Conditions

Conditions add an additional layer of consequence and reward to certain actions. They’re not traits a player can buy or choose for her character. They’re conditional; the context and the gameplay apply them and they remain only until certain resolution criteria are met.

These resolutions are determined by the effect that causes the Condition or the terms of the Condition itself. Whenever your character resolves a Condition, take 50 xp.

A character cannot have multiple instances of a Condition unless they apply to two different and specific things. For example, you may have Connected (Mob) and Connected (Police.)

Sources of Conditions
Various things within the course of a game can cause Conditions. The most common is critical successes.  Any time a player rolls a critical success, the player may choose to bring a Condition into play. This Condition must be relevant to the situation. Some supernatural abilities can also offer Conditions.  A DM may add a Condition to a character during any situation where she feels it would heighten the drama of the game.
Lastly, complex behaviors may cause Conditions. For example, a well-planned heist may impose the Overwhelmed Condition on the chief of police, or a detailed bout of research and investigation may offer the Informed Condition.

Resolutions
While I’ve listed resolutions for each Condition, other things may end its effects. Use your better judgment when determining Condition resolution. The rule of thumb is that anything that would cause the Condition’s effects to end can be counted as resolution.

Persistent Conditions
Some Conditions are marked as Persistent. These Conditions are tied inexorably to the character. Persistent Conditions may offer experience once per game session when they complicate the character’s life. With DM permission, players may take Persistent Conditions for their characters at character creation. Persistent Conditions may be resolved permanently only with a specific and impressive effort, along with DM discretion.

Conditions on NPCs
NPCs don’t usually track experience the way the PCs do. Any time an NPC would be offered experience by a Condition, they simply gain a floating +1 bonus that can be applied to any one roll in the same scene.

Condition List
The list below includes common Conditions that can be applied to characters. For skill-based rolls, a critical success allows the noted Condition (unless otherwise stated).  It may go to your character or the subject of the roll, as noted.  While we’ve listed a handful of recommended skills that afford a given Condition, this list is hardly exhaustive.

Give whatever Conditions make sense within the scope of the story. If a Condition has no listed skills, it’s because another circumstance within the rules can cause it and it’s not something easily brought upon by regular skill usage.

Addicted (Persistent)
Your character is addicted to something, whether drugs, gambling or other destructive behaviors. Some addictions are more dangerous than others, but the nature of addiction is that it slowly takes over your life, impeding functionality. If you are addicted, you need to indulge your addiction regularly
to keep it under control. A specific addiction should be chosen upon taking this Condition; characters can take this Condition multiple times for different addictions. Being unable to feed your addiction can result in the Deprived Condition.
Resolution: Regain a dot of Integrity, lose another dot of Integrity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.
Beat: Your character chooses to get a fix rather than fulfill an obligation.

Amnesia (Persistent)
Your character is missing a portion of her memory. An entire period of her life is just gone. This causes massive difficulties with friends and loved ones.
Resolution: You regain your memory and learn the truth. Depending on the circumstances, this may constitute a breaking point.
Beat: Something problematic arises, such as a forgotten arrest warrant or old enemy.

Blind (Persistent)
Your character cannot see. Any rolls requiring sight take a -10 penalty. If another sense can be reasonably substituted, make the roll at –5 instead.
Resolution: Your character regains her sight.
Beat: Your character encounters a limitation or difficulty that inconveniences her.

Broken (Persistent)
Whatever you did or saw, something inside you snapped.  You can barely muster up the will to do your job anymore, and anything more emotionally intense than a raised voice makes you flinch and back down. Apply a –3 to all social rolls and a –8 to all use of the Intimidation Skill.
Resolution: Regain a dot of Integrity, lose another dot of Integrity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point. <---needs to be reworked for Pathfinder
Beat: You back down from a confrontation or fail a roll due to this Condition.

