Immunity

Background

Immunity is the absolute negation of a specific effect, damage type, condition, or influence, such that it has no impact on the character whatsoever. An immunity is not inferred, scaled, or assumed through feats alone; it must be explicitly stated or unambiguously demonstrated by the source material itself. If a verse directly identifies a character as being immune to something, then that effect categorically cannot affect them under normal circumstances.

Unlike resistance, which reduces or mitigates damage or effects, immunity represents a complete absence of interaction. The immune target does not suffer reduced damage, delayed effects, or partial influence — the effect simply fails to function on them. As a result, Immunity is a binary state: either the character is affected, or they are not.

Immunities are typically limited to clearly defined phenomena, such as specific elements, status effects, damage types, or conceptual interactions. They do not automatically extend beyond what is directly specified by the verse.

Also Called

• Absolute Immunity
• Total Negation
• Effect Null Immunity
• Complete Resistance (Verse-Term, not mechanical)

Possible Applications

• Complete negation of a specific damage type (e.g., poison, fire, mind control).
• Absolute protection against a particular status condition.
• Total disregard of environmental hazards tied to a defined effect.
• Invalidation of abilities that rely exclusively on the immune phenomenon.
• Passive defense that requires no activation or reaction.
• Immunity to specific conceptual, metaphysical, or supernatural influences if stated.

Practical Uses

• Allows the character to safely engage threats centered around the immune effect.
• Removes entire categories of attacks from being viable options against the user.
• Enables strategic positioning in otherwise lethal environments.
• Forces opponents to rely on alternate methods of attack.
• Provides consistency and clarity in power interactions due to its absolute nature.

Example Variations

• Elemental Immunity: Complete negation of damage or effects from a specific element.
• Status Immunity: Immunity to conditions such as paralysis, fear, sleep, or poison.
• Environmental Immunity: Unaffected by specific environmental hazards.
• Mental or Psychological Immunity: Immune to mind-based manipulation or influence.
• Conceptual Immunity: Immune to a specific abstract concept, such as death, fate, or causality, if explicitly stated.
• Selective Immunity: Applies only to clearly defined subcategories of an effect.
• Conditional Immunity: Functions only under certain stated conditions.

Difference Between Immunity and Resistance

Immunity and Resistance are fundamentally different classifications and should not be treated interchangeably.

• Immunity means the effect does not apply at all. No damage, no influence, no partial success.
• Resistance means the effect still applies, but with reduced effectiveness.

Key distinctions:

• Resistance can be overcome by stronger attacks; immunity cannot unless explicitly bypassed.
• Resistance can be inferred through feats; immunity cannot.
• Resistance is quantitative; immunity is absolute.
• Immunity must be directly stated or undeniably shown by the verse.

A character enduring large amounts of damage does not imply immunity unless the verse explicitly states that the character is immune to that damage type.

Possible Limitations

• Only applies to what is explicitly specified by the verse.
• Does not automatically scale to similar or related effects.
• Can be bypassed by abilities that explicitly ignore or negate immunities.
• Conditional immunities may fail if conditions are unmet.
• Verse retcons or contradictions may limit applicability.

Users

• List notable users here