Fitness Skill
| Fitness | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Passive Skill |
| Skill Group | Physical |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 487,500 |
| Best Occupation | Fitness Instructor (+3) |
The Fitness Skill governs a character's stamina and physical conditioning. It raises melee attack speed, makes climbing faster and more reliable and slows the rate of exhaustion. It belongs to the Physical group, together with Strength.
Fitness is one of the most important skills in the game. It shapes how long a character can fight, run and climb before tiring. It also helps endurance recover faster after a fight. Every character starts at level 5 by default, and traits and occupations move that number up or down. The Fitness Instructor starts with the biggest boost. The Firefighter, Nurse and Rancher each start a little higher. The Athletic trait gives the largest boost of all.
How to Level Fitness
Fitness is a passive skill. It rises only through exercise and use, and skill books play no part in it.
Exercise is the main way up. Fitness exercises from the health panel train the skill directly. Hitting enemies with melee attacks also gives Fitness experience, as long as the character is not overexerted.
Running and sprinting give experience at random intervals. Each time, the game picks either Fitness or Running to receive it.
Each Fitness level needs far more experience than a normal skill. The climb from level 5 to level 10 takes a long time and steady effort.
Fitness gains stay at the base rate whatever learning traits the character has. A boost indicator shows at level 3 and above, but the gain stays at the base rate.
Squats and sit-ups train Fitness and need no equipment. Burpees train both Fitness and Strength, but they drain endurance heavily. A short daily session of one or two exercises works better than one long, exhausting workout.
Each exercise has its own regularity. Repeating the same exercise day after day raises it. Higher regularity makes that exercise cost less endurance and leave less stiffness afterwards. A steady routine therefore pays off more than random bursts of effort.
Exercise strains the muscles it works. Several hours later those body parts turn stiff and sore. Rest and time are the cure. Rotating between exercises keeps the same muscles from staying sore every day.
Exercise also raises hunger and thirst. Eat and drink before a session, and keep food nearby. Training in a secure room matters too, since any movement cancels the exercise.
The XP each Fitness level asks for, with the running total from level 0.
| Level | XP Needed | Total XP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,500 | 1,500 |
| 2 | 3,000 | 4,500 |
| 3 | 6,000 | 10,500 |
| 4 | 9,000 | 19,500 |
| 5 | 18,000 | 37,500 |
| 6 | 30,000 | 67,500 |
| 7 | 60,000 | 127,500 |
| 8 | 90,000 | 217,500 |
| 9 | 120,000 | 337,500 |
| 10 | 150,000 | 487,500 |
Fitness Level Effects
Each level speeds up melee attacks a little. It also raises the chance of pushing off a zombie that attacks, and lowers the chance of tripping when a fallen zombie lunges at the feet.
Endurance drains more slowly and comes back faster at higher levels. A fit character can swing, run and climb longer before needing a rest. Fatigue builds more slowly too.
Climbing tall fences gets faster and more likely to succeed. Long falls cause less damage. Exercises also go faster as the skill rises.
The skill also changes the character's traits. Levels 0 and 1 bring the Unfit trait, and levels 2 to 4 bring Out of Shape. Level 5 is the neutral middle. Levels 6 to 8 bring Fit, and levels 9 and 10 bring Athletic.
Fitness Starting Levels
The Fitness Instructor begins with three extra levels. The Firefighter, Nurse and Rancher each begin with one extra level. The Athletic trait adds four levels and the Fit trait adds two.
Several traits lower the starting level. Unfit removes four levels and Out of Shape removes two. Low Weight and High Weight each remove one, while Very Low Weight and Very High Weight each remove two.
A trait gained later through training brings its other effects but leaves the level as it is. The level boost only applies when the trait is picked at character creation.
Body weight matters for this skill. The weight traits all lower the starting level, and a character far from a healthy weight trains Fitness poorly at the higher levels. Good meals and a balanced diet support a long training plan.
A high starting level saves months of exercise. Athletic is one of the strongest traits for a melee character, since faster attacks and slower exhaustion help in every fight.
These occupations and traits start a character with levels in Fitness.
| Name | Image | Type | Levels | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athletic | 
|
Trait | +4 | -10 |
| Fitness Instructor | 
|
Occupation | +3 | -6 |
| Fit | 
|
Trait | +2 | -6 |
| Firefighter | 
|
Occupation | +1 | 0 |
| Nurse | 
|
Occupation | +1 | 0 |
| Rancher | 
|
Occupation | +1 | 0 |
| High Weight | 
|
Trait | +-1 | 0 |
| Low Weight | 
|
Trait | +-1 | 0 |
| Out of Shape | 
|
Trait | +-2 | +6 |
| Very High Weight | 
|
Trait | +-2 | 0 |
| Very Low Weight | 
|
Trait | +-2 | 0 |
| Unfit | 
|
Trait | +-4 | +10 |
Notes
- Exercise daily from the health panel to raise the skill.
- Rest before fighting, since combat only trains Fitness while the character is not overexerted.
- Keep a healthy weight to protect the Fitness level.
- Reaching level 9 brings the Athletic trait.
- Each level takes a long time, so start training early.
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