Effects library

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Originally Posted by Blackfoot

Would be cool if you could set an effect of 'evil' or something and then 'IF:evil then AC:2;SAVE:2' or something like that.

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You'd have to add evil to the condition list in data_common.lua, then (in theory) it would work like that.

Perhaps add align_evil, align_good, align_lawful and align_chaos as conditions?

If it worked... what would the correct syntax be?

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Originally Posted by Blackfoot

If it worked... what would the correct syntax be?

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FG doesn't like underscores (_) in a condition name. But, it works fine with "alignevil", "aligngood", etc..

Example:

• Add "alignevil" to the conditions list in data_common.lua
• For a Paladin's Smite Evil ability (Paladin level 3, CHA bonus +2) make an effect: Smite Evil; IFT: alignevil; ATK:2;DMG:3
• Add a condition to evil creatures of "alignevil".

When the Paladin activates their Smite Evil ability, the GM decides if the target creature is evil and if so adds the alignevil condition to the NPC. The Paladin adds the Smite Evil; IFT: alignevil; ATK:2;DMG:3 effect to their PC, whenever they do an attack or damage to a target (IFT = If Target has the following condition) with the alignevil condition then the effects will occur.

Of course, a really nice way to do this would be when an NPC was added to the combat tracker, the current code that calculates effects be modified to look at the alignment of the creature and set GM only visible conditions based off alignment. e.g. a Devil was added to the CT, alignevil and alignlawful were added as GM visible conditions to the creature.

Then a PC could cast Protection from Evil (for example) on themselves and add the following effect:

Code:

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Protection from Evil; IFT: alignevil; AC:2; SAVE:2

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This is something I've just learnt about the IFT conditional effect - it work in reverse too, i.e. "If you are being targeted by a creature with this condition" as well as the normal "If you are targeting a creature with this condition".

What is the difference between the IF and the IFT?

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Originally Posted by Trenloe

Of course, a really nice way to do this would be when an NPC was added to the combat tracker, the current code that calculates effects be modified to look at the alignment of the creature and set GM only visible conditions based off alignment. e.g. a Devil was added to the CT, alignevil and alignlawful were added as GM visible conditions to the creature.

Then a PC could cast Protection from Evil (for example) on themselves and add the following effect:

Code:

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Protection from Evil; IFT: alignevil; AC:2; SAVE:2

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This is something I've just learnt about the IFT conditional effect - it work in reverse too, i.e. "If you are being targeted by a creature with this condition" as well as the normal "If you are targeting a creature with this condition".

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Well.. if you are going to bother to mod the 'add to tracker' function.. you might as well leave out the whole condition aspect of it and just have a way to target alignment...
Then you could just go IFT: evil; AC:2; SAVE:2 for protection from evil and it would 'know' what that meant. :)
The monster already knows it is evil without the condition being added to it... just need a way for combat to look it up.

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Originally Posted by Blackfoot

The monster already knows it is evil without the condition being added to it... just need a way for combat to look it up.

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The mechanism in FG is to use conditions and effects for all things like this.

Have you ever noticed that things like DR, immunities, etc. are parsed when the creature is added to the CT and applied as conditions and effects?

As an example of this, add a Vampire to the CT and you end up with the following effects:

Code:

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FHEAL: 5; DR: 10 magic and silver; Undead traits; RESIST: 10 cold; RESIST: 10 electricity; DMGTYPE: magic

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This allows FG to cover all bases - effects/conditions that are part of the creature statblock and then anything added by spells etc.. You don't want to have to code in 2 places when an effect is being used in combat (i.e. look in the creature statblock and their effects/conditions).

So, in our example, parse out the alignment when it is added to the CT and then you won't have to code to check the alignment in the creature statblock every time an effect needs to be checked.

Condition labels are great - parse them out once and then use them as the label - the underlying code doesn't need to know where to go to check if "alignevil" is valid or not, it just checks to see if the creature has the alignevil condition true or false, simple! :-) No messy parsing through statblocks every time the results of an effect needs to be analysed - do it once when the creature is added to the CT: parse once, use many! :-)

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Originally Posted by Blackfoot

What is the difference between the IF and the IFT?

