Condition Summary

Conditions alter a creature’s capabilities in a variety of ways and can arise as a result of a spell, a class feature, a monster’s attack, or other effect. Most conditions, such as blinded, are impairments, but a few, such as invisible, can be advantageous.

A condition lasts either until it is countered (the prone condition is countered by standing up, for example) or for a duration specified by the effect that imposed the condition.

If multiple effects impose the same condition on a creature, each instance of the condition has its own duration, but the condition’s effects don’t get worse. If more than one condition affects a character, apply them all.

A creature either has a condition or doesn’t. The following definitions specify what happens to a creature while it is subjected to a condition.

Ability Damaged

The character has temporarily lost 1 or more ability score points. Lost points return at a rate of 1 per day, as long as the character receives 8 hours of uninterrupted rest (generally in the form of a Long Rest). Full bed rest for 24 hours doubles this rate of healing. The Heal skill can also be used to increase the rate of healing.

Ability Burn is a special type of ability damage which cannot be healed by any magical effect and can only be healed through natural healing over time.

Ability Drained

The character has permanently lost 1 or more ability score points. The character can regain drained points only through magical means.

Bleeding

Some attacks deal Bleed damage, causing the character to take the specified amount of damage at the beginning of each of its turns. Bleed damage can be stopped with any effect that heals at least 1 hit point of damage or by a DC 10 Heal check (DC 15 if the bleed effect deals ability damage).

Bleed effects do not stack with each other unless they deal different types of damage. When two or more bleed effects deal the same kind of damage, take the worse effect. In this case, ability damage and ability drain are considered the same with drain being the worse effect even if it deals less damage.

For example, a creature affected by these four bleed effects, 2 hp/round, 3 hp/round, 3 Dex/round, and 1 Dex (drain)/round would lose 3 hit points and suffer 1 Dex drain each round until the bleeding is stopped.

Blinded

The character cannot see and automatically fails any check that requires sight. He takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class, is flat-footed, and takes a -4 penalty Perception checks involving sight and on Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks.

Blind characters must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. A failed check causes the creature to fall prone.

All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) to the blinded character.

Creatures who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.

Blown Away

A creature is considered blown away when it’s sent flying by an ability, such as a strong wing or especially powerful attack (such as a Bull Rush special attack in which the attacker does not follow the target).

Broken

Items that have taken damage in excess of half their total hit points gain the broken condition, meaning they are less effective at their designated task. The broken condition has the following effects, depending upon the item.

• If the item is a weapon, any attacks made with the item suffer a –2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. Such weapons only score a critical hit on a natural 20 and only deal ×2 damage on a confirmed critical hit.
• If the item is a suit of armor or a shield, the bonus it grants to AC is halved, rounding down. Broken armor doubles its armor check penalty on skills.
• If the item is a tool needed for a skill, any skill check made with the item takes a –2 penalty.
• If the item is a wand or staff, it uses up twice as many charges when used.
• If the item does not fit into any of these categories, the broken condition has no effect on its use. Items with the broken condition, regardless of type, are worth 75% of their normal value. If the item is magical, it can only be repaired with a mending or make whole spell cast by a character with a caster level equal to or higher than the item’s. Items lose the broken condition if the spell restores the object to half its original hit points or higher. Non-magical items can be repaired in a similar fashion, or through the Craft skill used to create it. Generally speaking, this requires a DC 20 Craft check and 1 hour of work per point of damage to be repaired. Most craftsmen charge one-tenth the item’s total cost to repair such damage (more if the item is badly damaged or ruined).

Burning

A creature or object with this condition has caught on fire and continues to take fire damage for as long as they continue to burn. These flames are not magical. Extinguishing the flames is a full-round action that usually requires a DC 15 Reflex save, but the DC can be modified by the effect which inflicted this condition. Rolling on the ground provides the target a +2 bonus on the save. Leaping into a lake or otherwise fully submerging in water or magically extinguishing the flames automatically smothers the fire and removes this condition.

