Status Effects

Overview

Status effects are conditions that adversely affect a character in battle by adding passive damage, increasing elemental weaknesses, or limiting her use of abilities. (For the purposes of this wiki, conditions that positively affect a character in battle and conditions that solely reduce a character's stats are both considered Stat Boosts.)

Note: depending on gameplay balance and the challenges of implementation, not all status effects will necessarily make it into the final game.

Last Stand

When a hero-class character's HP is taken down to 0, she enters her Last Stand. When affected by this status effect, her critical hit rate is increased by 25%, but her HP can no longer be healed, her EP drains continuously, she takes 25% more damage (to her EP) from all attacks, and she's subject to being KOed by almost any attack.

Asleep

A character who's Asleep is unable to block, counter, or perform any action. Any damage she takes will cure her of this status effect, but the damage amount will be tripled. The Asleep effect is particularly devastating when it can be used, but most characters and enemies are immune to it, including the common species.

Berserk

When affected by the Berserk status effect, a character can't use any healing, status effects, or defensive stat boosts; she can only attack or increase offensive stats such as Speed and Magic Power. She also loses 25% of her max EP with each energy attack (above any normal EP cost the move has), although her energy damage is doubled. Berserk wears off over time, but can also be cured with some magic.

Bound

The Bound status effect comes in three forms. Bound Arms, the most common, prevent a character from using techniques involving her arms, such as punches and slashes. Bound Legs prevent a character from using techniques involving her legs, such as charging moves, jumping moves, and almost any close combat technique. Fully Bound prevents a character from using any non-magic, non-energy technique (and will even prevent some of those).

Binding wears off over time and its duration will be shorter depending on how high the affected character's stats are. Certain magic can also cure it. Characters who can't be Bound include magical species like golems, transforming species like slimeshifters, and liquid species like aqualings.

Burning

Most Fire techniques have a small chance to inflict Burning. When affected by this status effect, a character is set on fire and gradually loses HP. Her fire can be put out with--among other options--most Water or Wave magic, some Wind magic, or by using speed-based attacks. Burning will also wear off over time or when a character enters her Last Stand.

Confused

When a character is Confused, she may perform random techniques instead of what the player intends. Confused wears off over time or can be cured with certain magic.

Disoriented

A Disoriented character can't block or counter attacks and her Skill (accuracy) is reduced by 25%. It's a short-term status effect that only lasts for one turn.

Fatigued

When a character's EP sinks below 15%, she becomes Fatigued and won't be able to use energy-based attacks (even if their EP cost is under 15%). Fatigue wears off when her EP recovers above 35%.

Flustered

Halfway between Berserk and Paralyzed is the Flustered status effect. When Flustered, a character can't use healing or boost her or her teammates' stats; furthermore, she'll be able to perform one less Followup per turn than usual. Taking a physical attack will knock her out of Fluster, as will some magic.

Discarded Status Effects

Status effects that were once considered but have since been thrown away include:

Cursed

(removed before the wiki began)

Rather than applying to a character, equipment can be Cursed. If a character puts on a piece of Cursed equipment, her Defense is reduced by 20% and she can't remove that equipment until the curse is removed. This status effect might come back, but if it does it almost certainly won't have this exact effect.

Miniaturized

(removed before the wiki began)

When Miniaturized, a character's Evasion quadruples, but her max HP, Power, Defenses, and Skill are cut by varying amounts. It all sounded logical, but when I ran the numbers this status effect seemed way too powerful, almost at the level of Vanish from Final Fantasy VI.

Supersized

(removed before the wiki began)

When Supersized, a character's max HP increases but her Speed, Skill, and Evasion are cut. I dropped this status effect because it didn't make sense in the context of characters who are mostly energy-based.

Zombified

(removed before the wiki began)

This idea was dropped for the same reason it was initially created: I realized I got it from the rarely-seen Zombie status effect in Final Fantasy VI. Besides making the character perform random attacks, it would have tripled the damage she took from Light magic and doubled damage from Fire and Dark, but made her immune to Cold.