Bonded
Your character has established an extensive bond with a specific animal. She gains +4 on any rolls to influence or persuade her bonded animal. It may add your Will save to any rolls to resist coercion or fear when in your character’s presence. The animal may add your character’s Handle Animal to any one die roll per game session.
Resolution: The bonded animal dies or is otherwise parted from the character.
Beat: n/a

Connected (Persistent)
Your character has made inroads with a specified group.  While she has this Condition, she gets a +4 to all rolls relating to that group. Alternately, she can shed this Condition to gain a one-time automatic critical success on the next roll to influence or otherwise take advantage of the group.  Once Connected is resolved, the character is considered to have burned her bridges and is no longer an accepted member.  The character may be able to regain Connected with the specified group per DM approval.
Example Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy
Resolution: The character loses her membership or otherwise loses her standing with the group.
Beat: The character is asked to perform a favor for the group that inconveniences her.

Disabled (Persistent)
Your character has limited or no ability to walk. Her speed is effectively reduced to 5 ft. She must rely on a wheelchair or other device to travel. A wheelchair’s speed is equal to your character’s Strength times two (round to the nearest multiple of 5) and requires use of her hands.
An injury can cause this Condition temporarily, in which case it is resolved when the injury heals and the character regains mobility.
Resolution: The character’s disability is cured by mundane or supernatural means.
Beat: Your character’s limited mobility inconveniences your character and makes her slow to respond.

Deprived
Your character suffers from an addiction. She is unable to get her fix, however, leaving her irritable, anxious, and unable to focus. She takes a -2 penalty to all Constitution- and Wisdom-based rolls.
Resolution: Your character indulges her addiction.
Beat: n/a

Embarrassing Secret
Your character has a secret from his past that could come back to haunt him. If this secret gets out, he could be ostracized or maybe even arrested. If it becomes known, this Condition is exchanged for Notoriety (p. 183).
Resolution: The character’s secret is made public, or the character does whatever is necessary to make sure it never comes to light.
Beat: n/a

Fugue (Persistent)
Something terrible happened. Rather than deal with it or let it break you, your mind shuts it out. You are prone to blackouts and lost time. Whenever circumstances become too similar to the situation that led to your gaining this Condition, the player rolls a Will save (DC 15). If you fail the roll, the Storyteller controls your character for the next scene; your character, left to his own devices, will seek to avoid the conflict and get away from the area.
Resolution: Regain a dot of Integrity, lose another dot of Integrity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point. <----needs to be rejiggered for Pathfinder
Beat: You enter a fugue state as described above.

Guilty
Your character is experiencing deep-seated feelings of guilt and remorse. This Condition is commonly applied after a successful breaking point roll (p. 185). While the character is under the effects of this Condition, he receives a –4 to any roll or DC to defend against attempts to manipulate her emotions, such as Diplomacy, Bluff, or Intimidate rolls.
Resolution: The character confesses his crimes and makes restitution for whatever he did.
Beat: n/a

Informed
Your character has a breadth of research information based on the topic she investigated. When you make a roll relating to the topic, you may choose to resolve this Condition.  If you resolve it and the roll failed, it is instead considered to have succeeded. If it succeeded, the roll is considered a critical success.  The roll that benefits from the Informed Condition can be any relevant skill roll. For example, a character with Informed (Werewolves) might gain its benefits when using researched information to build a silver bear trap with the Crafts Skill.  Combat rolls cannot benefit from this Condition.
Example Skills: Knowledge, Profession (detective, researcher, et cetera)
Resolution: Your character uses her research to gain information; the Condition is resolved as described above.
Beat: n/a

Inspired
Your character is deeply inspired. When your character takes an action pertaining to that inspiration, you may resolve this Condition. Any success by 5 or more on that roll is considered a critical success (no confirmation needed) and you gain a floating +1 bonus that can be applied to any one roll this session.
Example Skills: Craft, Perform
Resolution: You spend inspiration to spur yourself to greater success, resolving the Condition as described above.
Beat: n/a

Leveraged
Your character has been blackmailed, tricked, convinced, or otherwise leveraged into doing what another character wishes. You may have the Leveraged Condition multiple times for different characters. Any time the specified character requests something of you, you may resolve this Condition if your character does as requested without rolling to resist.
Example Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy
Resolution: Your character may either resolve the Condition by complying with a request as above, or if you apply the Leveraged condition to the specified character.
Beat: n/a

Madness (Persistent)
Your character saw or did something that jarred her loose from reality. This isn’t a mental illness born of brain chemistry — that, at least, might be treatable. This madness is the product of supernatural tampering or witnessing something that humanity was never meant to comprehend. The DM has a pool equal to 10 – (character’s Charisma modifier). Once per session, the DM can apply those points as a negative modifier to any mental or social roll made for the character.
Resolution: Regain a dot of Integrity, lose another dot of Integrity, or achieve an exceptional success on a breaking point.<----needs to be rejiggered for Pathfinder.
Beat: The character fails a roll because of this Condition.

