---
key: mechanic/role-playing-systems--t054
type: mechanic
id: role-playing-systems--t054
lang: en
title: 'Status effects, elements and resistances'
summary: >-
Effects temporarily change a target’s movement, defense or available actions.
Players choose effects to suit the situation and resistances.
updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
status: active
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/role-playing-systems--t054/'
jsonUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/role-playing-systems--t054.json
markdownUrl: >-
https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/role-playing-systems--t054.md
aliases:
- Status and elemental effects
tags:
- Role-playing systems
- Mechanics and variants
sourceIds:
- source-3817d420df0baa92
- source-0a031a39aeeef0d8
sources:
- id: source-3817d420df0baa92
title: 'Robert Nystrom: State'
url: >-
https://github.com/munificent/game-programming-patterns/blob/master/book/state.markdown
verifiedAt: null
- id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8
title: Deep Rock Galactic
url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
verifiedAt: null
relations:
- type: uses
direction: outgoing
label: Sources in the selection
key: resource/state-pattern
title: 'State: Game Programming Patterns'
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-state-pattern'
jsonUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.json'
markdownUrl: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/resource/state-pattern.md'
placements:
- catalogId: role-playing-systems
id: t054
title: Role-playing systems
url: 'https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/role-playing-systems/#t054'
categoryIds:
- mechanics
supersededBy: []
attributes:
preview:
updatedAt: '2026-10-21'
title: Status and elemental effects
description: >-
Effects temporarily change a target’s movement, defense or available
actions. Players choose effects to suit the situation and resistances.
image:
src: images/mechanics/drg-freezing.webp
width: 1440
height: 810
game: Deep Rock Galactic
sourceUrl: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
originalUrl: >-
https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/548430/ss_5d41a7c4b219d60ab4463721352bd019adfb396c.1920x1080.jpg?t=1792497307
credit: Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing
rights: © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved.
caption: Cold changes an enemy’s state
alt: >-
Deep Rock Galactic: a cryo cannon’s cold turns bugs into blue frozen
figures.
markers:
- x: 54
'y': 27
label: A visible frozen state
- x: 42
'y': 52
label: Cold affects another target
tips:
- Show an active status separately from the brief hit effect.
- Explain immunity and resistance before a rare resource is spent.
examples:
- title: Deep Rock Galactic
url: 'https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/'
endsAt: null
provenance: >-
Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on
2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design
examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests.
Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not
every proposed variant.
license: CC-BY-4.0
codeLicense: MIT
attribution: gamemechanics.pro contributors
catalogKey: catalog/role-playing-systems
---
# Status effects, elements and resistances
id: role-playing-systems--t054
type: mechanic
key: mechanic/role-playing-systems--t054
lang: en
status: active
url: https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/role-playing-systems--t054/
Effects temporarily change a target’s movement, defense or available actions. Players choose effects to suit the situation and resistances.
## At a glance
[Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) · © Ghost Ship Games / Coffee Stain Publishing. All rights reserved.
1. A visible frozen state
2. Cold affects another target
- Show an active status separately from the brief hit effect.
- Explain immunity and resistance before a rare resource is spent.
- [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/)
## How it works
A status temporarily changes action rules, an element connects interactions and resistance limits their effects.
## Variants
### Mechanic variants
- Buildup brings an effect toward a threshold.
- Dispelling removes a chosen status condition.
- An elemental reaction creates another effect.
- Diminishing duration limits repeated crowd control.
## Design example
Wet armor conducts a discharge between targets, while insulating footwear breaks the chain.
Prototype check: Test elemental application order and immunity feedback, including reapplying an already active status.
## Context and limits
Role-playing systems connect character identity, party composition, equipment and consequential choices. Each overview separates player actions, state changes and alternative rules. Examples are hypothetical design scenarios, not claims about a named game. A prototype check states an observable question for the next iteration. Existing detailed references remain separately linked from the direction map.
## Connected materials
- Sources in the selection: [State: Game Programming Patterns](https://gamemechanics.pro/en/resources/#resource-state-pattern) (key: resource/state-pattern)
## Sources and provenance
Original bilingual editorial overviews authored for gamemechanics.pro on 2026-10-20 and reviewed on 2026-10-21. Scenarios are hypothetical design examples; prototype checks describe work to perform, not completed playtests. Primary sources support the stated techniques and implementation context, not every proposed variant.
- [Robert Nystrom: State](https://github.com/munificent/game-programming-patterns/blob/master/book/state.markdown) (id: source-3817d420df0baa92)
- [Deep Rock Galactic](https://store.steampowered.com/app/548430/) (id: source-0a031a39aeeef0d8)
CC-BY-4.0 · gamemechanics.pro contributors