Conditions

Conditions

Perception

Blinded

A blinded character suffers a -6 penalty to any skill rolls relying on sight.

Enthralled

An Enthralled target stays in place as though spellbound and will resist all attempts to turn its attention away from the object of its focus. Additionally, affected targets suffer a Rank penalty to Perception checks and, unless directly threatened, will be unlikely to respond to anything other than the caster. Attacking or threatening an enthralled target will immediately break the effect.

Flat-footed

A flat-footed target is unaware of an attack and thus unable to properly defend against it. Such a target cannot apply its Dodge or Shield bonuses to an incoming attack. A flat-footed character may be aware of the attacker, but if they do not perceive the threat they can still be caught flat-footed by the attack.

Concealed

When magically concealed, a target is hidden from magical sense enhancement or detection. Concealment spells may be pierced on a failed opposed roll (concealment casting vs. sight/sense casting) by appropriate Sight or Sense spells of higher rank. Concealment may be broken by: violent action; verbal or somatic spellcasting*; experiencing any sort of heavy impact such as falling, slamming into someone at speed; and so on. Casting a spell over which the concealed being has True Mastery (as per Spell Mastery) will not break concealment unless the spell is overtly violent.

Invisible

While Invisible, and may not be detected by sight, sound, or smell. Invisibility may be broken by: violent action; verbal or somatic spellcasting*; experiencing any sort of heavy impact such as falling, slamming into someone at speed; and so on. Casting a spell over which the invisible being has True Mastery (as per Spell Mastery) will not break Invisibility unless the spell is overtly violent.

Mobility

Grappled

A grappled character is restrained and reduced to 0 Speed. They may not cast spells with somatic components, or attack with Medium or larger weapons. On their turn a grappled target may attempt to break the grapple with an opposed roll using Unarmed Combat or Escape Artist, whichever is higher vs. the grappler's Unarmed Combat as a Full Round Action. While engaged in a grapple both the attacker and defender are considered Flatfooted.

Prone

A Prone character is on the ground and gains a +2 Partial Cover bonus from Ranged or Thrown Weapons. Standing up from Prone is a Move Action.

Bleeding

A character affected by a bleed has a substantial wound causing further harm. They suffer bonus dice in damage, which is reduced each round until the bleed stops. A 5d10 Bleed would deal an immediate 5d10 damage, then 4d10 the following round, etc until the effect had run its course. Bleeding may be halted by magical healing bringing the target to full health, or by a successful Medicine check with a number of successes equal to the number of dice assigned for the next tick. (ex. Malatar bleeds for 2d10 damage before Yunone makes an attempt to bind his wound. Because he would receive 1d10 bleeding damage next round she only needs 1 success). A second bleed may not be applied while the target is already bleeding.

Note that characters Bleeding Out is handled differently, however a target may be Bleeding and Bleeding Out at the same time.

Bleeding Out

A character who has been reduced below their unconsciousness threshold (0 Health for characters without the Toughness Benefit) suffer 1 Point of Lethal damage upon their turn every round until they are successfully bound (see Medicine Skill) or reach a negative health total equal to their maximum health.

Poisoned

A character who has been affected by a poison (either ingested or via a wound), must roll a Resistance roll vs. the Potency of the poison or begin suffering the effects on the following round. Example poisons may be found in Equipment.

Diseased

Main Article: Diseases

With the relative prevalence of magical healing and cleansing, mundane diseases are fortunately rare in the larger cities. The most dangerous diseases are either mundane diseases which have developed a resistance to magical cleansing, or magical diseases which are both more virulent and fast-acting than any ordinary illness. Most magical diseases do not include an incubation period, and become active immediately. Magical diseases do not have a natural Potency as this is determined by the power of the caster's roll.

Drowning

An average character who is able to draw in breath before being submerged, can stay submerged for 20 rounds without issue. However, during a struggle this is reduced to 5 rounds. After 5 consecutive rounds submerged the target begins to lose 1 Lethal per round as water fills their lungs and they begin to drown. Drowning targets are, as such, unable to cast spells or verbally communicate. This continues until they are dead or are brought out of the water. In the case where a character reaches negative health values from drowning, a successful Medicine roll will purge the water from their lungs and stabilize them (as per bleeding).

Fear

Shaken

A shaken character takes a -2 penalty on all skill rolls. This is the lowest form of Fear.

Frightened

A frightened character takes a -4 penalty on all skill rolls and -2 dodge. This is the middle version of Fear.

Panicked

A panicked character must flee at top speed from the source of its fear, as well as any other dangers it encounters, along a random path. It can’t take any other actions. If unable to flee, a panicked character cowers. A panicked character takes a -4 penalty on all skill rolls and -2 dodge. A panicked character can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the character must use such means if they are the only way to escape. This is the highest version of Fear.

