you fell unconscious during your exertion, you have to wait for the subdual damage to heal to the point where you regain consciousness before you can begin to recover from exhaustion. It takes a lot of time to recover from that sort of strain, so you should probably not do it unless you're really desperate.

If you begin exerting yourself before you have become fully rested, your previous penalty is reduced by 1 point for each round spent resting after clearing the unconscious and exhausted conditions, if they applied, but you must begin making checks as soon as you have moved the equivalent of 1 round at a flat-out pace with the current penalty.

Special: Characters who reach their limit by taking actions almost exclusively at the normal pace are granted a bonus to continuing their exertion. They may take 10 on these checks as long as they continue to proceed almost exclusively at the normal pace. In addition, they only need to make a check after every 2 check periods. "Almost exclusively" in this case means no more than 1 full period of hustling or flat-out action before you reach your limit, and then no more than 2 rounds of hustling action for each extended period once you have reached your limit and are making checks. If you exceed these limits, you may not take 10 on your checks and must make a check after each period.

Base DC: 10 or difficult surface DC
Check Result:

• DC+0 and above: You suffer a cumulative -1 penalty to this check. This penalty lasts until it is reduced through resting as described above.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You suffer a cumulative -2 penalty to this check. This penalty lasts until it is reduced through resting as described above. You also suffer 2 points of subdual damage per level, but never enough to cause you to lapse into unconsciousness. If suffering this damage would cause you to fall unconscious, reduce the damage dealt until the point where you would not lose consciousness.
• DC-6 and below: You suffer a cumulative -2 penalty to this check. This penalty lasts until it is reduced through resting as described above. You also suffer 4 points of subdual damage per level and become fatigued. If you are already fatigued, or are immune to fatigue and have rolled this result before without becoming fully rested, you become exhausted. Unlike the previous result, this subdual damage can render you unconscious.

Rank 1 Uses

Suck It Up

Some hazards and battles will be painful, and that pain can interrupt and ruin an action or drive you closer to death. You can ignore that pain to some degree. As a free action at the beginning of your turn, you may attempt to ignore certain types of action-interrupting pain, such that you suffer no penalty from it for a short time. The DC for this check depends on what the source of your pain is.

You can ignore wounds from caltrops or similar movement reducing injuries and move at full speed with a DC 15 check. You can take strenuous actions at 0 hit points without incurring damage with a DC 20 check. Lastly, you can make a check to stop a continuous injury, like being on fire or submersed in acid, from interrupting an action or requiring you to take an action you would prefer not to. The DC is equal to 15 + 1 per four points of damage you suffer from continuous sources this round. Damage from instantaneous sources, like being stabbed or flame striked, is not added to this total, since resisting instantaneous damage effects is a function of the Concentration skill.

Base DC: Varies, see above
Check Result:

• DC+5 and above: You suffer no effects from your injured condition for up to 1 minute, so long as you don't suffer new conditions on injuries. After this time, or when you acquire a new injury or condition, you must make checks as normal. Note that continuous exposure to a damaging environment counts as a new injury each round, so you won't ever be able to ignore side effects from those for more than 1 round.
• DC+0 to DC+4: You don't allow the damage to your body to bother you, and suffer no debilitation conditions from your injuries this round. Live it up while you can.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You suffer the full effects of your injured conditions this round, but you don't lose control. If you would normally have to spend an action to continue an interruptable action this round, you must still expend that action even though you fail to make any progress this round. If you choose not to expend the action, your lose all of your progress and must restart later.
• DC-6 and below: The pain is too much, and you can't control your body precisely. In addition to suffering the full effects of your injuries this round, you are unable to keep the pain from causing a spasm that ruins any interruptable actions you were attempting. This may also waste the attempt as well.

Rank 4 Uses

Not… Finished… Yet…

Alternate Ability

As discussed in the related concentration ability, this ability may not be appropriate for some styles of games. You can go ahead and substitute the following ability if you prefer, though it drastically reduces the value of the skill: Not... Finished... Yet...: You may add the higher of your Strength or Constitution modifier to your Fortitude saving throws. You may change which bonus is applied at any time, with no action required.

