Use the Condition template to write about diseases, mutations, transformations, superpowers, and even RPG statuses. On World Anvil, a Condition is anything that a person can get (or is born with) and alters their physical or mental state.
Contents
What should I use this template for?
A Condition can be innate (such as a genetic one) or acquired (like a cold). Whatever the case, it's something that alters the person's body (or mind, spirit, etc.) in some way. Here are some examples!
Real-world diseases & disabilities
Any real-world condition, from a cold or a twisted ankled to the most serious diseases, fit the Condition template. Writing about these conditions in your world might be useful if society has a different perception of them, or if there are small differences. For example, greyscale, a disease from A Song of Ice and Fire, is quite similar to the real-world leprosy.
Original & magical conditions
You could also come up with your own conditions! For example, vampirism and lycanthropy are often written as conditions that you can get (or are born with), but they don't have real-world counterparts. People who have a condition that's in the minority tend to have a different perspective on some things. So, if you create your own condition based on the themes of your world, you'll be able to have characters who have different perspectives based on their experiences.
Magical or supernatural powers
Not all conditions have to be medical or negative! Having superpowers or magical abilities based on something that you become or are born with is also a condition. For example, Spiderman gets power from a radioactive spider; being spiderman is a condition! Similarly, benders in Avatar: The Last Airbender are born with the potential of doing magic, which in our modern world we'd explain as a genetic mutation (i.e. a condition).
Template walkthrough
As with all templates, remember that all prompts in the Condition template are optional! In fact, because there are so many types of organization, some prompts might not be relevant to you. As always, there's a free-writing section at the top (which we call vignette) and the prompts are under the Expand prompts & connections button.
If you use the Parent field (for example, "influenza" could be the parent condition of "influenza A"), an "organization tree" will be automatically generated at the bottom. This tree will visually represent all related conditions; learn more about it here.
Step-by-step guide to writing a condition
Here are some tips to write a condition for your world:
- Decide its role in the world
Conditions can have a very large impact on the entire world, so figure out how it fits within the rest of your project. How does it follow and expand on its themes? What relation does it have with the world's story? How can you link it to other parts of your worldbuilding? - How do you get it? And how can you heal it?
This is a very important part of the condition, so make sure you get it right! Look at your answers in the previous step, and go from there. For example, if your condition is meant to reinforce the themes of a grimdark world, you might want to give it really nasty symptoms and make it impossible to heal. - How does society deal with it?
Many conditions make people stand out from the norm, and this often creates specific reactions from people or society. If the condition is negative, it might be a cause for discrimination or pity. If it's positive, it could inspire awe or respect. However, conditions that we might consider positive (like superspeed powers) might be considered negative in a society just because they are different. Just look at how witches, suspected of having magical powers, were treated in the Middle Ages!
Community examples for inspiration
Need some inspiration? Here are some condition articles written by our amazing community!
- Graycrust, by C. B. Ash
- Red Hair, by E. Christopher Clark
- Out Sick, by LexiCon (WordiGirl)
- Spacespores, by Mochi
- ghost rider zombies, by Scalenex
