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. Player 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)

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 player 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 had 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 dependant 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

• Fire affiliated moves may cause this.
• Burned targets will take fire damage at the end of a turn, damage modified by resistances.
• A number next to the status shows how severe the Burn is, and how many turns it will take for it to be naturally dispelled.
• Afflicting additional Burn on Burned targets extends the amount of turns they stay Burned.
• Wetting the victim will dispel Burns.
• This tatus effect is negative on party mebers, thus it can be cleansed.

Stun

• Electricity affilitated moves may cause this.
• Stunned targets cannot make a move and suffer 50% more damage from Earth-based attacks.
• A number next to the status shows how many turns it will take for it to be naturally dispelled.
• Afflicting additional Stun on stunned targets will extend the amount of turns they stay Stunned.
• Wet targets are more likely to be Stunned (unconfirmed)

Freeze

• Ice affiliated moves may cause this.
• Frozen targets cannot make a move.
• Frozen foe/party member will stay Frozen until attacked again or cleansed. The status will be naturally dispelled after one turn if the target didn't take any damage during the turn.
• The next attack will deal twice damage and unfreeze the victim. Use this strategically, either isolate a foe to be dealt with later, or take advantage of the automatic critical with a single, high damage move.
• Frozen cannot stack, instead they take damage, are thawed, and then re-frozen.
• Wet targets are more likely to be Frozen (unconfirmed)

Tired

• Some Earth moves may cause this. Matt's Legend  always self-afflicts this, no matter what your resistances are.
• At the end of every turn, Tired targets will lose 5 Accuracy and 5 Evade. These debuffs will stack until the target is no longer tied, and they will decay by 5 per turn after the victim is no longer tired.
• A number next to the status shows how many turns it will take for it to be naturally dispelled.
• Afflicting additional Tired on Tired targets will extend the amount of turns they stay Tired.

Poison

• Poison affiliated moves may cause this.
• Poisoned targets will take poison damage at the end of a turn, damage modified by resistances.
• A number next to the status shows how severe the Poison is, and how many turns it will take for it to be naturally dispelled.
• Afflicting additional Poison on Poisoned targets extends the amount of turns they stay Poisoned.

Stagger

• Bomb and some Wind moves may cause this.
• Staggered targets will take critical damage on the next hit.
• Staggered foe/party member will stay Staggered until attacked again or cleansed. The status will be naturally dispelled after one turn if the target didn't take any damage during the turn.
• Stagger cannot stack, instead they take damage, lose the status, and then are re-afflicted.

Syphon

• Special Syphoning moves cause this.
• Syphoned targets cannot use moves that require mana. For enemies (they dont have mana) they are unable to use magic (Monoliths, Crystal bits, etc).
• A number next to the status shows how long the target will be Syphoned for.
• Afflicting additional Syphon on Syphoned targets will extend the amout of turns they stay Syphoned.

Wet

• Water affiliated moves may cause this.
• Wet targets take 50% damage from Ice and Electric attacks bit take half damage from Fire attacks. Wet targets are also more likely to be Stunned or Frozen (unconfirmed)
• A number next to the status shows how Wet the target is. Each Ice or Electric hit will decrease the number by 1 and deal extra damage. At the end of each turn, the number decreases by 1 and will be dispelled naturally at 0.
• Afflicting additional Wetness on Wet targets increases the number and the amount of turns/attacks they stay Wet for.

Weaken

• Holy affiliated moves may cause this.
• A number next to the status shows how many turns it will take for it to be naturally dispelled.
• Afflicting additional Weaken on Weakened targets extends the amount of turns they stay Weakened.
• Attack and Magic Attack decrease at the end of each turn by 5 until dispelled.

Curse

• Dark affiliated moves may cause this.
• Cursed targets take 50% more damage from Holy attacks.
• A number next to the status shows how many turns it will take for it to be naturally dispelled.
• Afflicting additional Curse on Cursed targets extends the amount of turns they stay Cursed.
• Defence and Magic Defence decrease at the end of each turn by 5 until dispelled.

Frighten

• Dark affiliated moves may cause this.
• Frightened targets take 50% more damage from Dark attacks.
• A number next to the status shows how many turns it will take for it to be naturally dispelled.
• Afflicting additional Frighten on Frightened targets extends the amount of turns they stay Frightened.
• In EBF4 the effect has beed replaced by a status effect with the same icon as Frighten called "Curse". It functions just like tired, only the target looses 5 defence and 5 magic defence instead of 5 accuracy and 5 evade at the end of every turn.

Doom

• Some Dark moves may cause this.
• Unless cleansed, each turn the number next to the status shows how many turns the target will stay alive for. When it reaches 0, Death is applied.
• Cannot stack or rush.

Slimed

• This status effect has been added in EBF4.
• Only a Slime can cause this. Some people have a fetish for this sort of thing.
• Victims will not be able to attack, catch items, or really do anything.
• There are only 2 cures - Death, or time.
• Very rare affliction, may only ever happen once or twice during the average play-through.
• Getting one of the party members slimed will earn you a medal called "Slimy Situation".