Menaces (Guide)
Early MYN Content and Onwards |
Menaces are generally troublesome qualities increased by certain actions. When their levels get too high, something unpleasant may happen.
Introduction[edit]
When you fail a challenge, you may suffer harm in the form of raising qualities called Menaces. The higher a menace gets, the more unpleasant things start happening. The main menaces increase the same way as other qualities: it takes 1 CP to raise a menace to level 1, another 2 CP to raise it to level 2, etc.
Each menace tends to be associated with a certain Attribute — for example, you're more likely to get Nightmares while doing Watchful things. If a menace reaches level 8, the consequences send you to a penalty location, where you'll have to spend actions and maybe resources to reduce that menace in order to escape.
Watchful gains Nightmares which lead to A state of some confusion or The Mirror-Marches.
→ → or
Shadowy gains Suspicion which leads to New Newgate Prison - again!
→ →
Dangerous gains Wounds which lead to a slow boat passing a dark beach on a silent river.
→ →
Persuasive gains Scandal which leads to Disgraced exile in the Tomb-Colonies.
→ →
If you move to a menace location, see Menace Locations (Guide) for how to best escape.
In general, you want to keep your menaces as low as possible, but there may also be times when you'll need to raise a menace on purpose. Ambitions, for instance, require you to visit particular menace locations to proceed at certain points. Since most cards and storylets in the menace locations provide opportunities to reduce the relevant menace, it can be significantly easier to reduce the menace there than in London.
Later in the game, you will start to encounter high-stakes actions that harm you even on success, and even actions that send you directly to a menace location. Don't worry — the effects probably won't be permanent. A major exception is being arrested and sent to New Newgate Prison; this raises your criminal record, which eventually prevents you from using Ablution Absolution. Reducing Criminal Record is possible only in the late game, and doing so is prohibitively expensive, so keeping Suspicion low is arguably more important than any other menace.
Note that there are certain locations that are exempt from menace-related movement:
- The menace locations themselves: A state of some confusion, The Mirror-Marches, a slow boat passing a dark beach on a silent river, New Newgate Prison - again!, Disgraced exile in the Tomb-Colonies
- The Cave of the Nadir. Leaving this location also significantly reduces Nightmares.
- Zailing the Unterzee only causes movement related to Wounds, Nightmares, or Troubled Waters.
- Most overzee locations don't have movement for menaces other than Wounds or Nightmares.
- Your University Laboratory. Cards here also provide opportunities to trade Laboratory Research for menace reduction.
- Parabolan Base-Camp and Lost in Strange Lands. These do have autofire storylets, triggered by Wounds or Nightmares, that decrease advanced skills.
Menace Equipment[edit]
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Reason: The formulas below do not appear to be correct. Blame Luke. |
Some equipment items have bonuses affecting menaces, which work differently[1] than for other stats. Instead of directly modifying your current menaces level, these items affect the amount of menace gained when playing options. Equipment effects do not affect menace losses, only menace gains.
Equipment affecting the same menace stacks with diminishing returns for each additional bonus. Menace-affecting equipment will only reduce/increase CP gains by up to 2 CP.
To calculate an outfit's average effect on a menace:
- Add together all items affecting that menace. Call this number
d
, ford
ifference. Ifd > 0
, then you will gain more of the menace on average. Ifd < 0
, you will gain less of the menace on average.- Items that increase menace build up are worth +1 and items that reduce menace build up are worth -1.
- Items that "greatly" increase/reduce a menace are worth +2/-2.
- Items that "massively" increase/reduce a menace are worth +4/-4.
- Calculate the base probability
p0
that an effect will apply withp0 = 0.6 * (1 - 0.75^abs(d))
. This is the first row in the below table. - Each time you would gain
m
CP ofm
enace, the game determines the actual amount by calculating the effect probabilityp = p0 * m
.- If
p <= 1
: you will receive 1 CP fewer, with probabilityp
.- Thus, if
p = 0.15
, you will receive 1 CP fewer 15% of the time.
- Thus, if
- If
1 < p < 2
: you will always receive 1 CP fewer. With probability(p - 100%)
, you will receive an additional 1 CP fewer.- Thus, if
p = 1.23
, you will receive 1 CP fewer 77% of the time and 2 CP fewer 23% of the time.
- Thus, if
- If
p >= 2
, you will always receive 2 CP fewer.
- If
Equipped points (d) | ||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |||||||
Base CP (m) | 1 | 0.15 | 0.26 | 0.35 | 0.41 | 0.46 | 0.49 | 0.52 | 0.54 | |||||
2 | 0.30 | 0.53 | 0.69 | 0.82 | 0.92 | 0.99 | 1.04 | 1.08 | ||||||
3 | 0.45 | 0.79 | 1.04 | 1.23 | 1.37 | 1.48 | 1.56 | 1.62 | ||||||
4 | 0.60 | 1.05 | 1.39 | 1.64 | 1.83 | 1.97 | 2.00 | 2.00 | ||||||
5 | 0.75 | 1.31 | 1.73 | 2.00 | 2.00 | 2.00 | ||||||||
6 | 0.90 | 1.58 | 2.00 | |||||||||||
7 | 1.05 | 1.84 | ||||||||||||
8 | 1.20 | 2.00 | ||||||||||||
⋮ | ⋮ | |||||||||||||
13 | 1.95 | |||||||||||||
14 | 2.00 |
- ↑ This is only the case for pyramidal menaces, i.e. those with change points. This distinction only affects A Complete Set of Preserved Internal Organs, which directly increases Unaccountably Peckish by one level.