Checked

Prevented from achieving forward motion by an applied force, such as wind. Checked creatures on the ground merely stop. Checked flying creatures move back a distance specified in the description of the effect.

Confused

A confused character’s actions are determined by rolling d% at the beginning of his turn:

A confused character who can’t carry out the indicated action does nothing but babble incoherently. Attackers are not at any special advantage when attacking a confused character. Any confused character who is attacked automatically attacks its attackers on its next turn, as long as it is still confused when its turn comes. A confused character does not make attacks of opportunity against any creature that it is not already devoted to attacking (either because of its most recent action or because it has just been attacked).

Cowering

The character shrinks away from its enemies and can take no actions. A cowering character takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class and loses its Dexterity bonus (if any).

Cursed

Suffering from a curse effect. By itself, the cursed condition does nothing, but other effects and abilities may interact differently with a cursed creature. Multiple curses do not cause a creature to become more cursed; it is simply cursed or it is not. A creature remains cursed as long as any ability of effect with the curse descriptor is affecting it.

The successful use of break enchantment, remove curse, or similar effects removes the cursed condition from the target in addition to their normal effects.

Dazed

The creature is unable to act normally. A dazed creature can take no actions, but has no penalty to AC. Unless otherwise stated, a dazed condition lasts 1 round or until the dazed creature is attacked or otherwise shaken out of its daze.

Dazzled

The creature is unable to see well because of over stimulation of the eyes. A dazzled creature takes a -1 penalty on attack rolls, Perception checks, and any other check that requires sight.

Dead

The character’s hit points are reduced to a negative amount equal to his Constitution score, his Constitution drops to 0, or he is killed outright by a spell or effect. The character’s soul leaves the body. Dead characters cannot benefit from normal or magical healing, but they can be restored to life via magic.

A dead body decays normally unless magically preserved, but magic that restores a dead character to life also restores the body either to full health or to its condition at the time of death (depending on the spell or effect). Either way, resurrected characters need not worry about rigor mortis, decomposition, and other conditions that affect dead bodies.

Deafened

A deafened character cannot hear and automatically fails any check that requires hearing. She takes a -4 penalty on initiative checks and has a 20% chance of spell failure when casting spells with verbal components.

Disabled

A character with 0 hit points, or one who has negative hit points but has become stable and conscious, is disabled. A disabled character may take a single move action or standard action each round (but not both, nor can she take full-round actions). She moves at half speed. Taking move actions doesn’t risk further injury, but performing any standard action (or any other action the game master deems strenuous, including some free and swift actions such as casting a quickened spell) deals 1 point of damage after the completion of the act. Unless the action increased the disabled character’s hit points, she is now in negative hit points and dying.

A disabled character with negative hit points recovers hit points naturally if she is being helped. Otherwise, each day she has a 10% chance to start recovering hit points naturally (starting with that day); otherwise, she loses 1 hit point. Once an unaided character starts recovering hit points naturally, she is no longer in danger of losing hit points (even if her current hit points are negative).

Intense Willpower

While disabled, you can make a Fortitude saving throw with a of DC 20 + your current hit points below zero—so, at -4 hit points, the save has a DC of 24. If successful, you can take a normal action without taking 1 point of damage. You must make a save for each strenuous action you want to take. A failed save in this circumstance carries no direct penalty—you can choose not to take the strenuous action and thus avoid the hit point loss. If you do so anyway, you lose 1 hit point, as normal when disabled.

You must be conscious in order to use this option. This means that most characters can only do so while at exactly 0 hit points, unless they have been stabilized and regained consciousness or have a feat or ability that allows them to remain conscious while at negative hit points.

Dying

A dying character is unconscious and near death. She has -1 to -9 current hit points. A dying character can take no actions and is unconscious. At the end of each round (starting with the round in which the character dropped below 0 hit points), the character rolls d% to see whether she becomes stable. She has a 10% chance to become stable. If she does not, she loses 1 hit point. If a dying character has an number of negative hit points equal to its Constitution score, it dies.

