Rules Update: Health Conditions & Effects

Some minor clarifications / updates:

Deaf
The character is deaf and cannot hear anything.  A deaf character cannot cast any effects that require verbals or singing.

Mute
The character is mute and cannot speak or make any kind of sound using her vocal chords.  A mute character cannot cast any effects that require verbals or singing.

These have been brought to match (You cannot cast while deaf), and grammar corrected (Cannot vs. May not).

Blind Fighting
This skill allows a character to use melee based skills (attacks and defenses) while blinded.

This will allow weapon skills, as well as non-weapon skills (such as Dodge and Resilience) to be used with Blind Fighting.

The following updates are being made to spells & skills, to bring them in line with the new Health system.  Note that no rules have changed - only the wording, which is now using the same common terms defined in the basic rules (instead of repeating them each time).

Air:
Shockwave: This spell Dazes a target for 5 seconds.

Wall of Wind: This spell creates a wall of wind... If someone passes through this wall, she suffers fifteen Direct Body damage and is Dazed for a duration of one minute.

Earth:
Stone Grip: This spell pins one of an opponent’s feet to the ground for a duration of five minutes. The caster may decide which foot is grasped.

Change Flesh to Stone: This spell turns a being and her possessions to solid stone, Imprisoning them for a duration of 15 minutes.

Fire:
Flash: This spell Dazes a target for 5 seconds.

Cloud of Smoke:  This spell Dazes a target for 1 minute.

Water:
Freeze Ground: This spell knocks an opponent Prone.

Revive: This spell instantly awakens someone who is Unconscious.

Encase with Ice: This spell surrounds a being in a block of ice, Imprisoning them for a duration of 15 minutes.  The being’s life is completely suspended while encased, including the passage of its death count.

Illusion:
(Blindness is fine as written.)

Color Spray: This prayer creates a spray of lights that cover a ninety-degree arc and extend five feet from the caster's hand. The spray dazes all targets in its area for five seconds.

Warlockery:
Vertigo:  This spell knocks an opponent Prone.

(Blindness is fine as written.)

Enfeeblement: This spell Stuns and opponent for a duration of 5 minutes.

Wizardry:

Pin: This spell pins one of an opponent’s feet to the ground for a duration of five minutes. The caster may decide which foot is grasped.

(Silence is fine as written.)

Imprisonment: This spell Imprisons an opponent within a magical barrier for a duration of 15 minutes.  The opponent cannot be moved or carried by any means.

[hr]

Prayers:

Chaos:

Winds of Confusion: This prayer is represented by five spell packets, each of which inflicts confusion upon an opponent. All affected opponents are Dazed for a duration of one minute.

Corruption:
Rot Tongue: This prayer instantly rots an opponent’s tongue, leaving her Mute. A tongue can be healed by any means that would restore a severed limb without the presence of the limb.

Darkness:
(Blindness is fine as written.)

Grant Blindfighting:
This prayer grants the recipient the skill Blindfighting for five minutes.

Fate:

Flare: This prayer Dazes a target for 5 seconds.

Law:

Chains of Justice: This spell pins one of an opponent’s feet to the ground for a duration of five minutes. The caster may decide which foot is grasped.

Imprison: This prayer confines an opponent within a divine barrier Imprisoning them for a duration of fifteen (15) minutes.  The opponent cannot be moved or carried by any means.

Life:

Divine Restoration: This prayer places its recipient in a Healthy state, removing any adverse health conditions other than being in a Critical state.  This prayer heals a maximum of 400 points of damage.

Light:

Brilliant Spray: This prayer creates a spray of lights that cover a ninety-degree arc and extend five feet from the caster's hand. The spray dazes all targets in its area for five seconds.

Torment:

Cause Pain: This prayer causes powerful, instantaneous pain, knocking the target prone.

Shield of Suffering: This prayer inflicts a wave of pain against each opponent that attacks the caster for a duration of five minutes, regardless of whether the attack is ultimately successful. The wave of pain Dazes the attacker for a duration of thirty seconds.

Pain Paralysis: This prayer causes an opponent to collapse in a seizure of pain, and inflicts one minor Insanity Point. The opponent is Paralyzed for one minute. When the duration expires, or if the effect is dispelled or cured sooner, the opponent suffers twenty-five points of Direct Body damage.