Some people just refuse to lay down and die, even as their bodies are slowly turning to stone, and can even turn the process back. You may attempt to fight off any lingering effects resulting from a failed Fortitude save. This includes death effects like finger of death, petrification effects like flesh to stone, and other status effect inducing abilities. While it does include persistent damage over time effects that do not allow additional saves, it does not include instantaneous damage effects. If a spell contains both an instantaneous damage effect and a status effect, only the status effect may be fought with this ability. While you are attempting to fight off the condition, you may suffer either the standard effect or the stunned condition, whichever is less bad. Being stunned is generally preferable to being petrified or dead, for example. If you have any immunity to the stunned condition, it does not apply to these cases.

The DC for this check is the save DC + the spell level. You may only fight one effect per round with this ability and may not use this ability in any round that you also fight an effect with the Concentration or Escape Artistry abilities. Fighting an effect in this way is a free action, though. You may not attempt this check before the start of your turn after failing the save against the effect. If an effect grants a new save every round, you may not make this check in any round that you also make a save against the effect. The check results below indicate how you respond to the mental effect.

Base DC: Spell save DC + the spell level
Check Result:

• DC+10 and above: You shrug off the effect as if you had made your saving throw, suffering all effects normally associated with a successful saving throw. You no longer need to make these checks, as there is nothing left to fight against from this effect.
• DC+5 to DC+9: You are able to act normally this round, as you fight your debilitating condition back for now. You suffer damage from persistent effects this round as if you had made a successful save. You gain a +3 cumulative bonus to any future checks to resist the effect. If your total check bonus reaches +5, you immediately shrug off the effect as if you had made your initial saving throw, and no longer need to make checks against the effect.
• DC+0 to DC+4: You are able to take a standard action normally this round, as you work to keep your debilitating condition in check. You take only half damage from a persistent effect this round, or the amount you would suffer on a successful save, whichever is greater. You gain a +2 cumulative bonus to any future checks to resist the effect. If your total check bonus reaches +5, you immediately shrug off the effect as if you had made your initial saving throw, and no longer need to make checks against the effect.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You force yourself to get a swift action off normally this round, though you are gradually losing to your debilitating condition. You suffer a −2 cumulative penalty to any future checks to resist the effect. If your total penalty reaches −5, you immediately suffer the full effects of the spell or ability and may no longer make checks to resist it.
• DC-6 to DC-10: You are unable to rally yourself to take any action free of the effect this round, instead suffering fully under your debilitating condition. You suffer a −3 cumulative penalty to any future checks to resist the effect. If your total penalty reaches −5, you immediately suffer the full effects of the spell or ability and may no longer make checks to resist it.
• DC-11 and below: You immediately succumb to the effect, as if your total penalty had reached −5. You may not make additional checks to resist it.

Cardio Trained

Adventurers ran and climbed and swam, and they did it for longer periods than the peaceful masses. You can move flat-out for two rounds per point of your Constitution score, and after you reach this limit, you make checks for each additional two rounds of flat-out action. This also means that you can move at a hustle for two minutes per point and take unhurried paced actions for 30 minutes per point. The base DC for fatigue checks after this point is 15 or the DC of the terrain you’re crossing +5, whichever is greater, and you suffer a penalty based on your check results since your last rest. The results of this check appear in the check result table below.

To become fully rested after an exertion, you must rest for 1 round per round of flat-out action or 2 minutes, whichever is less. Fatigue is eliminated after just 1 minute of rest, or when you are fully rested (whichever occurs first). Exhaustion reduces to fatigue after only five minutes, and it must still be cleared before any rest counts towards resetting your exertion levels or towards any bonus to continued exertion checks. Any subdual damage acquired will need to heal normally and does not heal at all during any hour in which you acquire more of it. If you begin exerting yourself before you have become fully rested, you reduce your penalty by 1 for every 2 rounds spent resting, but must begin making checks as soon as you have moved the equivalent of 2 rounds at a flat-out pace.

This ability supersedes the standard running rules.

Base DC: 15 or difficult surface DC +5 (whichever is greater)
Check Result: As Continue Exertion.

