Effects
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Effects (sometimes referred to as secondary effects) are modifiers that may affect a creature's stats and/or alter their behavior. There are many different types of effects, all of which are listed here.
Contents
General rules
An effect usually comes from a particular source, such as an item consumed.
As a rule of thumb, taking multiple instances of the same source will extend the duration of the effects, while taking multiple different sources, even if their effects are similar, will result in stacking the effects together.
For example, if a creature consumes a Diazepam, that creature will gain the Alertness increase and FT -2 effects for 20 turns.
- If the same creature takes a second Diazepam, the effects do not stack, but the duration is increased by another 20 turns.
- If, instead, the same creature consumes a Cigarette after taking a Diazepam, then they will gain the Agility +1 and FT -1 effects from the Cigarette for 10 turns, resulting in their FT being decreased by a total of 3.
Effects may have one of four types of durations:
- Instant - Delivers an effect that is resolved immediately, having effectively no duration.
- Temporary - Lasts only for a certain amount of turns.
- Example: Being hit by an M84 and receiving the Flashbanged effect for 2 turns.
- Semi-permanent - Lasts semi-indefinitely; there is no turn duration, but the source or cause can be fixed or reversed.
- Example: Environmental blindness induced by a dark room - the effect will remain for as long as the creature remains in a dark room, unless they have a means to combat the darkness or until they leave the room.
- Permanent - Lasts indefinitely, usually as a result of a permanent modification or damage. Certain permanent effects can be removed under exceptional circumstances, but normally they are not intended to be.
- Example: Blindness induced by destroyed eyes.
NOTE: Not all possible effects are listed below, and GMs may create new effects of their own if they feel it is necessary. Sometimes, an effect is simply listed as a stat modifier with no special names or further explanations. As long as GMs and players both clearly understand the effects at play, and all relevant modifiers, durations and explanations are clearly listed, it should be fine.
Lists of effects
Accuracy
Effects that affect a creature's accuracy.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
FT decrease (FT-X) | FT is decreased by the listed amount (replace X with a number). |
FT increase (FT+X) | FT is increased by the listed amount (replace X with a number). |
IR decrease (IR-X) | IR is decreased by the listed amount (replace X with a number). |
IR increase (IR+X) | IR is increased by the listed amount (replace X with a number). |
Blindness | This creature's eyes have all been destroyed. Natural FT is set to 10 and all FT modifiers are ignored as long as this effect is active. |
Environmental blindness | Blindness induced by the environment, such as total darkness, or obscured eyes. Natural FT is set to 10 and all FT modifiers are ignored as long as this effect is active. |
Flashbanged | Blindness induced by a flashbang weapon. Natural FT is set to 10 and all FT modifiers are ignored as long as this effect is active. |
Perception loss | Natural FT is increased by 2 for each eye that was destroyed, as long as this creature has at least one remaining eye. (If there are no remaining eyes, the creature gets Blindness instead.) |
Indestructible eyes | The eyes of this creature cannot be destroyed by attacks or effects, effectively preventing Perception loss or Blindness from affecting this character. |
Night vision | The eyes of this creature are not affected by darkness or low light. Characters with this effect cannot receive Environmental blindness. The duration of Flashbanged effects will be doubled against creatures with this effect active, unless they also have Flashbang immunity. |
Thermal vision | The eyes of this creature are not affected by darkness or low light and can see heat signatures. Characters with this effect cannot receive Environmental blindness nor any FT maluses due to gas clouds, both inside and outside. The duration of Flashbanged effects will be doubled against creatures with this effect active, unless they also have Flashbang immunity. Creatures with this effect also receive a IS tier +1 malus. |
Flashbang immunity | The eyes of this creature are shielded against the effects of flashbang weapons. Prevents Flashbanged from affecting this character. |
Darkness adapted | This creature's eyes can adapt quickly to the dark. When inside a blacked-out room, this character is immune to Environmental blindness; instead, they sustain a flat FT+2 malus. |
Body
Effects that affect a creature's body in various ways.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Blackout / Blacked out | Semi-permanent effect caused by reaching Pain blackout threshold. The creature falls unconscious and can no longer perform any actions, whether combat or non-combat, until their Pain levels are no longer within blackout threshold. |
