Thresholds

Characters in Story Arc can have thresholds, which define the extent of any potentially depletable reserves they might have. Most games will use Wound Thresholds, which define a character's health and how easily a character is hurt. Another Threshold common in fantasy games defines a character's reserve of magic and the extent to which it's depleted, though any number of other thresholds are possible. For example, a game might also define physical energy reserves or psychic energy reserves in terms of thresholds.

When a character is created, each of a character's thresholds is assigned a value. Usually this value is equal to one of the character's Attributes (the Attribute in question is predefined, either by the game being played or by a decision during character creation). If the Attribute in question increases during play, this threshold increases. It is, however, possible for the threshold value to be higher than the Attribute (say, due to an item of some kind).

A character's Endurance Attribute always defines his Wound Threshold. A threshold related to any of the various possible paranormal abilities a character might possess, on the other hand, may or may not be associated with any particular Attribute. If not, the Attribute that governs it is chosen during character creation based on the player's vision for the character, within the general framework of common sense and the perameters of the game. Generally, the mental attributes are used for magical abilities (Willpower, Charisma, Intellect, or Intuition). Physical Attributes can be used if the GM believes their use makes sense and will not unbalance the game, although if all hell breaks loose during play, the creators of Story Arc will not be held responsible for the terrible consequences.

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