Monday, March 27, 2023

what if there were a few more status effects?

 D&d 5e has some decent status effects, they're pretty significant and kind of make sense. They all pretty much impose disadvantage to something in some way or another, they made it that way to be easy to remember, I guess. But I really like long lists of obscure status effects that you have to cross-reference and imagine what they do, so let's make a bunch just for fun.

Madness - you've succumbed to the madness of the cosmos. +4 to attacks and damage of any spells or powers that involve starlight, summoning demons or aberrations. advantage on knowledge checks about the cosmos.  you can't sleep, make a DC 15 wisdom check to get a good night's sleep. disadvantage on charisma checks with people unaffected by madness. disadvantage on saving throws to resist mind-affecting powers.

Out-of-it -  something's on your mind ... -4 on saves to maintain concentration, -4 on checks to do anything that takes longer than a minute. -2 on saves versus mind-affecting.

Stressed - -2 on strength and constitution checks, -2 on saving throws to resist mind-affecting powers.

Sadness - -1 on attacks. You are unable to rage, make music, or create. 

Fury - an otherworldly anger fills your mind, clouding your judgment. +2 to melee attack and damage, +4 to strength checks. When you hit, roll an additional d20, and on a 20, you crit. you must make a DC 15 wisdom check when you interact with an NPC, on failure, go berserk and try to kill them

Suppressed - All magic originating from you deals -5 damage, has -5 to attacks, and saves against your spells are at +5.

Insanity - your mind has broken under strain. you can only run, cower, scream, gibber, or make a single melee attack without any class powers. 

Minor Hallucinating - you're seeing random visions out of the corner, it's distracting and you're freaked out. -4 to Perception checks and -4 to Wisdom saving throws, and disadvantage on any saves to avoid fear effects.

Major Hallucinating - you're seeing some crazy shit all over the place. Disadvantage on all attacks and ability checks, and -4 to Perception and Wisdom saves on top of that. If you make an attack, you have a flat 25% chance of missing before you even get to roll because you're so confused.

Envenomed - you've been bit or stung by something poisonous and it hurts like crazy. Attacks and ability checks are at disadvantage (like with poison), and speed is at -10. Your speech is slurred so talking is hard, so casting spells requires a Check with your spellcasting ability at DC 10.

Fatally Envenomed - your blood is coagulating or something. Attacks and ability checks are at -10. Movement reduced to 5' and you have to succeed on a Strength check DC 15 to stand up as an action. Every hour, make a Constitution save DC 10, if you fail you die. Also every hour the check gets worse by 4. 

Short-sighted - Blind against anything further than 5 feet from you

Finger-snapped - one or more of your fingers are broken. -10 on attacks and checks involving your hands

Hobbled - your feet or legs are damaged somehow. Your speed is reduced by some amount (5-30 depending on the industry) and you get a -4 to acrobatics, athletics, and dexterity checks. You also tire easily - if you walk more than a mile, you automatically gain the Tired effect as well.

Hamstrung - your hamstring is severed and you're hamstrung. Speed is reduced to 1/4 and the pain is crippling, -4 to attacks, checks, and Dexterity saves. This can only be cured with a healing spell that involves a successful Wisdom check DC 18.

Frozen - you're frozen solid in a block of ice. you're aware but you can't move, you can maybe speak to move your lips but you can't move your hands. You're restrained. Until the ice is broken, you're immune to physical attacks. The ice has AC 10 - 20 and like 10 - 80 HP, and any extra damage spills over to you. You have resistance to magic damage.

Bonked - you've been bonked on the head and don't feel good. -8 to attacks, checks, and Dexterity, Strength, and Intelligence saving throws. 

Sleepy - -1 to perception checks and checks involving staying still for more than ten minutes. If you fail one of those checks, you fall asleep.

Stigmata - you've been blessed by a god and you have open bleeding wounds somewhere on your body. -2 to any checks involving the open wounds, including attacking with weapons if they're on your hands. Blood from your wounds counts as holy water.

Dimly-glowing - you radiate dim light in a 5' radius. You're visible in darkness so hiding in darkness impossible, and at -2 otherwise.

Spider-infested - you're infested with spider-babies just under your skin. You're severely itchy, so -2 to ability checks, but -4 to Charisma checks because your skin is mottled and alarming-looking. Every round, roll a d6. On a 1, spiders burst from your skin, dealing 1d6 points of damage, and you must have a DC 15 concentration check or fail whatever you're currently doing (concentrate spell, hold a sail rigging, shave, etc). If you're fighting, then you attacks are at disadvantage and -4.

Dissolving - your flesh is melting off!!  You take double damage from all sources. You have disadvantage to attack and disadvantage on concentration checks for spells. At the end of every round, you take severe damage and your condition gets worse:

    (Cumulative extra status-effects): Movement halved -> Movement set to 0 -> Blind -> Unable to take actions -> Dead



1 comment:

  1. BUCKET OVER HEAD: Can't see anything. Sounds are all echoey (disadvntage on listening) and understanding anything quieter than shouting requires a DC 20 WIS save. Things you say are muffled, 50% chance of being completely misunderstood. Head counts as helmeted and is impervious to RAIN effects unless bucket has HOLE tag

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