Bleeding | Semi-permanent effect caused by having at least one Wound. The affected character will lose 0.3 Blood multiplied by amount of Wounds per turn. For player characters, as long as this effect is active, turn-based mode (as during combat) is forced on until all wounds have been patched OR until death occurs, whichever happens first. |
Cyanide poisoning | Poisoning induced by a cyanide weapon. Technically a semi-permanent effect, but begins a 5-turn countdown. The creature must use an appropriate antidote (Hydrocoxobalamin) before the end of the countdown, or face instant death.(1) |
Dead | Usually a very permanent effect. (If you ever find yourself in a situation where it's not permanent, panic.) The creature's vital functions have, one way or another, ceased permanently. Can be reached through many different ways, most commonly reaching Pain death threshold, reaching zero Blood, or reaching 0 torso or head HP, though a number of other ways to induce death also exist. |
Nausea | The creature feels sick and nauseous. The creature sustains cannot consume food items for as long as the effect lasts.(2) |
Limping | The creature's movement is mildly impaired. Semi-permanent effect caused by limb damage. The creature suffers from Agi-1. |
Crippled | The creature's movement is seriously impaired. Semi-permanent effect caused by limb damage. The creature suffers from Agi-2 and IS tier +1. A creature cannot be both Limping and Crippled at the same time; this effect overrides and replaces Limping. |
Anti-Oni Syndrome | A creature under this effect will not gain Inebriation from drinking alcohol; they will instead sustain 1% Pain per 0.1 Inebriation they would normally have gained. Pain caused by this effect ignores Pain Sensitivity (treated as if 100%).(3) |
Forced sleep | A creature under this effect will fall asleep. Sleep is considered to be an equivalent state as blacking out; asleep creatures are completely helpless and unable to perform any actions. |
Forced wakefulness | This effect is designed to override the effects of Forced sleep and Blacking out, keeping the afflicted creature awake. |
Clothing and armor
Effects from wearing clothing and armor.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Blast protective | Halves the the amount of damage sustained from Explosion-type damage. |
Blocks face gear | Prevents the creature from wearing items designated as face gear. |
Classy | Good-looking clothes. May be required in certain social situations. |
Face concealment | Items with this trait protect the eyes of the wearer, making it impossible for other creatures to target them. |
Fire retardant | Prevents the creature from being set on fire by a Spec-Fire attack. This effect is only active on the specific body parts that fire-retardant clothing/armor protects. (4) |
Half melee damage | Halves the the amount of damage sustained from melee damage types; Blunt-type, Sharp-type and Piercing-type. |
Immunity to gases | The wearer is immune to the effects of any gas clouds they are occupying. |
Rags / Can be cut into X rags | Items with this trait can be destroyed to acquire Rags. The exact quantity depends on the type of item. |
Elemental
Effects from weapons, attacks, and other sources of an elemental nature.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
On fire | Semi-permanent effect caused by Spec-Fire damage and other sources of fire. Creatures with this effect active sustain +5% Pain per turn and 1 limb damage to a random body part each turn until the fire is put out. Pain from this effect ignores the target's Pain Sensitivity; it is treated as if the victim had a PS of 100%. To put the fire out and remove this effect, the creature on fire must perform a non-combat action called Stop drop and roll. This action always succeeds but requires spending a turn.(5) |
Stunned | Temporary effect caused by Spec-Elec damage and other paralyzing or electrical sources. Creatures with this effect active cannot perform actions during combat, either combat or non-combat, as they are temporarily paralyzed.(6) |
Frost-slowed | Temporary effect caused by Spec-Ice damage and exposure to intense cold. Creatures with this effect have more difficulty moving, and sustain Agility -1 and IS tier +1 for as long as the effect lasts. |
Water-soaked | Semi-permanent effect caused by Spec-Aqua and exposure to significant amounts of water. This effect will override On fire (effectively putting it out), but it will also result in double damage from Spec-Elec attacks for as long as the effect lasts. For as long as the effect is active, creatures with this effect gain Fatigue +0.2% x turns spent in combat at the end of a fight and Fatigue +0.1% x rooms traveled at the end of a UA trip. This effect is not part of Travel Fatigue and is not affected by the Wherever I may roam trait. To remove this effect, you must use a bath towel. |
Acid degradation | Instant effect caused by Spec-Acid and exposure to corrosive substances. The creature will sustain 1d6 limb damage to one random body part, and one random equipped weapon will lose 1d12 x 500 Condition.(7) |
Fatigue