More Than One Menace[edit]
Time, the Healer reduces all primary Menaces: Wounds by -2 CP, and the others primary menaces by -1 CP. It also allows you to remove Irrigo, reduces Plagued by a Popular Song by -1 CP, and approximately halves Taimen's Attention (see the page for detailed calculations).
During Christmas, receiving a card reduces one of the primary Menaces. Likewise, during Hallowmas, The Fool's Judgement will reset three of the primary Menaces to 0, as long as it is exactly 7; how you got it that high doesn't matter.
While in your University Laboratory, the cards See a Doctor, Nightmares of Your Experiment, and Tomb Sciences can respectively reduce Wounds, Nightmares, and Scandal, at the cost of some of your Laboratory Research. You can also Take a day off, reducing a random Menace.
If you have access to Station VIII, you can prepare meals which you may consume (either immediately or through an opportunity in the Upper River) to reduce Wounds or Nightmares. See A Kitchen for Artists (Guide) for more details.
In the Iron Republic Streets, days 8, 12, 17, 19, 40, 51, 78, 81, and 88 all have an option that sets a Menace to 2 or 3. See the Iron Republic Street Map for details.
If you'd rather increase your menaces, suffering a Reckless end at zee will set all four main Menaces to 7, and will send you to the slow boat. Likewise, certain options when Seeking Mr Eaten's Name can raise more than one Menace above 8.
Nightmares[edit]
Nightmares are becoming a problem. Some nights you hardly dare sleep. If this reaches 5, bad things may begin to happen. Don't let it reach 8.
Nightmares tend to come from Watchful actions, though another notable (if unreliable) source is the variety of opportunity cards about recurring dreams. Reaching Nightmares 5 causes the appearance of a non-discardable opportunity card, A merry gentleman. Playing the card and greeting the man is a very difficult Watchful check; success adds a Boon that decreases future Nightmares gains, but failure adds a Burden that increases Nightmares build-up on a failure. In either case, the merry gentleman's card will no longer appear until Time, the Healer removes the affliction.
If you hit Nightmares 8, you will be likely be sent to A state of some confusion. If you are at zee, Having Recurring Dreams: Is Someone There? 10, or in possession of at least one Memory of Light, you will go to The Mirror-Marches instead. Refer to the menace locations Guide for help escaping the state of confusion or Mirror-Marches.
Reducing Nightmares[edit]
- -4 or -6 CP: Get someone to Assist your friend with their Nightmares (Nightmares ≥ 3)
- -3 CP: Get someone to send you a letter to spread the Good Word
- -2 CP: Drinking The Sunlit Special in Beatrice's Tea Shop
- Quarters nightmares, once weekly: Leave the Cave of the Nadir (with 6+ Irrigo. -1 CP if Irrigo ≤ 5)
- Various options at A Kitchen for Artists:
- -10 CP for dosing yourself with a Dark-Dewed Cherry Liqueur
- -28? CP for dosing yourself with a Solacefruit Champagne Royale
- -8 CP: Produce a Conflagration at your Parabolan Base-Camp (Nightmares 8; raises Sighted the Storm-bird and lowers some stats)
- -5 CP: Bolt the door and hide under the bed (during Hallowmas)
- Various options when doing research in the University Laboratory:
- -4 CP: Show the Esurient Smith your bird collection (requires having completed Ambition: Nemesis)
- -2 CP: Take tea with Lettice (also -2 CP Wounds)
- -2 CP: Take a rest (with Nightmares ≥ 5)
- -2 CP: Take comfort in companionship in The City of the Tracklayers
- -1 to -4 CP: Time in bed in Your Lodgings (with Wounds ≥ 2; options depend on The Airs of London; all require 3 actions each, reducing efficiency)
- -1 to -4 CP: Drink tea to alleviate your Nightmares reached via The Hurlers (depends on current nightmares, costs Jasmine Leaves)
- -1 to -3 CP: The Somnolent Hyaena in The Labyrinth of Tigers ( Watchful 80; gives +2 CP Wounds)
- -1 to -2 CP: Doze in Ealing Gardens; requires having built the Passenger Lounge
- -1 CP: Publish a newspaper with The finest kind of madness (requires 104 x Outlandish Copy; not very efficient indeed, but can be combined with money grinding)
- -1 CP: Enjoying the pace of academic life at The University ( Watchful 85)
- -1 CP: Take some art lessons in The Shuttered Palace ( Persuasive 73)
- -1 CP (average): Try some hot wine at Mrs Plenty's Carnival, costs Carnival Ticket; failing the luck check gives Scandal
- -0 to -4 CP: Hide in your Base-Camp at your Parabolan Base-Camp (scales with Parabolan Defences; failure is less effective and causes Wounds)
- Various options from The Interpreter of Dreams:
- -10 or -12 CP: Ask for help with the nightmares (also -10 Dreams: A Game of Chess)
- -10 or -12 CP: Ask for help with nightmares (also -10 Dreams: Death by Water)
- -0 to -10 CP: Allow Dr Schlomo to Publish your Dreams (average varies by dream type)
- -10 CP: Dance with your Spouse(s) on The Feast of the Rose! (also -10 CP Scandal; available only during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose)
- -3 to -4 CP: Various options from A Moment's Peace
- -3 CP: Some options from An Evening with your Spouses; requires Spouse: Philosophically Perfect Partnership.
- -2 CP: Work diligently on A Day with God's Editors (also -2 CP Scandal); requires the Membership of God's Editors affiliation.
- -1.4 CP (average): Invite the Shivering Relicker in for a chat (with a Scholar of the Correspondence), can be improved up towards -1.6 CP with nightmares-reducing gear.
- -1 to -7 CP: Play with your hellworm; requires Your Very Own Miniature Hellworm
Items:
- -46 to -56 CP: Magnificent Feast (gifted at Christmas)
- -10 CP: Appalling Secret (sacrificed from your inventory; 30% Luck, 10 secrets consumed on success and 2 on failure; expected value of -3 CP and -4.4 Appalling Secret per action)
- -4 CP: Bottle of Greyfields 1868 First Sporing
- -2 to -3 CP: Dispose of an Unusual Pail of So-Called Snow (Christmas)
- -1 to -4 CP: F.F. Gebrandt's Superior Laudanum (if you are a PoSI, this raises your Laudanum Habit)
- -1 CP: Key to a Dripstone-Snared Temple (on moving in, if Nightmares ≤ 4; purchased at Christmas)
- -1 CP Page from the Liber Visionis (if burnt; obtained through Uncovering the Secrets of the Face-Tailor)
- Lose half your Nightmares for 2 x Professional Perks
Equipped items (chance to reduce Nightmares gain while equipped):
- Aurochs-Fur Coat (from Whitsun)
- Bejewelled Cane (from the Keen-Eyed Lapidary)
- Cheerful Goldfish ( 0.40 at the Bazaar)
- A Firm Conviction of the Absence of the Supernatural (from Mr Chimes' Lost & Found)
- Spiked Rosary (from Ambition: Bag a Legend! 31)
- Storm-bird (from Parabola)
- Weasel of Social Discomfiture (from The Dome of Scales)
- Cryptographic Chiropteran (from Hallowmas 1898)
- The Walls are Right (from Greet the Merry Gentleman)
- Amber Ambassador's Seal (from Accept a token of Starved Esteem)
- The Final Resting Place of an Old Friend (from The London Horticultural Show)
- The Distinction of the Waking Fire (from The Sixth Coil)
Increasing Nightmares[edit]
- +2 to +14 CP: Read a discordant letter (also gives + 1-9 CP Wounds)
- +6 CP: Allow an acquaintance to study your nightmares. (Unlikely to be received unless requested; doing so provides no benefit to the betrayer.)
- Instant Nightmares 8: Gaze into Dream's Mirror (sends you to A state of some confusion) or A mahogany-framed mirror (sends you to The Mirror-Marches, as do the rest of these) at Mrs Plenty's Carnival, Cross the Threshold (Low Glasswork), Enter in the company of a Fingerking (Restored), Mirror-Mazed
- +6 CP: Failing to Locate an Impossible Theorem (but will also probably kill you, which would be inconvenient)
- +5 CP: Failure on Listen to the silence or Console the Calcified Man in Underclay
- +5 CP: Explore the woods in Balmoral with Opening Balmoral < 5
- +5 CP: Failure to Carve out the emblem or Scour the earth at Marigold Station (also gives +3 CP Wounds or +3 CP Suspicion, respectively)
- +4 CP: Attend and speak of...terrible things. in The Shuttered Palace with Unaccountably Peckish 2 (also +1 CP Scandal)
- +2 CP: Failing to Push onward when hunting in Parabola
- +2 CP: Failing to Duplicate the skull of John the Baptist, if you can call that a skull
- +1 to +5 CP: Attract a Visitor at Hallowmas
- +1 to +4 CP: Failing to Use Correspondence Plaques to expand your knowledge of the Correspondence at The University
- +1 CP: Make friends with the Empress' dog in The Empress' Court
- +1 CP: Pet your Starveling Cat
- The Pavilion of Butterflies in Veilgarden during Hallowmas (various)
- Forgotten Quarter actions such as Understanding the Correspondence and Seeking Curios and Secrets in the Forgotten Quarter gain Nightmares, depending on luck and The Airs of the Forgotten Quarter
- +Variable CP: Failing on The answer to Nightmares? (gives CP Nightmares equal to double your Nightmares level, also reduces Watchful)
- +10 CP: Introduce your Grubby Kitten to the Starveling Cat (also +10 to Wounds)
- +3 CP: A dream about a calm sea (red-bordered card) (requires Nightmares ≥ 6)
- +3 CP: A dream about a corridor lined with brass mirrors 2 (red-bordered card) (requires Nightmares ≥ 6)
- +3 CP: A dream about a market-place crowded with dead men 2 (red-bordered card) (requires Nightmares ≥ 6)
- +3 CP: A dream about a burning river 3 (red-bordered card) (requires Nightmares ≥ 6)
- +2 CP: Use your nightmares as inspiration in your University Laboratory (requires Nightmares ≥ 5)
- +2 CP: F.F. Gebrandt's Tincture of Vigour, if you drink it all while not a Person of Some Importance
Equipped items (chance to increase Nightmares gain while equipped):
- A Parabolan-sized Headache (from Mr Chimes' Lost & Found)
- At the Shore of Midnight, 5th Edition (from A Bookseller's Invitation)
- Focused Albatross (from Parabola)
- Masked Former Priest (from The Brass Grail)
- Song Stuck in Your Head (from Por Una Cabeza)
- Sporing Bonnet ( 6.00 from Maywell's Hattery)
- Vake Claw (from Ambition: Bag a Legend!)