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IF means: If the creature with the effect on them has this condition then it is applied. I can't really think of too many 3.5E examples of this - but in 4E there are a few examples, like a barbarians rage being stronger when bloodied. So, the barbarian would have an "IF: bloodied; XXXXX" conditional effect on them,

IFT is as explained in my post above: "If you are being targeted by a creature with this condition" as well as "If you are targeting a creature with this condition" - with my 2 examples of a Paladin's smite evil (targeting a creature with the alignevil condition) and protection from evil (being targeted by a creature with the alignevil condition) - both of these are covered by IFT: alignevil on the Paladin or the recipient of the protection from evil spell.

Is there anyway this could be done?

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Type poison (ingested); Save Fortitude DC 14

Frequency 1/minute for 6 minutes

Effect 1d2 Str damage, target can attempt one save to cure a lycanthropy affliction contracted in the past hour; Cure 1 save

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How would this effect be added in? Or is it just too complex a situation?

Well.. you can roll the d2 STR loss and apply it as:
Lycanthropy;STR:-2 or whatever...
then keep increasing that number as the victim's STR dwindles.
Plus you can do a Lycanthropy generic effect with a timer that ticks off until they are out of luck... the rest pretty much has to be done manually.

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Originally Posted by Blackfoot

Well.. you can roll the d2 STR loss and apply it as:
Lycanthropy;STR:-2 or whatever...
then keep increasing that number as the victim's STR dwindles.
Plus you can do a Lycanthropy generic effect with a timer that ticks off until they are out of luck... the rest pretty much has to be done manually.

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making FG roll an auto save every time their turn in the round comes up might be tricky. But yeah responses I've had before on this sorta thing usually are along the lines or arrrrr errrrrrr *gulp*. I think it requires A bit of modification to the engine itself to get right.
Ive put it on the wish list already but don't hold out much hope.
Strange though poisons are a big part of RPGs

I'm not sure there's a way to trigger an automatic roll with an effect unfortunately.

Hi guys, I am helping out a player with a Bard and his performances and I read through this thread so I'm pretty sure the answer is no. Is there a way to setup a effect that increases a Charm or Fear save? I can find one for will but I'll bet you can't get more specific than that.

Three options.

• Just use the Modifier box when the spell comes up... this is simple and straight forward but doesn't give any info as to what the plus is for.
• Use /mod and build it in as a hotkey. (this is probably the best/simplest overall way) /mod +2 Inspire Courage
• Build in an effect that has a 'single roll' option... this is similar to the hotkey but more consistent with other bonus effects you are doing as a bard.

All of these require the player to take some action just prior to the save being rolled. If the GM autorolls the saves none of this will be taken into account and unfortunately there really isn't a way to build a save against a specific spell effect.

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Originally Posted by Blackfoot

Three options.

• Just use the Modifier box when the spell comes up... this is simple and straight forward but doesn't give any info as to what the plus is for.
• Use /mod and build it in as a hotkey. (this is probably the best/simplest overall way) /mod +2 Inspire Courage
• Build in an effect that has a 'single roll' option... this is similar to the hotkey but more consistent with other bonus effects you are doing as a bard.

All of these require the player to take some action just prior to the save being rolled. If the GM autorolls the saves none of this will be taken into account and unfortunately there really isn't a way to build a save against a specific spell effect.

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Thanks I think we can work with that.

I was looking for an effect for bonuses to Spell Resistance rolls or Concentration checks in PF.
Anyone know if there is an effect for these?

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Originally Posted by Blackfoot

I was looking for an effect for bonuses to Spell Resistance rolls or Concentration checks in PF.
Anyone know if there is an effect for these?

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Nope, effects don't cover these.

would someone please explain the difference between the effects library (effects.mod) and the conditions library (conditions.mod, from another thread).

- why does the conditions in the condition list have the effect name *plus* the effects listed after it -- it's duplicating the effect, in effect :-P
- why is there a need for both?
- if there is a good reason, please enlighten.
- effects is self-explanatory, but how does one use conditions?

thanks in advance.

yours truly,
confused.

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Originally Posted by tahl_liadon

would someone please explain the difference between the effects library (effects.mod) and the conditions library (conditions.mod, from another thread).

- why does the conditions in the condition list have the effect name *plus* the effects listed after it -- it's duplicating the effect, in effect :-P
- why is there a need for both?
- if there is a good reason, please enlighten.
- effects is self-explanatory, but how does one use conditions?

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Conditions.mod was created so that a condition could be quickly dragged to the CT and users would not worry about having to spell the condition correctly. As the condition would be spelled correctly you could be sure that FG will automatically apply the condition modifiers listed in the 3.5E User's Guide under Effects -> Label: Conditions.

