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Let's take a look at the Basic Conditions as a whole. All of them from Accelerated to Unseen.
For your reference: http://pf2playtest.opengamingnetwork.com/playing-the-game/conditions/#Basic _Conditions
Accelerated
Your Speed is increased. Accelerated is always followed by a number indicating how many feet the condition increases your movement Speed by (for example, accelerated 10 increases your Speed by 10 feet). If the condition doesn’t specify which of your movement types it applies to, it applies to all of them, but it doesn’t grant you any movement types that you don’t already have.
I think this one works. I’m not sure that it’s necessary over “boosts movement by 10ft for 1 minute” but otherwise I have no problem with it as a Condition.
Asleep
You can’t act. Furthermore, you have the blinded and flat-footed conditions and take a –4 conditional penalty to AC and Perception. You critically fail all Reflex saves you must attempt. When you gain this condition, you fall prone and drop items you are holding or wielding unless the effect states otherwise or the GM determines you’re in a position in which you wouldn’t.
If you take damage while asleep, the condition ends.
If you are within an ally’s natural reach, that ally can usually nudge or shake you awake with an Interact action. If there is loud noise going on around you, at the start of your turn you can attempt a Perception check as a free action with a –4 circumstance penalty against the noise’s DC (or the lowest DC if there is more than one noise), waking up if you succeed. For creatures attempting to stay quiet, this is a Stealth DC. Some magical effects make you sleep so deeply that they don’t allow you to attempt this Perception check.
This is a classic Condition and had to be in the game.
Blinded
You can’t see. While blinded, you treat all terrain as difficult terrain. All other creatures and objects are unseen to you (see page 303) unless you succeed at a Seek action to sense them. You automatically fail or critically fail (whichever’s worse) Perception checks that are fully dependent on sight, and if vision is your only precise sense, you take a –4 conditional penalty to Perception checks. You are immune to visual effects. Blinded overrides dazzled.
Another classic that had to be in the game.
Broken
Broken is a condition that affects objects. A broken object can’t be used for its normal function, nor does it grant bonuses. It still imposes the penalties and limitations normally incurred by carrying, holding, or wearing it. For example, a suit of armor would still impose its Dexterity modifier cap, check penalty, and so forth.
Broken armor is an exception. It still grants its item bonuses, but also gives you a conditional penalty to AC depending on its category: –1 for broken light armor, –2 for broken medium armor, or –3 for broken heavy armor.
I think one is useful and adds a nice element to the game. Sunder items to take them out of a fight and then salvage them for repair. Of course - Sunder needs to return for this to happen.
Concealed
While you are concealed from a creature, such as in a thick fog, you are difficult for that creature to see, but you are not unseen. A creature that you’re concealed from must succeed at a DC 5 flat check when making an attack against you or targeting you with a spell or effect, unless the attack is an area effect. If the check fails, the attack, spell, or effect misses with no effect. For more information on being concealed, see page 302.
Okay. This is a bit different from Pathfinder First Edition but it works. I like having this as a condition.
Confused
You don’t have your wits about you, and you act rashly.
You can’t use reactions, nor can you Delay or Ready. On each of your turns, you must use your actions to attack the creature that attacked you most recently since your last turn. The GM might allow you to use actions to draw a weapon, move so the creature is in reach, and so forth, as long as the actions lead up to you attacking as required.
If no creature attacked you since your last turn, roll 1d4. On a 1, you must spend your turn attempting to attack the nearest creature to you. On a 2, you must attack yourself once, hitting automatically for your normal damage, and use no further actions. On a 3, you must do nothing but babble incoherently. On a 4, you can act normally.
Does anything other than Powers/Spells cause this? I don’t think this needs to be a Condition unless more things cause it.
Dazzled
Your eyes are overstimulated. If vision is your only precise sense, all creatures and objects are concealed from you.
I’m okay with this as a condition. It’s a nice simplification.
Dead
You are no longer alive. You can’t act or be affected by spells that target creatures (unless they specifically target dead creatures), and for all other purposes you count as an object. When you gain the dead condition, you go to 0 HP if you had a different amount, and you can’t be brought above 0 HP as long as you remain dead.
Hmm. I guess it’s needed?
Deafened
You can’t hear. You automatically fail or critically fail (whichever’s worse) Perception checks based on sound.
You take a –2 conditional penalty to Perception checks for initiative and checks that involve sound but also rely on other senses. If you perform an action that involves auditory elements, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action is lost; attempt the check after spending the action but before any effects are applied. You are immune to auditory effects.
Another classic condition.
Drained
When a creature successfully drains you of blood or some other life force, you become less healthy. Drained always includes a value. You take a conditional penalty equal to the value on Fortitude saves and Constitution-based checks. You also lose a number of Hit Points equal to your level (minimum 1) times the drained value, and your maximum Hit Points are reduced by the same amount. For example, if you’re hit with an effect that inflicts drained 3 and you’re a 3rd-level character, you lose 9 Hit Points and reduce your maximum Hit Points by 9. Losing these Hit Points doesn’t count as taking damage.
In most cases, the drained condition heals naturally at a slow rate. Each day, when you regain Hit Points by resting, your drained value is reduced by 1. This increases your maximum Hit Points, but you don’t immediately recover the lost Hit Points. When the drained value reaches 0, you no longer have this condition.
What happens when you are drained to max hp 0?
Dying/Wounded
Instead of getting into the details, since there have been many revisions let’s just focus on how you feel about this as a condition..
I’m mixed. I like these in theory as a cap on yo-yo healing but in practice it seems to promote yo-yo hero points. I don’t like the 1,2,3,4 steps of Dying/Wounded and would prefer something HP based that meets the same goal. I also miss Diehard and Orc Ferocity allowing a Hero to be conscious while dying.
Encumbered
You are carrying more weight than you can manage. If you’re encumbered, decrease your Speed by 10 feet, to a minimum of 5 feet. This applies to every movement type you have. You also increase your armor’s check penalty by 2, or take a –2 check penalty if you’re unarmored.
Instead of increase ACP of 2 or take a -2 check penalty, I’d rather it just used the -2 check penalty.
Enervated
Enervation makes you less competent, as though your hard-earned experience had drained away. Enervated always includes a value. You take a conditional penalty equal to your enervated value on checks that include a proficiency modifier. The penalty can’t exceed your level, even if the enervated value is greater. For example, if you become enervated 4 and were level 3, you’d take only a –3 penalty.
In addition, you treat your level as though it were lowered by your enervated value (to a minimum of 1st level) when determining which spells you can cast and which abilities you can use. This applies only to actions, activities, free actions, and reactions you gained from feats and class features, and only those that have a level prerequisite. You don’t lose your prepared spells, but you can’t cast those that are higher level than the enervated condition allows. You regain access to them if your enervated value is sufficiently reduced.
Every day you can attempt a Fortitude save to reduce your enervated value by 1 (or 2 on a critical success). The DC is the same as that of the effect that enervated you. If multiple effects enervated you, use the highest DC for your daily checks to recover from enervated. You can also spend a day of downtime training to reduce your enervated value by 1 automatically (in addition to attempting one save for that day to reduce your enervated value).
Yuck. One of my least favorites mechanics to handle in D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder First Edition is back... And still a pain. I’d really prefer a less mechanically intensive take on this.
Enfeebled
You’re physically weakened. Enfeebled always includes a value. When you are enfeebled, you take a conditional penalty equal to the enfeebled value on attack rolls, damage rolls, and Strength-based checks.
So the condition causes a conditional penalty to all strength based skills. Eh. Instead, I think I’d rather have this condition hit all attributes as defined (e.g. Enfeebled [STR] lowers strength based, Enfeebled [DEX] lowers dexterity based, etc).
Entangled
A snare or another entrapping effect holds you back.
