Some hazards cause direct damage, but most cause Fatigue–stress or weakness that makes a victim less effective and can eventually lead to Incapacitation or even death.

A character who falls victim to Fatigue passes through several declining states before finally succumbing to his stress. Each of these states and the penalties they incur are described below.

• Fatigued: The hero is tiring quickly. All of his Trait checks suffer a –1 modifier. If he suffers Fatigue again, he becomes Exhausted.
• Exhausted: The hero is fading fast. He suffers –2 to all Trait rolls. If he suffers Fatigue again, he's Incapacitated unless the hazard description says otherwise.
• Incapacitated: The victim collapses and is Incapacitated. See Incapacitation Effects under each Hazard for what happens next.

Recovery: Recovering from Fatigue varies depending on its source. Severe hunger requires food, cold requires warmth, and so on. Exactly how Fatigue is relieved depends on how it was acquired. This is explained under each Hazard.

Multiple Hazards: It doesn’t matter what the source of Fatigue is. If a hero who's already Exhausted from hunger then suffers a level of Fatigue from cold, he becomes Incapacitated. A character suffering from multiple sources of Fatigue must address both to recover.

Fatigue Sources: Bumps and Bruises, Cold, Disease, Drowning, Falling, Fire, Heat, Hunger, Poison, Radiation, Sleep and Thirst.

Savage Worlds Deluxe Edition p. 99