Min/Max Boards

A creature that is ablaze is burning. Ablaze is referred to with a damage expression and a DC (ex: Ablaze 3d6+2/18). Each round, an ablaze creature makes a Reflex save with the indicated DC. On a success, the creature takes is no longer ablaze and stops taking damage. On a failure, the creature takes the full damage and remains ablaze. Unless otherwise stated, damage from being ablaze is considered fire damage, although some effects may cause ablaze to deal other damage types.

If a creature is rendered ablaze while already ablaze, the condition worsens but remains a single condition. The creature's ablaze save DC becomes the highest of the two ablaze conditions, and the creature's ablaze damage becomes the sum of the two ablaze damage expressions (ex: a creature that is already ablaze 1d6/15 who becomes ablaze 1d4/18 is now ablaze 1d6+1d4/18). When dealing with effects that only temporarily cause a creature to be ablaze, the modifications caused by the effect to the ablaze condition are removed when the effect ends, possibly removing the ablaze condition altogether if the effect was the only source that caused it. However, removing the ablaze state does not necessarily remove the effect that caused it.

A prone, ablaze character can roll on the ground as a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity in an attempt to put out the flames. This grants a +4 bonus on his or her next saving throw against the ablaze condition.

Touching or grappling an ablaze creature is a dangerous proposition. Once per round per ablaze creature, any creature that hits that ablaze creature with an unarmed or natural attack or who is involved in a grapple with an ablaze creature must make a Reflex save against the ablaze creature's ablaze save DC or suffer the same ablaze damage. While a successful saving throw prevents the damage entirely, the attacking or grappling creature may reduce the damage of a failed save with abilities and effects as though the ablaze condition's effects dealt half damage even on a successful save (such as though the Improved Evasion ability).

Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, and noninstantaneous magic fires might find their clothes, hair, or equipment on fire. Spells with an instantaneous duration don’t normally set a character on fire, since the heat and flame from these come and go in a flash.

Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately and is set ablaze 1d6/15. That is, in each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out. (That is, once he succeeds on his saving throw, he’s no longer on fire.) Catching on fire multiple times does not worsen a character's ablaze condition. Unlike other causes of the ablaze condition, catching on fire multiple times does not stack.

A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself, although this only removes the ablaze components of catching on fire. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another save with a +4 bonus, as normal for the ablaze condition.

Those unlucky enough to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make DC 15 Reflex saves for each item. Flammable items that fail take the same amount of damage as the character.

Inferno: A blast of flame erupts from your hand, dealing 1d6 fire damage/2 levels to creatures within a 30 foot cone. On a failed Reflex save, subjects are set ablaze, dealing an additional 1d6 fire damage/2 levels with the same save DC for up to 3 rounds. A successful save halves the damage.

Magic Bees: Motes of force swarm around the target, striking it and any creature in contact with it repeatedly. The target is set ablaze, dealing 3d6 force damage each round for up to 1 round per level. Despite the similar buzzing sound they make, the magical motes created by this spell are not actually creatures, and thus cannot be attacked or deterred by normal means effective against swarms.

Blaze of Glory: Your passion ignites, literally, granting you improved combat ability at the cost of burning through your life force, also literally. You are set ablaze 2d6 and gain various combat bonuses while you remain ablaze.

An effect is anything caused by an ability or condition, or most anything else that the game rules have to cover. If the game rules do not have to address something (such as the sun emitting light or planets having gravity), it isn't an effect.

There are three major types of effects, depending on their duration and how they exist: instantaneous, ongoing, and continuous.

Instantaneous effects occur once and are done with thereafter. Most entirely mundane things, such as movement, damage, and healing are instantaneous effects. Instantaneous effects cannot be dispelled, removed, or suppressed, although their effects may be undone or made irrelevant by subsequent effects.

Ongoing effects occur over (and for) a duration (which includes permanent effects). When their duration is over, the effect ends. Most spells with durations are ongoing effects. When an ongoing effect's duration expires, it is removed automatically. Ongoing effects can be dispelled, removed, and suppressed.

Continuous effects are things that just happen all the time under certain conditions (the conditions can include "always," though). Similar to ongoing effects, continuous effects have their effects under certain conditions, after which they end. Unlike ongoing effects, continuous effects do not have durations. Instead, they take place while certain conditions are met, such as a Vampire's weakness while in sunlight or a magic items enchantments. Many areas and zones created by spells and effects will, themselves, cause continuous effects, such as an anti-magic field. When a continuous effect's conditions are no longer met, it is removed automatically. Continuous effects cannot be dispelled, but can be removed and suppressed.

