Conditions Reimagined for Pathfinder 1st Edition (Patreon)

I've been thinking of ways to make Pathfinder 1e rules both simpler (or, at least, shorter), and more flexible. I'm a big fan of using descriptors as ways to have common rules elements tagged and applied without having to explain them every time (and risk different variations of the rules creeping into the game system).

Similarly, I'm a big fan of conditions that spells and abilities can refer to. They allow GMs and players to become familiar with a relatively small set of rules that can then power a large number of abilities.

Conditions and descriptors don't really work together much in the Pathfinder 1e rules. But what if they did?

This is a first draft, and it assumes a total rewrite of all spells and abilities that cause conditions. That would be a major undertaking, but could easily be done as part of an effort to create a Revised Path reworking of the PF1 rules (as opposed to creating a whole new game engine, such as PF2).

I also snuck in a few revisions I'd make in a Revised Path even without this system, such as the option to make an Acrobatics check to stand without provoking an Attack of Opportunity (see prone, below).

(Art by grandfailure)

New Descriptors

I would be using descriptors for all effects, not just spells (more a Starfinder approach than the Pathfinder 1 approach). These are the new descriptors I currently see adding to the game's list of descriptors to work with this new system. Some things I note here are part of other rule reconsiderations (such as having an attack descriptor, which would be added to things that might not obviously be attacks--and thus subject to bonuses and penalties to attack rolls--such as some spells).

Attack: Effects that count as attacks have the attack descriptor. All attack rolls and CMB checks have the attack descriptor unless otherwise noted.

Bleed: Effects with the bleed descriptor indicate an ongoing loss of vital fluids. Objects, constructs, oozes, plants, and undead are normally immune to bleed effects.

Dweomer: Effects with the dweomer descriptor are magical. Spells that are not instant always have the dweomer descriptor. A dweomer effect can be detected with detect magic, and if it has no other school of magic associated is revealed to be a generic dweomer.

Fatigue: Since fatigued and exhausted are now more generic conditions, this would be part of a set of fatigue rules that added a descriptor when you suffer those condition as a result of being tired. Which would also include rules for being so tired you fall asleep, which doesn't currently happen in PF1.

Impact: A lot of conditions can happen ebcause something hits you, like stunning fist. Adding an impact descriptor would help make it clear when effects are a result of being whacked, which could interact with things like being incorporeal. Like attack, it would likely be noted that all natural, unarmed, and weapon attacks are impact effects unless noted otherwise. (Also, on a rewrite, I'd find a cleaner option than having rules require you to call out natural, unarmed, and weapon attacks as three separate things that are almost always treated the same way.)

Conditions

Her the the more generic conditions I came up with on a first pass. I'[d definitely consider cutting this list down even more as I developed the system, but this is the starting point.

Blinded: The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.

The most common blinded conditions are curse, darkness, disease, and light effects.

Confused: A confused creature is mentally befuddled and cannot act normally. A confused creature cannot tell the difference between ally and foe, treating all creatures as enemies. Allies wishing to cast a beneficial spell that requires a touch on a confused creature must succeed on a melee touch attack. If a confused creature is attacked, it attacks the creature that last attacked it until that creature is dead or out of sight. Otherwise, roll on the following table at the beginning of each confused subject’s turn each round to see what the subject does in that round.

d% Behavior01-25 Act normally.26-50 Do nothing but babble incoherently.51-75 Deal 1d8 points of damage + Str modifier to self with item in hand.76-100 Attack nearest creature (for this purpose, animal companions and familiars counts as part of the subject's self).

A confused creature who can’t carry out the indicated action does nothing but babble incoherently. Note that a confused creature will not make attacks of opportunity against anything that it is not already devoted to attacking (either because of its most recent action or because it has just been attacked).

The most common confusion conditions are curse, disease, and dweomer effects.

Dazed: The creature is unable to think or act normally, but is not immobilized the way a paralyzed character is. A dazed creature can take no actions. A dazed condition typically lasts 1 round.

The most common dazed conditions are curse, dweomer, impact, and poison effects.

Dazzled: The creature is unable to see well. A dazzled creature takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls and sight-based Perception checks.

The most common dazzled conditions are darkness and light effects.

Deafened: A deafened character cannot hear. They take a –4 penalty on initiative checks, automatically fail Perception checks based on sound, take a –4 penalty on opposed Perception checks, and havw a 20% chance of spell failure when casting spells with verbal components. Characters who remain deafened for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.

The most common deafened conditions are impact and sonic effects.

Distracted: A distracted creature is entranced so they stands or sits quietly, taking no actions other than to pay attention to the distracting effect, for as long as the effect lasts. Distracted creatures take a –4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Perception checks. Any potential threat, such as a hostile creature approaching, allows the distracted 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 distracted creature, automatically breaks the effect. A distracted creature’s ally may shake it free of the condition as a standard action.

The most common distracted conditions are dweomer, light, and sonic effects.

Fleeing: A fleeing creature moves away from the source of its condition as best it can. If unable to flee, it may fight. A fleeing creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape. Fleeing creatures are also hindered unless noted otherwise.

The most common fleeing condition are fear effects.

