Condition — Frightened
Frightened (value): status penalty to ALL checks and DCs. Decreases by 1 each turn-end. Most common debuff via Demoralize. Broad, impactful in PF2e's tight math.
You are shaken by fear. Frightened always has a numerical value.
Mechanical Effects:
- Status penalty equal to your Frightened value on:
- ALL checks and DCs — attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, spell DCs, AC, everything
- This is one of the broadest penalties in PF2e — it affects nearly every number on your character sheet
How Applied:
- Demoralize action (Intimidation vs. Will DC)
- Fear spells (like fear)
- Monster abilities (dragon frightful presence, etc.)
- Environmental horror
How Removed:
- Frightened decreases by 1 at the end of each of your turns (automatically)
- When it reaches 0, the condition ends
- Some effects remove Frightened faster (like remove fear)
Stacking:
- Does not stack with itself — if you have Frightened 2 and gain Frightened 1, you stay at Frightened 2
- If you have Frightened 1 and gain Frightened 3, you become Frightened 3
- As a status penalty, does not stack with other status penalties to the same checks
Tactical Impact: Frightened is the most common debuff in PF2e because Demoralize is available to anyone with Intimidation. Frightened 2 is a -2 to EVERYTHING — attacks, saves, AC, skill checks. Even Frightened 1 is meaningful in PF2e's tight math.
Demoralize Note: You can't Demoralize the same target more than once per combat (they become immune for 10 minutes on success or failure). Multiple party members can each Demoralize different targets, or Demoralize the same target if only one has tried.