Energy Drained

The character gains one or more negative levels, which might permanently drain the character’s levels. If the subject has at least as many negative levels as Hit Dice, he dies. Each negative level gives a creature the following penalties: -1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks; loss of 5 hit points; and -1 to effective level (for determining the power, duration, DC, and other details of spells or special abilities). In addition, a spellcaster loses one spell or spell slot from the highest spell level available.

Entangled

The character is ensnared. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls and a -4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + the spell’s level) or lose the spell.

Fascinated

A fascinated character is entranced by a supernatural or spell effect. The character stands or sits quietly, taking no actions other than to pay attention to the fascinating effect, for as long as the effect lasts. It takes a -4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks.

Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, allows the fascinated creature a new saving throw against the fascinating effect. Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the fascinated creature, automatically breaks the effect. A fascinated creature’s ally may shake it free of the spell as a standard action.

Fatigued / Exhausted

Fatigue is measured in six levels.

The first level—Fatigued—is caused by any effect that causes a character to become fatigued or especially tired. Anything that would normally cause fatigue causes an already fatigued character to increase fatigue by 1 level.

Effects which cause a character to become Exhausted directly set the character’s fatigue level to 3 or increase fatigue by one level if at 3 or above.

Characters suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to Strength and Dexterity for each level of fatigue, to a max of -10 at fatigue level 5.

Characters with any level of fatigue also suffer a penalty to their ability to move freely. A fatigued character cannot run or charge, an exhausted character can only move at half speed, and a debilitated character can barely shuffle their feet, reducing their maximum speed to 5 feet made as a full-round action.

A character who reaches fatigue level 6 falls unconscious as their body shuts down completely. Once a character reaches this level of fatigue, they take 1 point of Constitution damage each hour (even while resting) until their fatigue level is reduced. Any action or effect which would add another level of fatigue immediately reduces the character’s Constitution to 0, killing them.

Becoming Fatigued

In addition to spells and effects that inflict fatigue, a character who does not get sufficient rest becomes fatigued. He can go a number of days without a Long Rest equal to his Constitution modifier (minimum 1) after which he automatically gains 1 level of fatigue. Each day he goes without a long rest while fatigued, he must make a Constitution check (DC 10 + 2 per day) or increase fatigue by 1 level. (Some creatures that do not require sleep, such as constructs and undead, ignore this rule.)

Doing anything that would normally cause fatigue causes an already fatigued character to gain 1 level of fatigue.

Curing Exhaustion

A Long Rest reduces fatigue by 1 level. 24 hours of uninterrupted bed rest can reduce fatigue by 2 levels.

Flat-Footed

A character who has not yet acted during a combat is flat-footed, not yet reacting normally to the situation. A flat-footed character loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) and cannot make attacks of opportunity or take immediate actions.

Any effect which causes a character to lose his Dex bonus to AC considers that character as flat-footed in relation to that effect. Such effects are limited and do not typically make the target flat-footed for all purposes. For example, an invisible character who makes an attack against an enemy treats that enemy as flat-footed for resolving that attack; however, the target of the attack is not considered flat-footed for other purposes and would still be able to make attacks of opportunity.

Frayed

This condition applies only to akashic veils. A frayed veil becomes Inert and and intangible. Any essence invested in a frayed veil is immediately lost to essence burn. Frayed veils remain woven but are damaged, so any attack or effect that can unravel a veil gains a +4 circumstance bonus on any checks made to unravel a frayed veil.

A character can repair a frayed veil, removing the frayed condition, any time they complete a Short or Long Rest.

Frightened

Fear is measured in three levels: Shaken, Frightened, and Panicked. As a character’s fear increases, the penalties it suffers from its fear increase. All penalties are cumulative.

A Shaken character suffers a -2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and ability and skill checks.

A Frightened character flees from the source of his fear, if able, using any abilities he possess necessary to escape. If unable to flee, a character may attack any perceived enemies, but he may not take any movement that brings him closer to the source of his fear.

