Tutorial 4

Tutorial 4: The Raging Barbarian (Sequencer Visuals)

Goal: Let's give a barbarian a terrifying entrance when they rage! We are going to create an Overlay that plays a one-time effect over the token, leaves a persistent aura swirling underneath them, and slightly increases their physical size. Then, we will learn how to manipulate the Visage Selector HUD to control which effect takes priority when multiple overlays are stacked.

Prerequisites

• Role: Player or Game Master
• Required Modules: Visage, Sequencer, and an animation library like JB2A.

Concepts Covered

• Adding Visual Effects and adjusting their Scale
• Using Layer Priority (Above vs. Below the token)
• Toggling Loop playback for one-time effects
• Changing Token Grid Dimensions
• Dragging and dropping Overlays in the Selector HUD to change stack priority

Step-by-Step Guide

Phase 1: Token Size and the Persistent Aura

1. Create a New Visage: Open your Local Library or the Global Library and create a new Visage. Name it "Rage" and ensure the Mode is set to Overlay.

2. Change the Size: In the Visage Editor, with Token Appearance selected in the Layers list, tick the boxes for X Dimension and Y Dimension in the Size & Fit section and set them both to 1.2. This will make the barbarian look slightly more imposing when they rage.

   Tip: Changing the token image scale to 120% would be better here, but to illustrate how Overlays stack, we are using X Dimension and Y Dimension as we already have another Visage that affects these settings.

3. Add the Background Aura: Click the + button at the top of the Layers list and choose Visual effect. Its settings open on the right.

   • In the File Path field, paste: jb2a.aura_themed.01.orbit.loop.metal.01.red or find another effect from the Sequencer Database.

   • In the Placement section, set the Layer Priority to Below Token. The effect moves to the Below Token group in the Layers list.

   • Increase the Scale: Because this effect sits underneath the token, increase the Scale (%) to 150 or 200 so it extends visibly beyond the token's borders.

   • Check it Loops: In the header of the effect's settings, the Loop Effect button (the circular arrows) is switched on by default, so the aura keeps swirling while the Visage is applied.

     Tip: Because we are not setting an image appearance in this Overlay, the Live Preview shows a "Domino" mask icon as a placeholder so you can see how it would look. When you hover over the Live Preview area, a grid button appears among the stage controls. If you turn this on, it shows the size of the token square.

Phase 2: The One-Time Burst

1. Add the Foreground Burst: Click + and choose Visual effect again to create a second visual effect.

   • In the File Path field, paste: jb2a.condition.boon.01.004.red
   • Check the Layer Priority is set to Above Token (the default).

2. Turn Off Looping: We only want this fiery explosion to happen the moment the barbarian enters their rage. In the header of the effect's settings, click the Loop Effect button (the circular arrows) to switch it off.

   Tip: To move a visual effect between Above Token and Below Token, change its Layer Priority. Dragging a layer in the Layers list only changes its order within its group.

3. Save: Click the Save button in the bottom corner of the editor.

Testing It Out (The Active Stack)

Let's see how Visage handles conflicting instructions!

1. Apply the Rage: Select your token and apply your new "Rage" Visage. You will see the fiery burst play once, the metallic aura loop underneath, and the token grow to a 1.2 x 1.2 size.

2. Apply the Enlarge Buff: Now, apply the "Enlarge" Overlay you built in Tutorial 2 (which changes the size to 2 x 2). Your token will instantly grow to 2 x 2. Visage reads from the top down; because "Enlarge" was applied last, it sits at the top of the stack and its size settings win!

3. Re-order the Stack: Right-click the token and open the Visage Selector HUD. At the top, you will see your two active Overlays. Click and drag the "Rage" overlay so it sits above the "Enlarge" overlay.

4. Watch the Canvas: The token immediately shrinks back to 1.2 x 1.2! By dragging and dropping, you told Visage that the Rage size takes priority over the Enlarge size.

   Tip: You could also have toggled the visibility of the "Enlarge" Visage off to achieve the same result.

Pro-Tips & Creative Ideas

• Blend Modes: In the Look section of a visual effect's settings, you will see a setting for Blend Mode. All JB2A animations have built-in transparency, so they look great on Normal. However, if you ever use your own video files that have a solid black background, change the Blend Mode to Screen or Lighten. This will turn the black background invisible. For a solid white background, use Multiply or Darken.

• Replaying One-Time Effects: If you want to see your fiery burst again without having to completely remove and re-apply the Rage Visage, simply open the Selector HUD and toggle the "Show/Hide" icon (the eye) on the Rage overlay off and back on. Showing an overlay will automatically replay any of its one-time effects.

  Tip: If you refresh the canvas, the module will only re-enable persistent effects. After all, they've already made their entrance.