Additional Status Conditions (5e Variant Rule)
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See also: 5e SRD:Conditions
Additional and/or Variant Status Conditions
This is meant to represent new or variant conditions in the game.
Berserk
A berserk creature is driven mad with blind rage, most commonly due to the effects of a drug, a curse, or a creature associated with madness.
- A berserk creature must use its action each round to attack the creature nearest to it. If it can make extra attacks as part of the Attack action, it uses those extra attacks, moving to attack the next nearest creature after it fells its current target. If it has multiple possible targets, it attacks one at random.
- If a berserk creature can use its reaction and/or bonus action to deal damage directly to a creature, it must do so.
- When a non-hostile creature moves out of a berserk creature's reach, it provokes an opportunity attack.
- A berserk creature has disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks and saving throws.
- A berserk creature automatically fails Intelligence ability checks and saving throws.
- A berserk creature is immune to the charmed and frightened conditions.
- The condition ends if the berserk creature starts its turn with no creatures within 60 feet of it that it can see or hear.
- Creatures that are immune to the charmed condition are also immune to the berserk condition. A calm emotions spell, or any other effect which suppresses or removes the charmed condition can also cure the berserk condition in addition to its usual effects.
Bleeding
A bleeding creature has been dealt a serious wound that has opened a vein or artery. They are still conscious, but unless the wound is treated, they could die.
- When a creature rolls the maximum amount of damage an attack that deals slashing or piercing damage can deal, the target gains the bleeding condition/
- At the end of their turn, a bleeding creature takes necrotic damage equal to the damage they took from the attack that inflicted the condition.
- The creature may attempt to end the condition and stop bleeding by succeeding on a Constitution saving throw with the DC equal to the last amount of damage inflicted by this condition.
- Any healing received reduces the damage the creature will take from bleeding by 1 point of damage for every 2 hit points healed. Once the damage value reaches 0, the condition ends.
Bloodlust
A creature affected with bloodlust has worked themselves into a frenzied state, most likely due to partaking too deep into an inner sadistic nature, the effects of a drug or curse, or high levels of stress.
- A creature affected with bloodlust must use it's action each round to either attack a creature near it, or to move closer to a creature it intends to attack. If the creature can make extra attacks as part of the Attack action, it uses those extra attacks.
- When a non-hostile creature moves out of a creature affected with bloodlust's reach, it provokes an opportunity attack.
- A creature affected with bloodlust has disadvantage on Intelligence ability checks and saving throws.
- A creature affected with bloodlust has advantage on saving throws to resist being charmed or frightened.
- The bloodlust condition can be cured by a calm emotions spell, or any other effect which suppresses or removes the charmed condition.
Burning
- A creature or object that comes under the effect of the burning condition may feel an agonizing pain in the area affected as well as flames catching onto them. The burning creature takes 10% of the initial fire damage they were dealt at the start of each of their turns as fire damage for a number of rounds equal to 10% of the damage dealt, rounded down. This effect can be hindered by environmental conditions such as rain and creatures affected can end the condition on them by taking an action to pat out the flames.
- The burning condition can be applied with powerful flames such as those created by a fireball spell, or meteor swarm, but the fire damage must be equal or greater than 30% of that creature's maximum hit points to apply the burning condition.
- Creatures that are immune to fire damage are immune to this condition.
Burned
- A creature that comes under the effect of the burned condition takes one of the three degrees of this condition based on the amount of fire damage they took equal to their maximum hit points. When you take a degree of burned you take all lower degrees of burn. For example, if you had 100 hit points and you took 51 fire damage you would be affected by, second as well as first degree.
- First Degree: 25%: Your skin becomes bright pink or very red. You have disadvantage on your next weapon attack roll. You have disadvantage on Charisma checks.
- Second Degree: 50%: Your skin becomes red as blisters begin to form on the affected area. You have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws and ability checks. Your speed is also halved.
- Third Degree: 75%: Your skin is seared black as the fire near consumes you. Make a Constitution saving throw, versus the spell save DC or a DC appropriate for the source (DM fiat) or the pain, becomes too much to handle and you pass out for an hour, falling prone and becoming unconscious. On a successful save you are not affected.
- Healing via magic reduces your burned level by one per each 25% of your hit points it heals. Healing via natural means recovers one level per long rest, provided that the creature has also ingested some food and drink. Spells like lesser restoration can remove one level of this condition, while something like greater restoration can remove it all at once. Finishing a long rest reduces a creature's exhaustion level by one, provided that the creature has also ingested some food and drink.
