# Strain
💢Strain is a Character’s overall mental pressure, including stress, pain, exhaustion, cold, hunger, etc.
## Recording Strain
When a Character is in a state which would cause 💢Strain, record it as a ⚕️Status effect.

You need to record the following pieces of information (which the storyteller will give you):
- Brief description of the injury (usually 1 or 2 words)
- Whether it is "Strain" or "Impairment"
- The [severity rating](#strain-severity)

Here are some examples of how you might record various 💢Strain ⚕️Status effects:
- Leg bruise (strain) | 1
- Ankle sprain (impairment) | 3
- IMPAIRMENT: concussion | 2
- Strain (supplies): 3
- 4 strain due to cold

Choose whichever format is easiest for you to understand, as long as the storyteller can easily find the 3 pieces of important information listed above.

### Strain Severity
💢Strain severity is a number which corresponds to how straining a ⚕️Status is.  
<span class="subline">Many ⚕️Status effects record a rating to indicate how powerful they are, which we call Severity for 💢Strain ⚕️Status effects.</span>

Severity should follow a scale corresponding to these example injuries:
| Severity | Injury examples |
|-|-|
| 1-2 | Severe bruise, large cut |
| 3-4 | Non-vital gunshot wound, deep gash |
| 5+ | Limb destruction, vital bleeding |

In practice, this scale generally ends at the point the Character would fail an [Exhaustion Challenge](/exhaustion_challenges.md).
<span class="subline">It should usually be impossible for any Character, no matter how hardy, to stay conscious with 10 or more 💢Strain.</span>

<todo style="display: none;">todo: recommend a scale?</todo>

## Strain Effects
### Strained
If a Character has any 💢Strain ⚕️Status effects, apply the following effect:
- During Rest, instead of raising 🌠Willpower to a maximum of 6, raise it to a maximum of 4.

### Impaired
If any of the 💢Strain ⚕️Status effects are 'Impairing', also apply the following effect:
- Using Boost in Challenges costs 2 🌠Willpower instead of 1.