- The Walls are Wrong burden (from Greet the Merry Gentleman)
- Wings of Change burden (from The High Sancta, see The High Sancta (Guide)#Wings of Change for details)
Scandal[edit]
Scandal is getting out of hand. If this reaches 8, something bad may happen.
Scandal tends to come from Persuasive actions. If it hits 8, you will be sent to Disgraced exile in the Tomb-Colonies. Refer to the menace location guide for help getting back from exile.
Reducing Scandal[edit]
- -6 CP: Send a name, written in Gant
- -5 to -6 CP: Use someone as your dupe
- -4 to -5 CP: Ask someone for help in laying rumours to rest
- -3 CP: Benefit from flattery at Dante's Grill (recipient; -10 CP flatterer)
- -2 CP: Drinking The Achlian Midnight in Beatrice's Tea Shop
- -5 CP: Into the river with it in Area-Diving in Spite ( Shadowy 24 or Persuasive 35)
- 14 actions, if you succeed with the two Casing checks at the minimum level of 4 Casing. More if you fail, or increase Casing above minimum.
- 4 Casing is 70% odds of success, so ~50/50 odds of getting through both checks successfully.
- -0.36 CP of Scandal per action, but you get some Rostygold and CP of Shadowy 24 and/or Persuasive as well.
- -3 CP: Edit a book of meditations on the Anchoress
- Note: Sets Philosophy to The Legacy of the Anchoress
- -2 to -3 CP: Lead Evensong in Ealing Gardens
- -2 CP: Take a break (from Lab Work) in your University Laboratory (Scandal ≥ 5)
- -1 to -2 CP: Attend Evensong in Ealing Gardens
- -1 to -2 CP: Catch the eye of a butler in The Empress' Court ( Persuasive 89)
- -1.1 CP (average): Attend a Church Service when Scandal ≥3
- -1 CP: Finish a libretto in The Singing Mandrake ( Persuasive 50)
- Note: Sets School to the Celestial movement
- -10 CP: Dance with your Spouse(s) on The Feast of the Rose! (also -10 CP Nightmares; available only during the Feast of the Exceptional Rose)
- -2 to -5 CP: Various options on An Afternoon of Good Deeds? (with Scandal ≥ 2)
- -2 CP: Work diligently on A Day with God's Editors (also -2 CP Nightmares)
- -3 CP: Gold frame, black painting with Uncovering Secrets Framed in Gold 1 (2 actions)
- -1.4 CP (average): Tell the Coquettish Relicker your woes (with Scandal ≥ 3)
- -1 CP: Nikolas & Sons Instant Ablution Absolution ( 1.50 from Nikolas Pawnbrokers)
- -2 CP: Using a Key to a Zee-Znail Retreat (if Scandal ≤ 4; purchased at Christmas)
- Lose half your Scandal for 2 x Professional Perks
- Carnelian Sapphire Pendant ( 150 from Trompowsky et Fils)
- An Enviable Social Calendar (Purchasable from Mr Chimes' Lost & Found)
- A Hard-Earned Knack for Repair (from The London Horticultural Show)
- In Mr Huffam's Good Graces (from The Sixth Coil)
- Gravel-Voiced Gossip (Hallowmas 2023)
Increasing Scandal[edit]
- +4 or +6 CP: Allow an acquaintance to use you as a dupe (the other person will get -5 or -6 CP Scandal)
- +1 to +6 CP: Give the gift of a conversation from A Cultural Exchange at the Watchmaker's Hill; costs 1 x Extraordinary Implication
- +5 CP: Failure to Coax out the Knight at Marigold Station (also gives +3 CP Wounds)
- +2 CP: You adhere to no one philosophy – and you'll make that clear to all ( Watchful 50; costs 3 actions)
- +2 CP: Failing to Attend a Shrouded Soirée from the Wrong Side of the Mirror
- Saint Dunstan's Sacristy in Spite at Hallowmas (various)
- +1 CP: Try some hot wine at Mrs Plenty's Carnival (50% Luck)
- +1 CP: Failing The rubbery specimen at Mrs Plenty's Carnival. This option also gives +1 CP Nightmares and 12 x Cryptic Clue
- Failures in some storylets in Ladybones Road and in The Shuttered Palace, such as The Antiquarian Footman, will raise Scandal
- Instant move to the Tomb-Colonies & some Scandal increase: A work of barely clad decadence, Kiss its cold blue lips, Throw the villain out of the window, or Topple the dowager into a shrub.