- Creatures that are immune to fire damage are immune to this condition. While creatures that are resistant to fire damage require a 25% more of their hit point maximum to be affected by a level. For example, if a creature has resistance to fire damage and 50% of its hit point maximum was just taken in fire damage it would have the first degree burned condition.
Chilled
When a creature is hit by an attack that inflicts Cold damages or it spends too much time in a cold environment, before applying the Frozen Condition effects, this condition (of lower severity) can be considered. This condition affects the creature's stamina and its body movements, causing shivering and numbness.
- The creature speed is halved.
- The creature has disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws and ability checks.
- Creatures that are immune or resistant to Cold damages and cold effects are not affected by this condition. Furthermore, this condition is not applied to those creatures that do not need stamina for their movements or their actions.
Cleanse
- A creature of evil alignment that comes under the effect of the cleanse condition feels an agonizing sense of burning in the area affected as well as a white steam can be seen emanating from them. The cleansed creature has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks and takes 1d6 radiant damage at the start of each of its turns. This effect ends after 1d4 rounds and cannot be applied to non-evil creatures.
- The cleansed condition can be applied with holy substances such as holy water, holy fire and the likes. In addition, giving celestials the ability to apply such an effect can be done by saying, "when a celestial deals 30% or greater of an evil creature's maximum hit points with the radiant damage type the damaged creature comes under the effect of the cleanse condition".
- Creatures that are not of evil alignments are immune to this condition.
Confused
- The creature has disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws and checks.
- The Wisdom saving throw that induced the condition must be repeated in order to properly cast a spell. If the spell is a cantrip, the spell fails. If the spell has an attack roll, the creature's proficiency bonus is not added. If the spell has a saving throw, the target has advantage on the roll. If the creature rolls a natural 1 on a spell attack roll, it must make a Dexterity saving throw or else take the damage of the spell, or half as much damage on a success.
- Rolling a natural 1 on a Wisdom saving throw forces the creature to automatically fail.
Death-like State
A creature in a death-like state is just barely alive in the loosest, barest sense of the term. This is usually caused by magically preventing the creature's soul from leaving its body when the body can no longer function, and is extremely painful.
- The creature is unconscious and in a state indistinguishable from death.
- The creature cannot benefit from any effect that would cause it to regain hit points, including short or long rests. The exception to this is if the effect is capable of bringing the dead back to life.
- If the condition ends and the creature does not have at least 1 hit point, the creature dies.
Envenomed
- An envenomed character takes 1d6 poison damage at the beginning of each of its turns for the duration. For the purpose of condition and damage immunities creatures that are immune to the poisoned condition or poison damage are immune to the envenomed condition.
- Creatures that apply the poisoned condition can choose to apply the envenomed condition instead, however, the duration is halved (to a minimum of 1 round), if any. In addition, creatures that deal poison damage equal to or greater than 30% of the target's maximum hit points can apply the envenomed condition.
Frozen
- A frozen creature has been in contact with extreme cold. When a creature is frozen, their speed is reduced to zero, and if they remain in this condition for more than 3 turns, they take 1d6 cold damage for every turn they remain frozen past the third.
- When a creature takes cold damage that is equal to more than 30% of their max hit points, they become frozen.
- Any creature affiliated with fire (such as magma mephitis, fire elementals, fire elementborn the like) are automatically immune to this condition.
Inebriated
An inebriated creature is drunk, probably from imbibing too much alcohol.
- An inebriated creature has disadvantage on Dexterity, Wisdom, and Intelligence ability checks and saving throws, as well as attack rolls.
- An inebriated creature has advantage on Charisma ability checks.
- An inebriated creature gains temporary hit points equal to their level + 5 for the duration of the condition.
- Every time an inebriated creature fails a Constitution saving throw to resist further inebriation, they gain 1 level of exhaustion.
- Every hour while they are conscious and inebriated, or if they are conscious and have levels of exhaustion caused by inebriation, a creature can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If they succeed and they have levels of exhaustion caused by inebriation, a level of exhaustion is removed. If they succeed and don't have levels of exhaustion caused by inebriation, they are no longer inebriated.
- The inebriated condition can also end when the creature finishes a long rest.
Rasped
- A rasped character is assailed by tiny particles of stone that wear down flesh and armour alike. A rasped character takes 1d4 bludgeoning or magical bludgeoning, depending on the source, in damage at the beginning of its turn and that creature's AC is temporarily reduced by 2 for the duration.
- Sandstorms, vortexes and other similar effects created either naturally or by magic and such can apply this condition as long as the creature is within the area of effect or the duration of the spell continues to affect them. The minimum duration this condition can be applied for is 1 round.
- Creatures that are immune to bludgeoning damage or made from a substance that would cancel this effect like a vapour or magma may be immune to this condition at the DM's discretion.