Mute (Persistent)
Your character cannot speak. Any communication must be done through writing, gestures, or hand signs. Illness, injury, or supernatural powers can inflict this Condition on a temporary basis.
Resolution: The character regains her voice through mundane or supernatural means.
Beat: Your character suffers a limitation or communication difficulty that heightens immediate danger.

Notoriety
Whether or not your character actually did something heinous in the past, the wrong people think he did and now he’s ostracized by the general public. Your character suffers a –4 on any social rolls against those who know of his notoriety.
Example Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy
Resolution: The story is debunked or the character’s name is cleared.
Beat: n/a

Obsession (Persistent)
Something’s on your character’s mind and she just can’t shake it. She threatens a critical on all rolls related to pursuing her obsession on a 15-20 rather than a 20 (if the roll, somehow, is an attack roll, double the critical range instead). On rolls that are unrelated to her obsession, she only rolls a critical success if she rolls a 20 on the confirmation roll.  Obsession can be a temporary quality per Storyteller approval.
Resolution: The character sheds or purges her fixation.
Beat: Character fails to fulfill an obligation due to pursuing her obligation.

Shaken
Something has severely frightened your character.  Any time your character is taking an action where that fear might hinder her, you may opt to fail the roll and resolve this Condition.
Example Skills: attack rolls, Intimidate
Resolution: The character gives into her fear and fails a roll as described above.
Beat: n/a

Spooked
Your character has seen something supernatural — not overt enough to terrify her, but unmistakably otherworldly. How your character responds to this is up
to you, but it captivates her and dominates her focus.
Resolution: This Condition is resolved when your character’s fear and fascination causes her to do something that hinders the group or complicates things (she goes off alone to investigate a strange noise, stays up all night researching, runs away instead of holding her ground, etc.).
Beat: n/a

Steadfast
Your character is confident and resolved. When you’ve failed a roll, you may choose resolve this Condition to instead treat the action as if you’d rolled a success.
Resolution: Your character’s confidence carries him through and the worst is avoided; the Condition is resolved as described above.
Beat: n/a

Swooning
Your character is attracted to someone and is vulnerable where they are concerned. He may have the proverbial “butterflies in his stomach” or just be constantly aware of the object of his affection. A character may have multiple instances of this Condition, reflecting affection for multiple characters.  He suffers a –4 to any rolls that would adversely affect the specified character, who also gains +4 on any Social rolls against him.
Example Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy
Resolution: Your character does something for his love interest that puts him in danger, or he opts to fail a roll to resist a social action by the specified character.
Beat: n/a

Creating New Conditions
This list of Conditions is by no means intended to be exhaustive.  The players and the DM can and should create new Conditions to apply to whatever situations arise in play.

When creating a Condition, consider the following two points:
• What game mechanics does the Condition require?
• How can the Condition be resolved?
All Conditions should have some kind of game effect.  They can add or subtract dice, restrict certain kinds of rolls, and interact with sub-systems.

For example, Agent Lundy is investigating a crime scene while a local policeman, Officer Mallory, looks on. Lundy’s player rolls a critical success on his Perception roll and finds an amazing amount of detail and information.  The Storyteller asks the player if he would like to place a Condition on Mallory, if Mallory’s player is amenable. Lundy suggests Awed, since Mallory is feeling pretty intimidated by Lundy’s investigatory prowess.  Mallory’s player agrees and grabs an index card. She writes “Awed — Lundy” on it. The players could model this on the Swooning or Leveraged Conditions, but Mallory’s player decides she’d rather have this manifest as Mallory becoming flustered around Lundy. She asks if she can shed this Condition to fail an Perception or Diplomacy roll while in Lundy’s presence (thus resolving the Condition). The Storyteller agrees and Mallory’s player holds the card until she wants to use it. When she does, she’ll gain experience.