A Panicked character immediately drops anything he holds and mindlessly flees in a random direction away from the source of his fear. If unable to escape, the panicked character flees as far as possible and Cowers in place.

Grappled

Engaged in a grapple or otherwise restrained by a creature, trap, or effect. A grappling character is held immobile (but not helpless), does not threaten any squares, is considered flat-footed against any opponents he is not grappling, and can only undertake a limited number of specific actions (see Combat Maneuvers: Grapple).

A grappled character takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and combat maneuver checks other than grapple checks. In addition, grappled creatures can take no action that requires two hands to perform.

A grappled creature cannot use Stealth to hide from the creature grappling it, even if a special ability, such as hide in plain sight, would normally allow it to do so. If a grappled creature becomes invisible, through a spell or other ability, it gains a +2 circumstance bonus on its CMD to resist grapple checks, but receives no other benefit.

While grappled, you can have the Dominant or the Subordinate position. Having the dominant position means that you are in control of the grapple.

Helpless

A helpless character is paralyzed, held, bound, sleeping, unconscious, or otherwise completely at an opponent’s mercy. A helpless target is treated as having a Dexterity of 0 (-5 modifier). Melee attacks against a helpless target get a +4 bonus (equivalent to attacking a prone target). Ranged attacks gets no special bonus against helpless targets.

As a full-round action, an enemy can use a melee weapon to deliver a coup de grace to a helpless foe. An enemy can also use a bow or crossbow, provided he is adjacent to the target. The attacker automatically hits and scores a critical hit. If the defender survives, he must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + damage dealt) or die.

Delivering a coup de grace provokes attacks of opportunity.

Creatures that are immune to critical hits do not take critical damage, nor do they need to make Fortitude saves to avoid being killed by a coup de grace.

Immobilized

An immobilized character cannot move from the square or squares that it is in, even through magical means (such as teleportation). However, its other actions are not restricted, and the character can attack, cast spells, and defend itself as normal. It is not rendered flat-footed.

A flying creature with the ability to hover may maintain its height and position, but any other flying creature descends in its current square at a rate of 20 feet per round; however, it is able to control its descent well enough that it does not take falling damage.

Effects such as freedom of movement allow a character to ignore the immobilized condition.

Incorporeal

Having no physical body. Incorporeal creatures are immune to all non-magical attack forms. Incorporeal creatures take half damage (50%) from magic weapons, spells, spell-like effects, or supernatural effects. Incorporeal creatures take full damage from other incorporeal creatures and effects, as well as all force effects.

Inert

This condition can only be applied to magical items and mindless constructs and akashic veils (which are treated as magical items for this condition). Any magical item that becomes inert has temporarily lost is magical ability and cannot be used for its normal purpose.

An inert item loses any magical effects it possesses and confers no benefits to user, though inert armor and weapons can still be used as such. Scrolls, wands, and other such items cannot be used to cast spells, though the spells written on a scroll can still be read normally. In effect, the items temporarily cease to be magical. Despite temporarily losing their magic, they are still treated as magic items for all other purposes, such as for determining saving throw.

When spells such as detect magic are used on an inert item, the aura strength detects at only half its normal caster level. Identify and similar magic reveal that the item is magical, the type of item (wondrous, spell completion, spell trigger, etc.), and that the item is currently inert; however, it does not reveal any magic properties of the identified item.

Inert items regain their magical charge naturally over time, losing the inert condition, as defined by the effect which inflicted the inert condition. Inert items can also be repaired by a character with the appropriate item crafting feat— a successful caster level check with a DC equal to 10 + the caster level of the item removes the inert condition. Repairing a magic item in this manner requires 1 hour of focused effort but requires no special tools or materials.

Items with multiple magical properties can be partially inert. For example, Boots of Striding and Springing grant both a move speed increase and a bonus to jump checks. If partially inert, only one of those two benefits would be available to a character wearing the boots.

