Post Sections ⇅
- If Fibro Warrior Were a Class in an MMO
- Class Abilities
- Buffs and Debuffs of Fibromyalgia
- → Single-Minded
- → I Shall Not Fall (Yet)
- → Normality Aura
- → Easily Infected
- → Unnatural Ice
- → Spiritual Sensitivity
- → Quiet Encourager
- → Cloak of Diversion
- → Feet of Iron of Mornings
- → Afternoons of Alacrity
- → Limited Resources
- → Porous Mind
- → Who Needs Sleep?
- → Anti Anti-biotics
- → Studious Learner
- → Shoulder Crush
- → Meaningful Repetition
- → Don’t Touch This!
- → Elemental Sensitivity
- → The Dreamer
- → Tick-Tick-Boom
- → Heart’s Home
- → Make Do
- → The Underworked, Underpaid
- TL;DR A Light Approach to a Heavy Subject
If Fibro Warrior Were a Class in an MMO
So I thought “how do I explain Fibromyalgia to gamers?” and I came up with this: The Gaming Buffs and Debuffs of Fibromyalgia. Imagine “Fibro Warrior” as a combat class in a game. Let’s see what they are.
Here I have used screenshots and terminology from SWTOR, LOTRO and FFXIV. I’ve also made up some stats along the way. Enjoy!
Class Abilities
Before addressing key buffs and debuffs, I need to explain what class-wide limitations there are first.
When rolling a Fibro Warrior character, you should bear in mind the following class-wide equipment restrictions.
Medium/Leather Armour
While heavy armour affords more protection, Shoulder Crush is likely to cause the Fibro Warrior more pain. Too much weight on shoulders that already hurt will lead to a degredation of combat performance if not perma-stunned.
Light armour exposes such Warriors to a greater elemental debuffs, such as Frost Damage which can sieze up muscles.
Therefore Medium Armour affords some protection while maintaining a level of pressure on the muscles to mitigate agility debuffs. A little pressure on the shoulders can ease pain levels.
Weapon Proficiencies
Staves, Brands, Books, Magical/Force attacks. If fighting in space, one Lightsaber or Saberstaff should be manageable if built with light metals.
Most swords, axes and other melée wapons will likely be too heavy with extended use. Do not attempt to force a Fibro Warrior to dual-wield (See Single-Minded).
Due to Hand Pain, carrying heavy items or things requiring a strong or tight grip will increase the Drop Chance, causing a few seconds of being Disarmed.
Buffs and Debuffs of Fibromyalgia
The Fibro Warrior class comes with a number of buffs and debuffs. Please note: while food, coffee and additional time between tasks may help mitigate debuffs, this is not guaranteed and is subject to RNG. A Fibro Warrior must ensure the correct food, potions and stims are taken before any mission. A healthy stock of medpacks and healing potions or scrolls must always be carried in inventory.
Single-Minded
Fibro Warriors suck a multi-tasking. Group members should give them one task at a time and help them to focus on it. Once they settle to a task or mission they will complete it. Single-Minded affords a reduction of vendor prices as, very often on lower quest rewards, they have to spend longer looking for the lowest available prices for their supplies.
- Mind: -20 in Solo quests, +20 in Group quests
- Vendor Prices: -5%
I Shall Not Fall (Yet)
Despite suffering many illnesses and injuries, killing the Warrior takes more combat than it first appears. Fibromyalgia is life-long, but not usually fatal in itself. Other debuffs could lead to critical damage being received, however.
Defeats crush the spirit of the Fibro Warrior, adding a Damage debuff to that quest if they try it again.
- Death Resistance: +5
- XP Reward (Same Quest upon Defeat): -33%
Normality Aura
Though feeling awful inside, enemies will believe you look like every other Warrior. The strong prey upon the weak, so don’t look weak. Fibromyalgia is an invisible illness, so they don’t need to know you’re already in pain.
The Fibro Warrior’s ability to Mind Trick is buffed as they need not activate a skill on the quickbar for it to be effective.
- Enmity Aggro: -3
- Mind Trick Success: +25%
Easily Infected
Fibro Warriors catch illnesses easily, so will be susceptible to rabid wolves and poisoned blades. Moreover, healers will struggle to cleanse these effects as Fibro Warriors take more damage over time. Healers with Compassion over 70 and Patience over 80 should accompany groups comprising a Fibro Warrior. No sooner has one illness been cleansed than another takes its place.