You're right, the effects.mod file should not have the condition name and the resulting effects as well - as this will double the effect. For example - "Kneeling; AC: -2 melee; AC: 2 ranged" would give the effect for the condition "Kneeling" (FG automatically includes the modifiers for this condition) and also the "AC: -2 melee" for someone doing a melee attack and so the AC would be -4.

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Originally Posted by Trenloe

Conditions.mod was created so that a condition could be quickly dragged to the CT and users would not worry about having to spell the condition correctly. As the condition would be spelled correctly you could be sure that FG will automatically apply the condition modifiers listed in the 3.5E User's Guide under Effects -> Label: Conditions.

You're right, the effects.mod file should not have the condition name and the resulting effects as well - as this will double the effect. For example - "Kneeling; AC: -2 melee; AC: 2 ranged" would give the effect for the condition "Kneeling" (FG automatically includes the modifiers for this condition) and also the "AC: -2 melee" for someone doing a melee attack and so the AC would be -4.

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great. i came to similar conclusion as how i would use these mods. thank you for clarification.

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Originally Posted by Trenloe

Within the actual .mod (see the conditions.mod file linked above for an example):

Code:

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<root version="2.8" release="8">
        <effects>
                <id-00060>
                        <adjustment type="number">0</adjustment>
                        <duration type="number">0</duration>
                        <isgmonly type="number">0</isgmonly>
                        <label type="string">Pinned</label>
                </id-00060>
                <id-00061>
                        <adjustment type="number">0</adjustment>
                        <duration type="number">0</duration>
                        <isgmonly type="number">0</isgmonly>
                        <label type="string">Paralyzed</label>
                </id-00061>

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Does anyone know what the <adjustment> tag refers to? If I make new effects from within FG, they don't have this tag, no matter what options I select. (They can also have <apply> and <unit> tags, in addition to those shown here.)

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Originally Posted by Callum

Does anyone know what the <adjustment> tag refers to? If I make new effects from within FG, they don't have this tag, no matter what options I select. (They can also have <apply> and <unit> tags, in addition to those shown here.)

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I think this is a legacy value from over ruleset versions where effects had an adjustment value (usually -1) then indicated what happened to the duration each round. -1 would decrease the duration by 1. I think this has been removed in 3.5e and 4 because there's really no real need/use for it.

Thanks, Trenloe. So if I was making an updated version of this module, would there be any negative consequences to me omitting those <adjustment> tags?

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Originally Posted by Callum

Thanks, Trenloe. So if I was making an updated version of this module, would there be any negative consequences to me omitting those <adjustment> tags?

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Not for the current ruleset, no. It would only be if someone with a much older 3.5e/d20 ruleset tried to use them, they'd have to manually put the adjustment in the CT when they added the effect from the library.

Okay, as a follow-up to this, what does the ACTN attribute do? It's not mentioned in the documentation. (I'm assuming that the ROLL attribute has replaced ONCE, with the same functionality.)

My 'guess' is that it will apply to a full attack where a 'ROLL' only applies to the first roll. Am I right? Do I get the prize? :)

Yes, yes you do.

It's specifically for modifiers designed to be applied to a set of rolls, as opposed to the next roll.

Regards,
JPG

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Originally Posted by Trenloe

You're right, the effects.mod file should not have the condition name and the resulting effects as well - as this will double the effect. For example - "Kneeling; AC: -2 melee; AC: 2 ranged" would give the effect for the condition "Kneeling" (FG automatically includes the modifiers for this condition) and also the "AC: -2 melee" for someone doing a melee attack and so the AC would be -4.

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Here's an updated version of the Effects module, with the duplication of effects on built-in conditions removed, and some text added to outline the parts of the condition that FG doesn't handle.

Here's another update, with charge corrected to -2 AC / +2 ATK, and separated out into two effects to allow for the differing durations.

I am new to FG and seem to have most things down thru trial and error and watching youtube vids as guides. One thing that still eludes me is the effects and how to apply them.

I downloaded and unzipped the file but not sure what to do with it next? It doesn't show up in my library and I am not sure how to get them into the game.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as this is about the last hurdle I need to get over to really enjoy all aspects of the program.

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Originally Posted by jshauber

I am new to FG and seem to have most things down thru trial and error and watching youtube vids as guides. One thing that still eludes me is the effects and how to apply them.

