Status Effects

Boons and Conditions

Mossflower has standardized effects represent various physical, mental, and emotional states which modify the effectiveness of your character. These effects are each bound to one of the four attributes. They are divided into two opposing groups: conditions (bad) and boons (good). These can be applied by actions, the environment, special items, or certain events.

Duration

The duration of boons and conditions is relative to the game mode in which they are applied. Boons and conditions are translated down into other modes which have shorter durations. For example, any boons you have while in Journey mode will still be active if you are attacked and enter Battle mode. However, the change of mode will cause those boons to end when Battle ends.

Mode Duration
Battle Until the end of the battle.
Interaction Until the end of the hour.
Journey Until the end of the day.

Boons and conditions can also be removed by other means. Some actions can remove them, some may end due with a certain trigger, and each can be removed by its opposite. Each boon corresponds to an opposing condition. Applying a boon or condition to a character who already has its opposite effect removes both effects.

Boons and Conditions Table

Mighty
(+Brawn)

  • Roll 3d6 (drop lowest) on Brawn checks.
  • Add +1 damage and +1 armor.
  • Hostile Shove effects reduced by 1.

Feeble
(-Brawn)

  • Roll 3d6 (drop highest) on Brawn checks.
  • Attack damage is halved.
  • You cannot regain health or guard by any means except reviving.

Focused
(+Brains)

  • Roll 3d6 (drop lowest) on Brains checks.
  • All ability costs are reduced by 1.
  • You cannot be flanked or swarmed.
  • Your skill bonus is increased by 1.

Dazed
(-Brains)

  • Roll 3d6 (drop highest) on Brains checks.
  • You cannot use abilities.
  • You do not stop foe movement.
  • Your skill bonus is halved.

Hasted
(+Dexterity)

  • Roll 3d6 (drop lowest) on Dexterity checks.
  • Add +1 to Speed and Shift/Shove effects.
  • You gain an extra reaction each round.
  • Double-progress journey travel costs 2 instead of 3.

Slowed
(-Dexterity)

  • Roll 3d6 (drop highest) on Dexterity checks.
  • Your Speed, Shove effects, and Shift effects are halved.
  • You cannot take reactions.
  • All journey travel costs +1.

Bold
(+Destiny)

  • Roll 3d6 (drop lowest) on Destiny checks.
  • When you use glory to reroll a check, the new result is promoted.
  • Penalties from conditions are ignored.

Shaken
(-Destiny)

  • Roll 3d6 (drop highest) on Destiny checks.
  • You cannot use glory.
  • Benefits from boons are ignored.

Position Penalties

A position penalty is a compromise of your character's ability to act due to their position in the environment. While penalized in this way, your speed is halved (assuming you are still able to move under the circumstances) and you have a -2 penalty to Fight and Counter. Additionally, the host may add +2 to the DC of any check that would be impeded by this. This penalty is not cumulative - multiple position penalties do not stack. A character in any of the following circumstances has a position penalty:

List of Position Penalties

  • Airborne. Flying, falling, or hanging suspended in open space.
  • Balancing. In danger of falling from narrow footing such as a branch, ledge, or wall.
  • Climbing. Paws engaged in climbing a rope, cliff, ladder, tree, or similar.
  • Obscured. Unable to see beyond a few feet or less, due to darkness, dense smoke, or surrounding objects and creatures.
  • Squeezing. Pressed in a tight space, such as a tunnel, a narrow stairwell, or a dense crowd.
  • Submerged. Fully immersed in a substantial body of water.

Certain creatures are unaffected by specific position penalties, such as an otter's immunity to the Submerged penalty. These creatures, like the otter, are still Submerged for any effects that may still apply, but they cannot be penalized by the position itself.

Tactical Penalties

A tactical penalty is a circumstance that temporarily leaves a character vulnerable in battle. A character with any of the following effects is considered to have a tactical penalty. In addition to the effects of the tactical penalties themselves, some abilities interact with tactical penalties.

List of Tactical Penalties

Flanked

When a character has foes positioned on opposite sides of their hex, that character is flanked. Foes in flanking positions gain a +1 Fight bonus on strikes against that character. Characters in guard mode cannot be flanked.

Swarmed

When a character is adjacent to at least 2 foes and no allies, that character is swarmed. Foes have a +1 Fight bonus on strikes against swarmed characters. Characters in guard mode cannot be swarmed.

Stunned

When a character is momentarily disoriented or knocked down in battle, that character is stunned. A stunned character suffer the following penalties:

  • Loses one action on their turn.
  • Cannot use or announce telegraphed abilities.
  • Cannot use reactions.
  • Stunned characters are forced to exit guard mode and cannot enter it.
  • As with other tactical penalties, foes have +1 Fight on strikes against stunned characters.

The stun effect expires at the end of the next turn of the source of the effect, typically this means the end of the attacker's next turn. A character may negate or end a stun effect by sacrificing a boon.

See Also