Status Effects

Status Effects

Status effects modify combatant stats, deal damage over time, heal over time, or incapacitate targets. They’re applied by skills and last for a set number of combat rounds.

Effect Types

Type	Code	Description
Damage over Time	dot	Deals damage each round for N rounds
Heal over Time	hot	Restores HP each round for N rounds
Buff	buff	Increases a stat by a percentage
Debuff	debuff	Decreases a stat by a percentage
Stun	stun	Target skips their next action
Mana Shield	mana_shield	Absorbs damage by consuming mana (Mage)

Affected Stats

Buffs and debuffs can modify:

Stat	Description
attack	Damage dealt
defense	Damage reduction
dodge	Chance to avoid attacks
mana_shield	Special: mana shield absorption

How Status Effects Work

Stun

Applied by Warrior’s Shield Bash. The stunned target’s next turn is skipped entirely.

DoT (Damage Over Time)

Applied by Rogue’s Poison Strike. Deals damage at the start of each round:

Each round: DoT_damage = BasePower + (DEX_modifier × ScalingFactor)
Rounds: Duration (e.g., 3 rounds for Poison Strike)

HoT (Heal Over Time)

Applied by Druid’s Rejuvenation. Restores HP at the start of each round:

Each round: HoT_amount = BasePower + (WIS_modifier × ScalingFactor)
Rounds: Duration (e.g., 3 rounds for Rejuvenation)

Buff

Example: Warrior’s Battle Cry (+30% attack, 3 rounds)

Modified attack = base_attack × (1 + BuffPercent)
                = base_attack × 1.30

Debuff

Example: Druid’s Entangle (-40% attack, 2 rounds)

Modified attack = base_attack × (1 + BuffPercent)
                = base_attack × (1 - 0.40)
                = base_attack × 0.60

Mana Shield

Applied by Mage’s Mana Shield. When the Mage takes damage while the shield is active, damage is subtracted from mana instead of HP (up to the shield’s absorption capacity).

Duration and Cooldowns

Status effects last for Duration combat rounds, counting down each round. When duration reaches 0, the effect expires.

Multiple Effects

A combatant can have multiple status effects simultaneously. Each resolves independently each round. There’s no cap on the number of active effects.

Next Steps

• Skills & Spells — Skills that apply status effects
• Combat System — Full combat mechanics