An inert construct ceases to function, becoming unconscious. It can take no actions, nor can it sense anything. However, it can be damaged and destroyed as normal, but it is treated as a object rather than a creature for the purposes of spells and effects that target creatures.

Invisible

Visually undetectable. An invisible creature gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls against sighted opponents and treats their opponent as flat-footed. (See Invisibility, under Special Abilities.)

Knocked Down

Creatures are knocked down when they become prone against their will. This may be a result of a Trip special attack, a particularly strong wind, a failed Acrobatics check, or other effect.

A creature is considered knocked down until the start of their next turn, at which point they are only considered prone. This condition is also removed if the creature takes an action to stand or move after being knocked down.

Choosing to become prone does not cause a creature to become knocked down.

Nauseated

Experiencing stomach distress. Nauseated creatures are unable to attack, cast spells, concentrate on spells, or do anything else requiring attention. The only action such a character can take is a single move action per turn.

Paralyzed

A paralyzed character is frozen in place and unable to move or act. A paralyzed character has effective Dexterity and Strength scores of 0 and is helpless, but can take purely mental actions. A winged creature flying in the air at the time that it becomes paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. A paralyzed swimmer can’t swim and may drown. A creature can move through a space occupied by a paralyzed creature—ally or not. Each square occupied by a paralyzed creature, however, counts as 2 squares.

Petrified

A petrified character has been turned to stone and is considered unconscious. If a petrified character cracks or breaks, but the broken pieces are joined with the body as he returns to flesh, he is unharmed. If the character’s petrified body is incomplete when it returns to flesh, the body is likewise incomplete and there is some amount of permanent hit point loss and/or debilitation.

Pinned

A special, more restricted version of grappled. A pinned creature has all the same penalties as a grappled creature; however, the creature’s actions are more limited. A pinned creature can attempt to escape or take actions that are verbal or mental. It cannot take any actions that require the use of its hands or other limbs (except escape attempts).

Prone

A character that is lying on the ground is prone. An attacker who is prone has a -4 penalty on melee attack rolls and cannot use a ranged weapon (except for a crossbow). A defender who is prone gains a +4 bonus to Armor Class against ranged attacks, but takes a -4 penalty to AC against melee attacks.

Standing up is a move-equivalent action that provokes an attack of opportunity.

Sickened

The character takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.

Slowed

A slowed creature can take only a single move action or standard action each turn, but not both (nor may it take full-round actions). A slowed creature can still take free and swift actions on their turn but cannot respond quickly enough to take immediate actions.

Additionally, a slowed creature moves at half its normal speed (round down to the next 5-foot increment), which affects the creature’s jumping distance as normal for decreased speed.

Stable

A character who was dying, has stopped losing hit points, but still has negative hit points is stable. The character is no longer dying, but is still unconscious. If the character has become stable because of aid from another character (such as a Heal check or magical healing), then the character no longer loses hit points. He has a 10% chance each hour of becoming conscious and disabled (even though his hit points are still negative).

If the character became stable on his own and hasn’t had help, he is still at risk of losing hit points. Each hour, he has a 10% chance of becoming conscious and disabled. Otherwise he loses 1 hit point.

Staggered

A staggered character may take a single move action or standard action each round (but not both, nor can she take full-round actions). A staggered creature can still take free, swift, and immediate actions.

A character at exactly 0 hit points or whose nonlethal damage exactly equals his current hit points is staggered. A character whose current hit points exceed his nonlethal damage is no longer staggered; a character whose nonlethal damage exceeds his hit points becomes unconscious.

Additionally, a creature that takes at least half of its current hit points in damage in a single turn becomes staggered. So, if a creature currently has 26 hit points and takes 13 or more damage from a single attack (or full attack if the opponent can make multiple attacks in a round), that creature becomes staggered on a failed Fortitude save (DC equal to the damage taken).

Stunned

A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a -2 penalty to AC, and is flat-footed.

Unconscious

Knocked out and helpless. Unconsciousness can result from having -1 or fewer current hit points, from nonlethal damage in excess of current hit points, and from being asleep or similar effects.