All characters in When the Moon Hangs Low have a pool of Resolve: an abstract measure of a their willpower, mental fortitude, and spiritual strength. Characters use Resolve to activate unique powers called Edges, but it is also lost when they confront awful creatures, or are witness to disturbing sights. If a character runs out of Resolve their Curse will become more severe, until it completely consumes them.
Resolve is a precious resource which must be carefully managed. Do you use your Edges to deal with a threat? Or rely on strength of arms and cunning, and save your Resolve for steeling yourself against the dark?
Regaining Resolve
Resolve can be regained through a number of methods. Six hours of rest will restore a quarter of a character’s full Resolve. Certain items or alchemical potions can be used to recover a small amount of Resolve (usually a few d6 worth). The best way to recover Resolve is by using the Convalesce downtime action, which allows a character to recover all of their Resolve.
Running Out of Resolve
When a character runs out of Resolve it means two things. Firstly then cannot use any Edges until they regain at least one point of Resolve. Secondly, and more importantly, the character’s curse will increase in severity by a degree.
Curses
Every hunter carries with them a terrible curse as a result of their Mark. Every curse has five degrees of severity. These run from Nascent, to Touched, to Embraced, to Consumed, and finally to Lost. Characters begin play with their curse as Nascent. At this stage the curse confers no penalties to the character. When a character runs out of Resolve their curse increases to the next degree of severity.
Characters can reduce the severity of their curse by using the Recuperate action, but as downtime actions are limited, they must choose if they want to reduce their curse, heal their wounds, or recover their Resolve.
If a character’s curse increases to the degree of Lost they are removed from the story as a player character. They may still appear as an antagonist controlled by the Gamemaster, but they will be driven by new drives and seek to harm the other characters rather than help them. The exact reason a character becomes lost depends on their curse, and the exact reason they are no longer playable varies, but generally such doomed hunters vanish into the darkness before they can hurt their former allies. However, a few unfortunates may turn on their friends.