======================================= = = = E S S E N C E E N F O R C E R = = = ======================================= FOREWORD -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The main intention of this battle system was to give the player only -indirect- control over the skills available to them. In order to set yourself up to use a particular spell, a player has to perform two steps beforehand - they must first give an enemy the appropriate Essence, and they must then coax that enemy in to giving -them- that Essence. This brings a number of desirable skills to the forefront of the battle system. In order to succeed, the player must pay much closer attention to their enemies than in other RPGs. They have to know which spells the enemy can cast, which ones deal damage, as well as which of their own skills are appropriate against that enemy. This means the player must make a weighted decision. Do they weather an unpleasant enemy attack, or do they forfeit use of a powerful skill? Either way, the player is forced to make calculated sacrifices. They will suffer a setback of some kind no matter what their choice is--they will either take damage, or lose options. But, by making wise decisions, the player can convert that setback into an advantage and gain progress. In design, this is what people mean when they say "meaningful trade-offs." CORE MECHANICS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ESSENCES - Each battler has five Essences (Physical, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air). In order to use any actions, the battler must spend the corresponding Essence. Only one of each Essence may be held by each battler. Essences are gained by being dealt that element of damage. Taking Fire damage generates a Fire Essence for the target, which they may spend to cast a single Fire spell. Afterwards, they must take Fire damage again before they may cast another Fire spell. SURGE ---- If a battler does not hold any Essences at the start of their turn, that battler will Surge. When a battler Surges, they gain one of each Essence and they discard any stat reduction they might have, as well as most status debuffs. For that turn, the battler will deal triple damage. Surging also triggers certain skills. SKILL ---- Player characters have up to 16 slots in which they may equip skills. Different SLOTS characters have differing arrays of these slots. For example, Rita has 4 Physical slots and 3 of each other kind, meaning she can equip four Physical spells of her choosing, as well as three of each other element of skill. Passive spells count towards this limit. ESSENCE -- If a character has no available spells to cast, but is unable to Surge (example: BURN they have a Fire Essence, but all of their Fire skills are passive abilities), they will suffer from Essence Burn. The battler takes a large percentage of maximum HP as damage and forfiets their turn. STRATEGIES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SHIELDING ---- Consider giving frail actors abilities that grant them Shield status. This boon completely negates one incoming attack, and is then consumed. When facing fewer but more powerful enemies, this can give them reliable insurance against high burst damage. Against steadier, more plentiful damage, Shield becomes less worthwhile. ESSENCE DENIAL ---- If you find yourself struggling with a single particular attack, try to deny the user the Essence they need to use that attack. Several skills (e.g. Tyrannize) remove choice Essences from their targets, allowing you to cherry-pick which skills the enemy can cast. Be aware, however, that keeping the enemy on the cusp of Surging can backfire horribly on the unskilled. SURGING ---- Speaking of Surge, builds that focus on abusing the many benefits are perfectly viable. In order to prevent your opponents from giving you unwanted Essences, employ Shield effects and Ban spells to block and nullify incoming attacks. From there, bring high-damage attacks to capitalize on the Surge damage boost in the grandest fashion possible. Several passives, such as Endure, also benefit from Surge, so be sure to take a look at those! If pursuing a Surge build, consider giving the other player character the skill Bodyguard. Not only does it help protect the party, it helps that ally achieve Surge faster, because the Bodyguard user will be getting all of the Essence from incoming attacks! CHARGE AND PRAYER COMBOS ---- There are two cycles of spells--Charges and Prayers--that are shared by all elements. A Charge spell makes the user deal triple damage with a given element on the following turn. A Prayer spell gives every battler other than the user (both friend and foe) an Essence of the chosen element. Normally, Charge spells require that the user be lucky and get hit with the appropriate element of attack, or else the effect is wasted. Using these spells in tandem, though, guarantees that the combo will go off--as long as the enemy can't remove that Essence. Quick additional tip: If you see that an enemy has only one Essence remaining, and you know that they use a damaging attack for that Essence, you can abuse that knowledge by casting the appropriate Charge spell. They will have no choice but to hit you, completing your combo attack for you! DEATHBLOW AND ORBITAL STRIKE ---- These spells deal dramatic damage to targets that have no Essences, but are lackluster otherwise. They can seem worthless or unwieldly at first, but there's a trick. Employ these spells alongside Essence-removing spells to more reliably benefit from their added damage. For added effect, stack offensive buffs and defensive debuffs. As icing, non-damaging buff and debuff spells don't give your enemy unwanted Essences! INFERNO AND GREAT FLOOD ---- These are both high-power nukes that hit every target in play--friend, foe, and user alike. While they might seem pointless at first glance, they have several redeeming qualities that can make them the lynchpins of powerful offensive builds. There are several passive skills labeled "SOS" skills. What better way to trigger these abilities than by lowering one's own HP? In addition, these spells grant their Essence to everyone they hit--including the caster and their ally. That makes these two spells the only true "spammable" spells in the game, for those times when you need reliable damage above all else. They can also be used to set up combo attacks with an ally's Charge spell, as if they were the corresponding Prayer--while dealing a large chunk of damage in the process! Lastly, for those without the courage to pursue one of the above strategies, party-protecting spells like Vanguard, Warmth, and Fortify can be used to make the spells weaker against your party, making them into boring old nukes. For shame. CRITICAL HITS ---- Critical hits never occur on their own--they always require that an ability dictate when they occur. For example, the spell Glaciate makes the target take critical hits from incoming Physical spells for a short time. Passives that benefit from critical hits are in no short supply, making a critical build perfectly viable. ENEMIES THAT HEAL AND SHIELD ---- Some enemies you encounter will be just as savvy as players about self-preservation, and will use HP recovery, Shield effects, or both in order to sustain themselves through the player's onslaught. Fortunately, several skills exist specifically to counter such play. There are skills that ignore Shields or remove them outright, and there are skills that can prevent HP recovery and otherwise punish it. Be warned, however, that especially savvy foes might use these skills to break -your- sustain!