Vim is the potential energy produced by bioforms. Vim is required in order for muscles to move; for spells to be cast; for maintaining life support and mental functions; and, for repairing the body. Vim is a power source. Vim is energy. Vim is life.
Vim is sort of an advanced version of “Hit Points” referenced in other role-playing games.
How Vim Works
Vim is generated every turn and is distributed throughout the body to support core life systems and fight diseases. Remaining vim is available for performing actions. Vim cannot be stored from turn to turn so any unused vim disappears in the form of heat.
The total amount of vim generated per turn varies depending on genetics, nourishment, and rest. Conditions may also affect the amount of vim generated per turn.
A bioform will die if it cannot dedicate vim to Life Support. Depending on the setting, there may be a way to bring bioforms back to life but there are no default rules for this in the StoryHammer role-playing game system.
A Tour of the Vim Tracking Sheet
For tracking your vim, it’s recommended that you use the Vim Tracking Sheet provided here. In addition, you should use counters in the form of coins, washers, or other flat, stackable tokens. You will need about 25 counters.
The Max Vim you have is equal to the sum of the scores of your Move, Think, Will, and Labor attribute(s). At the start of the game, place a number of counters onto the “Life Support” section of your Vim Tracking Sheet equal to your Max Vim.
1. Biological Needs
The Max Vim available will be reduced to accommodate biological needs. As you become hungrier or wearier, your vim production per turn is reduced. This is tracked by moving vim from Life Support to the Hunger or Fatigue sections.
As you take physical or mental trauma, your body uses vim to absorb and repair the damage. This is tracked by moving vim from Life Support to the Clot section.
Diseases, hexes, charms, or other conditions might also reduce the amount of vim available. These are considered Mandatory Conditions. As you receive a mandatory condition, assign a letter to it that correlates to the Vim Tracking Sheet. Move vim to this corresponding spot in order to track vim reduction based on the mandatory condition’s rules.
For example, the “Slumber” condition requires vim to be moved to the condition as slumber trauma is inflicted. This is mandatory and therefore would be assigned the A or B letter in the “Biological Needs” of the tracking sheet.
2. Optional Expenditures
You can utilize idle vim to activate optional conditions.Some settings may make use of vim-powered devices. Order each equipped device into a sequence. The position number of the device in the sequence correlates with the device number on the Vim Tracking Sheet. Move vim to the proper device spot in order to track its vim usage.
Certain ailments and enchantments will either provide a benefit if vim is dedicated or provide a hindrance if vim is not dedicated. These optional conditions are so noted on the Vim Tracking Sheet. As you receive an optional condition, assign a letter to it that correlates to the Vim Tracking Sheet. Move vim to this corresponding spot in order to track vim reduction based on the optional condition’s rules.
For example, the “Focused” condition will provide a benefit to actions as long as one vim is dedicated to the condition. This is an optional condition and therefore would be assigned the C, D, or E letter in the “Optional Expenses” section of the tracking sheet.
3. Life Support
Life Support is vim that can be used for sustaining Life Support Systems and Powers.
- If a character cannot dedicate at least three vim to Life Support at the beginning of a round, then she gains the Condition: Winded.
- If a character cannot dedicate at least two vim to Life Support at the beginning of a round, then she gains the Condition: Unconscious.
- If a character cannot dedicate at least one vim to Life Support at the beginning of a round, then she dies.
4. Powers
Powers is a reserved space as the StoryHammer role-playing game system does not have default Powers. Depending on the setting being used, the rules for how to use the Powers space will change.
Biological Timers
Biological timers reduce Vim over time in order to accommodate the basic needs of the body. The two biological timers are known as Hunger and Fatigue. As time progresses in the game world, the biological timers “tick”, causing vim output to be reduced.
The Hunger timer ticks every hour (in-game), moving 1 vim from Life Support to Hunger. If there are already 5 or more vim dedicated to hunger when the timer ticks, increase the number of Vim to 2.
The Fatigue timer ticks every three hours (in-game), moving 1 vim from Life Support to Fatigue. If there are already 5 or more vim dedicated to fatigue when the timer ticks, increase the number of Vim to 2.
Recovering Vim
As biological needs become more demanding, you will need to take alleviating action or suffer severe consequences from becoming weak, unconscious, or even death. Recovering vim is done in a variety of ways depending on the type of biological need. Hunger is satiated by way of nourishment, Fatigue can be alleviated by way of rest, and Clot can be depleted by way of healing.
Naturally Healing Clot
Clot can naturally heal at a rate of 1 vim per Clot4 turns (that’s the value of Clot to the power of 4). That means if you have one Clot, then it will take one full turn to heal that Clot. If you have two clot, then it takes 16 full turns to heal one clot.