Effect	|	Instantaneous	|	Ongoing	|	Continuous
Dispel	|	No	|	Yes	|	No
Has duration	|	No	|	Yes	|	No
Remove	|	No	|	Yes	|	Yes
Suppress	|	No	|	Yes	|	Yes

Dispel: When an effect is dispelled, it immediately ends as though its duration had expired. Dispelled effects trigger any other effects that they would normally trigger when their duration expires (such as a fly spell's slow fall effect), but not effects that are triggered at other specific durations or at specific periods or frequencies (such as the damage dealt every round by an acid arrow spell). Since ongoing effects are removed when their durations expire, they are also removed after being dispelled.

Remove: When an effect is removed, it immediately ends. It does not trigger effects related to its duration, nor those related to being dispelled or suppressed. It is simply removed from play. The only subsequent effects that can be triggered are those related specifically to being removed. Ongoing effects are automatically removed when their durations expire. Continuous effects are automatically removed when their conditions are no longer met.

Suppress: When an effect is suppressed, it temporarily has no effect. The durations of ongoing effects continue to count down, which may cause the effect to end while it is suppressed. Suppressed effects can still be dispelled or removed. If a suppressed effect would be removed, it is considered to not be suppressed as it is being removed.

Conditions are actually twofold. They consist of two parts: the state, and the effect. The state simply records if you have the condition at any given time and is what most effects actually alter. The effect is a continuous effect that affects you as long as you have the condition. While you have the condition, you are subject to its effects. While you don't have it, you are not subject to its effects. Additionally, if the effects of the condition are removed from you (not just suppressed but removed), you lose the condition.

Most conditions are boolean states. You either have them or you don't (excluding whether or not the condition's effects are suppressed or not). Some, however, have different rules when they would be gained multiple times. For instance, the fear condition changes its effects if you are affected more than once.

Whenever an effect causes another effect, unless it specifies otherwise, that new child effect is considered to have the same source as the parent effect. For feats and other abilities, this means the same user. For spells, this means the same caster and the same spell, and thus the same caster level, spell level, and other spell characteristics.

Concussive: Concussive damage is a combination of sonic damage and magical bludgeoning damage. The bludgeoning component is affected by damage reduction even if it comes from a non-extraordinary source (but the sonic component still isn't as it is energy damage; see above about damage reduction and amalgam damage).

Endothermic: Endothermic damage is a combination of acid and cold damage.

Exothermic: Exothermic damage is a combination of acid and fire damage.

Firestorm: Firestorm damage is a combination of electricity and fire damage.

Frostfire: Frostfire damage is a combination of cold and fire damage.

Galvanic: Galvanic damage is a combination of acid and electricity damage.

Hailstorm: Hailstorm damage is a combination of cold damage and magical bludgeoning damage. The bludgeoning component is affected by damage reduction even if it comes from a non-extraordinary source (but the cold component still isn't as it is energy damage; see above about damage reduction and amalgam damage).

Icicle: Icicle damage is a combination of cold damage and magical piercing damage. The piercing component is affected by damage reduction even if it comes from a non-extraordinary source (but the cold component still isn't as it is energy damage; see above about damage reduction and amalgam damage).

Magma: Magma damage is a combination of fire damage and magical bludgeoning damage. The bludgeoning component is affected by damage reduction even if it comes from a non-extraordinary source (but the fire component still isn't as it is energy damage; see above about damage reduction and amalgam damage).

Mindfire: Mindfire damage is a combination of fire damage and untyped damage. The untyped component is considered to be from a mind-affecting effect and is thus prevented by immunity to mind-affecting effects, even if the effect that caused the mindfire damage is not mind-affecting.

Necrotic: Necrotic damage is a combination of acid damage and negative energy damage. The negative energy component is similar to that of an inflict spell in that it is considered an effect from the Necromancy school and heals undead (but the acid component will still usually cause it to deal damage instead of healing).

Radiant: Radiant damage is a combination of fire damage and positive energy damage. The positive energy component is similar to that of a cure spell in that it heals living creatures as an effect from the healing subschool and damages undead (but the fire component will still usually cause it to deal damage instead of healing).

Thunderstorm: Thunderstorm damage is a combination of electricity and sonic damage.

Uttercold: Uttercold damage is a combination of cold damage and negative energy damage. The negative energy component is similar to that of an inflict spell in that it is considered an effect from the Necromancy school and heals undead (but the cold component will still usually cause it to deal damage instead of healing).