Status bars are key to keeping your character alive. There are seven different ones, and their color, amount, and caption are determined by the player's current condition.
Status Bar Set-up[]
Each status bar has a certain color, amount of sections, and caption above it. Next to each one is an arrow either pointing away or towards the bar, colored green if pointed away and red if pointed towards.
- The player starts out with all their bars full, except for the temperature bar.
- The different characteristics correspond to each other, for example, if the hunger bar were green, it would also have to be full to nearly full and have 'sated hunger' above it.
Arrows show if that stat is going up or down. For example, the hunger bar constantly has a red arrow, unless the player eats something.
Color determines at a glance how well your stat is. It corresponds to the amount of sections. Green is good, orange is bad, red is very bad. For temperature, blue means it is cold, grey means it is a moderate temperature, and orange means it is hot.
The caption shows what type of stat it is, and verbally how well you are in that stat.
Stat Bars[]
Each stat bar is different, but they all must be kept in the green to survive.
Nourishment[]
Hunger is an important stat to keep up. However, you can put yourself in danger by eating potentially poisonous foods, such as unknown mushrooms and berries or raw/spoiled meat. Make sure to cook your meat before eating and, if at all possible, never eat berries/mushrooms you can't identify as non-poisonous(if you have Botany skill, you can identify non-poisonous food.) Currently, blue-colored berries are always safe, though.
Malnourishment will result in weakness, the character will get fewer moves per turn, lowered carrying capacity and will eventually die if left untreated. Fortunately, malnourishment takes a long time to kick in, but it can also be very difficult to get out of unless the player can get their hands on some medium meat, so be careful not to let it go for too long.
- Decreases: Over time.
- Increases: By eating food and drinking liquids other than water. (Corn-a-cola, tannin tea) The repeatable encounter at Zom Zom's is a great source of nourishment. Be careful, their meat contributes to becoming a Wendigo. If you are near the DMC, better visit the "Last Chance" Canteen, Concrete Forest Apartments' Canteen truck or the Red Gnome Diner. In an emergency, Rehydration and Micronutrition Therapy can restore both nourishment and hydration.
Hydration[]
Thirst is also very important, however care should be taken in how it's restored. Infected water can be potentially fatal, and soda and whiskey can cause unwanted side effects. Make sure to hydrate using only sterilized water unless desperate.
Poor hydration will result in weakness, the character will get fewer moves per turn, lowered carrying capacity and will eventually die if left untreated. This bar decreases pretty quickly, so it's recommended to keep some bottled water on hand at all times.
- Decreases: Over time, faster with diarrhea, vomiting and blood loss, eating crackers and cured meat.
- Increases: Drinking liquids, particularly water, and eating most foods that don't decrease it will increase it by at least a little. Eating at the Red Gnome Diner will also restore hydration somewhat. In an emergency, Rehydration and Micronutrition Therapy can restore both nourishment and hydration.
Negative effects of a low nourishment or hydration level include
- Lower heal rates
- Slightly weakened immunity
- Less moves per turn
- Lower defense
- Ability to carry less
- Death
Rest[]
Rest is important for keeping your strength up so you can travel and fight, but other people can steal items from you or even kill you while you sleep.
If this bar is empty for a few turns, the player will suddenly pass out and stay unconscious until the bar is sufficiently higher. This can be dangerous, as the character will continue to get hungrier and thirstier, and is extremely vulnerable. Passing out during a fight is pretty much fatal unless your opponent is in a charitable mood and willing to just loot you and leave.
- Decreases: Over time, faster when running, most actions during combat, after a caffeine/sugar crash. Decreases more slowly with the Athletic skill.
- Increases: By sleeping, preferably with a sleeping bag after taking zolpidem in a well-hidden or secured area. Insomniacs will often have a very difficult time sleeping, at least without zolpidem. A caffeine/sugar high will temporarily increase this stat, but be wary of the crash.
Negative effects of exhaustion include
- The ability to carry less (when weary)
- The player is more obvious to NPCs (slightly when tired but much more so when weary)
- Increased metabolism (when weary)
- Sounder sleep (Easier to sleep, harder to wake)
- Lowered defense (slightly when tired but more so when weary)
- Passing out (Only occurs at very low levels)
Carrying Capacity[]
The more weight you are holding, the lower this bar is. A heavy burden can slow you down greatly. Becoming very hungry, thirsty, tired or badly wounded can limit your ability to carry your stuff with you, making this bar drop drastically.
- Decreases: When weight is added to your pack or put in your hands, when your body becomes weaker. Feeble characters have a lower carrying capacity.
- Increases: By taking objects out of your pack or hands, returning to good health. Strong characters have a higher carrying capacity.
- The default carrying capacity for an uninjured player without Feeble or Strong (unburdened) is 25 kg.
