I've always felt that the conditions laid down in the system were incomplete or did not work as well as intended.
As an example, the fatigue mechanic simply isn't satisfying. Because of the 8 hours of rest needed, it' becomes basically a binary situation. You're either drained for the rest of the day, or you're fine. It simply isn't granular enough. It ought to have either had a variable rest time associated with it, or create a shorter version of it, say "Winded" that one could recover from after just some rest.
Another one that I'm kind of baffled never got put in is something that specifically reduces movement. 99% of the creatures in the game have some form of movement, it's a value that is basically ignored by all the effects in the game, instead folding slowing someone down via the action economy.
There ought to be some kind of "crippled" or "gimped" or some other term that basically dings your movement and represents that you're limping about.
What else have people seen as either missing or not properly functioning in the system?
I spent a fair amount of time once trying to figure out how long someone could play a lyre of building without passing out.
It turns out, using the RAW, forever - there's no rules for sleep, or exhaustion, or anything other than doing a forced march. So, in theory, a fighter can go forever without sleep without any ill effects. Casters, of course, cannot recover spells if they don't rest, but non-casters can theoretically go forever, or at least until they drop from thirst.
I was scrolling through the affliction mechanic, and noticed that none of the diseases actaully grant the 'sickened" or "nauseated" conditions...something that I will be adding (much to my player's chagrin, I'm sure) via house rule.
I have Houseruled a Flanked condition.
I'd think Dazed should work for Winded...?
Reaper Miniatures
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I was scrolling through the affliction mechanic, and noticed that none of the diseases actaully grant the 'sickened" or "nauseated" conditions...something that I will be adding (much to my player's chagrin, I'm sure) via house rule.
I will be discussing with my players this very idea - that in addition to the other effects, sickened should be added.
It is interesting to note that apart from paralyzed, and a few conditions that restrict actions - like confused or dazed - none reduce movement.
Crippled/Lamed/hobbled should probably exist somehow.
most other effects I can think of work like fatigued or shaken, it's just a case of the nomenclature not quite adding up. Addled? = confused for 1 round. Winded? = Dazed for one round. Punch-Drunk? Paralyzed for a few rounds.
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Constipated
Seriously: I can't think of anything much that is missing.
I also don't think that we need twenty versions of each condition. Tipsy - besotted - drunk - shit-faced - hammered - plastered? Is that enough? Or already too much?
Bleed
Blinded
Broken
Confused
Cowering
Dazed
Dazzled
Dead
Deafened
Disabled
Dying
Energy Drained
Entangled
Exhausted
Fascinated
Fatigued
Flat-Footed
Frightened
Grappled
Helpless
Incorporeal
Invisible
Nauseated
Panicked
Paralyzed
Petrified
Pinned
Prone
Shaken
Sickened
Stable
Staggered
Stunned
Unconscious
Do you really need any more than these?
NO!
No We Don't
The only condition missing from the system is what condition get simplified and replaced with.
drunk
high like a kite
dead
clueless
horny
pissed
coy
unreasonable Seriously: I can't think of anything much that is missing.
I also don't think that we need twenty versions of each condition. Tipsy - besotted - drunk - s*!*-faced - hammered - plastered? Is that enough? Or already too much?
Actually, Heroes of Battle added "Heartened", a positive morale effect that I think could be useful... or at least something like it. It would be similar to the Bard's inspire courage, I expect, but systematic representation of that would not be bad.
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I have Houseruled a Flanked condition.
Me to. Goes a long way to allowing ranged rogues.
Mostly, I think there's too many conditions. Or rather, many conditions should work on a tier system - shaken, scared and panicked do, as well as fatigued and exhausted, but they don't need to have different names and more of them should be that way.
I like what the disabled condition does but don't like how rarely it comes into play by RAW, but I use Alexandrian hit points so it's used far more in my home games.
I want tier systems something like this:
Scared - Tier 1, as shaken; tier 2, as frightened; tier 3, as panicked; tier 4, as cowering.
Blinded - Tier 1, as dazzled; tier 2, enemies have concealment; tier 3, as blind
Fatigued - Tier 1, -1 to checks, 10 minutes rest resets; tier 2, as fatigued; tier 3, as exhausted; tier 4, unconscious.
Some conditions, like deaf, don't need tiers, but many could benefit from it. It would make spells such as Flare more useful, and generally keep the number of different conditions to keep track of down.
The only thing I would add is an "asleep" condition, since there's been a lot of debates around what that actually means compared to, for example, unconsciousness.
EDIT: Things like "fascinated" and "petrified", which only applies to a few obscure effects, could be simplified and stated in the effects instead of being conditions.
Constipated
No sh*t?
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Another one that I'm kind of baffled never got put in is something that specifically reduces movement. 99% of the creatures in the game have some form of movement, it's a value that is basically ignored by all the effects in the game, instead folding slowing someone down via the action economy.
Movement reduction is covered by the cowering, dazed, disabled, entangled, exhausted, fascinated, fatigued, grappled, nauseated, paralyzed, pinned, prone, staggered, and stunned conditions. Most of these use the reduced actions model you mention to reduce your movement ability, but entangled provides a nice generic movement reduction mechanic without reducing the character's actual actions. It can also be inflicted via the Dirty Trick combat maneuver, so it's a good one to use (slightly re-fluffed) for any generic 'smacked him in the leg' effects.
In my new Mouse Guard RPG box, they've got conditions for Hungry, Thirsty and Angry.
I want tier systems something like this:
Scared - Tier 1, as shaken; tier 2, as frightened; tier 3, as panicked; tier 4, as cowering.
Blinded - Tier 1, as dazzled; tier 2, enemies have concealment; tier 3, as blind
Fatigued - Tier 1, -1 to checks, 10 minutes rest resets; tier 2, as fatigued; tier 3, as exhausted; tier 4, unconscious.Some conditions, like deaf, don't need tiers, but many could benefit from it. It would make spells such as Flare more useful, and generally keep the number of different conditions to keep track of down.
+1. This actually inspired me to actually divvy up the conditions and create a quick-reference for the table.
What else have people seen as either missing or not properly functioning in the system?
'Flattened' for the "target loses his DEX to AC".
I like the idea of Tier system too.
'Stunned' becomes a more severe state of 'Dazed' that can be reached with multiple istances of the 'Dazed' condition and so for every other condition.
Apathetic? Nonplussed? Gassy?
drunk
high like a kite
dead
clueless
horny
pissed
coy
unreasonable Seriously: I can't think of anything much that is missing.
I also don't think that we need twenty versions of each condition. Tipsy - besotted - drunk - s+%#-faced - hammered - plastered? Is that enough? Or already too much?
Somewhere in the book, it says that while you're drunk or hung over you're considered to have the sickened condition. If you have alcohol poisoning, you're nauseated.
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Wasn't there a condition in 3.0 or 3.5 that you couldn't heal yourself through magic or naturally. Something like that. Was it in Book of Vile Darkness?
I'm not sure about a condition but, without looking it up, there was 'vile damage' which, IIRC, could only be healed in consecrated areas (or something like that).