Today we will talk about the game's core combat system.
Round and Turn
<The Tainted Lands>'s combat is proceed by round system. The combat is played in a series of combat rounds. Each combatants get their own order of turn based by their initiative statistics at the start of each rounds. Generally, most of characters get one turn per round, but some boss monsters get several turn in a round. Order of initiative visualized in 'initiative track' which placed on upper side.
A combatant who takes a turn can act. Once every combatants end their available turns the round ends. Then subsequent round follows and repeat same sequence above until the combat's primary objectives are completed or player is defeated.
Action Point
All actions in combat - including move and attack - take action points. Most of playable characters have three action points, but high level characters can have more action points. Each characters regain their maximum action point when start of their own turn.
Move
Every character has their own Speed value. Basic move costs 1 AP per tiles equal to combatant's speed value. So if a character with speed value 2 want to move 6 tiles in current turn with basic move, he must spend 3 action points.
However, some special movement skills allow you to move longer distances with fewer action points.
Attack
All characters have basic attack maneuvers in addition to their attack skills. Most skills have a limited number of uses per combat encounter, but basic attacks can be used without a limit. In most cases, basic attack costs 2 AP.
Generally basic attacks are made according to the attacker's accuracy and damage value, and only deal HP damage without additional effects. However, some characters may have special additional effects for basic attacks, or consume a small amount of AP.
Reaction
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Though a combatant who takes the current turn acts mostly, other combatants can have limited react to an active turn combatant. This kind of action called reaction. Most characters can have one reaction per round.
If a character uses a reaction, this character cannot do another reaction until the start of the next turn. However, some characters gain more reactions per round through advancement, allowing them to react to enemy actions multiple times within a round.
Most basic use of reaction is flank attack. Two allied characters who face each other with an enemy in between gain flanking state. And when a flanking character attacks flanked enemy, flanking partner immediately attacks same enemy with reaction automatically.
There are many types of reaction in the game and even some skills function as more sophisticated reaction like counter-spell or overwatch.
Focus and Interrupt
Some skills have a duration and require continuous focus. These skills are called focus skill, which have 'focus' keyword. Examples of focus skills are martial stance or complex spell. During sustaining focus skill, user gains focus state.
For example, a mage using Protective Ward which is focus skill gains 'Focus: Protective Ward' state. If somehow user loses focus state, that focus skill's effect immediately ends even if the skill's charge or duration remains.
Generally, a character can sustain only one focus skill at a time. If a character uses another focus skill during sustaining a focus skill, previous focus skill's effect ends and new focus skill will be activated.
Of course some enemies using focus skills. For example the Goblin Sharpshooter has an Aimed Shot skill that shoots with high accuracy and critical hit chance after aiming at a target for one round.
However, you can cancel this focus action before arrow leaves the string. There is 'interrupt' keyword which can cancel focus state. Hitting the Goblin using Aimed Shot with an interrupt skill such as Shield Bash, focus state will be canceled and Goblin will lose the shot.
Bloodied
Combatants who is below 50% of their maximum HP will be in Bloodied state. Bloodied characters suffer physical resistance penalty due to their injury and pain. Additionally, some skills are more effective to bloodied target, or only can be activated to bloodied target.
For example, a monster like Hex Shrieker has trait which deals more powerful damage to bloodied target. So this sadistic abomination is deadlier to already injured character, and also prefers to attack wounded enemies first.
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However, some characters and monsters become even more dangerous and ferocious when driven into a Bloodied state...
Willpower
Many characters in the game have willpower point, which indicates mental endurance and resilience. Certain events like fall of allied combatant nearby cause lose of willpower. Also eldritch monster such as Corrupter Worm or Hex Shrieker use mental damaging skill.
[Gif: Willpower 피해 입고 Shaken에 빠지는 모습]
A Combatant who lost too many willpower can be panicked. In the game, there are two types of state which caused by losing willpower. Combatants who is below 50% of their maximum will power will be in Shaken state.
Shaken characters suffer mental resistance penalty for their cowered mentality. However, when willpower drops to 0%, the combatant is put into Broken state. A broken character becomes out of control and immediately begins to retreat.
Permanent Death
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There are two types of characters that players can use in the game. Unique characters with personal plots and general characters without personal plots. There will probably be an opportunity to go into more detail about these two types of characters. However, characters of both types can suffer permanent death. Characters who have been permanently killed will never appear again in the game. Also, all plots of dead unique characters will be changed or blocked.
It's all thing we can mention about current developed combat system. Then until next time...