You’re hampered 10 (see the condition). If you attempt a manipulate action, activity, free action, or reaction while entangled, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or it is lost; attempt the check after using it but before any effects are applied.
I don’t like this as a condition. It seems like an unnecessary complication - especially since it immediately references hampered. Just have the effect note that the target is hampered 10 and must suceed at a DC 5 flat check to take an action.
Fascinated
You are compelled to focus your attention on something, which distracts you from other things going on around you. You take a –2 conditional penalty to Perception and skill checks, and you can’t use actions, activities, free actions, or reactions with the concentrate trait unless they or their intended consequences are related to the subject of your fascination (as determined by the GM). For instance, you might be able to Seek and Recall Knowledge about the subject, but not cast magic missile.
This condition ends if creatures act in a hostile fashion toward you or your allies.
I don’t like how the wording is oriented towards the player. Do they no longer have abilities that can cause NPCs to become fascinated? All conditions should have a comprehensive audience, in my opinion.
Fatigued
You’re tired, and expending energy makes you worse off.
You’re hampered 5 (see page 323). You take a –1 conditional penalty to AC and saving throws; each action you use during an encounter increases the penalty by 1 until the start of your next turn. For example, if you use 1 Stride action and 2 Strike actions on your turn, the conditional penalty would increase by 3 to a –4 penalty, which would reset to –1 at the start of your next turn. The penalty increases after each action you spend, so if you triggered an attack as a reaction to the first action you used, you’d take a –2 conditional penalty to AC against that attack.
If you’re fatigued in exploration mode, you can’t choose any tactic other than wandering.
You recover from fatigue with a full night’s rest (8 hours).
I do like this version over the one in Pathfinder First Edition. I like how the penalty builds with each action in a turn - cool idea.
But... Ugh. Fatigue and Exploration mode.
Flat-Footed
You’re unable to focus your full attention on defense. You take a –2 circumstance penalty to AC.
I like this as a condition. Good simplification. I’d like to see a note that Touch spells treat their target as Flat Footed (eliminating the need for TAC).
Fleeing
You’re forced to run away due to fear or some other compulsion. On your turn, you must spend each of your actions trying to escape the source of the fleeing condition as expediently as possible (such as by using move actions like Climbing or Flying to flee, or opening doors barring your escape). The source is usually the effect or caster that gave you the condition, though some effects might define something else as the source from which you must flee.
You can’t Delay or Ready while fleeing.
What happens if you can’t escape? What if the Dragon with Frightful Presence has you cornered? Cowering should be noted here.
Friendly
This condition affects only creatures that are not player characters. This attitude reflects a creature’s disposition toward the character who applied the condition. A creature that is friendly to a character likes that character. The character can attempt to make a Request of a friendly creature, and the friendly creature is likely to agree to a simple and safe request that doesn’t cost it much to fulfill. A character gains a +2 circumstance bonus to Lie, to Make an Impression on, or Request things from a friendly creature. This condition ends if the character who applied the condition (or the allies of that character) acts in a hostile fashion toward the creature.
I don’t like the five tiers of NPC relationship and so I don’t like this as a condition.
Frightened
You’re gripped by fear and struggle to control your nerves. The frightened condition always includes a value. You take a conditional penalty equal to this value to your checks and saving throws. Unless specified otherwise, at the end of each of your turns, the value of your frightened condition decreases by 1.
So. This is strong. Even too strong? Fear is the...everything killer?
Grabbed
You’re held in place by another creature, making you immobile and flat-footed. If you attempt a manipulate action, activity, free action, or reaction while grabbed, you must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or it is lost; attempt the check after using it but before any effects are applied.
Can’t Entangled and this be combined into one generic condition? Also, can multiple creatures grab? Why is this “you” oriented? Don’t players grab NPCs?
