Despair
Despair Damage is a form of mental damage that attacks the mind's capacity to hope, persist, and act. Despair can completely consume a victim, stripping away the desire to accomplish even the simplest task. The problem is not that the victim cannot act. It is that the victim no longer believes there is any reason to act.
As Despair deepens, the victim may lose the will to fight, flee, speak, eat, or even care whether they survive. Despair can leave a person motionless and unresponsive while danger continues around them. In its most severe form, the mind simply surrenders, and the victim's loss of will can become fatal.
Despair Sources
Despair Damage can arise from genuine loss, supernatural influence, or exposure to another being whose despair is itself powerful enough to infect the minds of others. A person may experience despair after suffering a devastating loss, while magical spells, curses, and creatures with supernatural Despair effects can impose that hopelessness directly.
Empathy can also become a source of Despair Damage. Sharing too deeply in the despair of another being can cause the victim to experience that hopelessness as their own, particularly when the source possesses an unusually powerful spiritual or emotional presence.
Examples include:
- Genuine loss and overwhelming grief
- Empathy with a despairing entity
- Creatures with powerful Despair effects
- Magical spells
- Curses
- Despair-inducing artefacts
- Supernatural or psychic effects
Despair Saving Throws
Will is the best defense against Despair Damage. Despair attacks the willingness to continue, and a strong Will provides the simplest answer: Will > despair. The victim may recognize that circumstances are terrible without accepting the conclusion that nothing can be done.
Charisma can provide an anchor through confidence, identity, and connection to others. A strong sense of self can resist the belief that one's actions have become meaningless.
Intelligence can help a victim recognize that despair is distorting their judgment and that even terrible circumstances may contain possibilities that cannot yet be seen.
Memory can remind the victim of better times, past victories, people who depend upon them, or reasons they have continued despite hardship before.
Despair Mitigation
Despair Damage can be actively mitigated by breaking the magical, psychic, or supernatural effect responsible for it. Counter-magic, protective wards, and spells that remove curses can prevent further Despair Damage or restore the victim's ability to resist it. Removing a victim from the source of the despair may also help, particularly when the source is a creature or entity radiating the effect.
Other forms of mitigation include:
- Counter-magic
- Protective wards
- Remove Curse spells
- Curative potions
- Whiskey
- Magical artefacts that protect the mind or spirit
- Breaking the creature's Despair effect
- Removing the victim from the source
- Restoring contact with trusted companions
- Reminding the victim of meaningful relationships, accomplishments, or purpose
Despair Related Conditions
Despaired is the primary condition associated with Despair Damage. A Despaired victim has lost the motivation to act and may refuse to fight, flee, or perform even simple tasks. In severe cases, the victim may become completely passive, allowing events to happen around them without meaningful response.
In its most extreme form, Despair Damage can result in Death by Despair. The victim's loss of will becomes so complete that the mind and body simply surrender to it, and the victim dies because they have ceased to resist the circumstances threatening their survival.
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