Status Effects

Status Effects are special conditions in the Epic Battle Fantasy series. They can be inflicted on characters during battle, hindering or helping their prowess in a variety of ways.

Negative status effects are often referred to as "ailments" or "debuffs", while positive status effects tend to be called "buffs". However, they should not be confused with abilities or equipment that modify Stats (although some status effects also affect the target's stats).

Most status effects can be removed by certain items or skills. Many also wear off over time.

Positive Status Effects

Berserk (Red "X"/Cross vein)

Cause: Certain skills and equipment can cause this effect. Some foes will go berserk when hit by a powerful attack.

Effects: A Berserk character will attack randomly with increased power. Playable characters become uncontrollable and use their standard attack (occasionally, in Epic Battle Fantasy 4, they may use stronger physical skills instead). In some games, Berserk status also lowers the victim's defense.

Cure: Standard cures (Purify, Cleanse, Garlic/Antidote, and waiting a few turns)

Bless (Green clover)

Cause: Certain healing moves and the passive effects of some equipment.

Effects: Blessed characters are immune to negative status effects, including Dispel, Doom, and Instant Death.

Cure: None; Bless cannot be dispelled or cleansed, so the only cure is to wait for it to wear off with time.

Brave (Red axe)

Cause: Certain buffing moves and the passive effects of some equipment.

Effects: A Brave character has a greatly increased Critical Hit chance and immunity to being struck by a Critical Hit (even if affected by Stagger).

Cure: Dispel or wait for it to wear off.

Morale (Green helmet)

Cause: Passive effects of some equipment and the Kitten Fort summon.

Effects: A character with Morale cannot be killed in one hit if their HP is above 50%; a lethal blow will only reduce them to 1 HP. This includes Instant Death, Doom, and the Glitch's "overflow" attack.

Cure: Dispel, get the target below half HP, or wait for it to wear off.

Regeneration (Green cross)

Cause: The effects of certain equipment, skills, and summons.

Effects: Restores some of the target's HP at the beginning of their turn.

Cure: Dispel or wait for it to wear off. Poisoning or Burning the target can also offset the HP gain.

Defend (Yellow shield)

Cause: Certain skills and summons, as well as the "Defend" command (for playable characters). Only considered a status effect in Epic Battle Fantasy 4.

Effects: Reduces all damage taken during the next turn. The usual reduction is 50%, but each character has a unique defend effect in EBF3:

• Matt reduced physical damage by 75% and magic damage by 50%.
• Natalie reduced physical damage by 50% and converted magic damage into MP.
• Lance halved all damage and gained a small Evade boost for a turn. 

Cure: Dispel or wait a turn for it to wear off.

Dispel Resistance (No icon)

Cause: Passive bonuses on certain equipment.

Effects: Decreases the chance of having positive status effects removed by Dispel effects.

Cure: None; it is a passive status resistance. However, equipment that increases dispel effects on an equipped weapon can help mitigate dispel resistance below 100%.

Auto-Revive (Gold halo)

Cause: Certain Holy-based skills and the passive effects of certain equipment.

Effect: The target immediately comes back to life when its HP hits 0. It retains all buffs/debuffs it had before being "defeated", and regains a portion of its HP (the amount restored is dependent on the strength of the Auto-Revive buff).

Cure: Dispel or defeat the target (Auto-Revive only works once), or wait for it to wear off.

Negative Status Effects

Burn (Orange embers)

Cause: Fire-based moves.

Effects: Target takes Fire damage at the end of their turn; damage affected by Fire resistance.

Cure: Hitting the target with a Water-based move, as well as standard methods.

Stun (Yellow circle with a lightning arc)

Cause: Thunder-based moves and powerful physical attacks (such as stabs or body slams)

Effects: Target skips their turn as long as they are Stunned. They also take 50% more damage from Earth-based attacks.

Cure: Standard methods.

Freeze (Ice crystal) 

Cause: Ice-based moves.

Effects: Target skips their turn as long as they are Frozen. They take double the damage from the next attack that hits them.

Cure: Damaging or healing the target, as well as standard methods.

Tired (White arrow)

Cause: Earth-based moves. Some skills also inflict this status on the user (such as Legend or Unload).

Effects: Target's Accuracy and Evade stats decrease by 5 points at the end of their turn. Their stats will not begin to revert until after the Tired effect wears off.

Cure: Standard methods.

Poison (Green bubbles)

Cause: Poison-based skills. Certain equipment also inflicts this on the wielder.

Effects: Target takes Poison-element damage at the end of their turn; damage modified by Poison resistance. 

Cure: Standard methods.

Stagger (Exclamation mark)

Cause: Certain Bomb and Wind-based moves, as well as passive effects of certain equipment.

Effects: Target is guaranteed to suffer a critical hit from the next attack to hit them. Only lasts one turn.

Cure: Standard methods.

Syphon (Six-pointed star in a circle)

Cause: Certain skills and passive effects of weapons.

Effect: Target cannot use skills (playable characters) or magic-based abilities (enemies).

Cure: Standard methods.

Wet (Water droplet)

Cause: Water-based moves.

Effects: Increases damage taken from Thunder and Ice-based moves by 50%, but halves damage taken from Fire-based moves. May also increase chances of being Frozen and Stunned, but decreases chances of Burn.

Cure: Standard methods, or by hitting the target with Ice and Thunder-based moves (each successful hit from either type of attack will decrease the status' turn counter by 1).

Weaken (White explosion)

Cause: Holy-based moves and passive effects of certain equipment.

Effects: Target's Attack and Magic Attack stats decrease by 5 at the end of their turn. Stats do not begin to revert until after the effect has been removed.

Cure: Standard methods.

Curse (Black vortex)

Cause: Certain Dark-based moves and the passive effects of certain equipment. Some equipment also inflicts this on the user.

Effects: Target's Defence and Magic Defence decrease by 5 at the end of their turn. Stats will not begin to revert until the effect is removed. Target also takes 50% more damage from Holy attacks.

Cure: Standard methods.

Doom (Gray/Black skull)

Cause: Certain Dark moves and passive effects of certain equipment.

Effect: Target dies instantly when the effect wears off.

Cure: Standard methods.

Slimed (Green slime)

Cause: Being hit by a Slime (EBF4 only); occurs rarely and at random. Players earn a Medal for being affected by this condition.

Effect: Target is transformed into a Slime, becoming helpless for the duration of the effect.

Cure: Waiting for the effect to wear off, or having the afflicted target die. Other standard methods will not work.