Fear

Fear is a movement-controlling debuff that forces the afflicted unit to flee from enemies at the start of its turn. A feared unit automatically moves as far away from nearby enemies as possible, consuming any Bonus Move it has to maximize the distance. This forced movement occurs before the unit can take any voluntary actions, effectively wasting its movement phase and potentially pulling it out of advantageous positions.

Fear is persistent and does not decay on its own, making it a lasting debuff until cleansed. It is applied by various abilities and has a notable interaction with the Zombie status: using a Bible on a Zombie unit applies Fear instead of the Bible's normal effect. Fear is particularly disruptive for melee-focused units, as the forced retreat movement pulls them away from their targets, potentially wasting entire turns of positioning and approach.

When applied to enemies, Fear is an excellent soft crowd control tool. Unlike hard stuns that skip turns entirely, Fear still allows the enemy to attack and cast spells after fleeing, but the forced retreat often puts them out of range for their actions. Fear pairs well with ranged builds that can continue attacking feared enemies as they flee, and with area control effects that punish movement. When your own cats are feared, the forced movement can be dangerous if it pulls them into hazardous terrain or away from allied healing. Cleansing Fear quickly is important for maintaining team cohesion and positioning.