Magical Effects
The duration of a magical effect is variable. Both the situation and the particular condition are factors. Some conditions never heal without a cure being found or applied by a character that has the appropriate skill or ability.
The ways of evil are strange. Thus, when a simple con man began a scheme to make gullible fools believe there were other deities than the Gods of Light, no harm was truly meant, only the chance of a few gold pieces. Yet, other powers had seen the scheme and chose to use the sin of heresy as a chance to claim a few lost souls. Know you this then, foolish one, when you sell your soul to Daemonkind, cries of “but I meant no harm” or “my intent was good” mean little. You have forsaken the Gods of Light in favor of a false icon and a dark power has come into you. Each time the powers were used to summon a creature of shadow, a portion of your life was leeched from your body given to the darkness. That life has been grating power to the Daemon who offered the magic and as the power grew, so did the danger. Perhaps there yet remains a way to free your soul, if only you can find it. Or else perhaps your actions have doomed the land to endless darkness. Time will tell. (Player’s Note: Reported by a CotHL member. There are some unknown bonuses to the condition as well.)
Blessed
I have been blessed by the gods of light. This increases my health and vigour and lends a certain determination to my actions. The blessing is discernable to others in the way I carry myself and they may well react better towards me. This could be dangerous: the blessing will wear off after a while and, if my health is very low when it does this might prove fatal! (Player’s Note: This blessing, from the Bless Skill, offer +5 health, +5 to all defenses, and +1 to appearance, willpower, and wisdom. Recent reports indicate that this blessing can be gained from the Blessed Parrot in the first level of the Pits of Poldoon dungeon as well.)
As I took the potion I
could feel the energy of the earth seeping out of the ground and into me. A
primal energy flowed through me, filling my veins with icy rivers, turning my
muscles to stone as my body embraced the Earth. I feel as strong as the earth,
as powerful as the volcano when it explodes! Player's Note: This effect is
granted by drinking a Earth Embrace Potion. It grants +5 Damage Reduction, +3
Strength, -1 Dexterity, and -1 Movement.
'It is bad to burn, but worse to burn from the inside.' From 'Walking with the Dead' by Jessica Stark. I am burning to death from the inside out. I have a pain in my gut. If I were truly alive, I would be dead already. As it is, the pain distracts me considerably, though the heat also keeps away the cold. Oddly. it does not seem to be getting any worse. Flames seem to be attracted to me in this state, altering their course to strike me and burn me even more. I find it hard to think clearly and hard to walk. Adventurer’s Note: It was picked up after a minor injury from a lesser ice skarion in the second level of the Icehaunt catacombs. (Player’s Note: This effect results in the following adjustments to character statistics: -1 vision, -1 willpower, -1 dexterity, -1 wisdom, -1 intelligence, -5 base attack, -5 normal defense, -15 fire defense, -5 chemical defense, -5 magical defense, -5 mental defense, +15 cold defense. The poor soul
afflicted with the condition has been suffering for 24 turns now, with no sign of it abating.)
A Clover Wisps luck is upon me. Player’s Note: Sometimes, this effect lasts longer than one turn. When it does, the +5 bonus to magical defense is observable.
Confusion is a magical effect that can be the result of a spell cast upon a character or an attack from a magical creature, or some other such in-game event. While confused the character suffers -10 penalties on their Attack score and also all their defense scores. Confusion has a limited duration that can vary greatly. Often when cast at its most basic level its duration is only for the turn on which it is cast. More powerful castings can stay active for many turns. Player’s Note: Some sources of confusion include, but aren’t limited to: The noxious gas attack of a Targon Demon. The righteous attacks of a Minor Angel x 6 unit. Trapped chests in Kyr. When the effect ends, the characters gets the following message after the 15th phase: My confusion has run its course and the magic has now faded away.
This status represents
damage to the hearing, usually caused by a sonic attack from either a spell or
monstrous ability. There is no easy cure for the Deafened status except time
and rest. The deafened character finds words and sounds blurred and hard to
understand, often needing things repeated several times. Their balance is also
affected, causing -2 Dexterity and -9 normal defense. When the ears are beginning
to recover the status changes to 'Mildly Deafened,' which causes lesser
symptoms. Finally, the hearing heals completely. This may take a long time ...
or in rare occasions the deafness may never heal. (Player’s note: Thanks should
be given to Kyros of the Independent Guild of Wizards. He inflicted this
condition on himself to find out the effects of the Thunderclap enchanter
scroll. Effects have been confirmed. This condition also can result from
trapped chest found in Kyrian dungeons. The victim observed in this case was in
the same square as the person who attempted to open the chest. It also cause 4
points of damage.)
Deafened: -2 dexterity,
-9 normal defense
Mildly Deafened: -1
dexterity, -5 normal defense
I feel wonderful, as
though my body is full of strength and life. I feel charged with mystical
energy. Player’s Note: This effect appears to initially heal the character, up
to 5 health points observed to date, as well as grant the following bonuses
while the effect lasts: +3 Willpower, +3 Dexterity, and +3 Strength.
Presumably, when the effect expires, the damage healed isn’t lost. Flezat’s
Gift is granted by kneeling at the Shrine of Flezat in the Daemonrift II
module. It is unknown if such shrines exist in the main module.