Desperate Isolation: This prayer renders the victim Blind, Deaf, and otherwise unable to perceive the presence of any of her allies for a duration of thirty minutes. Nothing will persuade the victim that there is anyone helping her or taking her side. Any skill, spell, or ability that is used to aid the victim will be perceived by the victim as an attack from some unknown source, and she must attempt to defend against it with any applicable skills, spells, or abilities of her own. If an attempt to aid the victim succeeds, the effect will function as normal, but the victim will collapse in a panic and be knocked Prone.

[hr]

Druids:

Grasp with Roots: This spell pins one of an opponent’s feet to the ground for a duration of five minutes. The caster may decide which foot is grasped.

Poison Ivy: This spell causes an opponent to be overwhelmed with an itchy rash, leaving her Dazed and scratching the rash for a duration of one minute.

Entwine with Vines: This spell envelops an opponent with vines, Imprisoning her for a duration of ten minutes.  This spell can only be cast outside.

Stardust: This spell dazzles an opponent, leaving her Stunned for a duration of one minute. Any attempt to attack the opponent will dispel the effect, and allow them to defend normally.

Blinding Fog: This spell shrouds an opponent’s head in a cloud of fog for a duration of five minutes, Blinding them.  The cloud will remain centered on the opponent’s head for the duration of the spell, no matter how far she moves or how swiftly.

Howling Wind: This spell blasts an opponent’s ears and mouth with a gusting wind for a duration of five minutes, rendering them Deaf and Mute. The wind will remain centered on the opponent’s head for the duration of the spell, no matter how far she moves or how swiftly.

Revive: This spell instantly awakens someone who is Unconscious.

[hr]

Alchemy:

Itching Powder: This compound causes an opponent to be overwhelmed with an itchy rash, leaving her Dazed and scratching the rash for a duration of one minute.

Smelling Salts: This compound instantly awakens someone who is Unconscious.  The subject must rest for one minute, and cannot take any actions other than walking – no faster than a heel-to-toe pace – or she will instantly fall unconscious once again.

[hr]

Healers:

Rank IV: Heal All - This ability places its recipient in a Healthy state, removing any adverse health conditions other than being in a Critical state.  This ability heals a maximum of 400 points of damage.

[hr]

Bards:

Requiem for the Fallen: - The recipient of this song gains an additional five minutes to the Serious stage of her death count. This song can be stacked with other abilities that extend the death count, but is not counted for abilities that multiply the death count.

[hr]

Psions:

Mind Blank: This discipline causes the subject to forget her present train of thought and become Dazed for a duration of five minutes.

Psionic Imprisonment: (Was: Paralysis): This discipline Imprisons an opponent within a telekinetic barrier. The opponent cannot be moved or carried by any means.

[hr]

Physician:

New General Rule for Physican skills: Most physician skills require some length of time to be used properly.  During this time, the physician and her subject must remain undisturbed - if either one takes damage, or if the physician is disrupted from her work, she must begin again, starting the time requirement anew.  When a physician employs a skill seeking to extend the death count of a subject, or seeking to bring a subject out of serious or critical condition, that subject's death count is paused while the skill is being performed.  If the treatment is interrupted in any way, the subject's death count resumes from the point at which it was suspended.
(This summarizes this rule in one place, instead of being repeated in each skill.)

Treat Blackout: This skill awakens someone who is Unconscious. The physician must treat the subject for a duration of ten seconds, after which the subject instantly awakens. The subject must rest for whatever remains of the original duration of her unconsciousness, and cannot take any actions other than walking – no faster than a heel-to-toe pace – or she will instantly fall unconscious once again.

Resuscitate: With this ability, a physician can rescue a subject from the critical stage of her death count. The physician must treat the subject’s wounds for fifteen minutes. Once you have completed binding the subject’s wounds, she becomes Unconscious with 1 Body Point. The subject will then awaken after five minutes.