- Disease/Poison Resistance: -10
- Cleanse Resistance: +5
- Damage Over Time Received: +3%
Unnatural Ice
Muscle stiffness like the frozen hills of Hoth or the Misty Mountains reduces the Fibro Warrior’s ability to dodge attacks, or their own clumsiness. This combat class does not suit quests involving: balancing, narrow caves, or war zones with attacks from multiple directions.
- Agility: -20
- Dodge Chance: -25%
- Parry Chance: -25%
Spiritual Sensitivity
The constant personal pain can render some Fibro Warriors more sensitivity to others. Due to this, missions requiring diplomacy or tact suit characters of this class.
Many may also show aptitude in spiritual or mystical professions. If the Warrior is in a galaxy far, far away, Warriors may be Force Sensitive.
- Spirit Attunement: +8
- Persuasion: +2
- Diplomacy: +10
Quiet Encourager
Fibro Warriors don’t demand help from others even if they need it. As such, Healers and Tanks may need to be more aware of mobs surrounding the Fibro Warrior.
Despite their constant pain, they will try to encourage the group and want them to be happy even in challenging missions. Groups benefit with 5% extra HP.
- Group Morale/HP: +5%
Cloak of Diversion
Fibro Warriors do not draw attention to themselves. This can improve their ability to infiltrate enemy camps, but means many are unsuited to being Tanks.
Note: depending on environmental conditions, the +2 Stealth is usually counteracted by the Agility debuff. They can be clumsy and loud, metal objects and set of traps they haven’t seen.
- Aggro Range: +3m
- Stealth: +2
Feet of Iron of Mornings
Getting going in the mornings is a quest in itself. Fibro Warriors may need buffing foods and potions or stims to simply get out of bed. After that movement can be sluggish until much later that day. Because of brain fog, the chance of completing anything to a high standard is halved.
The following debuffs apply until midday:
- Movement Speed: -25%:
- Intelligence, Mind: -15%
- Critical Rating: -50%
Afternoons of Alacrity
If buffed by sufficient caffeine and stims, a Warrior can think much quicker in quests undertaken in the afternoon. Mental and Physical speeds are increased.
- Movement Speed: +5%
- Mind: +5%
Note: Feet of Iron Mornings should have worn off, though there may be overlap time between effects.
Limited Resources
While loyal, altruistic and hardworking, do not expect the Fibro Warrior to undertake the same number of missions as other classes. When they reach their daily quest limit, give them until the next limit reset before calling them again to arms.
Fibro Warriors simply cannot do the same amount of stuff as other people.
- Daily Quest Limit: -50%
Porous Mind
Fibro Warriors suffer from poor memory. Number of quests and tasks they can retain at any time is halved. They also see reduced Damage (or Healing) per second as they often forget how to do anything efficiently, especially in stressful or group scenarios.
- Trackable Quests: -50%
- DPS/HPS: -10%
- Mind: -5%
Who Needs Sleep?
Fibro Warriors really struggle to get to sleep. Even when they manage it they easily wake up and the sleep they get is restless. This debuff is intrinsically linked to Iron Feet of Mornings.
Enemies will struggle to cast a sleep Crowd Control skill on a Fibro Warrior. However, their Rested XP suffers for it.
- Sleep Resistance Rating: +45%
- Rested XP: -85%
Anti Anti-biotics
Despite catching illnesses quickly, the Fibro Warrior is very resistant to Healer abilities. This results in healing treatments, including potions and medpacs, to be less effective.
Also, Fibro Warriors need longer between stages of a mission, out-of-combat morale and power regeneration are much slower.
- Healing Received (All Sources): -25%
- Out of Combat Morale Regen: -50%
- Out of Combat Power Regen: -50%
Studious Learner
When able to find a task they enjoy, a Fibro Warrior will learn it as best as they can. Non-combat skills, such as crafting, and tasks involving channel times are improved in effectiveness.
It takes a Fibro Warrior many attempts to find something they can excel at. Guilds, Kins and Free Companies should show extra patience with them while they discover this.
