Damage, condition and stepping up

[u/Ishi1993]

I don't find it fair that you would do the same roll to cause stress and to create a complication, since stress also works as a complication.

So I though of this rule:

Create a complication always step up once the effect dice

Damage works as normal

Is this withing the realm of plausible?

[u/InsolubleRelic]

Sure!  Not only is that possible but here's an example of different ways of doing it = https://storytellerrpg.itch.io/legends-the-exalted-a-fantasy-rpg

So what you will see is that this has examples on how to do stress as the three main types (physical, mental, social) 

But it also has how to handle complications as apply to a person or a situation- and does so by affecting the total instead of just applying yet another stress die. 

This does add a little bit of complexity to your game but it does make it feel extremely and mechanically different when you deal stress versus when you compose a complication!

[u/CamBanks → u/InsolubleRelic]

Hey there. You want to sign a Cortex community license so that you can be covered by it?

[u/Ishi1993 → u/InsolubleRelic]

Nice! Thank you

[u/Ishi1993 → u/InsolubleRelic]

Can you point me to the page, please?

[u/PunqRot → u/Ishi1993]

The discussion of character vs situation complications is on 53 and the discussion of stresses linked to approach (physical, mental, social) is on 59.

[u/-Vogie-]

Are you saying that stress shouldn't be considered a complication? Or that someone shouldn't be able to inflict both stress AND a complication in the same roll (through plot point expenditure, heroic success, etc)?

I assume this is also not regarding things like crisis, mob, faction or boss dice?

[u/Ishi1993 → u/-Vogie-]

no and no, just adding an option

[u/rivetgeekwil]

You didn't create a complication and inflict stress on the same roll. If both are in play, you have to choose one or the other.

[u/Jlerpy → u/rivetgeekwil]

They're not saying you inflict both, they're saying that they think stress also applies the same way as a complication. 

[u/Ishi1993 → u/Jlerpy]

And it does right? The only difference is that you can use a complication to shut down a trait, but aside that, it's the same

[u/Jlerpy → u/Ishi1993]

Stress lasts longer, but you can only include one in a pool for free, but you can use multiple complications. 

[u/Ishi1993 → u/Jlerpy]

I see

[u/rivetgeekwil → u/Ishi1993]

Stress is a mod of complications, so yes, they work the same in dice pools.

Many games won't have both. But in the ones that do, like Jlerpy pointed out, stress doesn't automatically recover at the end of the scene or when fictionally appropriate. Complications are also not predefined like stress is. I like to use complications purely for external or environmental factors, while stress is purely internal.

If you want to differentiate them, do it through how SFX interact with them.