diff --git a/reactbot/bot.py b/reactbot/bot.py
index b893110..cd06466 100644
--- a/reactbot/bot.py
+++ b/reactbot/bot.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# reminder - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
+# reactbot - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
 # Copyright (C) 2019 Tulir Asokan
 #
 # This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ class ReactBot(Plugin):
     allowed_msgtypes: Tuple[MessageType, ...] = (MessageType.TEXT, MessageType.EMOTE)
     user_flood: Dict[UserID, FloodInfo]
     room_flood: Dict[RoomID, FloodInfo]
+    config: Config
 
     @classmethod
     def get_config_class(cls) -> Type[BaseProxyConfig]:
@@ -100,6 +101,6 @@ class ReactBot(Plugin):
                     return
                 try:
                     await rule.execute(evt, match)
-                except Exception:
-                    self.log.exception(f"Failed to execute {name}")
+                except Exception as e:
+                    self.log.warning(f"Failed to execute {name}: {e}")
                 return
diff --git a/reactbot/config.py b/reactbot/config.py
index 8cb9ba5..1ed6f38 100644
--- a/reactbot/config.py
+++ b/reactbot/config.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-# reminder - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
-# Copyright (C) 2019 Tulir Asokan
+# reactbot - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
+# Copyright (C) 2021 Tulir Asokan
 #
 # This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 # it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ from jinja2 import Template as JinjaTemplate
 from mautrix.util.config import BaseProxyConfig, ConfigUpdateHelper
 from mautrix.types import EventType
 
-from .simplepattern import SimplePattern
+from .simplepattern import SimplePattern, RegexPattern
 from .template import Template
 from .rule import Rule, RPattern
 
@@ -58,7 +58,8 @@ class Config(BaseProxyConfig):
                         not_matches=self._compile_all(rule.get("not_matches", [])),
                         type=EventType.find(rule["type"]) if "type" in rule else None,
                         template=self.templates[rule["template"]],
-                        variables=self._parse_variables(rule))
+                        variables=self._parse_variables(rule),
+                        field=rule.get("field", ["content", "body"]))
         except Exception as e:
             raise ConfigError(f"Failed to load {name}") from e
 
@@ -79,13 +80,16 @@ class Config(BaseProxyConfig):
     def _compile(self, pattern: InputPattern) -> RPattern:
         flags = self.default_flags
         raw = None
+        field = None
         if isinstance(pattern, dict):
             flags = self._get_flags(pattern["flags"]) if "flags" in pattern else flags
             raw = pattern.get("raw", False)
+            field = pattern.get("field", None)
             pattern = pattern["pattern"]
         if raw is not False and (not flags & re.MULTILINE or raw is True):
-            return SimplePattern.compile(pattern, flags, raw) or re.compile(pattern, flags=flags)
-        return re.compile(pattern, flags=flags)
+            return (SimplePattern.compile(pattern, flags, raw, field=field)
+                    or RegexPattern(re.compile(pattern, flags=flags), field=field))
+        return RegexPattern(re.compile(pattern, flags=flags), field=field)
 
     @staticmethod
     def _parse_variables(data: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
diff --git a/reactbot/rule.py b/reactbot/rule.py
index f7703d2..59cc21f 100644
--- a/reactbot/rule.py
+++ b/reactbot/rule.py
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-# reminder - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
-# Copyright (C) 2019 Tulir Asokan
+# reactbot - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
+# Copyright (C) 2021 Tulir Asokan
 #
 # This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
 # it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as published by
@@ -13,46 +13,70 @@
 #
 # You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
 # along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
-from typing import Optional, Match, Dict, List, Set, Union, Pattern, Any
+from typing import Optional, Match, Dict, List, Set, Union, Any
+import json
 
 from attr import dataclass
-from jinja2 import Template as JinjaTemplate
 
-from mautrix.types import RoomID, EventType
+from mautrix.types import RoomID, EventType, Serializable
 
 from maubot import MessageEvent
 
 from .template import Template
-from .simplepattern import SimplePattern
+from .simplepattern import SimplePattern, RegexPattern
 
-RPattern = Union[Pattern, SimplePattern]
+RPattern = Union[RegexPattern, SimplePattern]
 
 
 @dataclass
 class Rule:
+    field: List[str]
     rooms: Set[RoomID]
     not_rooms: Set[RoomID]
     matches: List[RPattern]
     not_matches: List[RPattern]
+
     template: Template
     type: Optional[EventType]
+    room_id: Optional[RoomID]
+    state_event: bool
     variables: Dict[str, Any]
 