- +1 CP: Failing to Request help from a University colleague in The Osteology Lab.
- +1 CP: Success on Call in some favours from The Bohemians, a storylet in The Empress' Court.
- +3 CP: Shake 'hands'? on Slime and Amber: the Rubbery Men
- +3 CP: Absorb the damage on A Word From Your Creditors (requires In Corporate Debt ≥ 5, also gives +3 CP Suspicion)
- +1 CP: Attend a lecture at the Brass Embassy on Burning Shadows: the Devils of London
- +5 CP: Drinking a Bottle of Black Wings Absinthe
- Barrel with Leather Shoulder-Straps (Bohemians Renown item)
- Modish Bonnet ( 4.00 from Maywell's Hattery)
- Pair of Scarlet Stockings of Dubious Origin ( 4.00 from MERCURY)
- Unjustifiable Necktie ( 150.00 from Trompowsky et Fils)
- The Censored Census of 1862 (From Advent Calendar 2020 or the Bazaar Side-streets)
- Oenophilic Oppression burden (from Hangover of the Century)
- Wings of Change burden (from The High Sancta, see The High Sancta (Guide)#Wings of Change for details)
Suspicion[edit]
Suspicious activities are beginning to draw the attention of the law. If this reaches 8, something bad may happen.
Suspicion tends to come from Shadowy actions. If it hits 8, you will be ARRESTED! and sent to New Newgate Prison - again!. When arrested, you will also gain A Criminal Record:, and if that quality reaches 4, Nikolas & Sons Instant Ablution Absolution will no longer reduce your Suspicion. Some actions send you directly to prison without trial; these don't increase Criminal Record.
Refer to the menace location guide for help re-escaping New Newgate.
Reducing Suspicion[edit]
- -6 CP: Send a name, written in Gant
- -5 or -6 CP: Dupe a friend into covering for you
- -4 CP: Ask a friend to cover for you
- -3 CP: Benefit from flattery at Dante's Grill (recipient; -10 CP flatterer)
- -2 CP: Drinking The Khaganian White in Beatrice's Tea Shop
- -33 CP: Eliminate a good deal of suspicion in Balmoral (with Suspicion ≥ 5, requires Disappearing... 10; takes at least 9 total actions with Parabolan Disappearing, 11 actions in the Cabinet as a Midnighter, or 12 actions in the Cabinet as another profession)
- -3 or -4 CP: Confound the Constables in Spite (Opportunism in Spite) with Airs 0-25 ( Shadowy 45 or Shadowy 48)
- -3 CP: Publish a monograph on obscure scientific minutiae in Ladybones Road
- -3 CP: Conceal your paper trail on Suspicious behaviour while engaging in A Trade in Reputations (Suspicion ≥ 5)
- -2 to -3 CP: Forge convincingly in Ealing Gardens
- -2 CP: Look as innocent as it is possible to look in The Bone Market (+2 CP Scandal on failure)
- -1 to -2 CP: Lurk plausibly in Ealing Gardens
- -1 CP: Dealing with suspicion in The Flit
- -2 to -9 CP: Various options on The Law's Long Arm (with Suspicion ≥ 2)
- -2 CP: Find a patsy (with Suspicion ≥ 5)
- -1.4 CP (average): Ask the Curt Relicker to help with matters of law and suspicion (improved slightly with suspicion reduction gear)
- -3 CP: Inform the Constables (With Plotting against the Masters 0)
- -1 to -5 or -10 CP : Nikolas & Sons Instant Ablution Absolution ( 1.50 at Nikolas Pawnbrokers; only if Criminal Record < 4, efficiency is lower if you're PoSI)
- -1 CP: Using a Key to the Old Newgate Cellars (purchased at Christmas)
- Lose half your Suspicion for 2 x Professional Perks
- Set of Workman's Clothes ( 0.20 from Gottery the Outfitter)
- Sober Dress ( 0.20 from Gottery the Outfitter)
- Light-Drinking Cravat ( 12.50 from Trompowsky et Fils)
- A Silent Nod of Acknowledgement from Mr Hearts (from Hearts' Game)
- A Preserver of London (RETIRED affiliation)
- Inconspicuous Overalls (CHRISTMAS 2023)
- The Undying Respect of the Order of the Blackened Hoof (affiliation) FATE CHRISTMAS
- Clay Corroborator (HALLOWMAS 2023)
Increasing Suspicion[edit]
- +4 or +6 CP: Have someone Dupe you into covering for them (the other person will get -5 or -6 CP Suspicion)
- +1 to +7 CP for Send your discordant letter
- Doubling Suspicion: Side with the cat
- +3 CP: Failing to Establish a false Curriculum Vitae
- +3 CP: Failing to Sell a skeleton to a Constable
- +3 CP: Failing to Credential your cover identity at Balmoral
- +3 CP: Failing to Scour the earth at Marigold Station (also gives +5 CP Nightmares)
- The Wreck of the St Elmo in Watchmaker's Hill at Hallowmas (various)
- Failing various actions at higher levels of Pygmalion in Mahogany Hall (successes here can also counteract Unaccountably Peckish gain from Attend and speak of...terrible things.)
- +20 CP & instant move to New Newgate Prison: Failing to Rob the Brass Embassy
- +3 CP: Absorb the damage on A Word From Your Creditors (requires In Corporate Debt ≥ 5, also gives +3 CP Scandal)
- +3 CP: Taunt the detective (requires Suspicion ≥ 5)
- +2 CP: Remind them who's boss on The Life of Crime; requires Gang of Hoodlums
- +1 CP: Provide an alibi on The Alleys of London: the Criminals
- Pirate Hat ( 4.00 from Maywell's Hattery)
- Vake Claw (from Ambition: Bag a Legend!)
- Wings of Change burden (from The High Sancta, see The High Sancta (Guide)#Wings of Change for details)
Wounds[edit]
Wounds are becoming troublesome. At 8, they may become fatal. Which would be inconvenient.
Wounds tend to come from Dangerous actions, and once they reach 8, you are sent on a slow boat passing a dark beach on a silent river, which is indeed inconvenient but not permanent. See the menace location guide for help coming back from the dead.
Reducing Wounds[edit]
Wounds may be the easiest to reduce between primary Menaces, and the most overlooked because there's no penalty before level 8. However, Wounds may be difficult to reduce in a slow boat passing a dark beach on a silent river if you die too many times. Therefore, remember to reduce Wounds.
In early MYN, tincture is recommended, but A Restorative and Time in bed are also fine if you're very very poor. However, the most recomended way to reduce Wounds is to make good use of MYN. Every time A Name Scrawled in Blood levels up, all Wounds can heal.
In early PoSI, Take a moment to tend your wounds is recommended. But when not urgent, Take tea with Lettice are better.
- -3 CP: Benefit from flattery at Dante's Grill (recipient; -10 CP flatterer)
- -4 or -6 CP: Nurse a friend back to health
- -2 CP: Drinking Murgatroyd's Gold Blend in Beatrice's Tea Shop
- -11 CP or more for dosing yourself with various fish-based dishes at A Kitchen for Artists. See A Kitchen for Artists (Guide) for details.
- -3 or -6 CP: Attend to Your Health at your Parabolan Base-Camp (also trains Glasswork or Kataleptic Toxicology)
- -3.1 CP (average): Sneak a sip of the brandy in Spite (30% Luck)
- -3 CP (-2 on failure): Take a moment to tend your wounds in The Blind Helmsman with A Name Scrawled in Blood 7 ( Dangerous 125 or 150)
- -2 to -3 CP: Disporting with the servantry in The Empress' Court ( Persuasive 91, costs 15 CP Fascinating...)
- -2 CP: Take a break (Laboratory) in your University Laboratory (Wounds ≥ 5)
- -2 CP: Take tea with Lettice in your University Laboratory
- -1 to -7 CP: Time in bed in Your Lodgings (Wounds ≥ 2; options depend on The Airs of London)
- -1 to -2 CP: Have your wounds seen in Ealing Gardens; requires having built a Clinic
- -1 CP (-2 on rare success): Feasting at Summerset at The University ( Watchful 85)
- -1 CP: Deal with your Wounds in Wolfstack Docks (costs 50 Piece of Rostygold)
- -1 CP: Try some spore-toffee at Mrs Plenty's Carnival (may raise Suspicion)
- -1 CP: Deepen your acquaintance with Prisoner's Honey in Veilgarden with Airs 85–100
- -1 CP: Take some refreshment in The Labyrinth of Tigers ( Dangerous 104)
- -5 to -10 CP: Some options on The Interpreter of Dreams (requiring expenditure of 10 CP chess dreams or dreams of a watery death)
- -2 to -4 CP: Various options on A Restorative
- Firkin of Hesperidean Cider ( 160,000 from Nikolas Pawnbrokers; heals all wounds; grants opportunity cards for significant healing)
- -46 to -56 CP: Magnificent Feast (gifted at Christmas)
- F.F. Gebrandt's Tincture of Vigour ( 1.00 from Nikolas Pawnbrokers, or from a variety of grindable sources)
- -4 CP: Be damned to the instructions! Drain the bottle dry! (only if you're not a PoSI)
- -3 CP: Follow the instructions carefully. (only if you're not a PoSI)
- -2 CP: Drain the bottle, for what it's worth (-2 CP, if you're a PoSI)
- F.F. Gebrandt's Tincture of Vigour: Half-Full (from robbing a drunk officer or drinking full bottles)
- -3 CP: Finish a half-bottle (only if you're not a PoSI)
- -1 CP: Finish it, for what it's worth (if you're a PoSI)
- -2 CP: Dark-Dewed Cherry (from the Capering Relicker and, rarely, others)
- Horsehead Amulet (saves you from death, once; from a thieves' cache in the Forgotten Quarter)
- Lose half your Wounds for 2 x Professional Perks
- Tracklayer's Helmet ( 250 from Brass Thistle)
- Ichorous Alarm (from Hearts' Game)
- Sun-Blazoned Cuirass (from the Hinterlands)
Increasing Wounds[edit]
- Instant Wounds 8: Gaze into Heart's Mirror at Mrs Plenty's Carnival, Attempt to rob the Calculating Lapidary's vault
- Instant move to the slow boat: Losing a duel with Feducci, Walk away or fail Get to it at the climax of the Cheesemonger story, any option In the Court of the Fathomking
- +1 to +9 CP for (Carefully) read a flame-proof missive increases A Scholar of the Correspondence Watchful and Dangerous
- +1 to +6 CP (average 2.4) for Have a taste of the Toxicology Exhibit
- 0 to +5 CP for Perhaps you can remember something useful increases A Scholar of the Correspondence
- +3 CP: Failing to Carve out the emblem or Coax out the Knight at Marigold Station (also gives +5 CP Nightmares or +5 CP Scandal, respectively)
- +1 to +3 CP: Failing at actions to raise Brawling with Dockers
- Failing at actions to raise The Hunt is On! (see guide)
- Failing at actions to raise Running Battle...
- Failing to capture or ambush your prey when hunting in Parabola
- +10 CP: Introduce your Grubby Kitten to the Starveling Cat (also +10 CP Nightmares)
- +1 CP: Assist in a stakeout (gains 1 x Favours: The Great Game)
- Instant Wounds 8: After slighting someone, allow yourself to be stabbed, shot, poisoned, or shot with poison
- +5-6 CP: With Wounds of 3+, convince a friend to bring you "medicine"
- +1 to +9 CP: Read a discordant letter (also gives + 2-14 CP Nightmares)
- Weasel of Woe ( 400.00 from Nassos Zoologicals)
- Mark of Disdain (CHRISTMAS 2023)
- Wings of Change burden (from The High Sancta, see The High Sancta (Guide)#Wings of Change for details)
Advanced menaces[edit]
Some menaces are associated with certain locations. The most important of these are listed below.
Irrigo[edit]
Irrigo is a menace gained while exploring the Cave of the Nadir. It is discrete, typically increasing by one or two levels for each action you take in the Nadir, and the amount you accrue determines the Attribute penalties inflicted as you leave. If this menace reaches 10, you are ejected via the storylet Drowning in violet and take additional Attribute loss.
Irrigo prevents you from re-entering the Nadir. It can be cleared with Fleeting Recollections granted by Time, the Healer. For more information on the Cave expedition, see Cave of the Nadir (Guide).
Disgruntlement among the Students[edit]
Disgruntlement among the Students is a menace exclusive to the University Laboratory. Occasionally, making use of a maximum-level student (quality level 5) will raise Disgruntlement by 1 CP on an alternate success. Disgruntlement is reset when graduating a student, but most other means of reducing it require a certain level.
When Directing your Team, you can Give them a day off with Disgruntlement 2, reducing it by -2 CP. The menace card Student Complaints begins appearing at Disgruntlement 4, offering various ways to lower it. At Disgruntlement 6, you will invoke Student Fury, which will cost you -200 x Laboratory Research, gain you Scandal +1 CP, and lower Disgruntlement by -7 CP.
Troubled Waters[edit]
Troubled Waters is a menace gained at zee. Most options on zailing cards increase it at least slightly. As it increases, you'll start to encounter greater hazards, like the Circumcelion Brotherhood or the Killing Wind. If it reaches 8, your voyage will end abruptly, as you are either killed (sent to the Fathomking, who will refer you to the Boatman) or driven to madness (The Mirror-Marches)).
A number of other qualities ("zee-menaces") track details of the dangers on your journey such as your crew's morale (Creeping Fear, Mutinous Whispers, Rumbling Stomachs), your vessel's condition (Groaning Hull), and who or what is pursuing you (Silent Stalker, Unwelcome on the Waters). These are discrete Circumstance qualities with a maximum level of 1, and they mostly determine the type of demise you face at Troubled Waters 8.
Some options on zailing cards decrease Troubled Waters, while docking at certain safe ports clears it and removes other zee-menaces. For more information on how Troubled Waters affects zailing, refer to Zailing (Guide).
Taimen's Attention[edit]
Taimen's Attention is specific to Khan's Heart, and is gained when completing most intrigues and failing checks in the Khanate. The higher Taimen's Attention, the more damaging to your Khaganian Front failures are. Higher Taimen's Attention also makes certain checks more difficult.
It is reduced every week by Time, the Healer, or by using resources at False-Dawn. It will also be cleared if you choose to Dismantle your front, or if the White-and-Golds force you to do so. For more information on the Khanate, see Khaganian Intrigue (Guide).
Unaccountably Peckish[edit]
Unaccountably Peckish is associated with a particularly infamous and dread story. It adds a series of Ubiquitous cards to your deck, most of which have very nasty consequences and no benefits unless you are Seeking Mr Eaten's Name. It's also worth noting that unlike most menaces, UP increases by 1 when Time, the Healer arrives if you have at least one point in it, so if you're not a Seeker, you will want to eliminate this menace posthaste.
These are some of the more reliable ways to reduce UP:
- Eat roast chestnuts on the ACE OF HUNGERS card, which you are certain to draw if you have 1 level of UP (-1 UP)
- Fold the note and keep it on the TWO OF BATS card is a harmless way to reduce UP if it's 2 or more. (-1 UP)
- If you have TWO OF BATS and ACE OF HUNGERS in the same hand, be sure to play the Bats card first, as playing Hungers first with 2 UP will cause Bats to be discarded automatically, preventing you from reducing UP to zero.
- Take some refreshment in The Labyrinth of Tigers, First Coil ( Dangerous check; -2 UP even on failure)
- Scraps from the table from A Restorative (opportunity card with Wounds 2; -2 UP)
- Send Lyme to the market/Take supper with him as part of the Pygmalion carousel in Mahogany Hall (-3 UP)
These options increase UP, which should be avoided at all costs unless you are committed to Seeking the Name
- Give away a Starveling Cat
- See what your Starveling Cat knows, from Bats and Cats in The Flit
- Cooking and eating Rubbery Lumps from a a zee-beast
- Attend and speak of...terrible things. in The Shuttered Palace, with UP 2+
- Many options related to SMEN
Less common menaces[edit]
This is a non-exhaustive list of menaces specific to particular stories.
A Turncoat[edit]
A Turncoat tracks how often you have betrayed London's underworld to the Law, or vice versa. It is mainly used during A Boxful of Intrigue.
After you have become A Power in Waiting - and become either The Consience of Empire or A Guardian of the Realm, picking an option opposed to your previous choice (for instance, hunting a union leader as Consience of Empire) changes your allegiance and increases Turncoat.
The only way to reduce Turncoat is the storylet The Traitor's Feast in Spite, which unlocks at A Turncoat 4. It also requires Shadowy 120 and A Survivor of the Affair of the Box 12.
A Turncoat can also be raised in a few other ways.
- Working with the Last Constable: Abandon her or Off to the Cheery Man during the Family and Law story
- Working with the Cheery Man: Go to the Constable during Family and Law
- The talkative gaoler: A grass in New Newgate Prison
- Pugilism and politics: Beat up the Underworld Kingpin from An Implausible Penance
Plagued by a Popular Song[edit]
Plagued by a Popular Song is a menace specific to Mahogany Hall.
If it reaches 5, a storylet auto-fires in that location that causes one of your weasels (an Araby Fighting-Weasel, or a Lucky Weasel if you don't have a fighting weasel), or an unlucky nearby weasel, to explode. For more details see Tales of Mahogany Hall (Guide).
Curing the Plague
- Ask for help 50% Luck; either eliminates Plagued or +2 CP
- Sing your own version of 'Pop Goes The Weasel' ( Persuasive 102): -2 CP
- Time, the Healer: -1 CP each week
Orthos is Coming![edit]
Orthos is Coming! is a timer that increases while doing actions at Bullbone Island, Corpsecage Island, or Grunting Fen. It measures the length of your stay and which options are available at any given time on each island. For more details, see Embarking on a Voyage of Scientific Discovery (Guide).
Attracting Attention in the Orphanage[edit]
Attracting Attention in the Orphanage is part of Ambition: Light Fingers!. See the Light Fingers guide for details.
Inciting a Simian Revenge?[edit]
Inciting a Simian Revenge? is part of the Topsy King branch of Ambition: Heart's Desire!. See the Heart's Desire guide for details.
Acclimating to Pressure[edit]
Acclimating to Pressure is specific to Diving in the Magistracy of the Evenlode. It is raised by changing Diving Depth, and goes down by 1 CP for each action you spend on the same depth level. If you Emerge from the water while still having this menace, it will be converted 1:1 to Wounds CP. See Diving in the Magistracy (Guide) for full details.
Disgruntlement among the Expedition[edit]
Disgruntlement is a menace exclusive to Moulin Expeditions. It is gained by failing checks during an expedition, or when using inefficient options like attacking sorrow-spiders or wading through viric. Its is cleared when returning to Moulin.
If this ever reaches 8, Mutiny! will trigger, causing +4 CP Wounds and immediately returning you to Moulin with no wages. For full details see Moulin Expeditions (Guide).
Hearts' Game[edit]
Several qualities are associated with your target in the game of Poison and Delight, including Elusiveness of your Target, Poison Tolerance of Your Target, and Hearts' Game: Counterplay. For full details, see Hearts' Game (Guide).
Unravelling[edit]
Unravelling is a menace specific to Irem, accrued by failing certain checks while navigating the futures on the Loom.
If it reaches 8, Unraveled! will autofire, removing some of the Iremi items you collected and kicking you back to Irem. Returning to Irem by choice will raise Wounds and Nightmares based on your level of Unravelling, and clear the quality.
Noises in the Library[edit]
Noises in the Library is a menace exclusive to The Stacks of The Midnight Moon. It generally accrues when failing checks, with some failures raising it by as many as 6 CP. Making Noises will cause a couple of cards to appear in the opportunity deck, and if the menace reaches 8, WE WILL HAVE SILENCE will autofire, which kills you. It is reset upon leaving The Stacks.
For more details, see The Stacks (Guide).
The City Waning[edit]
The City Waning is a quality in The City of the Tracklayers representing the Tracklayers' City not faring too well. It's increased by taking certain clearly marked options as well as by failing checks. Higher levels gradually remove options for profit, while opening opportunities to benefit from the instability. Actions that reduce The City Waning are also marked in the instructions, e.g. Welcome some new arrivals and consulting the city on the various The (Alignment) Way cards. For full details, see The City of the Tracklayers (Guide).