Effects that affect a creature's Fatigue.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Minimum Fatigue set to % | The creature is experiencing lasting fatigue of varying intensity, making it impossible for their Fatigue level to fall under the listed percentage. If multiple sources provide this effect, the effect with the highest number prevails (they do not stack). |
Travel fatigue | Instant effect applied after traveling in the UA and reaching the destination. The traveling creature's Fatigue will increase by an amount equal to +(2d4)x0.1xR, where R is the number of rooms passed during the trip. This effect applies even after Skip traveling. Additionally, the creature burns -20 ntri and -10 wtr per room passed. If your character has the Wherever I may roam trait, halve the result of the Fatigue roll (or roll (2d4)x0.05xR) and halve the ntri/wtr burned (or -10 ntri / -5 wtr per room) |
Healing
Effects which heal a creature, or are related to healing.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Blood healing | Instant effect caused by the natural healing of Blood through Daily Reset. For every 0.1 Blood regenerated through the Daily Reset, the creature burns -15 ntri and +0.2% Fatigue. Blood healing doesn't apply from using BTKs as it's a direct transfusion instead of regeneration. |
Pain healing | Instant effect caused by the healing of Pain, regardless of the method (Meds, Daily Reset, etc). For every 1% Pain healed, the creature burns -5 ntri and +0.1% Fatigue. The only exception is healing Pain from visiting a hospital; this will not burn Nutrition or Fatigue. |
Light limb healing | Instant effect caused by the First Aid Kit. The selected limb heals up to 7 HP, but will also result in burning -50 ntri and +0.4% Fatigue per 1 HP healed. All other limbs heal a bonus amount of HP dependent on the user's Healing skill. Bonus HP does not burn Nutrition or Fatigue. |
Strong limb healing | Instant effect caused by the Field Surgery Kit. The selected limb heals up to 12 HP, but will also result in burning -50 ntri and +0.4% Fatigue per 1 HP healed. All other limbs heal a bonus amount of HP dependent on the user's Healing skill. Bonus HP does not burn Nutrition or Fatigue. |
Disabled natural healing | This creature will not naturally heal Pain or Blood at the Daily Reset. |
Mind
Effects that affect a creature's mental state.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Alertness increase | The creature is abnormally attentive, with a heightened attention span and improved reaction time. For as long as the effect lasts, at the start of each combat turn, the GM must describe to the player controlling this creature, all of the actions of all other NPCs in advance, as well as the Initiative Speed of these actions, effectively allowing them to "know in advance" and react accordingly.(8) |
Hallucinations | The creature's perception is warped, and they see things that aren't really there. The GM may, at their discretion, use the bot commands &enc-hallu and &item-hallu, respectively for creatures and for items, to "change" their appearance and simulate hallucinations. |
Rage | A creature under this effect is under uncontrollable anger. As long as this effect is active, this creature must continue combat until all other creatures in sight have either fled or been killed, or until the effect subsides. In addition, all hits (including inaccurate hits) with any type of weapon or attack are treated as critical hits. |
Controlled fury | A creature under this effect is under intense feelings of righteous anger. A version of Rage with no negative effects. All hits (including inaccurate hits) with any type of weapon or attack are treated as critical hits. This effect overrides Rage. |
Nutrition
Effects that affect a creature's hunger and sometimes thirst
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Mild munchies | The creature feels abnormally hungry. If this creature's Nutrition level is OK or higher, it is treated as Hungry instead, which includes the effects of being Hungry. |
Intense munchies | The creature feels abnormally famished. If this creature's Nutrition level is Hungry or higher, it is treated as Famished instead, which includes the effects of being Famished. That includes disabled natural healing, so be careful. This effect overrides Mild munchies. |
Mild thirst | The creature feels abnormally thirsty. If this creature's Hydration level is OK or higher, it is treated as Thirsty instead, which includes the effects of being Thirsty. |
Intense thirst | The creature feels abnormally very thirsty. If this creature's Hydration level is Thirsty or higher, it is treated as Dehydrated instead, which includes the effects of being Dehydrated. This effect overrides Mild thirst. |
Suppressed hunger | Temporary effect. The effects from a Nutrition level of Hungry, Famished or Starving will be temporarily canceled, treating the creature as if their Nutrition level is OK. Because this effect cancels the effects of low nutrition, this effect also overrides Self-deterioration and either form of munchies, and prevents the creature from gaining deterioration points. |