-    def _check_not_match(self, body: str) -> bool:
+    def _check_not_match(self, evt: MessageEvent, data: str) -> bool:
         for pattern in self.not_matches:
-            if pattern.search(body):
+            pattern_data = self._get_value(evt, pattern.field) if pattern.field else data
+            if pattern.search(pattern_data):
                 return True
         return False
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _get_value(evt: MessageEvent, field: List[str]) -> str:
+        data = evt
+        for part in field:
+            try:
+                data = evt[part]
+            except KeyError:
+                return ""
+        if isinstance(data, (str, int)):
+            return str(data)
+        elif isinstance(data, Serializable):
+            return json.dumps(data.serialize())
+        elif isinstance(data, (dict, list)):
+            return json.dumps(data)
+        else:
+            return str(data)
+
     def match(self, evt: MessageEvent) -> Optional[Match]:
         if len(self.rooms) > 0 and evt.room_id not in self.rooms:
             return None
         elif evt.room_id in self.not_rooms:
             return None
+        data = self._get_value(evt, self.field)
         for pattern in self.matches:
-            match = pattern.search(evt.content.body)
+            pattern_data = self._get_value(evt, pattern.field) if pattern.field else data
+            match = pattern.search(pattern_data)
             if match:
-                if self._check_not_match(evt.content.body):
+                if self._check_not_match(evt, data):
                     return None
                 return match
         return None
@@ -62,5 +86,10 @@ class Rule:
             **{str(i): val for i, val in enumerate(match.groups())},
             **match.groupdict(),
         }
+        room_id = self.room_id or evt.room_id
+        event_type = self.type or self.template.type
         content = self.template.execute(evt=evt, rule_vars=self.variables, extra_vars=extra_vars)
-        await evt.client.send_message_event(evt.room_id, self.type or self.template.type, content)
+        if self.state_event:
+            await evt.client.send_state_event(room_id, event_type, content)
+        else:
+            await evt.client.send_message_event(room_id, event_type, content)
diff --git a/reactbot/simplepattern.py b/reactbot/simplepattern.py
index d9e74e1..c64b09b 100644
--- a/reactbot/simplepattern.py
+++ b/reactbot/simplepattern.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# reminder - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
+# reactbot - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
 # Copyright (C) 2019 Tulir Asokan
 #
 # This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@
 #
 # You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
 # along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
-from typing import Callable, List, Dict, Optional
+from typing import Callable, List, Dict, Optional, Pattern, Match
 import re
 
 
@@ -27,15 +27,30 @@ class BlankMatch:
         return {}
 
 
+class RegexPattern:
+    pattern: Pattern
+    field: Optional[List[str]]
+
+    def __init__(self, pattern: Pattern, field: Optional[List[str]] = None) -> None:
+        self.pattern = pattern
+        self.field = field
+
+    def search(self, val: str) -> Match:
+        return self.pattern.search(val)
+
+
 class SimplePattern:
     _ptm = BlankMatch()
 
     matcher: Callable[[str], bool]
+    field: Optional[List[str]]
     ignorecase: bool
 
-    def __init__(self, matcher: Callable[[str], bool], ignorecase: bool) -> None:
+    def __init__(self, matcher: Callable[[str], bool], ignorecase: bool,
+                 field: Optional[List[str]] = None) -> None:
         self.matcher = matcher
         self.ignorecase = ignorecase
+        self.field = field
 
     def search(self, val: str) -> BlankMatch:
         if self.ignorecase:
@@ -44,8 +59,8 @@ class SimplePattern:
             return self._ptm
 
     @staticmethod
-    def compile(pattern: str, flags: re.RegexFlag = re.RegexFlag(0), force_raw: bool = False
-                ) -> Optional['SimplePattern']:
+    def compile(pattern: str, flags: re.RegexFlag = re.RegexFlag(0), force_raw: bool = False,
+                field: Optional[List[str]] = None) -> Optional['SimplePattern']:
         ignorecase = flags == re.IGNORECASE
         s_pattern = pattern.lower() if ignorecase else pattern
         esc = ""
@@ -54,13 +69,15 @@ class SimplePattern:
         first, last = pattern[0], pattern[-1]
         if first == '^' and last == '$' and (force_raw or esc == f"\\^{pattern[1:-1]}\\$"):
             s_pattern = s_pattern[1:-1]
-            return SimplePattern(lambda val: val == s_pattern, ignorecase=ignorecase)
+            return SimplePattern(lambda val: val == s_pattern, ignorecase=ignorecase, field=field)
         elif first == '^' and (force_raw or esc == f"\\^{pattern[1:]}"):
             s_pattern = s_pattern[1:]
-            return SimplePattern(lambda val: val.startswith(s_pattern), ignorecase=ignorecase)
+            return SimplePattern(lambda val: val.startswith(s_pattern), ignorecase=ignorecase,
+                                 field=field)
         elif last == '$' and (force_raw or esc == f"{pattern[:-1]}\\$"):
             s_pattern = s_pattern[:-1]
-            return SimplePattern(lambda val: val.endswith(s_pattern), ignorecase=ignorecase)
+            return SimplePattern(lambda val: val.endswith(s_pattern), ignorecase=ignorecase,
+                                 field=field)
         elif force_raw or esc == pattern:
-            return SimplePattern(lambda val: s_pattern in val, ignorecase=ignorecase)
+            return SimplePattern(lambda val: s_pattern in val, ignorecase=ignorecase, field=field)
         return None
diff --git a/reactbot/template.py b/reactbot/template.py
index 13ee593..3dab95d 100644
--- a/reactbot/template.py
+++ b/reactbot/template.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# reminder - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
+# reactbot - A maubot plugin that reacts to messages that match predefined rules.
 # Copyright (C) 2019 Tulir Asokan
 #
 # This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify