Statuses
Statuses are temporary effects applied to characters. Buffs, debuffs, damage-over-time, crowd control, shields, and auras are all statuses.
Creating a Status
Open the Spark Editor, go to Combat > Statuses and click Create New.
Each status entry has:
Display Name
Name shown in UI.
Description
Tooltip text.
Icon
Sprite for the status bar.
Show In UI
Whether the status appears in the status bar.
Duration
Base Duration
Duration in seconds. Set to 0 for permanent (until manually removed).
Persist After Self Death
Status remains if the affected entity dies.
Persist After Owner Death
Status remains if the entity that applied it dies.
Stacking
Stacking Mode
How multiple applications of this status interact (see below).
Max Stacks
Maximum stack count (only used in Stack mode).
Stacking Modes
Refresh
Reapplication resets the duration to its base value. Only one instance exists.
Extend
Reapplication adds the full duration to the remaining time.
Independent
Each application creates a separate instance. Multiple copies can exist simultaneously.
Replace
Reapplication removes the old instance and creates a new one.
Stack
Increases the stack count (up to Max Stacks) and refreshes the duration. Stack count can multiply effect values.
Periodic Effects (Ticks)
Has Periodic Effect
Whether the status ticks periodically.
Tick Count
Number of times the effect ticks over the full duration. The tick interval is calculated as duration ÷ tick count.
Effect Lists
Statuses have four separate lists of effects that execute at different points in the status lifecycle:
On Apply Effects
When the status is first applied to an entity.
On Tick Effects
Each time the periodic timer fires (if ticking is enabled).
On End Effects
When the status expires naturally (duration runs out).
On Dispelled Effects
When the status is removed early by a dispel effect.
Each list can contain any combination of the 8 effect types (Damage, Healing, Apply Status, Modify Stat, Knockback, Damage Object, Dispel, Trigger).
Visual Effects
Status VFX Prefab
A GameObject prefab spawned on the target while the status is active. Automatically destroyed when the status ends.
VFX Position Offset
Local position offset for the VFX relative to the target.
Dispel Configuration
Can Be Dispelled
Whether this status can be removed by dispel effects. Set to false for effects that should not be removable (e.g., transformation, death).
Immunity
Grants Immunity To
List of status tags this status grants immunity to while active. For example, a "Cleanse" buff might grant immunity to all statuses tagged "Poison" or "Debuff."
When a status grants immunity, any new status application matching those tags is blocked and a StatusImmuneEvent is published.
Rules Integration
Apply Rules
Rule modifications applied when the status is applied (e.g., set CAN_MOVE to false for a root effect).
Remove Rules
Rule modifications applied when the status ends (e.g., restore CAN_MOVE to true).
This connects statuses to the Rules system, letting you control character behavior while a status is active.
Status Tags
Status tags categorize statuses for grouping, filtering, and immunity. Create them in Combat > Statuses > Status Tags.
Each tag has a display name and a color for UI visualization.
Examples: Buff, Debuff, Crowd Control, Damage Over Time, Heal Over Time, Poison, Stun, Slow, Shield, Bleed.
Tags are used by the Dispel effect type to target specific categories of statuses, by the immunity system to block categories of statuses, and by UI to color-code or filter status displays.
Status Removal
Statuses can be removed for several reasons:
Expired
Duration ran out naturally. Executes On End Effects.
Dispelled
Removed by a Dispel effect. Executes On Dispelled Effects.
Manual
Removed by code or game logic.
Death
Target entity died.
Owner Death
The entity that applied the status died (unless Persist After Owner Death is enabled).
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