Comfort[]
Comfort bar indicates how hot or cold you are. Hypothermia can be debilitating and even fatal in a world without medical care, and heat stroke is dangerous as well, so ensuring comfort should be one of your first priorities. When in a hospital gown only, it takes from 6 to 16 hours to freeze to death, so you should find some clothes or a heat source quickly. If this bar becomes empty, the player will freeze to death or pass out from the heat, depending on which scenario caused it.
- Colder: Low outdoor temperature (see below)
- Hotter: High outdoor temperature (be wary of furs, especially Dogman fur coat), caffeine/sugar rush.
Negative effects of Hypothermia (cold) include
- Lowered heal rates (slightly when freezing but much more so when hypothermic)
- Less turns per move (-1 when freezing and -2 when hypothermic)
- Lowered defense (a little when freezing and slightly more when hypothermic)
- Harder to sleep (Only when shivering)
- Faster fatiguing (Only when shivering)
- Death
Negative effects of Hyperthermia (heatstroke) include
- Increased water use i.e. sweating (Mostly when sweating, and decreases as the condition gets worse)
- Decreased sleep quality (Mostly when suffering heat exhaustion, slightly when sweating, and not at all during heat stroke)
- Decreased defense (Effect amount decreases in the following order: Heat stroke, Heat exhaustion, Sweating)
- Death
Outdoor Temperature[]
Outside temperature bar shows if it is hot or cold where you are. The colder it gets the better clothed you have to be to prevent your Comfort from starting to drop. The base temperature fluctuates randomly over time, but it can be influenced by several outside factors.
- Decreases: Nighttime, rain (reduced by shelter), removing clothing, seasonal change.
- Increases: Daytime, a heat source and/or sleeping bag in the player's camp, wearing clothing, seasonal change.
Additionally, if enough time is spent wandering the map, the seasons will change and outdoor temperature will change with it.
Blood / Pain Level[]
It indicates if you are in pain or if you've recently lost blood. Being in pain can limit your actions greatly, and both can be deadly if left alone, so keep a close eye on this bar. Perscription painkillers will lower this by 3 tier, ranging from severe to minor, Over-The-Counter Painkillers will lower it by 2. Note that only the lower of the two are shown if both stats are lowered. See the medical status bars below for more detailed information. If your blood loss is really low it can cause your character to get severe hypothermia even if outdoor temperature bar is fine and you are fully clothed and next to a fire in the exam room 17 campground.
Negative effects of blood loss include
- Decreased heal rated (slightly under mild blood loss, more so under severe blood loss)
- Increased fatigue (Slightly under mild, more so under severe)
- Ability to carry less (Slightly under mild, more so under severe)
- Increased metabolism (Slightly under mild, more so under severe)
- Reduced ability to recover from heat loss (Slightly under mild, more so under severe)
- 1 Less move per turn (Only when severe)
- Decreased defense (Only when severe)
- Death
Negative effects of pain include
- Decreased sleep quality (slightly when in mild pain, more so when in extreme pain)
- Decreased concealment (slightly when in mild pain, more so when in extreme pain)
- Decreased moves per turn (-1 when in mild pain, -2 when in extreme pain)
- Decreased defense (slightly when in mild pain, more so when in extreme pain)
- Blackouts
Medical Status Bars[]
Those three bars are shown on Condition window and only to characters knowing Medic skill. They give detailed insight into main statistics regarding character's current health state.
Blood Supply[]
Amount of blood inside your body - the lower the bar gets, the more blood you've lost. Less blood inside means that you are closer to passing out and you'll need more time to get back to normal. To regenerate your blood level your body needs more water and so it raises your dehydration rate.
- Decreases: Bleeding, being sick or poisoned. Drinking whiskey will actually decrease this stat temporarily, reflecting the reduced blood oxygen levels.
- Increases: Over time, faster when well hydrated and with wounds properly bandaged, blood transfusion.
Immune System[]
Strength of the character's body natural defense mechanisms. The more filled the bar is, the more resistant to infections and poisons the player's character is. The lower the bar is, the greater the chance to attract additional symptoms and it becomes harder to fight existing ones.
- Decreases: Leaving wounds open, using dirty bandages, coming down with Cholera, Blue Rot, or poisoning.
- Increases: Over time, resting in good conditions, cleaning and binding open wounds. Antibiotics, tannin tea and nanorobotic suspension treatments all boost this stat temporarily.
Pain Tolerance[]
Shows if the character is feeling any pain and how affected he is by it. The lower it gets, the more restricted the character will be by the overwhelming pain. At about 2/3 full (minor pain) the character gets one less move per round, and at 1/3 full (severe pain) the character gets two less moves per turn. At empty the character goes into shock. Also, the character does not become more accustomed to pain, over time. To remove it, player needs to use some pain killing method or get rid of the source of pain.
- Decreases: Being wounded, infection, advanced stages of poisoning. Cleaning out a wound with Whiskey will briefly increase the pain given by that wound.
- Increases: Over time, better with rest. Painkillers boost it for some time.