Cowering

If a panicked character is cornered or unable to flee they cower in place, unable to move or perform actions. They are not considered flat-footed however, and gain their full (remaining) defense.

Elemental

Frost

Targets affected by Frost suffer a -3 Speed debuff. This debuff stacks up to 3 times and is reduced by 1 stack every round the target is not hit by a Frost effect. If a target has 3 Frost stacks, another application of Frost makes them Frozen (speed reduced to 0). They are not considered flat-footed. Frost effects apply even if the damage dealt is negated by Ward. If a target with Frost stacks would gain Burning they instead lose 1 Frost stack.

Shock

Targets affected by Shock, if at least 1 Point of damage is dealt, even if that damage is negated by Ward, suffer an additional 1 Point of bonus non-lethal damage. This additional non-Lethal damage is also subject to any remaining Ward. Shock only causes this additional damage to Living targets (e.g. Constructs & Undead are immune). Additionally, the bonus non-lethal damage caused by Shock will travel through conductive materials such as water or metal to apply to all targets touching the material within a number of yards equal to the Rank of the power or enchantment.

Concussion

Targets affected by Concussion damage, if at least 1 Point of damage is dealt (even if that damage is negated by Ward), suffer an additional 1 Point of bonus non-lethal damage. This additional non-Lethal damage is also subject to any remaining Ward.

Burning

At the beginning of each new round, targets affected with Burning suffer Fire damage. The first round they suffer 1d10, this increases to 2d10 at the beginning of the second round, and 3d10 damage on the 3rd round, after which the effect ends. Burning may not be applied to targets who are already burning. Burning targets may take a Move Action to drop prone and roll to put out the fire and prevent further damage. Dousing burning targets in water can also prevent further damage. If a Burning target would gain Frost they instead reduce the duration of Burning by 1 round.

Example: Adara casts a Fireball on a wight, causing the Burning debuff. Jahena moves into range of the wight with an active Winter Freeze aura. When ending her turn, instead of applying Frost to the wight, the Burning duration is reduced to a total of two rounds. On the following round the wight takes 1d10 as the flames take hold, leaving 1 round remaining. If Jahena ends her turn within range of the wight, her next application of Frost will remove the last turn of the Burning effect and the wight will take no fire damage on the next round.

Combustion

Some abilities (e.g. Firehawk, Fireflies) may cause a target currently affected by Burning to Combust, which immediately consumes the Burning debuff and deals 3d10 Fire damage.

Resistances vs. Immunity

Resistance

Many creatures (and some spell effects) have or provide Resistance to particular types of attacks or effects, making them less vulnerable (but not truly immune) to potential sources of injury.

Magical, Disease, and Poison Resistance

Every creature has a set value for three types of inherent resistance: Magical Resistance, Disease Resistance, and Poison Resistance. These values serve as the base of a dice pool used to oppose the strength/potency of incoming disease, poison, and (some) magical effects. They are often similar but may not be the same, and may be enhanced individually.

Damage Resistance

Damage resistances are different from the other types of resistance in that, instead of serving as a pool of dice to oppose incoming effects, the value of this kind of Resistance negates incoming damage associated with the appropriate descriptor (Fire, Frost, Shock, Light, etc.). For example, if a creature with 2 Fire Resistance is hit with a Firebolt spell, the first two points of damage dealt by the spell would be ignored before the rest could be applied to any Ward or Hit Points.

Immunity

In general, being completely immune to an effect or condition is rare. In most cases, an immunity is actually a limited immunity and provides its immunity only against effects which are equal to the determining Rank and lower. An immunity granted in this way does not negate attacks or the determination of damage, but instead that damage simply is not applied to vigor or health. Immunities do not prevent damage from being applied to Wards.

True universal immunities should fall under one of the following categories:

Thematically Immune

There are a number of cases in which immunity is granted due to specific story or thematically appropriate reasons. The draeken race's immunity to magic for example.

That Just Isn't Possible

There are a number of cases in which immunity exists simply because it isn't actually possible for the effect to apply. For example undead are immune to death magic. Death Magic requires a living target, and undead aren't living. Another example is that undead can't drown, or suffocate. They don't have lungs. Other examples reach into the absurd, such as air is immune to being a target of Hold Person. There are a wide range of immunities which are not explicitly spelled out, and common sense should be used.

It's Actually Part of Them

There are a number of cases in which immunity exists simply because of natural evolution, of design or genetics, or something else. For example a fish is immune to drowning in water because it has specific genetically provided organs to breathe underwater. These cases are not explicitly spelled out, but common sense should be used.