Hampered
Your Speed is reduced. Hampered is always followed by a number indicating by how many feet the condition reduces your Speed. This condition can’t reduce your Speed below 5 feet. If the condition doesn’t specify which of your movement types it applies to, it applies to all of them. You can have both the accelerated and hampered conditions at the same time, so if you were accelerated 10 and hampered 15, your Speed would be reduced by 5 feet.
I like this condition but not the name. Perhaps the simple Decelerated?
Helpful
This condition affects only creatures that aren’t player characters. This attitude reflects a creature’s disposition toward the character who applied the condition. A creature that is helpful to a character wishes to actively aid that character. It will accept reasonable Requests from that character, as long as such requests aren’t at the expense of the helpful creature’s goals or quality of life.
A character gains a +4 circumstance bonus to Deception checks to Lie to the helpful creature. This condition ends if the character who applied the condition (or the allies of that character) acts in a hostile fashion toward the creature, and the creature could gain a worse attitude condition depending on the severity of the hostile act.
Not a fan.
Hostile
This attitude affects only creatures that are not player characters. This condition reflects a creature’s disposition toward the character who applied the condition. A creature that is hostile to a character actively seeks to harm the character. It doesn’t necessarily attack, but it won’t accept Requests from the character. A character takes a –4 penalty to Make an Impression and Lie actions against a creature hostile to them.
Not a fan.
Immobile
You can’t use any action, activity, free action, or reaction that has the move trait. If an external force would move you out of your space, it must succeed at a check against either the DC of the effect rooting you or the relevant defense (usually Fortitude DC) of a monster rooting you, as appropriate.
Not sure that this needs to be a condition... But it works well enough and is well named.
Indifferent
This attitude affects only creatures that are not player characters. This condition reflects a creature’s disposition toward the character who applied the condition. A creature that is indifferent to a character doesn’t really care one way or the other about the character. The rules assume a creature’s attitude is indifferent unless specified otherwise.
Not a fan.
Paralyzed
Your body is frozen in place. You have the flat-footed condition and can’t act except to Recall Knowledge and act in other ways that require only the use of your mind (as determined by the GM).
Another classic. Quick and to the point. Probably should have some of Sleep’s affects? Like auto-falling reflex saves?
Persistent Damage
Persistent damage comes from effects like acid or burning and appears as “X persistent [type] damage,” where the “X” is the amount of damage dealt and “[type]” is the damage type. While affected by persistent damage, at the end of your turn you take the specified amount and type of damage, after which you can attempt a DC 20 flat check to remove the persistent damage. You roll the damage dice anew each time you take the persistent damage. Immunities, resistances, and weaknesses all apply to persistent damage. If an effect deals damage immediately and also deals persistent damage, you don’t take the persistent damage if you negate the other damage.
For example, an attack that deals slashing damage and persistent bleed damage wouldn’t deal the persistent bleed damage if you blocked all of the slashing damage.
You can be simultaneously affected by multiple persistent damage conditions so long as they have different damage types. If you would gain more than one persistent damage condition with the same damage type, the higher amount of damage overrides the lower amount. All types of persistent damage occur at once, so if something triggers when you take damage, it triggers only one time.
Persistent damage can have the bleed type, meaning it affects only living creatures that need blood to survive.
Bleeding automatically ends if you’re healed to your maximum Hit Points.
You or an ally can spend actions to help you recover from persistent damage, such as casting healing spells or using Medicine to Administer First Aid against bleeding, dousing a flame, or washing off acid; successfully doing so reduces the DC of that condition’s flat check to 15 and usually lets you immediately attempt an extra flat check to end that persistent damage. The reduction to the DC lasts until you remove the persistent damage or gain another persistent damage condition with the same damage type.
This is a very detailed condition...
Petrified
You have been turned to stone. You can’t act and you have the blinded and deafened conditions. You become an object with a Bulk equal to twice your normal Bulk (typically 16 for a petrified Medium creature or 8 for a petrified Small creature), AC 9, TAC 5, and Hardness 8.
