Status Effects & Their Synonyms
Status Effects are the spice that prevents RPGs and Tactics games from turning into a boring, hours-long slugfest. They force players to think outside of the box and strategise, usually in different ways for different sections of the game.
We’ve come up with a handy list of effects and possible names for them to help inspire you to create your games! All of these came straight out of my brain, or my thesaurus. So you don’t have to turn to AI (ew) to do the work for you.
You’ll notice some names are used more than once for different effects. A status effect called “Curse”, for example, could have many different effects depending on the lore of your game! Let’s dive in.
Damage Per Turn
The afflicted character receives damage at the end of every turn. This is usually related to poison or disease, but can be caused by a number of environmental or story-based factors.
Burned, Frostbite, Poisoned, Bound, Wrapped, Cursed, Nightmares, Bad Dreams, Splinters, Discharging, Virus, Infected, Wounded, Diseased, Venom, Envenomated, Heat Stroke, Plague, Pox, Scalded, Radiation, Decay, Malady, Ruin, Corrosion, Rust, Spores, Mold, Fungus, Ooze.
Damage Per Turn Draining To The Attacker
The same as above, except the enemy who inflicted the effect gets healed every turn too.
Seeded, Infested, Infected, Overgrown, Sap, Vampirism, Leeched, Haunted, Symbiosis, Parasite.
Restore Health (or Magic) Every Turn
A positive state that allows the character in question to heal by a small amount every turn. If your game has a system where characters need to spend magic points, this effect could also restore those.
Blessed, Ingrained, Rooted, Planted, Recharging, Regenerating, Regain, Charmed, Hydrated, Restore, Replenish.
Hurts itself or allies, or forced to choose a certain action
In this scenario you lose control of your character, they behave strangely and often in a detrimental way through confusion or intoxication.
Confusion, Dizziness, Charmed, Infatuated, In Love, Seduced, Beguiled, Lust, Intoxication, Trance, Hypnotised, Puppet, Controlled, Traitor, Addled, Amnesia, Itchy, Muddled, Clumsy, Captivated.
Can’t Move, Attack or Flee
A common staple in RPGs, these effects prevent the character from performing any actions. Depending on the severity, the effect may have a chance to wear off or the character may be stuck that way until healed. Sometimes this state is even comparable to death, and the player will lose the battle if all characters are suffering a state like this.
Frozen, Paralyzed, Asleep, Drowsy, Trapped, Afraid, Locked, Imprisoned, Petrified, Disabled, Embargoed, Infatuated, In Love, Seduced, Beguiled, Flinching, Spooked, Charmed, Numb, Immobilised, Stone, Stopped, Sedated, Incapacitated, Stasis, Terror, Fright, Bound, Hobbled, Tied, Shy, Embarrassed, Taken Aback, Entangled, Lassoed, Chilled, Captivated, Shocked, Seized Up, Exhausted, Tired, Fatigued, Coma, Rattled.
Special Abilities or Magic Suppressed
Simply put, the player is prevented from using some actions during battle. Usually this would be their more powerful or useful actions.
Silenced, Muted, Numb, Fizzled, Sealed, Cursed.
Protected from damage completely by a barrier or decoy
A positive effect that usually only lasts one turn or until an enemy has attacked the character. It prevents all damage.
Substitute, Decoy, Barrier, Reflecting, Braced, Protected, Invincible.
Certain Attacks / Effects Bounce Back To Attacker
Similar to above, except that attacks specifically reflect back to the attacker.
Reflecting, Mirror, Reverse, Bounce.
Copying another actor
The character becomes a clone of an ally or an enemy. They may copy their attacks, abilities or stats.
Illusion, Transformed, Mimicry, Mirror, Clone.
Guaranteed Death in X turns
The afflicted member will be given some kind of counter, and when it reaches zero they will be defeated. Sometimes this will be as part of a pact or bond, like “Perish Song” in Pokémon.
Doomed, Perishing, Withering, Cursed, Condemned, Time Bomb, Countdown.
Easier to hit, Center of Attention
The character is more likely (or guaranteed) to be targeted by enemy attacks. Maybe they will also have their evasion reduced. Sometimes this will be inflicted by an enemy, but often this is also a desirable effect for the player. A tank-like character may use this to shield their allies.
Identified, Locked-On, Targeted, In Focus, Attention-Seeking, Centre of Attention, Vulnerable, Provoke, Lure, Exposed, Sighted, Detected, Illuminated, Spotlight.
Made Smaller
A recurring theme in many games is to have a character made smaller. This will usually result in disadvantages like lowered attack and defence, but also increases evasion.
Shrunk, Tiny, Small, Minimised, Mini.
Made Bigger
The opposite of the above, characters become bigger and more powerful. However, they may also become slower, easier to hit, and take more damage from falling.
Giant, Gigantic, Inflated, Enlarged, Embiggened.
Floating in the air
We used this effect in Plunder Dungeons. Affected characters sometimes become easier or harder to hit. They may have their actions limited to things that can be done while floating.
Floating, Levitating, Flying, Jumping, Hovering.
Decreased Speed or Held Down
The character becomes slower and possibly easier to hit by being held on the ground. In some games a heavier character will land more powerful hits.
