Khorod
First Post
Just thinking that there aren't any conditions for physical pain...
This is a quick first draft of the idea. I realize that combat is likely to cause aches and pains, even bad ones, but this is designed to present the notion of lingering, great pain to characters, instead of just taking off hit points.
Conditions
Pained: You suffer from flaring aches and stabbing pains that intensify when you move. You suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to Strength and Dexterity. This adds a stackable 10% chance to miscast spells with somatic components. This penalty stacks with fatigue. As with fatigue conditions, if you gain the pained status twice you now have the tormented condition.
There are two varieties of the pained condition: short-term pain that is an immediate reaction to an effect, and long-term pain that is the result of particular injuries previously done to your body. Short-term pain can be suppressed by herbal or alchemical remedies, a single hit point of magical healing, or 8 hours of rest. A long-term conditions requires specialized magic like restoration or extensive long-term care which might never find success.
Tormented: Flaring and stabbing pain throughout your body is suppressed by a shear act of will. You suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to all ability scores, and can take only a standard action per round. This adds a stackable 20% chance to miscast spells with somatic components.
This condition behaves in all other ways like pained.
Tortured: You suffer a -4 circumstance penalty to each ability score and can take only a move action each round. It takes one week of normal rest or the use of the restoration spell to undo a single minus of this penalty. When it is reduced to -2, the character is considered to be tormented, but still has this slow recovery process. This adds a 30% chance to miscast spells with somatic components.
Of course, in some torture scenarios great damage might be done on purpose, this could result in further temporary or permanent ability damage.
Optional Rules
If the character fails a Fort save, he can make Concentration checks against DC 15 to ignore the pain, and thereby the physical ability penalties. If the character makes any action beyond half-speed walking (like, 7.5 feet per round) he suffers 1d4 subdual damage per point of the maximum penalty ignored.
(So not all scores are tracked separately, if you are tormented, that's 2d4 points. Enough so a thoroughly tortured hero or a messed-up npc can collapse in an escape attempt.)
1st Level Spells
Finger of Pain(necromancy): For 1 round per level, all whom you touch suffer the pained condition for another 1 round per level if they fail a Fort save. (Someone touched on the first round by a 5th level wizard will be pained for 5 rounds, someone touched on the fourth round will be pained for 5 rounds.)
Merciful Aura (conjuration [healing]): 5 ft per level sphere, 1 minute per level, all allies gain 1 temporary hit point. All with pained or tormented conditions ignore the effects while within this aura.
3rd Level Spells
Touch of Torment (necromancy): Touch attack, target suffers the tormented condition for one hour per level. If they succeed their Fort save they are pained.
5th Level Spells
Remove Pain (conjuration [healing]): By touch you immediately reduce a pain condition down one level. If used on someone who is pain-free, they are immune to pain effects for one round per level & heal 2d8 hp.
8th Level Spells
Tortured Form(necromancy): Touch attack, target suffers the tortured condition. It is instantaneous- it can only be healed by limited wish, wish, or miracle. If they succeed their Fort save they are tortured for 1d4 rounds.
Against any of these spells, a smart character will pretend to have failed the save and get an AoO when the spellcaster walks up to their spastic body.
Weapon Enhancements
Weapon of Pain: On a successful hit, this weapon applies the pained condition to the opponent for a number of rounds equal to the amount of damage dealt if a Fort save is failed against DC ?. This modifiers of this pain to not stack with itself or other sources of pain, making it useful for casual slave driving or maintaining a torture session in safety of killing the victim. +2
Torturous Weapon: On a successful critical hit you impart the Tormented condition if the target fails a Fort Save against DC ?. This lasts 1 hour. +2
So, how can I make this better?
EDIT: Slight changes to Pain conditions, more when time is found.
EDIT 2/7: Weapon Enhancements, Option for ignoring the pain.
This is a quick first draft of the idea. I realize that combat is likely to cause aches and pains, even bad ones, but this is designed to present the notion of lingering, great pain to characters, instead of just taking off hit points.
Conditions
Pained: You suffer from flaring aches and stabbing pains that intensify when you move. You suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to Strength and Dexterity. This adds a stackable 10% chance to miscast spells with somatic components. This penalty stacks with fatigue. As with fatigue conditions, if you gain the pained status twice you now have the tormented condition.
There are two varieties of the pained condition: short-term pain that is an immediate reaction to an effect, and long-term pain that is the result of particular injuries previously done to your body. Short-term pain can be suppressed by herbal or alchemical remedies, a single hit point of magical healing, or 8 hours of rest. A long-term conditions requires specialized magic like restoration or extensive long-term care which might never find success.
Tormented: Flaring and stabbing pain throughout your body is suppressed by a shear act of will. You suffer a -2 circumstance penalty to all ability scores, and can take only a standard action per round. This adds a stackable 20% chance to miscast spells with somatic components.
This condition behaves in all other ways like pained.
Tortured: You suffer a -4 circumstance penalty to each ability score and can take only a move action each round. It takes one week of normal rest or the use of the restoration spell to undo a single minus of this penalty. When it is reduced to -2, the character is considered to be tormented, but still has this slow recovery process. This adds a 30% chance to miscast spells with somatic components.
Of course, in some torture scenarios great damage might be done on purpose, this could result in further temporary or permanent ability damage.
Optional Rules
If the character fails a Fort save, he can make Concentration checks against DC 15 to ignore the pain, and thereby the physical ability penalties. If the character makes any action beyond half-speed walking (like, 7.5 feet per round) he suffers 1d4 subdual damage per point of the maximum penalty ignored.
(So not all scores are tracked separately, if you are tormented, that's 2d4 points. Enough so a thoroughly tortured hero or a messed-up npc can collapse in an escape attempt.)
1st Level Spells
Finger of Pain(necromancy): For 1 round per level, all whom you touch suffer the pained condition for another 1 round per level if they fail a Fort save. (Someone touched on the first round by a 5th level wizard will be pained for 5 rounds, someone touched on the fourth round will be pained for 5 rounds.)
Merciful Aura (conjuration [healing]): 5 ft per level sphere, 1 minute per level, all allies gain 1 temporary hit point. All with pained or tormented conditions ignore the effects while within this aura.
3rd Level Spells
Touch of Torment (necromancy): Touch attack, target suffers the tormented condition for one hour per level. If they succeed their Fort save they are pained.
5th Level Spells
Remove Pain (conjuration [healing]): By touch you immediately reduce a pain condition down one level. If used on someone who is pain-free, they are immune to pain effects for one round per level & heal 2d8 hp.
8th Level Spells
Tortured Form(necromancy): Touch attack, target suffers the tortured condition. It is instantaneous- it can only be healed by limited wish, wish, or miracle. If they succeed their Fort save they are tortured for 1d4 rounds.
Against any of these spells, a smart character will pretend to have failed the save and get an AoO when the spellcaster walks up to their spastic body.
Weapon Enhancements
Weapon of Pain: On a successful hit, this weapon applies the pained condition to the opponent for a number of rounds equal to the amount of damage dealt if a Fort save is failed against DC ?. This modifiers of this pain to not stack with itself or other sources of pain, making it useful for casual slave driving or maintaining a torture session in safety of killing the victim. +2
Torturous Weapon: On a successful critical hit you impart the Tormented condition if the target fails a Fort Save against DC ?. This lasts 1 hour. +2
So, how can I make this better?
EDIT: Slight changes to Pain conditions, more when time is found.
EDIT 2/7: Weapon Enhancements, Option for ignoring the pain.
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