- Crafting Skill: +25%
- Spellbook Effectiveness: +10%
- Channelled Abilities: +10% Potency
Shoulder Crush
Extreme pain in the shoulders means Fibro Warriors cannot lift heavy objects or carry as many supplies when questing.
This does not reduce the size of the bags, of course. If too much is placed in them, movement speed is reduced by 35%.
- Physical Mastery (Strength): -15%
- Inventory Space: -25%
Meaningful Repetition
Alternatively, with adequate Healer support, a simple off-tank role may also suit.
Note, however, I main tanks in all my games – at least for Solo content! For me too much repetition, too quickly wrecks my hands. From tanking in FFXIV, there is still repetition, but not as quick as DPS as cooldowns are longer.
I have found Red Mage to work well for me as that’s a combination of quick swordscraft and channel times.
- Ranged DPS: +5%
- Skill Speed: +5%
Don’t Touch This!
Fibro Warriors are over-sensitive to touch. Allied Healers should focus on ranged healing skills.
However these Warriors are also more susceptible to damaging attacks or flailing limbs as many unexpected touches will hurt more than they should. This makes them susceptible to short-range melée attacks.
- Ranged Healing Received: +5%
- Melée Damage Received: +10%
Elemental Sensitivity
Depending on race, Fibro Warriors are better or worse suited to quests in certain environmental conditions. Cold and humid weather hugely adversely affects combat performance, whereas they can fight better in warm, dry climates.
- Cold Resistance: -30%, Frost Damage: +10%
- Heat Resistance: +15%, Fire Damage: +10%
- Humidity Resistance: -20%
The Dreamer
Who Needs Sleep? impacts night-time rest, but this doesn’t stop the Fibro Warrior’s mind from drifting massively during the day. This mental detachment has its advantages: seeing the bigger picture when puzzle solving and an increased role-playing immersion.
Sadly, when Wandering Mind debuff is active, missions take longer to perform and The Dreamer suffers a reduced Confidence rating due to this.
- Puzzle Solving: +25%
- Mission Efficiency: -20%
- Role-playing: +10%
- Confidence: -20
Tick-Tick-Boom
Deadlines, expectations and timed tasks do not sit well with a Fibro Warrior. They are stressful and massively degrade their clarity of thought. Success Rate and Confidence are debuffed in timed quests.
However, they will try a few times to succeed before giving up. Their evading of that quest in future is buffed.
- Timed Quest Success: -50%
- Confidence: -20%
- Persistence: +35%
- Evade Rating: +45%
Heart’s Home
When not needed to defend freedom, a Fibro Warrior is often found at home. They will make it as comfortable a place to live as possible. A boost to craft XP and decoration quality is granted.
- Home Decoration Crafting: +20% Quality
- Crafting XP: +10%
Make Do
Defer your need to upgrade your gear and save coin. If your group includes a Fibro Warrior, they can repair your wear and tear between battles. Their lower quest coin rewards necessitates ‘make do and mend‘ instead of buying new. They may be seen at vendors where others sell their “scrap”, in order to clothe themselves with such “scraps” (e.g. Charity Shops, Second-hand Facebook groups. Incidentally we need less inventory space (Wardrobe) as we do not hoard clothes as there is no need.).
Depending on their Pride rating, Fibro Warriors may be open to assistance with acquiring, or crafting new armour. The same applies to cosmetic clothing. Or just…clothing.
- Armour Durability: +25%
- Cosmetic Clothing Cost: -50%
The Underworked, Underpaid
Being in pain means a Warrior is able to perform significantly fewer paying quests. And due to various debuffs they can only undertake lower paying quests. Coins from rewards are reduced and the ability to level up and progress the same as non-Fibro Warriors is hampered. Often, impossible.
- Quest Coin Rewards: -75%
- XP from Quests: -50%
- Level Cap: -15 Levels
TL;DR A Light Approach to a Heavy Subject
I hope this has been an unusual way to think about Fibromyalgia Symptoms. It affects everything I do, whether I’m conscious or not. It feels like there are more disadvantages than advantages but I hope I can understand my strengths (buffs) to harness them. It’s not an easy life, neither in a game nor out of it. But I’m still alive, so I guess there are more quests still to do. And I’ve only just started that brand new “Parenting” Expansion Pack too!