Grounded, Gravity, Heavy, Cursed, Burdened, Slow, Delayed, Lame, Magnetised, Weight, Decelerated, Sticky, Gooey, Slimed.
Elemental Attacks Made Stronger / Weaker
- Damp – Makes fire attacks weaker or electric attacks more powerful.
- Flammable, Oil – Makes fire attacks stronger.
- Fireproof, Heatproof – Makes fire attacks weaker.
- Insulated – Makes fire, ice or electric attacks weaker.
- Battery – Resists or absorbs electric attacks.
- Dry Skin – Takes more damage from hot or cold attacks, resists water.
Forced to use Attacking moves, repeat or not repeat actions
This type of status causes the character to lose control. Unlike confusion above, the end result is usually that the character will still attack the foe. Some of these words could also be used for a simple attack buff.
Taunted, Enraged, Wound-up, Tormented, Rampaging, Fixated, Encore, Locked, Frenzy, Berserk, Provoked, Rage, Fury, Angry, Moody, Reckless.
Increased Attack or Critical Hit Chance
In games where stat buffs and de-buffs are distinct status effects, these are good names for increased attack.
Pumped, Focused, Brave, Potency, Oomph, Tension, Hyped, Boosted, Defiant, Reckless.
Reduced Attack or Critical Hit Chance
In games where stat buffs and de-buffs are distinct status effects, these are good names for reduced attack.
Pacified, Weakened, Enfeebled, Pain, Blunted, Exhausted, Tired, Fatigued, Daunted, Intimidated.
Increased Speed
In games where stat buffs and de-buffs are distinct status effects, these are good names for increased speed.
Haste, Accelerated, Limber, Agile.
Increased Defence / Reduced Incoming Damage
In games where stat buffs and de-buffs are distinct status effects, these are good names for increased defence.
Shell, Hardened, Stone Skin, Wall, Buffed, Defend, Cover, Shield, Bulletproof, Filter, Armor, Overcoat.
Lower Defence / Increase Incoming Damage
In games where stat buffs and de-buffs are distinct status effects, these are good names for reduced defence.
Imperilled, Weak, Feeble, Vulnerable, Staggering, Troubled, Defeatist, Unnerved, Nervous.
Harder to Hit
Sometimes characters may obscure themselves to hide from enemies. There are a bunch of names for this and the effect can often be tweaked to match the character or story situation.
Obscured, Invisible, Blinking, Illusion, Image, Camouflage, Vanished, Clear, See-through, Transparent, Hidden / Hiding, Costume, Disguised, Sneak, Shadow, Shade, Dodge, Awareness, Foresight, Analyse, Anticipation, Forecasting, Forewarned, Cloaked, Telepathy, Smoke, Zen.
Reduced Accuracy
Similar to above, only the enemy becomes less able to hit targets, rather than the targets becoming more hidden.
Blinded, Darkness, Dazzled, Pressure.
No Health Left
The standard “Game Over” state. When all characters in the party have zero HP and are afflicted with this status, the game is lost.
Dead, Death, Knocked-Out / KO, Fainted, Defeated.
Increase HP until the end of battle
Sometimes characters can have their maximum HP increased for a short length of time. When the battle is over the characters max HP returns to normal, and their current HP may be determined as a ratio of the HP they had left in battle.
Bubble, Determination, Faith.
Decrease HP until the end of battle
Similar to the above, but the character’s HP may be temporarily reduced or halved instead. This differs from simple damage because the character will only be able to heal back to a capped amount of HP.
Limited, Restrained, Halved.
Automatic Revival or protection from instant death
If the character with this effect would be killed by an attack, they either live on 1 HP or they are completely revived at the end of the turn.
Auto-Life, Re-Raise, Alma Mater, Guardian Angel, Sturdy, Divine Intervention, Grace, Survive.
Resists other status effects
A status effect that blocks the introduction of other status effects. If effects stack in your game, this would probably ignore wholly positive states or self-inflicted states.
Vigilant, Immunity, Veiled, Guarded, Shrouded, Medicated, Dauntless, Insomnia, Oblivious, Unaware.
Transformed Into Animals, Other People or Monsters
Some games include effects that transform heroes into animals or other things. Usually these come with massive stat de-buffs, but can also do the opposite. The names here are just ones I remember from other games, but the possibilities for this are basically infinite.
Toad, Frog, Zombified, Chicken, Imp, Old, Elderly, Aging, Pig, Dragon, Bear, Mummy.
Can Act Twice (or More) Per Turn
The character gets to pumped up that they can act more than once in the same turn. Maybe the player gets a choice for each action, or maybe the character just performs the same thing more than once.
Double, Triple, Divided, Cloned, Shadow.
Damages Attackers or Takes Them With It
Some states can give retaliation damage to enemies who attack. This may be some small simple amount of damage, or it could inflict another status effect such as poison. In its most extreme case, the character may take down an opponent who defeats them.
Thorny, Spiky, Trap, Time Bomb, Detonator, Aftermath, Retaliate, Barbed, Bonded, Sharpness, Static, Stinky, Smelly, Stench, Swarming, Poisonous, Spicy, Ablaze, Radioactive.
General Good Luck
This might improve the character’s abilities in battle, or it could double the bounty received afterwards. Maybe it only affects the overworld resulting in better item drops from chests.
Lucky, Fortune, Greed.
