While the majority of your powers may allow you to make attacks and deal damage to your opponents, there are many powers that have other effects. Making Attacks and Dealing Damage was described in detail in the How to Play section, but here we will examine some of the other effects that powers can have in combat.

Ongoing Damage

Ongoing Damage is a sub-type of hitpoint damage, where a small amount of damage occurs over time (instead of being imposed all at once). When a target is subject to Ongoing Damage, it typically lasts until the target is able to make a Saving Throw (see Save Ends below) against the effect. Ongoing Damage is suffered immediately when the effect is imposed, and then at specific segment durations thereafter (typically 10 segments, but sometimes 5 segments or less), until the effect ends. For example, if a creature is subject to Ongoing 5 Cold Damage every 10 segments in Segment 4 of Round 3, it will immediately suffer the damage in that segment. It will then suffer an additional 5 Cold Damage in Segment 4 of Round 4, then again in Segment 4 of Round 5, until the effect ends.

It is possible for a creature to be subject to multiple Ongoing Damage effects simultaneously, with the damage from all effects cumulatively damaging the target.

Bonuses & Penalties

Many powers will grant bonuses to your allies or impose penalties on your opponents. Sometimes the effects of these powers are automatic and other times they may require an attack roll. These powers can modify attack rolls, defenses, skill checks, saving throws, and more. Bonuses will typically last for a specified amount of time (either segments or rounds), while a Penalty can have a duration or require the target to remove the effect with a Saving Throw.

Energy Damage

In addition to Hitpoint Damage, powers can cause Energy Damage. Energy Damage functions similarly to Energy Burn, in that it cannot be recovered until you take an Extended Rest. Some powers and effects will specify either Stamina or Resolve Damage, while other powers will simply deal Energy Damage, allowing the suffering creature to choose which energy pool to take from (and even allowing them to split the damage between both).

Energy Drain is a rarer form of Energy Damage and signifies a semi-permanent loss. A creature who suffers Energy Drain cannot regain the lost energy until it has been restored through a Restoration ritual or similar effect.

If Energy Damage or Energy Drain reduces a character's Stamina or Resolve to zero or lower, that creature falls Unconscious until an Extended Rest (or an ability that can remove Energy Damage or restore Energy Burn is applied).

Morale Damage

Some powers and effects cause Morale Damage, which represents a creature's willingness to continue the fight. Creatures with lower Morale scores become more susceptible to Fear effects and if a creature's Morale is reduced below zero, Tide of Battle shifts one point in their opponent's favor. Additionally, for monsters and Non-Player Characters (NPCs), a morale below zero may indicate that a creature will attempt to surrender or flee the combat (GM Discretion).

For each point of Morale Damage, a creature must burn one Resolve (during a Short Rest) in order to restore it (or have it restored through another method, such as a power or ability).

Status Effects

There is a large variety of Status Effects that can be imposed on a target, but all impose some sort of disadvantage to the target. Some Status Effects can hamper movement, attack rolls, targeting, the ability to take actions, and more. Each Status Effect has its own effects and rules, which will not be described in detail here. See the list of Status Effects for more details on each specific effect.

Some Status Effects will have a specified duration, while others will end when the target succeeds a Saving Throw against it.

Auras

Some powers grant an Aura that creates an area of effect around the target. The Aura's area is measured as a radial distance from the target. For example, a 5ft Aura will reach out to 5ft from the target, while a 20ft Aura will reach 20ft from the target. The most common effect of an Aura is to deal damage within the area, but Auras can also make attacks, grant bonuses, or impose penalties.

The effect of the aura can be constant (as is the case for bonuses or penalties) or be limited to once per round (as is the case for damage or attacks). A creature is subject to an Aura's effect as soon as they come into contact with it. An Aura that deals damage will do so when a creature first comes into contact with it (within the round), and up to once per round thereafter (while remaining within it). An aura that makes attacks may act similarly (making an attack when a creature first enters the area and once per round thereafter) or allow you to make a limited number of attacks within the area each round.

The effects of multiple Auras are cumulative, so if a creature is affected by three Auras which each deal 5 Fire Damage, the creature will suffer 15 Fire Damage.

Miss Effects

Some powers have Miss Effects, indicated that even if you miss the attack roll, the target still suffers some ill effect. This is usually some reduced form of the Hit Effect, such as Half Damage or an effect with a shorter duration (or easier Saving Throw). If a power has a Miss Effect, it will be indicated after the Hit line of the power. Some powers and abilities (and certain Monster Abilities) can prevent a creature from suffering a Miss Effect.

Power vs Power Interactions

Some Magical abilities can remove or overcome the effects of other powers. Some of these powers will automatically overcome the effects of opposing abilities. Other powers will require an Opposed Potency check, with the power of the higher potency succeeding over the power of lower potency.

