F means the current Floor number. Unless a specific effect overrides these rules, apply status effects during Step 5: Clean Up in the order most beneficial to the crawlers.
Buff rules
- Internal Buffs affect the crawler directly. Stat/Skill increases are common. Race-, Class-, and Skill Upgrade-based Buffs last while you retain their source; equipment Buffs apply only while the relevant equipment is in use.
- External Buffs wait for a trigger. When the trigger occurs, you choose whether to activate the Buff—useful when it has a cooldown. Activation normally costs no Action, though a powerful effect may specify an Interrupt or other Action.
- Rule of Three: only 3 External Buffs may be active at once. Choose them at the start of the crawling day. They normally remain selected until the end of your next Long Rest. If you gain a new External Buff that day, you may change the selection during a Short Rest.
Common Buffs
| Buff | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-Piercing | Internal | The DR of armor with this quality applies against Armor-Piercing damage. |
| Good Sleep | Internal | +F to all Stats for 30 hours. |
| Invisible | Internal | Cannot be targeted by effects requiring sight; equipment is concealed; gain Unseen Attacker benefits. |
| Iron Skin Potion | Internal | Double DR for 30 minutes. |
| Recovery | Internal | Restore full Health, once per 5 hours. |
| Replenish | Internal | Regain Int Mana every 10 minutes. |
| Restore | Internal | Restore full Mana, once per 5 hours. |
| Rooted in Place | Internal | Cannot be forcibly pushed, pulled, slid, or otherwise moved. |
| Sticky Feet | Internal | Gain Climb Movement for a number of minutes equal to Dex. |
| Damage Reflection | External | After losing the specified number of HB slots, cause the attacker to lose 1 HB slot; variants may redirect it elsewhere. |
| Resistance / Immunity | External | Trigger when taking the named damage type to reduce or negate that damage as specified. |
| Safe Fall | External | Trigger on a qualifying fall to prevent falling's Bludgeoning damage. |
Debuff rules
- There is no limit to the number of different Debuffs affecting a creature.
- The same Debuff cannot affect a creature more than once unless it says Stackable. Stackable instances apply cumulatively.
- A Debuff ends when its duration/ending condition is met, an item or Action removes it, or the GM rules changed circumstances end it early.
- Damage-dealing Debuffs apply at the end of each round during Clean Up. They bypass DR, but elemental Resistance and Immunity still apply.
- If Debuff damage would reduce a crawler to 0% HB, make an automatic Con Stat Check vs. `10 + F` before the fatal damage. On Success, the Debuff ends and the crawler avoids that damage.
Debuff reference
| Debuff | Effect | Default duration / removal |
|---|---|---|
| Blinded | Skill Checks requiring sight have Disadvantage. | End of next round. |
| Blood Trail | Take 1d6 + F damage at Clean Up. Stackable. | Bandage or First Aid Skill Check. |
| Burned | Take 1d10 + F Fire damage at Clean Up. | End of combat or 5 minutes; as an Action, pass a Dex Stat Check vs. 10 + F to extinguish it. |
| Drowning | Take 1d6 + F damage at Clean Up. | Get your head above water. |
| Dying | At 0% HB; cannot act, move, speak, or use HUD. Countdown begins at Con Mod; lose 1 count at Clean Up and whenever damage would be taken. | Death at zero, or heal at least 1 HB slot. |
| Enraged | May take only Attack and Move Actions. | End of 2 rounds or 20 seconds. |
| Fatigued | −1 to all Checks and Move is halved. Stackable. | End of a Long Rest. |
| Held | Cannot Move or Step, but may twist to Evade; attacks against you have Advantage. | Released or escape with the relevant opposed escape Check; Wrasslin' may modify this. |
| Long-Term Major Injury | −5 to all Checks. | Full Day's Rest. |
| Long-Term Minor Injury | −2 to all Checks. | Long Rest. |
| Major Injury | −5 to all Checks; a second Major Injury becomes Long-Term Major. | Long Rest. |
| Minor Injury | −2 to all Checks; a second Minor Injury becomes Long-Term Minor. | Short Rest. |
| Muted | Cannot speak or cast Spells. | End of combat or 5 minutes. |
| Poisoned | Take 1d8 + F Poison damage at Clean Up. Stackable. | Antidote. |
| Paralyzed | Cannot take Actions. | End of next round. |
| Queasy | If the next Action requires a roll, make it with Disadvantage. | After the next Action. |
| Sepsis | Staggered, and take 1d10 + F Poison damage at Clean Up. | Staggered ends normally; damage continues until healed. |
| Shit-Faced | All Checks have Disadvantage. | 10 minutes. |
| Shocked | Lose the next Action. | After forfeiting that Action. |
| Sore as Shit | −1 to all rolls. | 1 hour. |
| Staggered | Next Action cannot be Move; an Attack has Disadvantage; no Step with that Action. | After the next Action. |
| Stiff Legs | Cannot take Steps. | End of combat or 5 minutes. |
| Stunned | Next Check has Disadvantage. | After making a Check. |
| Take Down | Fall prone; attacks against you have Advantage. | Spend your Step to stand. |
| Terrified | Cannot Move or Step; attacks have Disadvantage. | End of next round, or after losing at least 1 HB slot. |
| The Taint | Cannot be healed. | End of combat or 5 minutes. |
| Woozy | Cannot add Dex Mod to Attack or Evade Checks. | End of next round. |
Dying conflict: the narrative rules say the death countdown equals Con, but both Debuff tables say Con Mod. This sheet uses the repeated table entry; the GM should state the chosen interpretation.
Applying Debuffs to Mobs and NPCs
Debuffs still work, but translate penalties because the GM normally does not roll d20 Checks:
| Crawler-facing effect | Mob/NPC conversion |
|---|---|
| Ongoing damage | Apply at Clean Up. |
| Disadvantage | Reduce the relevant Mob Difficulty/Stat Mod/function by 5. For a Disadvantaged attack, the crawler receives a free Evade Check; if it fails, they may still spend an Action to Evade again. |
−X Skill penalty | Reduce the Mob's relevant Difficulty by X. |
Sources
- Core Rulebook: Chapter 2, Health Menu—Buffs & Debuffs and Table 11.
- Rules For Survival: Health Menu—Buffs & Debuffs and Table 8.