Nerve and Scent

How it works

1. NERVE drains in the dark, at night, alone in the wilds, near the dead (specials, demons and the wendigo the worst), when you are badly hurt, covered in blood or out in night fog. Watch the heart: it beats faster as your nerve slips.
2. It comes back with light around you, at your base or a trader, with party members or your dog close, in daylight, from coffee or tea (once every ten minutes) and under a shower or in a bath.
3. Below 60 you are Shaky (your aim wanders), below 35 Frayed (worse, and your breathing is loud), below 15 Breaking. It never kills you and never takes control, but low nerve brings visions and, deep down, the Thin Veil (see The Thin Veil).
4. SCENT builds from blood (kills, melee most of all, and your own bleeding), grime (days without washing) and raw meat in your pack. Blood shows on your body as it builds.
5. Your scent drifts downwind: the small arrow on the SCENT bar points where. The dead downwind of you come to check it out; upwind of you, they have to see or hear you first.
6. Wash it off: deep water and rain take blood off, a shower and a bath do it best. Grime only fully comes off with soap: use a Bar of Soap, then rinse within a minute and a half to be Clean (you pick up scent at half the rate for a while).

Tips

• The Dread Hours job buff drains Nerve faster until you hand the job in.
• Soap turns up in medicine cabinets and sinks, and traders sell it now and then. HOMESTEAD Bathhouse teaches you to boil it at a campfire.
• The Hollow Shower (Bathhouse rank I) runs while pipes reach water, a dew collector or a water tank, like the sprinklers. Power it for hot water: much better for your nerve. The Hollow Bathtub (rank II) calms you the most.
• Steady Nerves slows your nerve loss; Shadow Walker lowers your scent. HOMESTEAD Steady Mind (nerve drains 8% slower per rank), Iron Will (rank I halves the aim and breathing penalties of low nerve, rank II halves how often visions come) and Unscented (scent 10% weaker per rank) branch off Bathhouse.
• Remedies (Medical magazines): Calming Tonic (level 15): +25 Nerve, and nerve drains less than half as fast for 10 minutes. Smelling Salts (25): +40 Nerve at once, once every 5 minutes. Scent Masker (35): scent 60% weaker for 15 minutes, the blood stays on.
• Each class has a twist: Hunter scent 20% weaker; Engineer steadies faster in light and at base; Medic drains 10% slower and steadies party members near; Brawler gets 3 Nerve back per melee kill; Occultist enters the Thin Veil sooner and leaves later, and Whisperer and Hollow Lord slow nerve drain; Scavenger finds an extra Veil Shard in every Hollow Cache.
• Both can be set to FORGIVING, HARSH or OFF in HOLLOW SETTINGS.