First Aid (Continuous): With this skill, a character can determine the vital conditions of another person, and can bind the wounds of a person in serious condition well enough to revive her. To determine the vital condition of another person, the subject must either consent to examination or be unable to resist it. You must role-play examining her for injuries for at least ten seconds, after which you should call the skill as First Aid Assess. The subject can then give you an OOG report on all injuries and ailments she is suffering from, including her present Body Point total (X of total BP #). If the subject is conscious or all the way into the critical stage of her death count, then First Aid cannot be used to treat her injuries. If the subject is in the serious stage of her death count, then First Aid can be used to revive her. You must role-play binding the subject's wounds for one minute.  The subject's death count is paused while the skill is being performed.  During this time, the character and her subject must remain undisturbed - if either one takes damage, or if the character is disrupted from her work, she must begin again, starting the time requirement anew.  If the treatment is interrupted in any way, the subject's death count resumes from the point at which it was suspended.  Once you have completed binding the subject's wounds, she becomes Unconscious with 1 Body Point. The subject will then awaken after five minutes.

It wasn't listed as one of the spells that was changed or reworded, but does fluid motion now stop anything that imobilized you?

Fluid Motion remains unchanged.

I think First aid was meant to be rephrased more like this: (strike through for removal underline for added text) dosen't make much sense bind an unconscious person's wounds to make them unconscious.

First Aid (Continuous): With this skill, a character can determine the vital conditions of another person, and can bind [strike]an unconscious person's wounds[/strike] the wounds of a person in serious condition well enough to revive her. To determine the vital condition of another person, the subject must either consent to examination or be unable to resist it. You must role-play examining her for injuries for at least ten seconds, after which you should call the skill as First Aid Assess. The subject can then give you an OOG report on all injuries and ailments she is suffering from, including her present Body Point total (X of total BP #). If the subject is conscious or all the way into the critical stage of her death count, then First Aid cannot be used to treat her injuries. If the subject is in the serious stage of her death count, then First Aid can be used to revive her. You must role-play binding the subject's wounds for one minute.  The subject's death count is paused while the skill is being performed.  During this time, the character and her subject must remain undisturbed - if either one takes damage, or if the character is disrupted from her work, she must begin again, starting the time requirement anew.  If the treatment is interrupted in any way, the subject's death count resumes from the point at which it was suspended.  Once you have completed binding the subject's wounds, she becomes Unconscious with 1 Body Point. The subject will then awaken after five minutes.
[/quote]

Good catch, Ben.  I'll run it by James for approval - some of the language was still holding over from the previous version.

Characters that are deaf... can they be affected by
1. Battle Cry?
2. Despair?
3. Insult?
4. Fear?

The last 1 being based on  verbal threats.

1, 2, and 3, no, they would not be affected.  Fear has nothing to do with verbal threats:

With this skill, a character projects chaotic energy at an opponent, causing her to panic. To use this skill, you must point at the intended target and call the skill name. The opponent must run in fear until she is out of sight of the character and cannot face the character again for five minutes.

Ben's fix has been added to First Aid, this will be added to the rulebook shortly.

Quick question about the current poison situation. Currently the healer skill Neutralize Poison read as;

Rank II: Neutralize Poison

2 HP
This ability cures the recipient of a poison that she has been exposed to, but that has not affected her yet.

and the Physician skill reads as;

Rank II: Neutralize Poison

This ability allows a physician to cure a subject of a poison that she has been exposed to but that has not affected her yet. The physician must draw the poison or perform other treatments for a duration of one minute without interruption. If she is disturbed while performing this treatment, the physician must start completely over, and the subject resumes counting the time before she is affected by the poison until the physician is able to start again.

Which is pretty much the same with some added favor.

My question is this...with the added fact that a poison MUST be neutralized before the effect can be healed, are these two skills going to be altered to remove the parts I've conveniently put in bold? At this point is there anything that can help someone who is being effected by poison?

Potion of Lesser Antidote
Potion, 2 PP
This compound will neutralize a rank one or two poison that is afflicting the person who consumes it, so long as it is applied after the poison has been introduced to the person’s body and before the poison inflicts its effect.

Potion of Greater Antidote
Potion, 5 PP
Essences Required: Earth, Water, Fire, Plant
This compound will neutralize all poisons that are afflicting the person who consumes it, so long as it is applied after the poison has been introduced to the person’s body and before the poison inflicts its effect.

Hopefully I'm just missing something or reading these the wrong way, but it looks as though poisons have become the single deadliest compound in all of Travance!

That problem has actually been around for several years now, and is one of the "bugs" that prompted an overhaul of the health system in general.

You can safely assume that the cures will work even after the poison takes effect - since all poisons take immediate effect.  The wording is left over from an older poison system, and we're still hashing out the exact wording on the new poisons and their cures.