Repository navigation
Abilities
These are the things players can choose to learn, to develop their character as they gain more levels.
They are the primary way in which player characters gain power. Stuff like hp, mp, and stamina do not increase that much with levels, but a high-level character has many more abilities than a low-level one.
These have no use in adventuring, but form prerequisites for more advanced abilities, particularly of the magical sort.
- Mathematics: used for Physics, Chemistry, Informatics, and various spells in the "System" school of magic.
- Physics: used for most "Mechanics" skills, and "Thaumaturgy" magic.
- Chemistry: used for "Medicine" skills, and some "Mechanics" skills involving chemicals
- Biology: used for "Medicine" skills, "Wildlore", "Finesse" melee skills
- Informatics: used for "System" magic, and some advanced "Thaumaturgy" magic.
- Language: used for Informatics, History, "Influence" skills.
- Athletics: used for various melee skill types, e.g. "Brute", "Finesse", "Weaponmastery".
- History: encompasses general knowledge about human cultures, history, artifacts, and geography, and is used for "Influence" skills and some "Subterfuge" skills.
- Finesse: precision-type melee skills.
- Brute: ditto but strength-based.
- Subterfuge: stealth, disguise, ambush.
- Medicine: healing, removing status effects.
- Wildlore: foraging, camouflage, wilderness ambush.
- Weaponmastery: bladed weapons: covers all sharp non-mass weapons from the spear to the sword.
- Weaponmastery: mass weapons: covers all mass weapons from the staff to the axe.
- Weaponmastery: two-handed: parry shorter weapons well, nice damage.
- Weaponmastery: shield: nice defence, easy to block missiles.
- Weaponmastery: two-weapon: gain defence when attacking, more attacks than normal.
- Weaponmastery: bow: usage of secondary ranged weapon (ranged weapons are never a primary weapon).
- Mechanics: usage of crossbow, volatile reagents, traps, and is generally used in many "Thaumaturgy" spells.
- Influence: trading in cities, gaining followers.
- Thaumaturgy: umbrella term referring to the ability to transfer energy between short-range points.
- Thaumaturgy: thermal: concerning the transfer of thermal energy from one point to another. Many creative uses for such a simple idea, usually involving some "Mechanics" related devices.
- Thaumaturgy: electromagnetism: concerning the manipulation of electromagnetic waves and electricity. Many creative uses for this simple idea.
- System: a kind of "divination"-like magic. Spy on others, see far distances, see while blind, sense ambushes, instant reflexes, predict enemy movements.
- Discipline: a magic related to altering one's own body. Drains physical stamina rather than mental power, but is learnt better by high-intelligence characters. Examples include adrenal strength, regeneration, enduring status effects.
Abilities are learnt with "learning points", which are gained each level.
Each ability can cost only 50% of the base cost, or up to 150% of the base cost, depending on the intelligence or dexterity attributes (sometimes a mix).
For example, the Brute skills tend to take few points to learn, and are learnt faster with high dexterity. The "System" school of spells rely on intelligence instead. And ability types like "Finesse", "Subterfuge", and "Discipline" use a mixture of the two.
Magical spell abilities tend to require many non-ability-granting prerequisites, such as Physics or Mathematics. Therefore players trying to build their characters towards magic tend to have high intelligence, and need to gain a few more levels before they can feel powerful.
Conversely, characters focused on "Brute" skills gain power fast and early, but those skills tend to be less powerful compared to equivalent "Finesse" skills. For a smooth early game, players can choose to learn a few "Brute" skills early to tide them over.
Intelligence is more-frequently useful for reducing the cost of learning abilities. Most skills are affected at least partially by it. On the other hand, intelligence grants little other benefit, aside from improving spell power.
These are straightforward: you do them, they instantly happen and take effect.
Some Active abilities apply debuffs.
Some Active abilities can improve your positioning.
Some Active abilities "use up" your positioning to do a more powerful attack than normal.
These abilities are rare, and you can only have one up to Level 9, two from 10 to 14, three from 15 to 19, four from 20 to 24, and five at 25.
You pick passive abilities using your practice points just like normal skills, but you can only learn 5 in your character's lifetime.
They are always in effect, which is what makes them so powerful and worthy of being restricted like this.
(If it turns out that intelligence is an under-powered stat, I may re-balance the game by giving high-intelligence characters more "slots" for passive abilities.)
You can toggle buff abilities on. They drain mp or stamina, and cost mp or stamina up-front. If mp or stamina drop too low, all relevant buffs will fall.
You cannot have more than 5 buffs active at any time. (It seems to me stacking too many buffs could be OP, especially for characters who build high wil/con: will re-balance if necessary.)
You can apply debuffs. Some debuffs, such as bleeding or burning, can stack with one another to increase in intensity. Some are binary: e.g. damaging someone's equilibrium means they cannot use mental abilities, and once it recovers, they can. Some are quantified, but cannot stack, e.g. a "weak" debuff.