Durations of Effects

Some powers and effects are immediate, while others are more lasting. The durations of effects can be measured in Segments, Rounds, Phases, Hours, or end when the target makes a Saving Throw (see Save Ends below). Durations of Phases or Hours will last for the entire combat. Durations of segments require you to keep track of the segment in which the effect ends. Durations of rounds indicated the number of complete rounds in which a power is active. Therefore, most powers will get a partial round (based on which segment they take effect) followed by a number of full rounds of effect. For example, if a power with a duration of 1 round takes effect in segment 3 of Round 1, it will be in effect from segment 3 of Round 1 through Segment 10 of Round 2 (with Round 2 being the full one round). Alternatively, if you instead used a power with a duration of 10 rounds (still taking effect in Segment 3 of Round 1), then it would be in effect from Segment 3 of Round 1 through Segment 10 of Round 11.

Upkeep

Some powers have an Upkeep, allowing you to increase the duration of the power, usually with some Energy Cost. When a power expires, you may choose to upkeep it (if applicable) at the beginning of the next round, by paying the appropriate cost as a Free Action. You must be able to take Free Actions to be able to upkeep the power (i.e. you may not be able to Upkeep an ability while Stupefied or Unconscious). If you do not Upkeep the power, the effect will end at the expiration of the duration as normal.

Saving Ends

Many effects, especially detrimental effects, will have a duration of Save Ends (SE). This indicates that a creature must succeed a saving throw in order to end the effect upon them. The power will indicate the difficulty of the Saving Throw (i.e. how many d10s must be rolled) and the Attribute against which the Saving Throw must be made. This is written in shorthand as "[ST Xd10 vs Att], where X indicates the number of dice which must be rolled. Unless otherwise indicated, a creature affected with a Save Ends condition may make an initial Saving Throw when first subjected to the condition. If it makes this initial Saving Throw, there is no ill effect (unless there is an Aftereffect, see below).

Occasionally, a power will give you the choice of two Attributes Saving Throw scores against which to make the Save. In this case, the target gets to choose which score to use.

Making Saving Throws

To make a Saving Throw, a creature must roll the specified number of d10s and the sum of that roll must be less than or equal to their Saving Throw for that particular Attribute. For example, say you are hit with a Sleep spell and are Asleep [SE, ST 4d10 vs WIS]. If your Wisdom Saving Throw is 15, you must roll a sum of 15 or less on 4d10 to remove the effect. On the first attempt, your roll 7, 4, 6, and 8, giving you a total of 25, failing the saving throw. After several more failed attempts, you finally succeed with a total of 13 (2, 4, 4, and 3 on the dice).

The most common way to make a Saving Throw is to use the Recovery Action, but several powers and abilities can also allow you to make a Saving Throw. Note that except for your initial saving throw, you must always take an action in order to make a Saving Throw (unless another creature grants you a Saving Throw as part of their action) and conditions will not typically end on their own.

Saving Throw Bonuses & Penalties

A variety of powers and abilities can add bonuses or penalties to a Saving Throw, either by granting a bonus to your own saves, granting a bonus or imposing a penalty on another creature's saves, or placing a penalty on a condition that you've imposed. Regardless of the manner in which the bonus or penalty is imposed, Bonuses are applied to your Saving Throw Attribute and Penalties are applied to the die pool.

Bonuses and Penalties to Saving Throws come in two varieties: Die and Flat. A Die Bonus removes one or more d10s from your Saving Throw while a Die Penalty adds one or more d10s to your Saving Throw. A Flat Bonus adds to your Saving Throw score, increasing the threshold you can meet, while a Flat Penalty reduces your Saving Throw Score decreasing the threshold you can meet.

For example, if you must succeed a Saving Throw versus a Dexterity of 13 and gain a bonus of 5 [STB +5], it increases your Dexterity Saving Throw score to 18, increasing the sum you can achieve before failing your Saving Throw. Alternatively, if you must succeed a 3d10 Saving Throw versus your Wisdom and suffer a penalty of 1 die [STP 1d10], it increases the Saving Throw to 4d10, increasing your likelihood of failure by increasing your chances of rolling above your Wisdom Saving Throw score (see Saving Throws for more information).

Cumulative Saving Throws

When a creature is subject to a Status Effect or similar condition that a Saving Throw Ends, it cannot be subjected to the same condition again. Instead, the target will be subject to the whichever condition has the higher difficulty (i.e. higher number of dice, if applicable) and it will suffer a 1d10 penalty [STP 1d10] to its next Saving Throw made against the condition. For example, a target is currently subject to Blindness [SE, ST 2d10 vs DEX]. You then hit the target with the Blinding Swipe technique, imposing Blindness [SE, ST 3d10 vs DEX]. The target now suffers from Blindness [3d10 vs DEX], but its next saving throw (the initial save from your technique) will be at a 1d10 penalty [STP 1d10], requiring the target to roll 4d10.

If a single power applies the condition multiple times to the same target (usually as the result of multiple attacks), the initial Saving Throw is made after all attacks are made and all penalties have been applied.

Aftereffects

Some powers and effects have an Aftereffect, indicating that there is a lingering effect that occurs after you succeed your Saving Throw. Often this Aftereffect will have a specified duration, but occasionally it will require a second (typically easier) Saving Throw.

Back to Making Attacks in Combat