war_battle_modding

War Battle Modding Guide

Overview

PKCore's War Battle system allows you to customize character stats, abilities, and special powers in Suikoden 2 war battles. This JSON-based modding system gives you complete control over how characters perform in strategic army battles.

Note: This feature is Suikoden 2 only (GSD2). Suikoden 1 uses a different army battle system not governed by this JSON mod.

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Quick Start

1. Enable War Battle Modding

Edit BepInEx/config/faospark.pkcore.cfg:

[05 Game : Suikoden 2]
# Enable custom war battle abilities (default: true)
EnableWarAbilityMod = true

2. Configuration File Location

The war battle configuration file is located at:

<Game Root>/PKCore/Config/S2WarAbilities.json

Full path example:

D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Suikoden I and II HD Remaster\PKCore\Config\S2WarAbilities.json

⚠️ Important Note: These customizations only affect values in actua war battles (army vs army enemy encounters). They will NOT appear in Apple's war unit management UI where you organize and view your army roster. The UI shows original game stats, while actual battle encounters use your custom configurations.

3. Basic JSON Structure

{
  "globalAbilities": [],
  "characterAbilities": {
    "3347": {
      "name": "Riou",
      "abilities": ["SP_SHINING_SHIELD", "SP_MOUNT"],
      "attack": 12,
      "defense": 12,
      "bonusAttack": 3,
      "bonusDefense": 2
    }
  }
}

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How It Works

Initialization

1. Game Launch: PKCore loads S2WarAbilities.json on startup
2. War Battle Start: When a war battle begins, the mod intercepts character initialization
3. Ability Assignment: Characters receive custom abilities and stats from the JSON config
4. Usage Counts: Each ability is given 9 uses per battle (default)

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JSON Configuration

Root Structure

{
  "globalAbilities": [],        // Abilities to add to ALL characters
  "characterAbilities": {}      // Character-specific configurations
}

Global Abilities (Advanced)

Apply abilities to all characters in war battles:

{
  "globalAbilities": ["SP_MOUNT", "SP_CRITICAL"]
}

Warning: This can make battles unbalanced. Use sparingly.

Character-Specific Configuration

Each character entry can customize:

• Abilities (up to 3 with mod - normally limited to 2)
• Attack stat (base stat)
• Defense stat (base stat)
• Bonus Attack from subunits/composition via bonusAttack
• Bonus Defense from subunits/composition via bonusDefense
• Name (for documentation only, not used by game)

Full Syntax

"3347": {
  "name": "Riou",
  "abilities": ["SP_SHINING_SHIELD", "SP_MOUNT"],
  "attack": 12,
  "defense": 12,
  "bonusAttack": 3,
  "bonusDefense": 2
}

Abilities Only

"54": {
  "name": "Luc",
  "abilities": ["SP_MAGIC_WIND1", "SP_FLYING"]
}

Stats Only

"4": {
  "name": "Viktor",
  "attack": 15,
  "defense": 10
}

Minimal Entry

"93": {
  "name": "Juan",
  "abilities": ["SP_MEDICAL2"]
}

• Unspecified ability slots default to SP_NONE
• Stats remain unchanged if not specified

Assist / Composition Bonus Stats

These optional fields are best used for adjusting the extra assist/composition bonus applied to a war unit during battle. bonusAttack and bonusDefense are assist/composition bonuses, not strictly “subunit-only” fields.

• bonusAttack → sets the unit's assist attack bonus
• bonusDefense → sets the unit's assist defense bonus

Example:

"90": {
  "name": "Shu",
  "bonusAttack": 2,
  "bonusDefense": 3
}

Important:

• attack and defense change the unit's base stats
• bonusAttack and bonusDefense change the extra assist/composition bonus used in actual war battles
• These bonuses are applied in Patches/WarAbilityPatch.cs by setting assist_attack and assist_defense
• The underlying game fields live in IL2CPP/WAR_CHARA_TYPE.cs