Self-deterioration | Semi-permanent effect caused by reaching the Starving level of Nutrition. At Daily Reset, this creature will gain 2d4 deterioration points. If a creature's deterioration points reach or exceed an amount equal to their Max Blood, they die instantly. If this creature is no longer Starving, deterioration points are immediately reset to zero and this effect is removed. |
Pain Sensitivity
Effects that affect a creature's Pain Sensitivity.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
PS decrease (PS -X %) | Pain Sensitivity is decreased by the listed amount (replace X with a number). |
PS increase (PS +X %) | Pain Sensitivity is increased by the listed amount (replace X with a number). |
Ignores Pain Sensitivity | The amount of Pain dealt by an attack or effect with this trait is not modified by the target creature's Pain Sensitivity, treating it as though it was 100%. |
Strength
Effects that affect a creature's Strength.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Strength decrease (Str -X %) | Strength is decreased by the listed amount (replace X with a number). |
Strength increase (Str +X %) | Strength is increased by the listed amount (replace X with a number). |
Stress
Effects that affect a creature's Stress or is otherwise related to their Stress level.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Need a drink (level 0) | Instant effect applied when gaining Inebriation while not addicted to alcohol. For every +0.1 Inebriation gained, a creature's Stress will decrease by -0.4%. If you have Alcohol Affinity (e.g., oni), your Stress decreases by -0.8% instead. |
Need a drink (level 1) | Instant effect applied when gaining Inebriation while Level 1 addicted to alcohol. For every +0.1 Inebriation gained, a creature's Stress will decrease by -0.3%. If you have Alcohol Affinity (e.g., oni), your Stress decreases by -0.6% instead. |
Need a drink (level 2) | Instant effect applied when gaining Inebriation while Level 2 addicted to alcohol. For every +0.1 Inebriation gained, a creature's Stress will decrease by -0.2%. If you have Alcohol Affinity (e.g., oni), your Stress decreases by -0.4% instead. |
Need a drink (level 3) | Instant effect applied when gaining Inebriation while Level 3 addicted to alcohol. For every +0.1 Inebriation gained, a creature's Stress will decrease by -0.1%. If you have Alcohol Affinity (e.g., oni), your Stress decreases by -0.2% instead. |
Combat stress | Instant effect applied after combat. At the end of a fight, a creature's Stress will increase by an amount equal to +(Td4)x0.2xE, where T is the amount of turns spent in combat, and E the amount of enemies (hostile creatures) at the start of combat. In other words, Stress increases by 0.2% to 0.8% per turn, multiplied by amount of starting enemies. If your character has the Combat veteran trait, halve the result of the roll (or roll (Td4)x0.1xE). If your character has the Scaredy-cat trait, double the result of the roll (or roll (Td4)x0.4xE). |
Minimum Stress set to X % | The creature is experiencing varying degrees of anxiety, making it impossible for their Stress level to fall under the listed percentage. If multiple sources provide this effect, the effect with the highest number prevails (they do not stack). |
Euphoria Rush | Temporary effect. For as long as the effect is active, any effects that would increase this creature's Stress are negated (effectively increasing it by +0.0%). |
Decompensation | Semi-permanent effect caused by reaching the Breakdown level of Stress. At Daily Reset, this creature will gain 1d4 decompensation points. If a creature's decompensation points reach or exceed an amount equal to their Max Head HP, they die instantly. If this creature is no longer in Breakdown, decompensation points are immediately reset to zero and this effect is removed. |
Miscellaneous
Other effects that cannot be categorized anywhere else.
Effect name | Effect description |
---|---|
Unbreakable <limbs> | The listed creature's body parts cannot sustain fractures anymore. Depending on the active sources, multiple body parts may be listed and grouped as one. |
Mushroom corruption | Certain Mushrooms are tagged with this special effect. Has no effect when consumed, but if carried in the same segment of a load-bearing item where other mushrooms are found (e.g., if placed in a backpack's main capacity with mushrooms already in main capacity), it will "corrupt" those other mushrooms. Corrupted mushrooms lose all nutritional and monetary value (both become 0) and all of their effects, turning them into useless items. |
Tips
Temporary effects outside of combat
If a player character has active temporary ("x turns") effects and is outside of combat, the counter remains unchanged and only ticks down during combat, at the end of each turn.
However, anything that advances time by at least one period will wipe all active temporary effects. Actions such as waiting, or reaching the destination at the end of a trip in the UA may cause it to happen.
For GMs
Tips for Game Masters |
Here are a few examples of special situations and tips for GMs on how to handle them.
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