In this state, you can take a number of Dents equal to 1 plus your Constitution modifier (minimum 1) before being broken (see page 320). When you’re turned back into flesh, you have as many HP as when you turned into a statue minus 5 HP for every Dent your statue had taken.
This can’t reduce you below a minimum of 1 HP, and if your statue was broken you return with exactly 1 HP. If the statue is completely destroyed, you immediately die.
I don’t know that this needs to be it’s own condition. Some things can just exist? Right? If Petrified is a condition does that mean every cool new monster or spell effect will need a new condition?
Prone
You’re lying on the ground. You take a –2 circumstance penalty to attack rolls but gain a +1 circumstance bonus to AC against ranged attacks. You’re flat-footed against melee attacks. The only move actions you can use while you’re prone are Crawl and Stand. Standing up ends the prone condition.
If you’re Climbing or Flying when you would be knocked prone, you fall instead (see page 310 for the rules on falling). You can’t be knocked prone when Swimming unless you sink to the bottom of a body of water.
Seems find to me.
Quick
You gain 1 additional action at the start of your turn each round. Many effects that make you quick specify the types of actions you can use with this additional action. If you become quick from multiple sources, you can use the extra action granted to use any single action granted by any of the effects that made you quick.
Sounds good.
Restrained
You’re tied up so you can barely move or a creature has you pinned. You have the immobile and flat-footed conditions, and you can’t do anything with the attack or manipulate traits except Break Grapple or Escape. The restrained condition overrides grabbed.
Couldn’t this, Entangled, and Grabbed be combined? Same condition with a few status points? Restrained 1, 2, etc? That would help with referencing.
Sensed
You become sensed when you were unseen by a creature (see below) but that creature has managed to determine the space you’re in (usually by succeeding at the Seek action). A creature who has sensed you is flat-footed to you but can target you with a Strike or another action that targets individuals, though it must succeed at a DC 11 flat check or the action fails to affect you.
I found this confusing initially but in practice I think it works well. I think the name could use some work (Sensed/Unseen) but maybe I just need more practice.
Sick
You feel ill. Sick always includes a value. You take a conditional penalty equal to this value on all your checks.
You can’t willingly ingest anything (including potions) while sick.
You can spend an action retching in an attempt to recover, which lets you attempt a Fortitude save against the DC of the effect that made you sick. On a success, you reduce your sickness value by 1 (or by 2 on a critical success).
Another condition causing a conditional penalty to everything.
Slowed
You can spend fewer actions. Slowed always includes a value. When you regain your actions at the start of your turn, reduce that number of actions by your slowed value.
You can’t Ready an action when you’re slowed. If you become slowed during your turn, you don’t lose any actions until the start of your next turn.
Great with the new action economy. I like this as a condition.
Sluggish
Your movements become clumsy and inexact. Sluggish always includes a value. When you are sluggish, you take a conditional penalty to AC, attack rolls, Dexterity-based checks, and Reflex saves equal to the condition’s value.
Circle back to my earlier proposal of Enfeebled (DEX)?
Stunned
Your body is unresponsive. You can’t act.
Is this necessary? Could it be merged with Paralyzed with this take just having a very short duration?
Stupefied
Your thoughts and instincts are clouded. Stupefied always includes a value. You take a conditional penalty equal to the value on spell rolls; spell DCs; and Intelligence-, Wisdom-, and Charisma-based checks. Anytime you attempt to cast a spell while stupefied, the spell is disrupted unless you succeed at a spell roll against the DC of the effect that gave you the stupefied condition.
Circle back to earlier proposal of Enfeebled [INT] [WIS] [CHA]?
Unconscious
You’ve been knocked out. You can’t act, and you have the blinded, deafened, and flat-footed conditions, and you take a –4 conditional penalty to AC. When you gain this condition, you fall prone and drop items you are wielding or holding unless the effect states otherwise or the GM determines you’re in a position in which you wouldn’t.
You must attempt a recovery saving throw (see page 295) at the start of each of your turns.