I am almost-entirely encased in a block of ice. It is very hard to breath and extremely difficult to move. The few bits of me that are sticking out aren't entirely helpful. I'll have to wait until I thaw. (Player’s Note: This effect causes a –10 movement penalty and –100 to attack skill. The ice has a protective effect granting the character encases a +50 on all defensive scores while encased. The ice must have a chance at the end of every turn of melting as characters have been observed melting at the end of the turn their were first exposed as well as a couple turns latter. Frozen Solid has been observed from the breath of Wraith, Chill, and Zombie Dragons).
In gratitude for stopping the goblins from their desecration the souls who have been freed offer a gift. An Icy Mist forms around me and a warm glow fills my soul. The Icy Mist is a temporary boon and will disperse eventually. Until that time the masking effect of the mist increases defenses with the effect that foes cannot see clearly through the mist. Also it means that vision is decreased for the same reason! Player’s Notes: Gained from the Prison of Frozen Souls in Icehaunt Catacombs. Reported to grant: +3 Damage Reduction, -1 Vision, +10 Normal Defense, and +10 Cold Defense.
I have been infused with an iron aura by magical means. I feel strong and tough, resistant to damage and strong of will. I feel a little slow though and I also suffer badly from the cold. This aura will eventually fade. Player’s Note: This aura comes from drinking an iron potion. It typically last to the end of the turn, but sometime lasts longer. Reported effects include: +10 normal defense, +5 fire defense, +1 willpower, +1 strength, -1 dexterity, and –5 cold defense.
I am inspired! The music
of a Bard has touched my soul and given me energy and drive, the sweet melody
drawing strength from within me. (Player’s
note: Observed effect is a +5 attack bonus. No change in damage range or other
statistics. The above message and observable effects can only be seen if the
inspiration lasts beyond the turn it was instilled.)
The fungal growths now cover my head and the roots are piercing my skull. Boy, do I look ugly! Somehow, though, the growths seem to talk to me and tell me things I never knew before....... Player’s Note: See Lapis Myconum, Non-Equipable Items.
Magical Strength is an unnatural enhancement to a characters strength, which causes them to gain 5 points on their normal strength score. This magical enhancement can be the cause of a spell, potion or other magical effect. It is seldom permanent, usually wearing away over a set amount of turns. The more powerful the magic, which caused the strength gain, the longer the power will last. Player’s Note: When this effect is granted by a Potion of Power, it appears to only grant a +3 bonus. This may wear off at the end of the turn the potion is drunk or last longer.
I can barely see! everything appears to be reflected back and forth in my eyes a myriad times. Though I can roughly make out what is going on, this makes spotting anything, fighting and defending myself really difficult. GM note: Mirror Blindness fades quite quickly (usually after two or three turns) but while in effect lowers vision a great deal and greatly reduces attack and defense values, as well as lowering dexterity. Player’s Note: Observed penalties are” –20 normal defense, -20 attack, -2 vision. No change in dexterity was observed.
A Rose Wisps Glamour is upon me. Player’s Note: This glamour grants +1 to appearance.
Spasming
I have been effected by some sort of dark magic, courtesy of a blow from the horn of a dark unicorn. My eyesight has dimmed and my limbs keep shaking. Sometimes, I shake so much I can barely stand. I hope this wears off soon. Legend says cures can be evinced by a pure unicorn horn. GM note: This has effected your attack (-20), defense (-5 normal) and vision (-1). Player’s Note: Happened after being attacked by Soul Maggots, Lizard Men, and Lizard Men Priests – checked with Steve - could be caused by things other than a dark unicorn horn.)
I have passed through the void and that dark place between realities has numbed my limbs and befuddled my mind. GM’s Note: The influence of the void lowers attack (-5) and all attributes (-1) except appearance. It makes you very vunerable to fire (-30) because the cold of the void has numbed your bones. But conversely does increase cold resistance (+10). Player’s Note: The duration of this effect is random. It appears there is a small chance that it will wear off at the end of each turn, including the turn it was contracted. It was the result of walking through a Glittering Arch in the Land of the Fae, but due to its description matching a Midnight Arch found in the Hunting Wood, suspect that walking through that arch would cause a similar effect. It also is the result of going through the archway in a temple of Yain, which transports characters to the Midnight Arch in Hunting Wood. Wearing a void cloak insulates the character from the effect. Player’s Note (16 July 2005): Recent reports indicate there is no reduction to strength, either.
Warts & Boils is a very unpleasant magical curse. When inflicted with this particularly unsavory magical malady the sufferer finds every inch of skin breaks out in awful crusty warts and puss-filled boils of the worst type. None of the traditional remedies for such things have any effect whatsoever and the more the poor victim scratches and plays with the lumps and bumps on their skin the worse they get! Warts and Boils is rarely a fatal infliction and given time the enchantment usually fades, but for its duration the victim has to put up with gasps of horror and disgust everywhere they go. Player’s Note: Gray witches inflict it on a successful attack. A severe form was observed on a character when a grey witch had successfully hit a character twice in one turn. Perhaps one hit causes a mild form or maybe the severe form is inflicted initially and is the worst case. Only mild and severe forms have been seen so far supporting this theory that severe is the worst case. Other reports indicate that if appearance goes negative you can’t equip long bows and possibly other weapons as well. This last theory hasn’t been observed directly. Player’s Note 060415: When Warts & Boils improve from a Severe case to a Mild case, the character receives the message, ‘My warts are getting better,’ after the end of phase 15.
When Severe: (-6 appearance, -1 dexterity, and -1 health)
When Mild: (-3 appearance, -1 dexterity)