I downloaded and unzipped the file but not sure what to do with it next? It doesn't show up in my library and I am not sure how to get them into the game.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as this is about the last hurdle I need to get over to really enjoy all aspects of the program.

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These are not exactly 'necessary' they are just a way of making use of some of the effects found on the FG Library Page. This looks like you actually don't want to 'unzip' it.... you should change the .zip extension to .mod and put it in your 'modules' folder. Then, inside FG, go to the Library and activate it as a module. After that these effects should be available when you click your effects button at the upper right of the screen.
Effects in general can be easily made by using the information on the web page I pointed to above. These effects can be added to spells to be applied to characters during combat. I'm pretty good with these and would be glad to give a tutorial sometime if anyone is interested.

So I think I am being dense, but how does this mod work? One of our players is a Barbarian, so I drag the Barbarian Rage item from the list onto their character in the combat tracker. It shows up on the list, I can click the on/off item on it, but it doesn't seem to do anything - STR/CON stay the same, as does the AC. Am I missing a step? Or does this merely work as a countdown tracker and I have to create a /Mod shortcut that applies the changes myself?

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Originally Posted by Illrigger

So I think I am being dense, but how does this mod work? One of our players is a Barbarian, so I drag the Barbarian Rage item from the list onto their character in the combat tracker. It shows up on the list, I can click the on/off item on it, but it doesn't seem to do anything - STR/CON stay the same, as does the AC. Am I missing a step? Or does this merely work as a countdown tracker and I have to create a /Mod shortcut that applies the changes myself?

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Effects only come into play when a roll is made - so STR will only apply to attack, damage and strength based skill checks. DEX will be applied to ranged attacks, dexterity based skill checks and will also modify AC when attacks are made against that the person with the DEX effect active.

Make a few rolls and you should see something like [EFFECTS: +2] in the chat window when the roll is reported.

This means that you have to make the appropriate rolls from the character sheet/NPC sheet/CT for the effect to kick in.

Ah, that makes sense. I guess it means adding temporary hit points manually when Rage kicks off, but I can deal with that. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Illrigger

I guess it means adding temporary hit points manually when Rage kicks off, but I can deal with that. Thanks!

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Don't use temporary hit points as these are used up first when damage is dealt to the Barbarian - see this thread (and the one it links) for more info on this (post #7 in particular): http://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums...ll-effect-quot

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Originally Posted by Illrigger

So I think I am being dense, but how does this mod work? One of our players is a Barbarian, so I drag the Barbarian Rage item from the list onto their character in the combat tracker. It shows up on the list, I can click the on/off item on it, but it doesn't seem to do anything - STR/CON stay the same, as does the AC. Am I missing a step? Or does this merely work as a countdown tracker and I have to create a /Mod shortcut that applies the changes myself?

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What Trenloe said...plus it does not change any values on the character sheet.

Best thing I am finding is to just play around with stuff for a bit, maybe get someone to log on and be a player so you can see things live. Trial and error is working for me. Just putting in the effects and trying them shows me syntax errors so I know how things should be constructed.

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Originally Posted by jshauber

Best thing I am finding is to just play around with stuff for a bit, maybe get someone to log on and be a player so you can see things live. Trial and error is working for me. Just putting in the effects and trying them shows me syntax errors so I know how things should be constructed.

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You can also simulate a player logging in by starting another instance of FG on the same computer as the GM running the campaign and connect (join game) with a host address of localhost - this will load up as player and will allow the GM to see what the player sees and can control a PC from the player side.

For those of you who are interested in effects I've thrown together an extension for the 3.0 PFRPG ruleset that adds alignment as a condition. This allows the IFT (IF Target) conditional effect to be used for alignments (if the alignment has manually been added as a condition to the target), allowing things like a Paladin's smite evil to be coded as an effect and only trigger if the target is of a specific alignment - based off the manually added alignment condition.

See this post for details and the extension: https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forum...l=1#post168789

I can't seem to get knowledge skill bonuses to work anymore.. am I doing it wrong or is it broken? Anyone know?
I've tried:
SKILL:1 knowledge arcana
SKILL:1 knowledge (arcana)
SKILL:1 knowledge:arcana
SKILL:1 knowledge [arcana]
I'm sure I had this working before at some point.. but it just won't seem to work.. anyone know what I'm doin wrong?

It's not you. There were some minor changes to the effects system to adapt to all the other damage and heal changes, and multi word skill bonuses broke. Working on a patch.

Cheers,
JPG