Robyn.Blaber: Created page with "{{Infobox damage type | title = Anxiety | subtitle = Mind Damage | image = https://imagedelivery.net/TNzzP2IqyQLYoHEs2ZN5aQ/4a1b7b7f-3943-4563-36c5-c4e9ad9a6c00/wiki#.png | caption = The victim experiences self-doubt making action more difficult. }} Anxiety Damage is an attack upon the mind that interferes with its ability to function normally. Rather than damaging the body, Anxiety disrupts conc..."

2026-10-05T05:17:58Z

Created page with "{{Infobox damage type | title = Anxiety | subtitle = Mind Damage | image = https://imagedelivery.net/TNzzP2IqyQLYoHEs2ZN5aQ/4a1b7b7f-3943-4563-36c5-c4e9ad9a6c00/wiki#.png | caption = The victim experiences self-doubt making action more difficult. }} Anxiety Damage is an attack upon the mind that interferes with its ability to function normally. Rather than damaging the body, Anxiety disrupts conc..."

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{{Infobox damage type
| title = [[Anxiety]]
| subtitle = [[Mind]] Damage
| image = https://imagedelivery.net/TNzzP2IqyQLYoHEs2ZN5aQ/4a1b7b7f-3943-4563-36c5-c4e9ad9a6c00/wiki#.png
| caption = The victim experiences self-doubt making action more difficult.
}}

[[Anxiety]] Damage is an attack upon the mind that interferes with its ability to function normally. Rather than damaging the body, [[Anxiety]] disrupts concentration, judgment, confidence, and the ability to make decisions. The victim may know perfectly well what they should do and still find themselves unable to do it as anxiety overwhelms the mind's ability to organize thought and action.

[[Anxiety]] can be subtle or overwhelming. A small amount may produce unease, hesitation, or distracting thoughts, while severe [[Anxiety]] can cause the mind to turn inward upon itself. The more the victim attempts to anticipate every possible consequence, the more difficult it becomes to act at all. In extreme cases, the mind becomes trapped in its own warnings and objections, effectively paralyzing the victim without causing any physical injury.

== [[Anxiety]] Sources ==
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[[Anxiety]] Damage can come from supernatural effects, cursed objects, or creatures that have evolved to make potential victims fearful and uncertain. Some creatures radiate anxiety as a defensive mechanism, discouraging predators or attackers before a physical confrontation ever begins. Other sources deliberately impose anxiety upon the mind, turning uncertainty and anticipation into weapons.

Examples include:

* [[Witch]]'s curses that induce persistent or overwhelming anxiety
* Creatures that naturally radiate anxiety as a defensive or predatory ability
* Cursed artefacts that produce anxiety in those who approach, touch, or possess them
* Magical effects that magnify doubt, apprehension, or anticipation
* [[Psychic]] or supernatural abilities that interfere with confidence and decision-making
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== [[Anxiety]] Saving Throws ==
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[[Charisma]] is the primary Saving Throw against [[Anxiety]] Damage. [[Charisma]] represents confidence, presence, and the ability to maintain a coherent sense of self in the face of external pressure. Confidence is, in many respects, the natural enemy of anxiety: a character who can trust their own judgment has less room for anxiety to dictate their thoughts and actions.

[[Will]] provides a secondary defense. Where [[Charisma]] helps defeat anxiety at its source by maintaining confidence, [[Will]] allows a character to keep functioning when anxiety has already taken hold. A character with sufficient [[Will]] may be frightened, uncertain, or deeply uncomfortable and still force themselves to act.
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== [[Anxiety]] Mitigation ==
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[[Anxiety]] can be mitigated by removing or weakening the source of the effect, protecting the mind from its influence, or providing an environment in which the victim can regain control. Because [[Anxiety]] can spread through sensory or psychological vectors, identifying how the effect reaches the victim may be as important as resisting the effect itself.

Active forms of mitigation include:

* Anti-curse magic to remove or suppress magical [[Anxiety]]
* Limiting the vector through which the [[Anxiety]] is transmitted
* Earplugs or other sensory barriers when sound is the means of transmission
* Separation from a cursed artefact producing the effect
* Protective magic or artefacts designed to shield the mind
* Removing the victim from the creature, location, or circumstance producing the [[Anxiety]]
* Destroying, disabling, or cleansing the source of the effect
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== [[Anxiety]] Related [[Conditions]] ==
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Severe [[Anxiety]] can produce Introspective Loop, a condition in which the victim becomes trapped in recursive thought. Every possible action produces another imagined consequence, which produces another question, which produces another possible consequence. The mind continues working, but its thoughts cease to produce useful decisions.

An extreme Introspective Loop can result in Mental Paralysis, leaving the victim conscious but unable to decide upon or initiate an action. In particularly severe cases, overwhelming [[Anxiety]] may cause fainting, effectively removing the victim from the situation altogether. [[Un]]like ordinary physical paralysis, these conditions originate entirely within the mind and may leave the body otherwise unharmed.
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{{Copyright notice}}
[[Category:damage types]]

Anxiety - Revision history