Slowed
- A slowed creature has its speed halved.
- Slowed creatures have their AC reduced by 2 while they are slowed, and have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
- Slowed creatures can't use reactions, and can only use an action or bonus action on their turn, not both. A slowed creature can also never make more than one attack per turn.
- If a slowed creature attempts to cast a spell with a casting time of 1 action, it rolls a d12. On a 7 or higher, the spell doesn't take effect until the creature's next turn, and the creature must use its action on that turn to complete the spell. If it can't, the spell is wasted.
Spasmic
- The creature is overcome with shaking and cannot take bonus actions or reactions.
- It has disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws and checks and attack rolls that use either ability.
Staggered
- The creature has disadvantage on attack rolls it makes, and attack rolls targeting it have advantage.
- While within 5 feet of a creature hostile towards it, the affected creature uses 1 additional foot of movement for each foot it moves.
Weakened
A weakened creature's Strength has been sapped. The weakened condition can be applied by poison or necrotic attacks, or by a curse. Attacks which drain a creature's "life force" are likely to inflict the condition as well. Furthermore, undead as well as fiends can optionally inflict the weakened condition. Whenever a monster with this capability hits a creature with a weapon attack, the creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC as appropriate to the monster's CR) or be weakened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature can only be made to make this save once per round, no matter how many times the monster hits it with a weapon attack.
- A weakened creature deals only half damage with melee attacks, and has disadvantage on Strength (Athletics) and Dexterity (Acrobatics) checks.
- A weakened creature's speed is reduced by 10 feet, to a minimum of half its base speed.
- Creatures that are immune to the poisoned or the exhaustion conditions are also immune to the weakened condition.
Pained
A pained creature has been hurt and is immense pain.
- A pained creature cannot concentrate on spells
- A pained creature has disadvantage on Dexterity, Strength, and Constitution saving throws
- A creature can be pained when:
- Sand, dust, or other particles are thrust into their eyes
- They are on fire
- They are being tortured
- Creatures that don’t feel pain like golems would be immune to this effect
Gradual Blindness, Deafness, and Numbness
Due to the simplified nature of 5e, the blinded and deafened conditions act as a switch; you either are, or you are not. While this works just fine in sudden and temporary scenarios, this system falls apart when the threat of permanent, or at the very least lengthy, disability could occur.
- A creature may have up to 25 levels of gradual blindness, deafness, or numbness. For each level of the condition, any d20 roll a creature makes that requires the sense they have levels in has a -1 penalty. Exclusively for gradual blindness, any attacks against the creature gain a +1 bonus per 5 levels. Exclusively for gradual numbness, the creature's tremorsense, if any, is decreased by 2 feet per level. If a creature gains all 25 level, the effect becomes permanent until the Wish spell is cast on them or they remain at 0 levels for 1 consecutive year.
- Constant exposure to bright light, loud noises, or continuous application of physical pain (such as torture) incur 1 level per hour. The Berserker Armor and Mangekyō Sharingan also incur levels of this condition.
- Creatures with alternative senses, such as blindsight and truesight, are immune to Gradual Blindness, and creatures who can read lips, such as those with the Observant feat, or have tremor sense are immune to Gradual Deafness. Creatures can lose 1 level of one of these conditions when lesser restoration is cast on them, or 5 levels when greater restoration is cast on them.
Taunted
This condition is meant for those that want to add a new twist to the popular charmed condition. In a way, this condition is the reversed version of the charmed condition in terms of functionality. While this may seem like a detrimental condition to have, many enemies and players alike can use this condition to their advantage. For example, PCs and enemies with a high AC and hit points could take advantage of this condition to focus all damage on them to protect their more vulnerable allies.
- A taunted creature loses concentration on their spells and must target the taunter for all attacks, harmful abilities, and magical effects.
- All actions, attacks, spells, features, and abilities that the creature uses must target the taunter or they cannot be used.
- The taunter has disadvantage on any ability check to interact socially with the creature.
- Any creature can attempt to incur this condition onto a creature that can see and hear them as an action as a Charisma saving throw contest. If the initiator succeeds, the target is taunted for 1 minute. They may retry this saving throw at the end of each of their turns.
- Constructs and celestials are immune to this condition due to being, at least to a great extent, being of logic.
The Addition of New Conditions
When creating a new condition use the template as follows. === The name of the condition === *The conditions effect *How it is applied *What creatures would be immune to it It is important to remember that dropping in a new condition is of no use if nothing uses it. Each entry needs to explain what game features might inflict it, which creatures might have immunity to it, and so on: conditions are only of use if lots of things refer to it.
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