PISS Ministry finding // Nutrition / Stamina / Survival
Nutrition & Stamina
Effort uses physical reserves. Nutrition, hydration, sleep, temperature, fitness and injury affect how long you can keep going.
Nutrition & Stamina System Mechanics
What limits effort and what helps recovery
Movement, terrain and combat actions create a demand for power. Body mass, lean mass and VO2 max, the maximum rate at which the body can use oxygen, help set each character’s capacity for sustained work and the size of their reserves.
Aerobic delivery supplies power using oxygen. Brief, intense actions draw on phosphocreatine, a rapidly available energy store in muscle. A separate anaerobic reserve supports effort beyond current aerobic delivery. Both reserves are finite. Glycogen, carbohydrate stored in muscle and liver, supports continued exertion.
Digestion releases water and nutrients from food and drink over time. Consuming them does not make the full amount immediately available. Glycogen, hydration and sodium levels depend on what has been absorbed as well as what the body has used or lost.
Air temperature, humidity, wind, clothing, exertion and sweating affect core temperature and fluid loss. Time awake increases sleep pressure. The circadian rhythm, the body’s daily sleep and wake cycle, also affects readiness. Injury can limit sustained effort by reducing circulation or oxygen supply.
These conditions affect sprinting, movement, aim, recoil control and reload speed. Recovery depends on what is depleted or impaired. Rest reduces demand on energy reserves; water replaces fluid losses. Food takes time to digest, and neither food nor water directly repairs an injury.
Nutrition & Stamina Glossary
These entries describe the resources and body conditions that determine how much effort a character can sustain.
Body capacity
mass / lean mass / VO2 maxBody mass, lean mass and VO2 max help set sustained power and reserve sizes. VO2 max measures the maximum rate of oxygen use.Activity demand
wattsThe power required by the current action. Difficult terrain and intense activity raise the demand.Aerobic delivery
wattsPower produced using oxygen. Injury can restrict this supply by reducing circulation or oxygen delivery.Burst reserve
joulesThe limited phosphocreatine store used for brief, high-power actions. It depletes during use and recovers after demand falls.Anaerobic reserve
joulesA limited energy reserve that supports work beyond current aerobic delivery when the immediate burst supply is insufficient.Glycogen
muscle / liver kJCarbohydrate stored in muscle and liver for use during exertion. Other dietary calories are tracked separately and cannot immediately replace it.Digestion
remaining intakeFood, water and nutrients still waiting to be absorbed. The body receives them gradually after consumption.Hydration and sodium
mL / mgWater and sodium available to the body. Sweating and normal losses reduce both, affecting heat tolerance and sustained effort.Core temperature
CInternal body temperature. Weather, clothing, effort and sweating affect it. Heat strain can impair performance even when energy remains.Sleep and circadian state
pressure / phaseSleep pressure builds with time awake. The body’s daily rhythm also affects alertness, fatigue and recovery.Exertion readiness
%A combined measure of current capacity for exertion, including power, reserves, fatigue, temperature, hydration and injury. Low readiness means less capacity to keep working and a greater risk of collapse.Gameplay output
sprint / speed / aim / recoil / reloadThe actions the body can currently support: sprinting, movement, aiming, recoil control and reloading. Performance changes as reserves and injury states change.Check which resource or condition is limiting effort. A character who has recovered their burst reserve may still be dehydrated, overheated or injured.
Balance over long sessions, food and drink content, environmental conditions and player feedback are still being developed.