Lots of overlap with Sleep. Seems like there could be some simplification here.
Unfriendly
This attitude affects only creatures that are not player characters. This condition reflects a creature’s disposition toward the character who applied the condition. A creature that is unfriendly to a character dislikes and specifically distrusts that character. The creature won’t accept Requests from the character. A character takes a –2 circumstance penalty to Lie and Make an Impression actions against an unfriendly creature.
Not a fan.
Unseen
When you are unseen by a creature, that creature cannot see you at all, has no idea what space you occupy, and can’t target you with attacks or targeted spells and effects, though you still can be affected by area effects. The creature can attempt to guess which square you’re in to try targeting you, as detailed on page 303. When you’re unseen by a creature, that creature is flat-footed to you.
A creature can use the Seek action to try to find you. If it succeeds, you cease to be unseen by it and are sensed instead.
I think this is a useful simplification. It was a bit strange to think of it as a condition but it works. The "you" language needs to be made universal.
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I'd also like to see a Flanked return as a condition.
Flanked
Flanked target is considered Flat Footed against melee strikes from any attacker. *Insert lengthy description of what counts as flanking* Grants a +2 conditional bonus to hit for flanking attackers.
Basically - supercharge flanking to be even more useful to the actual allies flanking and makes the target flat footed to all allies while flanked (not just the two flanking).
You cannot get reduced to 0 hp as a result of Drained, because the most you can have is Drained 4.
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You cannot get reduced to 0 hp as a result of Drained, because the most you can have is Drained 4.
Uh?
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You cannot get reduced to 0 hp as a result of Drained, because the most you can have is Drained 4.
For starters, a page number would be good. Mere reference to a rule isn't all that helpful in as new a game as this.
Secondly, if that is in fact the case, I guess we can throw that (a high level severely drained character) onto the pile of narrative things in PF1 that can't happen in PF2. Great.
If I had a page number, I’d give it. All I have is memory of a dev post.
Lemme see if I can find it, but it’s nowhere obvious. I remember getting a bit annoyed at it at the time because it’s terribly hidden, but the same limit of 4 applies to Enfeebled, Frightened and several others.
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You cannot get reduced to 0 hp as a result of Drained, because the most you can have is Drained 4.
Ok, there was a post from Mark Seifter that explained this better.
You can become, drained 5, drained 6, but the PENALTY to CHECKS are only -4 to +4.
He used enfeebled as example. Someone was enfeebled 5, so he said that the attack was at -4, but damage was not a check, so would be at -5.
Same thing happens with Sorcerer feat DANGEROUS SORCERY (with a spell from level 9, would grant +9 damage)
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Edit: Found
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42a64?Greater-Shadow-Shadow-steal#6
You cannot get reduced to 0 hp as a result of Drained, because the most you can have is Drained 4.
This came up in the thread I linked to - Death by fluffy bunnies: What happens when the drained condition reduces a creature's maximum hit points to 0?.
The hit point reduction is not a conditional penalty.
https://paizo.com/threads/rzs42a64?Greater-Shadow-Shadow-steal#6
Thanks for linking to the dev comment. It's helpful.
+conditional doesn't make sense as they defined conditional / circumstantial
By pf2 definition, a positional, mundane bonus would have to be +circumstantial
Thanks for pointing that out. If I end up houseruling in Flanked as a condition I'll use circumstantial.
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You can become, drained 5, drained 6, but the PENALTY to CHECKS are only -4 to +4.He used enfeebled as example. Someone was enfeebled 5, so he said that the attack was at -4, but damage was not a check, so would be at -5.
Yeah, this game is definitely still WAY too complicated. That is the kind of absolutely unnecessary complication that PF2 really, really does NOT need. Especially if a stated goal is to simplify the game.
Advantage/Disadvantage (which I think is WAY too simple) is starting to look better and better to me :-(.
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Some parts of a condition scaling without limit and others being capped at an arbitrary number is too complicated. I'd rather everything was capped, or everything was uncapped.
