In the treacherous world of Cresthaven, heroes and adventurers face countless challenges, from navigating perilous dungeons to battling fierce monsters and overcoming daunting obstacles. These trials often bring forth a myriad of Player Conditions, temporary states that can significantly impact a character’s abilities, movements, and actions. Whether it’s the unseen advantage of invisibility, the crippling effects of paralysis, the relentless toll of perpetual damage, or the weariness of exhaustion, these conditions shape the course of adventures and demand cunning strategies and resourceful tactics to overcome.
Player Conditions and Their Removal:
Blinded
Character Effects: You cannot make Ranged Attacks. All enemies have +10 to their Armor Class when defending. All enemies have Advantage when attacking against you. They have disadvantage on all Search checks and attack rolls that rely on sight, and they are automatically surprised in the first round of combat. Furthermore, the character’s Notice is reduced to zero.
Removing Condition:
- Magical Restoration: A spell like “Greater Restoration” or a similar effect could restore sight.
- Healing: Certain healing spells or potions designed to cure blindness could remove this condition.
- Time: Blindness may naturally fade over time, such as after a long rest.
Charmed
Character Effects: You cannot target the source of this effect with attacks, and you treat that creature as an ally. At the start of your turn, the source can ask you to perform a single action on your turn. You will still try to protect the charmer from harm. If the Charmer is killed, the Charm effect disappears.
Removing Condition:
- Break Line of Sight: Ending the target’s line of sight with the charmer can break the charm.
- Wisdom Saving Throw: The charmed character may get a chance to make a Wisdom saving throw at the end of their turn to break free.
- Damage: Taking damage might snap the character out of being charmed.
Dazed
Character Effects: All enemies gain Advantage against you. You lose your next attack.
Removing Condition:
- Short Rest: A short rest might allow the character to shake off the dazed condition.
- Magical Restoration: The spell “Lesser Restoration” or a similar effect could remove the dazed state.
Dehydrated
Character Effects: Speed reduced by 25%. Disadvantage on intelligence checks including spellcasting. Confusion (minor effects on actions and interactions).
Removing Condition: Consume sufficient clean water within 12 hours (drinking, filtration, magic).
Encumbered
Character Effects: Movement is reduced to 1/2 when carrying more than half of the character’s max weight.
Removing Condition:
- Drop Items: Reducing encumbrance by dropping items or lightening the load.
- Rest: A short rest could alleviate temporary encumbrance.
Exhausted
Character Effects: Your base movement speed is reduced by half. You have disadvantage on all rolls.
Removing Condition:
- Long Rest: Exhaustion levels can be removed with a long rest.
- Potables: Special potions or items may reduce exhaustion.
Immobilized
- Character Effects: You cannot move on your own; your Speed is 0.
- Removing Condition:
- Break Free: Making a Strength or Dexterity check to break free.
- Help from Allies: Allies can assist in removing immobilization.
Invisible
Character Effects: No one can target you with a Ranged Attack. You have +10 to Armor Class against attackers. You have Advantage for attacks against enemies. Enemies cannot Surprise you.
Removing Condition:
- Attack or Casting: Attacking or casting spells reveals the invisible character.
- Duration: The invisibility might have a set duration and automatically end.
Paralysis
Character Effects: Elves are immune to paralysis. All Melee Attacks against you are automatic critical hits, maximizing all dice. All other attacks against you gain a +4 bonus. All enemies have Advantage against you, making the bonus to Non-Melee Attacks +6.
Removing Condition:
- Saving Throw: A Constitution saving throw might be allowed to end paralysis.
- Magical Restoration: A “Greater Restoration” or a similar spell could remove paralysis.
Perpetual Damage
Character Effects: At the start of each of your rounds, you take a given amount of a given type of damage (e.g., “ongoing 5 acid damage”).
Removing Condition:
- Dispel Magic: A “Dispel Magic” spell or similar effect might end the source of the perpetual damage.
- Healing: Regaining hit points might stop the perpetual damage.
Poisoned
Character Effects: If a player is poisoned, they have only a limited recovery time. The first step is to make a saving DC vs. the poison strength and add your Constitution modifier. If the save is failed, then the poison takes effect.
Removing Condition:
- Antidote: Consuming an antidote or receiving medical attention.
- Magical Healing: Certain spells or magic-user abilities could negate poison.
Prone
Character Effects: You are at -2 on all attacks. All enemies gain Advantage against you. Movement is reduced to 1/2. Standing up takes one round.
Removing Condition:
- Stand Up: Spending half of your movement to stand up from prone.
- Allies’ Help: An ally can use their action to help you stand up.
Slowed
Character Effects: Movement is reduced to 1/2. You can only attack every other round.
Removing Condition:
- Saving Throw: A successful saving throw, often Constitution, could end the slow effect.
- Duration: The slow effect might have a specific duration and end naturally.
Starving
Character Effects: Speed reduced by 25%. Disadvantage on Strength checks including attack rolls. Hallucinations (minor, non-combatant).
Removing Condition: Consume sufficient food within 24 hours (rations, successful scavenging, etc.). Magical solutions may exist.
Stunned
Character Effects: All enemies gain Advantage when attacking against you. You lose your ability to do anything, except save checks, until you save.
Removing Condition:
- Saving Throw: A successful saving throw, such as a Constitution saving throw, might end the stunned condition.
- Duration: The stun effect may have a set duration and automatically end.
Unconscious
Character Effects: All Melee Attacks against you are automatic critical hits, maximizing all dice. All other attacks against you gain a +4 bonus. All enemies have Advantage against you, making the bonus to Non-Melee Attacks +6. On your turn, you take no actions but can still make saving throws.
Removing Condition:
- Healing: Regaining hit points while unconscious can awaken a character.
- Saving Throw: Making a successful death-saving throw can stabilize and eventually revive an unconscious character.
Join the Adventure: Share Your Player Condition Ideas!
In your adventures, player conditions are important challenges that affect characters. We’ve explained many of them and how to deal with them, but we’d love to hear your ideas too! Share your player condition concepts to make the game even more exciting and fun. Let’s work together to make our world even better! Share your ideas and keep the adventures going!