In The Tooth Fae every successful pull hinges on your ability to read three overlapping meters. Lucidity, Pain, and Fear each track a different response in the sleeping donor, yet they feed into one another. Learn to hear their rhythm and you can pluck a gem from an Eldritch child; ignore them and you will wake even a Heavy Sleeper.
Meet the Three Meters
- Lucidity (yellow) — Your fail state. When it tops out the donor wakes. Drilling, tugging with the Hook, and letting Fear spiral all increase Lucidity. Fairy Dust is your safest release valve.
- Pain (red) — Track their physical response. Too much pain causes lethal shock, ending the run and yielding nothing but a cracked tooth. Short drill bursts and timely anesthetic injections keep this meter at bay.
- Fear (purple) — The accelerant. Rising Fear causes Lucidity to climb faster. The longer you linger without soothing with Dust, the quicker sleepers thrash toward consciousness.
The Golden Loop: Drill a Bit, Dust a Bit
Veterans repeat the mantra for a reason. Every extraction should follow a deliberate cadence:
- Open with the Hook and immediately sprinkle Fairy Dust to settle Fear before you touch the drill.
- Drill in pulses of one to two seconds. Watch Lucidity and Pain climb, then release the trigger.
- Dust again. If Pain crests above roughly 75%, administer an anesthetic shot before resuming.
- Only reach for the Forceps when the tooth wiggles freely. An early pull risks cracking the prize.
Staying disciplined keeps all three meters manageable, even against donors like the Tough or the Night Owl who punish greed with instant wake-ups.
Tool Synergy with the Meters
- Fairy Dust is your first responder. Smother Fear surges after every major action. Even Heavy Sleepers need a dusting during long drills.
- Dental Drill deals most of the work but spikes every meter. Pair each burst with a pause to observe the gauges—never tunnel vision on the tooth icon.
- Anesthetic buys you another drilling window. Use it when Pain drifts high or during multi-tooth attempts so the donor survives the second pull.
- Forceps should be a victory lap. If Lucidity or Pain is already flashing, dust once more before you tug. Composure matters more than speed.
Trait-Based Meter Adjustments
Traits rewrite how the meters behave. Plan your loop before you leap through the window:
- Heavy Sleeper: Lucidity climbs slowly, giving you freedom to drill longer. Still, dust after each burst to avoid nasty surprises.
- Tough: Expect Pain to spike; schedule anesthetic shots in advance and break the drill into micro-cycles.
- Night Owl / Insomniac: Lucidity starts halfway full. Treat them like ticking bombs: quick drill tap, instant dust, repeat.
- Eldritch & Vampire: Unusual baselines—some barely feel Pain but wake instantly, others shrug off Fear but punish sloppy timing. Enter with Dust ready and plan an exit route.
Mastering meter flow turns The Tooth Fae from a frantic click-fest into a deliberate dance. Revisit the mantra whenever nerves spike: drill a bit, dust a bit. The Queen smiles on fae who keep their donors asleep.