Hampered definitely needs to change its name.
I'm not actually a fan of fatigue's current implementation. I'd rather it was a static penalty that didn't change. Maybe it can have two stages to encompass old Exhausted, and be "Slowed X and -X to checks" where X is the stage.
Social moods like unfriendly and helpful don't need to be in the condition list and clutter up the list.
I really want Flanked to be its own condition again, separate from flat-footed, so they can be applied together.
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Regarding the fear condition, it has a rather strange interaction with initiative. Since fear deteriorates at the end of the affected creature's turn, its effective duration depends on your place in initiative. If your turn occurs immediately before the victim's turn, then fear wears off instantly and none of your allies can benefit from the debuff, but if your turn occurs immediately after the victim's turn then fear lasts a full round and everyone can affect them. It's actually really weird and metagamey when you think about it.
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One note that I will point out, at least as I understand it, regarding the Entangled/Grabbed condition is that the DC 5 flat check only occurs on actions, activities, reactions, etc with the manipulate trait. I originally read it to mean manipulate action, any activity, any reaction, any free action. But I don't believe this to be the case. The next step up is restrained and it points out both manipulate and attack traits. This would not need to be mentioned if Entangled/Grabbed already included the attack trait as part of ANY activity, ANY reaction, ANY free action.
I may be wrong, but I think this is how it reads.
I agree with you on most points, so just listing the stuff I have comments other than "I agree". :P
Re: Concealed - A flat 5 check is an 80% chance of success. How is this different from 1e?
Re: Confused (and Petrified) - I think these are too iconic not to have. For that matter, not much inflicts Frightened other than spells and powers.
Re: Dying - I don't think this can be HP based without either a) making it too hard to die at low levels (or too hard to die at all, like -max hp does) or b) introducing rocket tag at high levels.
Re: Fascinated - This doesn't sound "player only" to me. If an NPC is fascinated it's still going to be GM discretion what actions they can take.
Re: Flat-footed - Would making touch AC inflict this make Arcane Tricksters a little too good, since they would get sneak attack on every cantrip?
Re: Frightened - This is a powerful debuff, but it wears off very quickly. Shortest duration debuff in the game, pretty much, and virtually hardcoded into the condition. Haven't really seen anything that gives long-duration frightened.
Re: Sick - This is easily the worst debuff in the game if you don't have a cleric in your party. Had a PC die because he couldn't drink potions.
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Really like the visibility conditions.
Similarly to you, I'd be fine with having the social conditions axed and/or tweaked and stuck elsewhere.
Not a massive fan of enervated thematically, but I at least like the name over level drain by a massive margin.
Fleeing I detest as a common condition, for the same reason I dislike 5e frightened -limits the options of affected PCs for RP reasons, not physical reasons.
If enfeebled became any stat instead, it would be fun to see things like Ret Strike opened up to flexibility targeting.
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Because conditions don't stack with themselves, wights have gone from a terrifying monster that drains your levels to a annoyance that hits you with the drained 1 condition and then very very slowly slaps you to death. Unless they get lucky and crit, and then you get drained 2 instead. But they still have to slowly slap you to death.
Not scary at all and pretty lame.
Wights should kill opponents with the energy drain attack, not their puny smack damage.
I agree that the mechanics of Drained could use some streamlining. But mainly I want energy-draining undead to actually be scary, and I want energy-draining to actually be a frightening threat to characters.
Because if not, what's even the point of the monster?
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Are we sure that's WAI? It seems like Drained in particular must be intended to stack.
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Because conditions don't stack with themselves, wights have gone from a terrifying monster that drains your levels to a annoyance that hits you with the drained 1 condition and then very very slowly slaps you to death. Unless they get lucky and crit, and then you get drained 2 instead. But they still have to slowly slap you to death.
Not scary at all and pretty lame.
Wights should kill opponents with the energy drain attack, not their puny smack damage.