Amount of Clot and number of turns until one vim is naturally healed
| Clot Level | Awake Time | Dormant Time | Medic Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 – 8 seconds | ||
| 2 | 1.5 – 2 minutes | 48 – 64 seconds | 20 – 30 seconds |
| 3 | 8 – 11 minutes | 3 – 4 minutes | 50 – 60 seconds |
| 4 | 25 – 34 minutes | 6.5 – 9 minutes | 1 – 2 minutes |
| 5 | 1 – 1.5 hours | 13 – 17 minutes | 2.5 – 3 minutes |
| 6 | 2 – 3 hours | 22 – 29 minutes | 3.5 – 5 minutes |
| 7 | 4 – 5.5 hours | 34 – 46 minutes | 5 – 6.5 minutes |
| 8 | 6.5 – 9 hours | 51 – 60 minutes | 6.5 – 8 minutes |
| 9 | 11 – 15 hours | 1 – 1.5 hours | 8 – 10 minutes |
| 10 | 17 – 22 hours | 1.5 – 2 hours | 10 – 12 minutes |
| 11 | 1 – 1.5 days | 2 – 3 hours | 12 – 13 minutes |
| 12 | 1.5 – 2 days | 3 – 4 hours | 13 – 17 minutes |
| 13 | 2 – 2.5 days | 4 – 5 hours | 17 – 21 minutes |
| 14 | 2.5 – 3.5 days | 5 – 6 hours | 21 – 25 minutes |
| 15 | 3.5 – 4.5 days | 6 – 7.5 hours | 25 – 30 minutes |
| 16 | 4.5 – 6 days | 7.5 – 9 hours | 30 – 35 minutes |
| 17 | 6 – 8 days | 9 – 11 hours | 35 – 40 minutes |
| 18 | 8 – 10 days | 11 – 13 hours | 40 – 45 minutes |
| 19 | 10 to 12 days | 13 – 15 hours | 45 – 50 minutes |
Recovering Fatigue: Dormancy
Dormancy is a rest that lasts 8 hours or more without arduous activity – including activities of physical, mental, or emotional stress. If a period of dormancy is interrupted with arduous activity, the fatigue recovery will be only partially effective with the percentage of the effect based on the amount of rest earned.
Full dormancy will fully recover fatigue. The rate for healing Clot during this time is reduced to Clot3 turns. The fatigue timer is paused during this time and the tick of the hunger timer is slowed to every 2 hours. For interrupted dormancy, the hunger and fatigue timers work as normal (no slowing or pausing) and the amount of recovered fatigue is based on 1 per hour.
The benefits of 100% dormancy will only apply once in any 24-hour span.
Recovering Fatigue: Short Rest
Fatigue can be reduced by 1 for every hour of rest. The fatigue timer does not pause during this time.
Recovering Hunger: Nourishment
Eating food can alter characters in three different ways depending on quantity and quality of the food: modify the Hunger Timer, reduce Hunger vim, add/replace a mandatory condition
Eating food will reduce an amount of Hunger depending the Food Quality. For each portion of Rounded Food a character eats, they remove a marker from Hunger and place it back to Life Support. On the other hand, it takes five portions of Desperate Food to remove a marker from Hunger and place it back to Life Support.
| Food Quality | Ratio |
|---|---|
| Rounded (nutritious) | 1 to 1 |
| Square (fairly nutritious) | 2 to 1 |
| Junk (not very nutritious) | 3 to 1 |
| Substandard (barely nutritious) | 5 to 1 |
| Type | Units |
|---|---|
| Heavy Meal | 18 |
| Meal | 12 |
| Light Meal | 9 |
| Heavy Snack | 6 |
| Snack | 3 |
| Light Snack | 1 |
Real-world Food Examples
| Description | Example | Units | -Hunger |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rounded Heavy Meal | Pasta Primavera | 18 | 18 |
| Rounded Meal | Luxury Salad | 12 | 12 |
| Rounded Light Meal | Fish Tacos | 9 | 9 |
| Rounded Heavy Snack | Power Bar | 6 | 6 |
| Rounded Snack | Fruit | 3 | 3 |
| Rounded Light Snack | Almonds | 1 | 1 |
| Square Heavy Meal | Burrito | 18 | 9 |
| Square Meal | Lasagna | 12 | 6 |
| Square Light Meal | Fish Tacos | 9 | 9 |
| Square Heavy Snack | Fruit Salad | 6 | 3 |
| Square Snack | PB Crackers | 3 | 1.5 |
| Square Light Snack | Trail Mix | 1 | .5 |
| Junk Heavy Meal | Cheese Casserole | 18 | 4.5 |
| Junk Meal | Fishsticks | 12 | 3 |
| Junk Light Meal | Pizza Rolls | 9 | 2.25 |
| Junk Heavy Snack | Cake | 6 | 1.5 |
| Junk Snack | Cookies | 3 | .75 |
| Junk Light Snack | Potato Chips | 1 | .25 |
| Substandard Heavy Meal | Grainpaste | 18 | 3.6 |
| Substandard Meal | Pet Food | 12 | 2.4 |
| Substandard Light Meal | Rotten Food | 9 | 1.8 |
| Substandard Heavy Snack | Treebark Soup | 6 | 1.2 |
| Substandard Snack | Livestock Feed | 3 | .6 |
| Substandard Light Snack | Grass Clippings | 1 | .2 |