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Available Abilities

Complete Ability List

Ability Code	In-Game Name	Description
SP_NONE	No ability	Empty slot
SP_MOUNT	Cavalry	Movement Ability Up
SP_AIMING	Ranged Ability	Attack Enemy With 5 spaces
SP_FLAME_SPEAR	Fire Spear	Fire-based attack
SP_SHINING_SHIELD	Bright Shield	Large Heal AOE
SP_HP_PLUS	Heavy Armor	Defense plus 1
SP_CRITICAL	Critical	Chance for critical damage
SP_SCOUT	Scout	Reconnaissance ability
SP_FOREST_WALK	Forest Walk	Larger are movement through forests
SP_MAGIC_WIND1	Wind Magic	Wind-based magic attack
SP_MAGIC_FIRE1	Fire Magic	Fire-based magic attack
SP_MAGIC_THUNDER1	Thunder Magic	Lightning-based attack
SP_SEE_THROUGH	Shortcut	Detect deception/traps
SP_MEDICAL1	Mend Self	Minor healing ability
SP_MEDICAL2	Heal	Heal 1 unit on a larger area
SP_THROUGH_ROAD	Evade	Provides a Chance in Avoiding Damage
SP_BODY_GUARD	Bodyguard	Increases Defense and can prevent Death
SP_CHEAR_UP	Cheer Up	Gives Extra Turn
SP_INVESTIGATION	Investigation	Success Rates Disclosed
SP_INVENTION	Invention	Damage all Surrounding units including self
SP_CONFUSED_FIGHT	Melee	Increases Damage on Magic And Arm
SP_FLYING	Flying	Same effect as cavalry's increased area
SP_KIN_SLAYER	Kin Slayer ⚠️	BLOCKLISTED - Crashes game. Ignored in config files.
SP_FORCE_MOVE	Force Move ⚠️	Can force enemy movement
SP_CHARGE	Charge ⚠️	Powerful charge attack (likely unused/cut content)
SP_MAGIC_WIND2	Wind Magic Lv2 ⚠️	BLOCKLISTED - Doesn't work. Ignored in config files.

Ability Slot Limits

• Normal Gameplay: Each character can have up to 2 abilities
• With PKCore Mod: Each character can have up to 3 abilities ⭐
• Use SP_NONE to leave slots empty
• Abilities beyond slot 3 are ignored

Pro Tip: Using the 3rd ability slot gives you more tactical flexibility! The mod unlocks this for customization.

Unused Abilities

Some abilities are defined in game code but may not function:

• SP_CHARGE: Appears to be cut/unused content. May not have any effect in-game.

Ability Usage

• Each ability starts with 9 uses per battle
• Using an ability consumes 1 use
• When uses reach 0, the ability is unavailable for that battle

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Character ID Reference

Main War Units

Character ID	Name	ATK	DEF	Abilities
3347	Riou	8	9	SP_SHINING_SHIELD
4	Viktor	8	7	None
118	Ridley	10	7	SP_CRITICAL
13	Valeria	8	8	SP_MOUNT
88	Kiba	7	12	SP_HP_PLUS, SP_MOUNT
35	Hauser	9	7	SP_MOUNT
12	George	11	8	SP_CRITICAL
120	Maximillian	6	7	SP_MOUNT
122	Gilbert	7	8	None
3	Flik	7	7	SP_MOUNT
102	Teresa	5	6	SP_AIMING
44	Ayda	6	5	SP_MEDICAL1, SP_FOREST_WALK
74	Kasumi	6	6	SP_SCOUT
123	Boris	9	8	SP_SEE_THROUGH
54	Luc	10	4	SP_MAGIC_WIND1
62	Mazus	9	6	SP_MAGIC_FIRE1

Subunits

Character ID	Name	ATK	DEF	Abilities
90	Shu	0	0	SP_CRITICAL, SP_SEE_THROUGH
86	Apple	0	0	SP_SEE_THROUGH
119	Klaus	0	0	SP_SEE_THROUGH, SP_MOUNT
19	Nanami	0	0	SP_MEDICAL1
53	Tsai	0	0	SP_FLAME_SPEAR
33	Miklotov	11	6	SP_MOUNT
34	Camus	9	8	SP_MOUNT
16	Shin	0	0	SP_CRITICAL
94	Jess	0	0	SP_SEE_THROUGH
3348	Freed Y	6	7	None
93	Huan	0	0	SP_MEDICAL2
23	Tuta	0	0	SP_MEDICAL1
11	Humphrey	0	0	SP_HP_PLUS
87	Templeton	0	0	SP_THROUGH_ROAD
117	Jeane	0	0	SP_MAGIC_THUNDER1
39	Tai Ho	0	0	None
101	Yam Koo	0	0	None
47	Oulan	0	0	SP_BODY_GUARD
113	Annallee	0	0	SP_CHEAR_UP
14	Pesmerga	0	0	SP_MOUNT
15	Lorelai	0	0	None
97	Emilia	0	0	SP_INVESTIGATION
106	Adlai	0	0	SP_INVENTION
24	Hanna	0	0	None
55	Chaco	0	0	SP_FLYING
59	Gijimu	0	0	SP_CONFUSED_FIGHT
60	Koyu	0	0	SP_MEDICAL1
61	Lowen	0	0	SP_CONFUSED_FIGHT

Finding More IDs:

1. Set DetailedLogs = true in config
2. Start a war battle with different characters
3. Check BepInEx log for character ID listings

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Example Configurations

Example 1: Buff Riou

Make Riou a powerhouse with strong abilities and stats:

{
  "globalAbilities": [],
  "characterAbilities": {
    "3347": {
      "name": "Riou",
      "abilities": ["SP_SHINING_SHIELD", "SP_MOUNT", "SP_CRITICAL"],
      "attack": 15,
      "defense": 15
    }
  }
}

Example 2: Magic Team

Boost magic users for spell-heavy strategies:

{
  "globalAbilities": [],
  "characterAbilities": {
    "54": {
      "name": "Luc",
      "abilities": ["SP_MAGIC_WIND1", "SP_FLYING"],
      "attack": 12,
      "defense": 8
    },
    "62": {
      "name": "Mazus",
      "abilities": ["SP_MAGIC_FIRE1", "SP_MAGIC_THUNDER1"],
      "attack": 12,
      "defense": 8
    },
    "117": {
      "name": "Jeane",
      "abilities": ["SP_MAGIC_THUNDER1", "SP_MEDICAL1"],
      "attack": 10,
      "defense": 8
    }
  }
}

Example 3: Cavalry Squad

Create a highly mobile mounted force:

{
  "globalAbilities": [],
  "characterAbilities": {
    "3347": {
      "name": "Riou",
      "abilities": ["SP_MOUNT", "SP_CRITICAL"],
      "attack": 13,
      "defense": 12
    },
    "3": {
      "name": "Flik",
      "abilities": ["SP_MOUNT", "SP_THROUGH_ROAD"],
      "attack": 12,
      "defense": 11
    },
    "4": {
      "name": "Viktor",
      "abilities": ["SP_MOUNT", "SP_FLAME_SPEAR"],
      "attack": 14,
      "defense": 10
    }
  }
}

Example 4: Support & Healing

Focus on healer and support characters:

{
  "globalAbilities": [],
  "characterAbilities": {
    "93": {
      "name": "Juan",
      "abilities": ["SP_MEDICAL2", "SP_CHEAR_UP"],
      "defense": 12
    },
    "113": {
      "name": "Annallee",
      "abilities": ["SP_CHEAR_UP", "SP_MEDICAL1"],
      "defense": 10
    }
  }
}

Example 5: Mixed Strategy

Balanced configuration with various roles:

{
  "globalAbilities": [],
  "characterAbilities": {
    "3347": {
      "name": "Riou",
      "abilities": ["SP_SHINING_SHIELD", "SP_MOUNT"],
      "attack": 12,
      "defense": 12
    },
    "12": {
      "name": "George",
      "abilities": ["SP_CRITICAL", "SP_SEE_THROUGH"],
      "attack": 13,
      "defense": 10
    },
    "54": {
      "name": "Luc",
      "abilities": ["SP_MAGIC_WIND1", "SP_FLYING"],
      "attack": 11,
      "defense": 8
    },
    "102": {
      "name": "Teresa",
      "abilities": ["SP_AIMING", "SP_SCOUT"],
      "attack": 10,
      "defense": 10
    }
  }
}

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Troubleshooting

Changes Not Applied

Symptoms:

• Characters have default abilities/stats
• No log messages about custom configuration

Solutions:

1. ✅ Check EnableWarAbilityMod = true in config
2. ✅ Verify JSON file is at correct location: `PKCore/Config/S2WarAbilities.json
3. ✅ Ensure character IDs are strings (in quotes): "3347" not 3347
4. ✅ Set DetailedLogs = true to see if config is loading
5. ✅ Restart the game completely after editing JSON

Invalid JSON Syntax

Common Errors:

❌ Missing comma:

{
  "3347": {
    "name": "Riou"      // Missing comma here
    "abilities": []
  }
}

✅ Correct:

{
  "3347": {
    "name": "Riou",     // Comma added
    "abilities": []
  }
}

❌ Trailing comma:

{
  "characterAbilities": {
    "3347": {},
  }  // Trailing comma before closing brace
}

✅ Correct:

{
  "characterAbilities": {
    "3347": {}
  }  // No trailing comma
}

❌ Unquoted keys/values:

{
  3347: {  // Keys must be strings
    abilities: [SP_MOUNT]  // Values must be strings
  }
}

✅ Correct:

{
  "3347": {
    "abilities": ["SP_MOUNT"]
  }
}

Wrong Character ID

Symptoms:

• Custom abilities work for some characters but not others
• Log shows "Character 0" or incorrect character names

Solutions:

1. Enable DetailedLogs = true
2. Check logs during war battle initialization
3. Look for lines like: Riou Character 3347 - ATK: 8, DEF: 9
4. Use the correct character ID from the log (3347 in this case)
5. Note: Character IDs are not the same as party slots

Abilities Not Working

Symptoms:

• Character has abilities in stats, but they don't work in battle
• Abilities show 0 uses

Solutions:

1. ✅ Verify ability name is spelled correctly (case-sensitive)
2. ✅ Use only abilities from the Available Abilities list
3. ✅ Ensure abilities are in the correct format: "SP_MOUNT" not "Mount" or "MOUNT"
4. ✅ Check for typos: SP_MAGIC_THUNDER1 not SP_THUNDER1
5. ✅ Avoid blocklisted abilities: SP_KIN_SLAYER and SP_MAGIC_WIND2 are automatically ignored

Blocklisted Abilities Ignored

Symptoms:

• You specified SP_KIN_SLAYER or SP_MAGIC_WIND2 in config
• Log shows: ⚠️ Ability 'SP_KIN_SLAYER' is blocklisted (crashes or doesn't work). Using SP_NONE instead.
• Character has fewer abilities than intended

Explanation:

• SP_KIN_SLAYER - Crashes the game if used, permanently blocklisted
• SP_MAGIC_WIND2 - Non-functional, automatically blocked to prevent wasted slots

Solutions:

1. Remove these abilities from your JSON config
2. Replace with working alternatives (see Full Syntax)
3. PKCore automatically logs warnings when blocklisted abilities are detected

Game Crashes

Symptoms:

• Game crashes when war battle starts
• Crash after editing JSON

Solutions:

1. Validate JSON syntax at JSONLint
2. Remove recently added entries to isolate problem
3. Check for invalid ability names (typos)
4. Ensure attack/defense values are numbers, not strings
5. Delete S2WarAbilities.json to reset to defaults, then rebuild

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Advanced Tips

Stat Balance Guidelines

Recommended Stat Ranges:

• Early Game: ATK 8-10, DEF 7-9
• Mid Game: ATK 10-12, DEF 9-11
• Late Game: ATK 12-15, DEF 11-14
• Overpowered: ATK 18+, DEF 17+

Avoid:

• ATK/DEF values above 20 (breaks game balance)
• DEF 0 (makes character one-shot vFLAME_SPEARble)

Ability Combinations

Offensive Combos:

• SP_MOUNT + SP_CRITICAL = Maximum damage cavalry
• SP_MAGIC_FIRE1 + SP_FLYING = Versatile mage

Defensive Combos:

• SP_SHINING_SHIELD + SP_HP_PLUS = Ultimate tank
• SP_SEE_THROUGH + SP_MOUNT = Intel specialist

Support Combos:

• SP_MEDICAL2 + SP_CHEAR_UP = Team support
• SP_THROUGH_ROAD + SP_SCOUT = Tactical control

Memory Structure

WAR_CHARA_TYPE (Character Object)
├── nouryoku[]       ← Abilities array (2 slots)
├── kaisu[]          ← Current uses remaining
├── kaisu_max[]      ← Maximum uses (9 default)
├── attack           ← Attack stat
├── defense          ← Defense stat
└── name             ← Character ID

Ability Usage System

• Uses per Battle: Each ability starts with 9 uses
• Usage Tracking: kaisu array decrements on use
• Recharge: Uses reset at battle start
• Depletion: When kaisu[slot] reaches 0, ability is disabled

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FAQ

Q: Can I mod Suikoden 1 war battles? A: No, Suikoden 1 has a different War battle. This feature is Suikoden 2 only.

Q: Will this affect regular battles? A: No, this only affects war battles (army vs army). Regular turn-based battles are unchanged.

Q: Can I give a character more than 2 abilities? A: In normal gameplay, no—characters are limited to 2 abilities. However, with PKCore's War Battle mod, you can unlock the hidden 3rd ability slot! Use the JSON config to assign up to 3 abilities per character.

Q: Do stat boosts carry over between battles? A: Yes, custom stats are permanent for that playthrough until you edit the JSON again.

Q: Can I reset to default abilities? A: Yes, delete the character entry from JSON or set abilities to original values.

Q: Why does "Character 0" appear in logs? A: These are enemy units or unrecruited characters. You typically don't modify these.

Q: Can I share my custom configurations? A: Yes! Just share your S2WarAbilities.json file. Others can place it in their PKCore/Config/ folder.

Q: Does this work with other mods? A: Yes, compatible with Suikoden Fix and other BepInEx mods. Load order doesn't matter.

Q: What happens if I specify an invalid ability? A: PKCore logs a warning and ignores that ability entry. The character will have fewer abilities than intended.

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Related Documentation

• Configuration Guide - All config options explained
• Custom Textures Guide - Replace war battle sprites/textures

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Credits

War Battle modding system designed and implemented by faospark for Project Kyaro.

For support, visit the Project Kyaro Nexus Mods page.