Active Effect

Needs Improvement

This page is out of date. It reflects Active Effects as they were originally implemented, rather than how they operate in modern versions of the SR5 system and modern versions of Foundry. Most of the information is still valid, but use with care.

This article was last edited Wednesday, December 27, 2023 by Mr. Johnson.

Character Actor Sheet Effects Tab (SR5 v0.17.1, FVTT v11.315)

Action Item Effect Tab (SR5 v0.16.1, FVTT v11.315)

The SR5 system implements an extended version of Active Effects as they're used in other systems like DnD5e. Active Effects allow you to change an Actor's values dynamically with easily toggleable options. You can add an Active Effect to an Actor by either:

• creating it directly on the Actor's Effects Tab.
• creating an item with an Active Effect, set to transfer to the Actor, and giving it to an Actor, adding the effect in the process.

Change Mode

Active Effect Modes (SR5 v0.17.1, FVTT v11.315)

There are a number of different Change Mode available to control how the Active Effect interacts with the Actor's properties.

Modify

Active Effect using Modify (SR5 v0.17.1, FVTT v11.315)

Modify is the "custom" mode for the SR5 system. This mode will either add a modifier to a value or add directly to it if a modifier can't be applied. Select this mode unless you've determined a specific reason one of the other modes is more appropriate.

If the value has a .mod value, it technically doesn't matter if a general value as a whole or any of it's fields are choosen (such as .value, .base, .mod or .temp). Modify mode will always act on the base node (such as syste.attributes.willpower) — specifying other fields at the same level as .mod will be ignored. If the value choosen includes a .mod field the system will display the effect in the calculation hover tip, where available.

If the value doesn't include a .mod node the Modify mode it will fall back to using the Add mode.

Multiply

Like Add (below), there is very little reason to use Multiply. It does properly functions with some values feature elements like .base, but there are few places in the game rules where this is desirable. Use with caution, if at all.

Speed Freaks

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For example, one might thing to use Multiply and target system.movement.* for equipment like Skates or Skimmers, but it won't have the intended effect. Instead, adjust the multipliers by targetting system.modifiers.walk and system.modifiers.run with Modify. Use an Effect Value of "+1" on .walk to change the math from "Agility × 2" to "Agility × 3" and "+2" on .run to change the multiplier from ×4 to ×6.

Add

Active Effect using Add (SR5 v0.17.1, FVTT v11.315)

There is no good reason to use the Add mode directly — anything it can do, Modify can do, and returns more detail back to the user. Using Add over Modify bypasses the system's logic, and can lead to errors including corrupt sheet appearance.

Downgrade & Upgrade

The Downgrade and Upgrade modes adjust a value, lowering the targetted value if above the effect value on Downgrade, or the opposite for Upgrade. They do not interact with or override calculated values — they should only be used with .base nodes, rather than .mod or .value. If the desired element has no .base node, they may not behave as desired or at all.

Override

Active Effect using Override (SR5 v0.17.1, FVTT v11.315)

The Override mode has been heavily modified from other systems and functions with similar logic to the Modify mode, but the target node must contain a .mod field.

The Override mode is applied last and will replace any calculated value with the value specified in the Active Effect. It will show in the calculation overview popup, identifying that it is replacing the normally calculated value by showing it crossed out.

Should you define multiple Override effects on the same value, only the last one applied will take effect.

Actor Data Structure

Helpful Modules

The Autocomplete Inline Properties module is highly recommended. It integrates directly with the Active Effect editor window, and eases identifying data fields and their corresponding values. It helps greatly with traversal of the data structures.

If you can't find what you're looking for, check if a global modifier for it exists. Some values contain temp fields, that can be modified by Active Effects.

• system.attributes.<attributeName> contains all attributes.
• system.skills.active.<skillName> contains all active skills. Custom skills will be shown with a random ID. To see the actual custom name of the skill traverse into it and read it's name field.
• system.limits.<limitName> contains all limits.
• system.modifiers contains all global modifiers and can be directly modified.

Success Test Pools

As of SR5 v0.17.1, only Active Skill ratings can be modified, while specific test categories (Social Tests, Matrix Tests, etc.) can't be discretely adjusted out.