Underkeep Stamina and Mana: Resource Management
How Underkeep stamina, mana, Zeal, and blood magic costs work, how WIS and END shape your pools, and how to avoid running dry in long dungeon runs.
Underkeep runs on four resources: stamina for martial skills, mana for arcane magic, Zeal for Paladin abilities, and HP plus bones for Blood Mage spells. Running out is not a damage problem; it is a planning problem.
Which class uses which resource?
| Resource | Classes | Refilled by |
|---|---|---|
| Stamina | Warrior, Thief, Ranger | Rest, stamina potions |
| Mana | Wizard, Voidcaller | Rest, mana potions, WIS scaling |
| Zeal | Paladin | Righteous Strike, certain abilities |
| HP and bones | Blood Mage | Healing, rest, Leechcraft |
Basic attacks do not list a stamina cost; skills do. That means a drained Warrior can still swing a weapon, just without the skill that makes the swing worthwhile.
How much mana do you get?
Mana per level is 2 + WIS. A Wizard who ignores WIS has a shallow pool and spends the second half of every dungeon auto-attacking. That is why Feel the Flow and WIS gear matter more than a few points of spell damage.
WIS also gives 2% fire, ice, lightning, and poison resistance per point. The same stat that lets you cast more also keeps you alive against elemental rooms, which makes WIS a strong secondary stat even for a Paladin.
END gives 2% blood magic resistance per point and shortens poison. It also resists negative effects, which is why Blood Mage builds stack END despite the class not using it for damage.
How do you recover resources?
Resting restores the party, consumes food, and cannot be done with enemies nearby. Disease blocks recovery entirely, so cure it before you rest. That single rule causes more wasted food than any other mistake.
Potions are the in-dungeon answer. Healing, mana, and stamina potions are all craftable with the Mortar and Pestle once you find the recipes. Carry a mix rather than a stack of one type.
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Long boss fight, caster empty | Mana potion before the burst round |
| Frontliner low after a room | Healing potion, then rest when safe |
| Martial skills unavailable | Stamina potion or basic attacks |
| Poison or burn ticking | Cure potion, not a heal |
Should you rest after every fight?
No. Rest when the party is below roughly half resources and the next room is unknown. Resting after every trivial fight burns food and turns a dungeon into a shopping trip.
The better rhythm is to clear two or three rooms, then rest. If a room costs more than a third of your health, rest before the next one; the food is cheaper than a wipe.
Disease turns a rest into a wasted meal. Check the status icons before you open the rest menu.
How does Zeal work?
Paladin builds Zeal with Righteous Strike and spends it on Lay on Hands, Stun Undead, Flame of Conviction, and Judgment. Divine Guard converts every Zeal spend into armor, so the resource does double duty.
The trap is spending Zeal the moment you get it. Hold two or three Zeal for an emergency heal, and use Judgment only when the fight is already under control. A Paladin with no Zeal cannot heal.
How does the Blood Mage economy work?
Blood Mage pays HP and bones instead of stamina or mana. Early on, every spell is a trade against the healer's attention. Leechcraft at level 5 returns 10–50% of blood damage as HP, which is the point where the class becomes sustainable.
Until then, keep Crimson Renewal available and do not open with the most expensive spell. Blood magic is also 30% weaker against undead, so bring a backup damage source for those rooms.
What drains resources fastest?
Three habits: overcasting on trivial enemies, healing damage that a rest would fix, and fighting above your gear level. The first is the most common. A Wizard does not need Fireball on a single rat.
Set a rule for yourself: basic attacks and free actions for easy rooms, skills for dangerous ones. The party that enters the boss room with full bars wins more often than the party that killed every rat with a spell.
The alchemy page→ lists the potions that refill each pool. The combat page→ explains why free actions are worth more than raw damage.
FAQ
Does stamina regenerate during combat?
The tooltips covered here do not list per-round regeneration. Treat stamina as a per-fight budget and refill with items or rest.
Can you buy mana potions?
Yes, and you can craft them once you find the recipe. Crafting is cheaper over a full run.
What happens at zero mana?
Spells become unavailable. The hero can still use basic attacks and items.
Community source: Steam community player guide ↗
Official source: Underkeep on Steam ↗
Official source: Underkeep news hub ↗
More Underkeep Guides
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