Buffs, hexes, and cooldowns

Not every status effect costs hit points. A status effect can help or hinder in other ways while it lasts. The “What it does” column of the tables says which of these each one does:

• Stats. It may raise a score as well as lower one. If a higher Toughness let you heal to more hit points, those extra hit points go again when it ends.
• Fighting. It may add to your to-hit and damage, or to your Dodge and Parry, as a combat stance does, on top of your stance. Creatures can suffer these too.
• Blows. It may add damage of some kind to your melee blows with either hand, as a Flaming sword does. Brand adds 1d4 fire (burning blade). A kick or a shield bash does not carry it. No spell type’s rule applies to a blow, so it never leaves anyone burning.
• Striking back. It may hurt whoever lands a melee blow on you, as a spell of that kind would. Fire cloak does 1d6 fire to the attacker (fire-cloaked), and one time in four leaves them burning. What it kills counts as your kill.
• Water. It may bear you up. Water walking (water-borne) makes wading cost no more than a step on dry land. Ice never gives way under you, however thin: a burst of heat or force leaves the ice you stand on, so you never fall in.
• Slowness. It may make everything you do take longer: at 150%, half again as long.
• What you cannot do. It may stop you doing something while it lasts. A raging fighter cannot read (“You cannot read while raging.”). Trying takes no time, and an ability that would do it is greyed out: you are raging.
• What follows. As some end, another begins: when a rage subsides, exhaustion follows.
• Eyes. It may lend you other eyes. A potion of owl’s eyes lets you see in the dark as darkvision does, in each respect where it is better than your own sight.
• Resistance. It may make you resist a kind of damage. This counts like armour’s resistance: together with what you wear it never goes past 75%, and never gives immunity.

From potions and songs

The potions that last a while give:

• boosts: Fortified, Nimble, Hale, Keen, Steadfast, and Imposing, each a stat +2 per degree;
• vision: Cat-eyed, Owl-eyed, and Moth-eyed;
• resistances: Warmed, Chill-proof, Earthed, and Proof against poison.

The bard’s songs give three more. Inspired (and a virtuoso’s greater inspired) lifts the singer. Drowsy, from the lullaby, slows those who fail to shake it off. Each goes up to three degrees, as many as the singer’s Music gives the song.

Hexes

A hex is a status that a hex spell lays: Hexed, Weakened, Sluggish, Drowsy, and Webbed. A witch can feed her hexes:

• Her cackle makes each hex she laid on a creature she sees grow a degree, up to its maximum, and starts its degree’s time again.
• Her familiar’s touch lays her Hexed on what it hits, and starts her other hexes on it afresh.
• Her malison makes a creature take 3 more damage from her for each of her hexes on it, and a creature that dies under one of her hexes pays her mana.

Cooldowns

A cooldown is a status effect that only waits to wear off. While you are, say, winded, the ability that winded you cannot be used again (you are winded). Time is the only price: nothing counts how often you use an ability.

Raging comes with the berserker’s rage, one of the class abilities. While the rage lasts you are stronger and tougher but less clever, and cannot read or spend mana. When it runs out you are Exhausted for two and a half minutes: a little weaker, and with no rage until it passes.

See also: Status effects, Spell circles, and Potions.