Melee fatigue is the cost of armed combat at close quarters — the strain of armored movement, the cumulative effort of strikes and parries, the strangulation of held breath through an exchange. A character in a long fight accrues windedness fast; in a fight protracted across multiple exchanges, the slower combatant is the one whose windedness reaches its ceiling first. PF accrues per five minutes of active melee.
Symptoms
Heaving chest, sweat pouring under the armor, trembling sword arm, mouth dry, vision narrowing to the opponent’s weapon. Voice strangled or shouted through gasps. The character may not realize how spent they are until the immediate exchange ends.
Progression
A fighter exhausted past their windedness ceiling fights worse — slower parries, slower strikes, narrower attention. Sustained fights resolve in favor of whoever paces their breath best, not necessarily whoever is the better fighter on paper.
Treatment
- Disengage if possible; fall back behind a shield wall or a comrade
- Breathe deeply through the nose; let the heart slow
- Drink if there is time and water is at hand
- A few seconds of recovery between exchanges is often enough; longer if the pace has been brutal
Recovery
Ten minutes of rest reduces windedness fatigue by 5.