Rank 8 Uses

Paragon Athlete

Running twice as far as others before tiring isn't enough. You can move flat-out for one minute per point of your Constitution score, and after you reach this limit, you make checks for each additional minute of running. This also means that you can hustle for ten minutes per point and walk for 2 hours per point; you can probably stop worrying about walking at this point. The base DC for fatigue checks after this point is 20 or the DC of the terrain you’re crossing +10, whichever is greater, and you suffer a penalty based on your check results since your last rest. The results of this check appear in the check result table below.

To become fully rested after an exertion, you must rest for 7 rounds per minute of flat-out action or 8 minutes, whichever is less. Fatigue is eliminated after just four minutes of rest, or when you are fully rested (whichever occurs first). Exhaustion reduces to fatigue after ten minutes, and it must still be cleared before any rest counts towards resetting your exertion levels or towards any bonus to continued exertion checks. Any subdual damage acquired will need to heal normally and does not heal at all during any hour in which you acquire more of it. If you begin exerting yourself before you have become fully rested, you reduce your penalty by a +1 bonus for every seven rounds spent resting, but must begin making checks as soon as you have moved the equivalent of a minute at a flat-out pace.

This ability supersedes the standard running rules and the Tri-Athlete ability.

Base DC: 20 or difficult surface DC +10 (whichever is greater)
Check Result: As Continue Exertion.

Rank 12 Uses

Marathon Machine

You could probably sprint marathons without much difficulty. You can move flat-out for ten minutes per point of your Constitution score before you need to begin making checks. You can therefore hustle for 100 minutes per point, and that’s about the point where you can stop tracking hustling time. When you have run to that limit, you must make an Endurance check, and an additional one for each additional ten minutes that you move flat-out. The DC for this check is 25 or the DC of the terrain you are crossing +15, whichever is greater, and you suffer a penalty based on your check results since your last rest. The results of this check appear in the check result table below.

To become fully rested after an exertion, you must rest for half the time you moved at a flat-out rate or an hour, whichever is less. Fatigue is eliminated after 20 minutes of rest, or when you are fully rested (whichever occurs first). Exhaustion reduces to fatigue after 15 minutes, and it must still be cleared before you any rest counts towards resetting your exertion levels or towards any bonus to continued exertion checks. Any subdual damage acquired will need to heal normally and does not heal at all during any hour in which you acquire more of it. If you begin exerting yourself before you have become fully rested, you reduce the penalty to your check by 1 for every five minutes spent resting, but must begin making checks as soon as you have moved the equivalent of ten minutes at a flat-out pace.

This ability supersedes the standard running rules as well as the Tri-Athlete and Paragon Athlete abilities.

Base DC: 25 or difficult surface DC +15 (whichever is greater)
Check Result: As Continue Exertion.

Rank 14 Uses

Chase the Setting Sun

Your races are the things of legend, lasting longer than most people regularly stay awake. You can move flat-out for an hour per point of your Constitution score before you need to begin making checks. When you have run to that limit, you must make an Endurance check, and an additional one for each additional hour that you move flat-out. The DC for this check is 30 or the DC of the terrain you are crossing +20, whichever is greater, and you suffer a penalty based on your check results since your last rest. The results of this check appear in the check result table below.

You must rest for the half the duration of your run or 8 hours, whichever is less, before you are fully rested and can run in this fashion again; most characters just sleep it off at this point. Fatigue is eliminated after 30 minutes of rest, or when you are fully rested (whichever occurs first). Exhaustion reduces to fatigue after 15 minutes, and it must still be cleared before any rest counts towards resetting your exertion levels or towards any bonus to continued exertion checks. Any subdual damage acquired will need to heal normally and does not heal at all during any hour in which you acquire more of it. If you begin exerting yourself before you have become fully rested, you reduce the penalty to your check by 1 for every half hour spent resting, but must begin making checks as soon as you have moved the equivalent of an hour at a flat-out pace.

This ability supersedes the standard running rules as well as all of the other ones above.

Base DC: 30 or difficult surface DC +20 (whichever is greater)
Check Result: As Continue Exertion.

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