Grappled: A grappled creature is restrained by a creature, trap, or effect. Grappled creatures cannot move and are hindered, (but ignore the hindered penalties on CMB checks made to grapple or escape a grapple). In addition, grappled creatures can take no action that requires two hands to perform. A grappled character who attempts to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability must make a concentration check (DC 10 + grappler’s CMB + spell level, see Concentration), or lose the spell. Grappled creatures cannot make attacks of opportunity.

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 avoid being grappled, but receives no other benefit.

The most common grappled conditions are attack and dweomer effects.

Hindered: A hindered character has some circumstance that makes it harder to take effective actions. A hindered character takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.

The most common hindered conditions are curse, disease, fatigue, and fear effects. A creature can suffer multiple hindering effects if they have different descriptors. Some types of hindering effects worsen if a creature suffers them more than once, such as a hindering fear effect that worsens to impaired.

Impaired: An impaired character moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –6 penalty to Strength and Dexterity. If the character became impaired as a result of a worsened hindered condition, after 1 hour of complete rest they become impaired.

The most common impaired conditions are curse, disease, fatigue, and fear effects. A creature can suffer multiple impairing effects if they have different descriptors. Some types of impairing effects worsen if a creature suffers them more than once, such as a hindering fatigue effect that worsens to add the unconscious status.

Incapacitated: Incapacitated 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. A character that is both incapacitated and staggered is dazed for as long as both conditions apply.

The most common incapacitated effects are curse, disease, and impact effects.

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 to move through.

Persistent Damage: A creature that is taking persistent damage takes the listed amount of damage or penalty at regular intervals. Unless listed otherwise, persistent damage occurs once a round at the beginning of the target's turn. If the persistent damage lists a penalty (either instead of damage or in addition to it), the penalty worsens by 1 at each of the persistent damage's intervals.

Persistent damage can be stopped as a standard action with a successful saving throw or skill check (a DC 15 Heal check unless listed otherwise) or through the application of any magic effect that cures HP damage (even if the persistent damage does not deal HP damage), though when used this way the magic does not actually restore any HP. Ending persistent damage does not heal any of the damage it has done (though such damage can be healed normally through other mans), but it does end all penalties inflicted by the condition.

Persistent damage effects do not stack with each other unless they deal different kinds of damage or penalties. When two or more persistent damage effects deal the same kind of damage, take the worse effect. (In this case, ability drain is worse than ability damage.)

The most common forms of persistent damage are bleed and fire effects. Bleed effects can be stopped with a successful DC 15 Heal check unless noted otherwise. Fire effects can be stopped with a successful DC 15 Reflex save taken as a standard action, unless noted otherwise.

Pinned: A pinned creature is tightly bound and can take few actions. A pinned creature cannot move and is denied its Dexterity bonus. A pinned character also takes an additional –4 penalty to his Armor Class. A pinned creature is limited in the actions that it can take. A pinned creature can always attempt to free itself, usually through a combat maneuver check or Escape Artist check. A pinned creature can take verbal and mental actions, but cannot cast any spells that require a somatic or material component. To cast a spell without those components, or use a spell-like ability, a pinned creature must succeed at a concentration check (DC 10 + grappler’s CMB + spell level) or lose the spell. Pinned is a more severe version of grappled, and their effects do not stack.

Prone: The character is lying on the ground. A prone attacker has a –4 penalty on melee attack rolls and cannot use a ranged weapon (except for a crossbow or firearm). A prone defender 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 action that provokes an attack of opportunity. A character can stand as a standard action without provoking an Attack of Opportunity with a successful Acrobatics check (DC 5 + opponent's CMD).

Routed: A routed creature is both fleeing. Additionally, it must drop anything it holds, and moves along a random path avoiding both the source of this condition and all other dangers is encounters. It can’t take any other actions. If cornered with no means of escape, a routed creature cannot do anything but take the total defense action.

The most common routed condition are fear effects.

Staggered: A staggered creature may take a single move action or standard action each round (but not both, nor can he take full-round actions). A staggered creature can still take free, swift, and immediate actions. A creature with nonlethal damage exactly equal to its current hit points gains the staggered condition. A character that is both incapacitated and staggered is dazed for as long as both conditions apply.

The most common staggered effects are curse, disease, and impact effects.

Stunned: A stunned creature drops everything held, can’t take actions, takes a –2 penalty to AC, and loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any).

The most common stunning effects are impact effects.

Status 

There are things that are currently listed as 'conditions' in PF1 that I see as different from the kinds of conditions I am creating with the condition-and-descriptor rules. Creatures and items can have a status that indicates a state that limits their ability to act. These include broken, destroyed, disabled, dying, energy drained, entangled, flat-footed, helpless, incorporeal, invisible, petrified, stable, and unconscious.

 Statuses use the rules for the condition of the same name from PF1... except for flat-footed, which I've rewritten in a way to make it less common and (in my opinion) make more sense..

Flat-Footed: A character who is unable to react normally to a situation is flat-footed. Creatures that do not get to act in the surprise round are flat-footed until they act in the first full round of combat. A flat-footed character loses their Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) and cannot make attacks of opportunity. Some abilities and effects can cause creatures to become flat-footed.

Support

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