I agree that the mechanics of Drained could use some streamlining. But mainly I want energy-draining undead to actually be scary, and I want energy-draining to actually be a frightening threat to characters.
Because if not, what's even the point of the monster?
I thought this condition was one of the ones that stacked with itself, like I thought enfeebled did, because of the shadows in adventure three. But you're right, the shadows just have specific text saying their version of enfeebled specifically stacks only with enfeebled from shadows, and these conditions don't actually stack. So yeah, the wight enervates you once and then just slowly slaps you for hit point damage. There is no exception text in the condition itself allowing it to stack, either.
Gross. :(
Ah well, at least my group is only halfway through adventure three and we don't get to the wights etc until next session, so I can still run it RAW for playtest purposes as disappointing as that now is.
there are several "permanent" frightened inflicting ways, from bard and dirge of doom, to everything with fear aura (frightened 1 even if you succeed the save), and at least another 1 that atm escapes my mind
Uh, Frightened 1 wears off at the end of your turn.
one of the issues with general enfeeble is that while the conditions themselves are pretty similar, they are not in fact identical.
as an example: enfeebled always decreases damage, regardless if it's a dex or str source
sluggish always reduces attack, regardless if it's a -dex conditionand so on
from what i can tell, the physical ones do that: -str carries - damage, -dex carries -attack, -con carries - hp
while the mental one affects all 3 mental checks and offers a "fail check" for castingif we change to a general enfeeble then:
enfeebled (str) wouldn't affect damage, since damage isn't a check.
enfeebled (dex) wouldn't affect (most) attacks, since attack is a str check
enfeebled(con) wouldn't reduce max HP, since HP are not a check
stupefied would be split to 3 different conditions, and it wouldn't dissalow spellcasting
The result is wordy... But still less confusing than having multiple Conditions with different names that fill the same niche.
Enfeebled (Attribute)
You’re fundamentally weakened in some way. Enfeebled always includes a value and a targeted ability score. When you are enfeebled, you take a conditional penalty equal to the enfeebled value on any checks or rolls modified by that ability score (e.g. attack, damage).
Additionally, each targeted ability score has a special unique effect when targeted.
STR: Lowers Max Bulk by 1 per value (up to STR modifier).
DEX: Lowers AC by 1 per value (up to DEX modifier).
CON: Lowers Max HP by level per value (up to CON modifier).
INT: Anytime you attempt to cast a spell with a key ability of INT, the spell is disrupted unless you succeed at a spell roll against the DC of the effect that gave you the Enfeebled(INT) condition.
WIS: Anytime you attempt to cast a spell with a key ability of WIS, the spell is disrupted unless you succeed at a spell roll against the DC of the effect that gave you the Enfeebled(WIS) condition.
CHA: Anytime you attempt to cast a spell with a key ability of CHA, the spell is disrupted unless you succeed at a spell roll against the DC of the effect that gave you the Enfeebled(CHA) condition.
Uh, Frightened 1 wears off at the end of your turn.
There are a couple abilities like Dirge of Doom that have a rider that you can't recover from them until you leave the area of effect.
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I don’t like how the wording is oriented towards the player. Do they no longer have abilities that can cause NPCs to become fascinated? All conditions should have a comprehensive audience, in my opinion.Fascinated
You are compelled to focus your attention on something, which distracts you from other things going on around you. You take a –2 conditional penalty to Perception and skill checks, and you can’t use actions, activities, free actions, or reactions with the concentrate trait unless they or their intended consequences are related to the subject of your fascination (as determined by the GM). For instance, you might be able to Seek and Recall Knowledge about the subject, but not cast magic missile.
This condition ends if creatures act in a hostile fashion toward you or your allies.
My understanding of it is that the 'you' references the entity (PC/NPC/object) that has the condition.
So if a Bard PC used an ability to fascinate an opponent, that NPC would gain the fascinated condition and the places where the rule for fascinated mentions 'you' it would be talking about the NPC.
Same goes for Grabbed and all the rest.