Ext: Ability Damage Action

[Nickademus]

This extension is no longer supported in FG 3.0.4.

Ability Damage Action Extension
Version: 1.5
Compatibility: FG II v. 3.0.3
Rulesets: 3.5E & PFRPG
Description: Adds ability damage to the damage action and ability healing to the heal action of a spell in a spell class on the action tab.

V1.5 Update Notes

• Added '-skills' to allow ability scores in the SKILL: tag
• Added '-checks' to allow ability scores in the ABIL: tag

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Modification Specifics
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Added:
scripts/ability_damage_action.lua

Modified:
scripts/manager_action_damage.lua
scripts/manager_action_skill.lua
scripts/manager_action_ability.lua
manager_spell.lua
spell_action.lua

How to Use
When making a 'damage action' in a 'spell' on the actions tab to represent a spell or effect that deals ability damage to a target, enter the name of an ability as the damage type. See the image below for an example of an action for the ray of enfeeblement spell. The full name must be used (not STR for strength) but is not case-sensitive.

Attachment 6098

When making a 'heal action' in a 'spell' on the actions tab to represent a spell or effect that removes ability damage, click the Type button until the desired ability is displayed. See the image below for an example of an action that cure 1d6 strength damage.

Attachment 6145

How Does It Work
Against a PC the damage is applied in the ability damage column on the character sheet and the new modifier calculated. The damage caps at the PC's actual ability score. Ability healing reduces the number in the ability damage column and the new modifier is calculated.

Against an NPC the damage is turned into an effect that applies a penalty to the ability score. Should the NPC already have an effect that applies a penalty to that ability, the ability damage is added to the preexisting effect. Some ability damage sources are not meant to stack and the GM will have to handle these separately. Effects with multiple tags as well as positive bonuses to an ability score will not be affected. Ability healing reduces a preexisting penalty effect to the ability score, removing it if the penalty reaches zero.

Some elements that interact with ability damage:

• ability damage can be Empowered and Maximized like normal damage.
• ability healing can also be Empowered and Maximized.
• the modifier window buttons Half and Critical can be used to modify ability damage.
• ability healing does NOT benefit from combat modifier such as Half and Critical.
• a creature can be given immunity to ability damage by applying an effect with the label 'IMMUNE: dexterity'.
• a creature can be given resistance to ability damage by applying an effect with the label 'RESIST: 5 strength'.
• a creature can be given vulnerability to ability damage by applying an effect with the label 'VULN: charisma'.
• the names of abilities can no longer be used in the ABIL: and SKILL: tag. Instead use a hyphenated name like 'dexterity-checks' for ability checks and 'charisma-skills' for skill effects affecting all skills of an ability type.

[Trenloe]

Nice work.

I'll have to look into this in more depth when I have time

How Does It Work
Against an NPC the damage is removed from the NPC's raw ability score.

Can you explain more how the NPC damage is applied?

Is it just subtracted from the actual <strength>, <dexterity>, etc. value in the NPC database entry? Or, is it applied as an effect to the NPC in the combat tracker, STR:XX, DEX:XX etc?

[Nickademus]

The raw value is retrieved, the damage is calculated separately, the value is reduced by the damage amount, and finally the new value is put back into the database.

I should probably change this so the ability damage can be healed.... I should probably make it so that ALL ability damage can be healed with the heal action, now that I think about it.

[Willot]

This will be VERY useful once any bugs get worked out of it. (Ill try it later). Poisons & Diseases!!! (mmmmmm Items that cast spells???)

Would it be possible to create an On Going Ability Damage version too? That might mean it would have to be an effect ho. mmmmm?

[Nickademus]

On going damage is an effect. This is a spell action. You would have to make a new effect that takes an ability type as a parameter and affects the ability damage field. That is completely separate from this since this deals with raw damage from an action.

The only 'bug' I see right now is that NPCs don't use their ability scores so reducing them does nothing. I made this to get away from having to use effects for ability damage, though it seems effects are the only thing that NPCs pay attention to. This extension should work fine as-is for damaging PCs.

Just need to add the healing. I will probably add a behind-the-scenes effect to NPCs so that the ability damage action can at least have a use for PCs. Effects are highly annoying to work with when there is no ruleset documentation.

[Willot]

As You can do STR: +4 Couldnt it be altered to simply also do STR: -4? Which I dont think it can atm.? Using an effect you can then set durations? Athlo if I remeber right Effects arent automatcally applied as damage is.

[Nickademus]

I'm not sure what you are referring to, but I have it as of right now applying an effect to NPCs after the damage die is rolled. Working on dealing with increasing the penalty if an effect is already on the NPC. Will update soon.

(btw... I really hate effect coding; which is my curse since they are primarily what I'll be making extension for...)

[Nickademus]

Update available: NPCs are now affected by the ability damage action, so load up those rays of enfeeblement!

Next stop, ability healing.

[Nickademus]

Extension's finished. Report any bugs here.

Enjoy.

[Bidmaron]

Congrats, Nickademus. I look forward to using it.