Evolution (Sonny 2017)

Evolutions are additional effects that can be applied by Sonny to his equipped abilities. They can increase damage or healing dealt under specific conditions, or apply different buffs to the targets, and more. Certain ability and evolution combinations can turn the tide of a fight. Only active and basic attack abilities can be evolved. Sonny unlocks evolutions after beating Zone 2 Stage 4, in which an evolution bar will be visible below his Focus bar. Once the evolution bar is completely filled, Sonny can evolve an ability. Evolving an ability will empty the whole evolution bar.
To fill up the evolution bar, Sonny needs to accumulate 100 evolution points (EP). Once Sonny has reached 100 EP, he cannot collect any more and must evolve an ability to consume all EP and to begin building it up again. The following actions will build EP:
*Hitting a target with an ability (both damaging and healing): +12 EP
*Hitting a target with an ability that scores a critical hit: +14 EP
*Being hit with an ability: +6 EP
*Being hit with an ability that scores a critical hit: +7 EP
These actions can be done multiple times during a single turn if Sonny uses an ability that can strike multiple times, such as those with the Multistrike effect or can hit all enemies/allies, or if Sonny is hit by an ability with the Multistrike effect. In addition, if Sonny uses an healing ability on himself he'll gain EP from both hitting and being hit. Note that if Sonny misses, or the enemy misses when targeting Sonny, he will not get any EP.
When the evolution bar is full, an "Evolve" button appears at the bottom of the ability tooltip. The player can then select an active or basic attack ability, even if they're on cooldown, and press the button. Pressing it will present 3 random evolutions, in which the player can only choose one of them. The player must choose an evolution in order to proceed, even if all evolutions are undesirable. After choosing an evolution, it is then applied to the selected ability, and the evolution bar is completely reset. Evolving an ability doesn't consume Sonny turn, and the player can even choose to not use the just recently evolved ability during that turn. Sonny can re-evolve an ability, but an ability can only have one evolution at a time. Re-evolving an ability will discard it's old effect. Evolutions are temporary and only lasts for the current fight, if the player leaves the battle, either through victory, loss, or quitting, all abilities will lose their evolutions. The player can earn the achievement Augmentation by evolving the same ability 3 times in a single fight.
Just like building EP, the evolution's effect can be activated multiple times if evolved on abilities that has Multistrike or hit all targets. This is noticable on evolutions that modifies damage/healing dealt, such as Final Hour. The additional strikes will recieve the benefits gained from the previous strike, and can activate the evolution again to build up the effect.
Some evolutions has certain requirements on the ability in order to be evolved it. If the ability doesn't fulfill the requirements, the evolution will never appear among the 3 choices the player is presented. Note that when the requirements are checked, it doesn't take into the ability's current evolution into account, if it has one. 
Quite a lot of the evolution's descriptions are actually a bit misleading on it's effect, mostly when it comes to damage/heal modifications. The actual effect will be listed below for evolutions that describes it's effect incorrectly.
==Passive Stat Evolutions==
Passive Stat Evolutions are always active until it's replaced or removed, and modifies some of the ability's stats.
===Amplify===
*Description: Increase the power of this ability by 30%.
*Actual effect: Increases Power scaling by +30% additively.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Will reduce healing output of healing abilities as these makes use of negative Power scaling.
===Impact===
*Description: Increase this ability's critical damage by 100%.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
===Iron Will===
*Description: Gain 50% defense as power.
*Actual effect: Increases Defense scaling by +50% additively.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Non-zero Defense scaling is not an requirement. Will also reduce healing output of healing abilities.
===Precision===
*Description: Increases hit chance by 100%.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling, and can target enemies.
===Prepare===
*Description: Reduces the max cooldown of this ability by 1 turn.
*Requirement: 4 turn cooldown or longer.
===Sharpen===
*Description: Increases this ability's critical strike chance by 50%.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: The increase is additive!
==Passive Mechanic Evolutions==
Passive Mechanic Evolutions, similar to Passive Stat Evolutions, are always active until it's replaced or removed. The difference between them is that they add a mechanic to the ability. Some of these evolutions also modifies the ability's stat like the latter, often as a penalty to very powerful mechanics. 
===Cleanse===
*Description: Dispel all debuffs from the target.
*Actual effect: Dispel up to 10 debuffs from the target.
*Requirement: Can target self and/or allies.
===Diffuse===
*Description: Hit all targets, but increases cooldown by one turn and reduces power by 25%.
*Actual Effect: Strike the target's teammates as well, but increases cooldown by 1 turn and reduces Power scaling by -25% additively.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Will increase healing output of healing abilities as these makes use of negative Power scaling.
===Fury===
*Description: Gain an additional strike, but reduces damage by 50%.
*Actual Effect: Gain an additional strike, but reduces Power scaling by -50% additively.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling, and can target enemies.
*Note: When evolved on an ability with exactly 50% Power scaling (Blaze Aura & Venom Claw), that ability will deal no damage/healing at all. When evolved on an ability with less than 50% Power scaling (Flame Jet & Pulse), that ability will heal the enemy target!
===Life Link===
*Description: Gain 65% of damage or healing back as HP.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Triggers Post-Execute, meaning it heals after the last hit based on total damage dealth.
===Piercing===
*Description: Ignore armor and deal 10% extra damage but gain one turn additional cooldown.
*Actual effect: Ignore Defense, increase Power scaling by +10% additively, but increases cooldown by 1 turn.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling, and can target enemies.
===Silence===
*Description: Silence the target's previous ability for 2 turns.
*Requirement: Can target enemies, and has a 4 turn cooldown or longer.
===Stagger===
*Description: Each hit also reduces the target's focus by 20.
*Reqiuirement: Non-zero Power scaling, and can target enemies.
==Conditional Mechanic Evolutions==
These evolutions will only take effect if a specific condition is met. The evolutions that increases damage/healing dealt will stack additively when evolved on abilities that can strike multiple times, and those abilities are executed.
===Alternate===
*Description: Gain 50% power if the previous ability was a different element.
*Actual effect: Increases damage/healing by 50%.
*Condition: Previously used ability had a different element.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Reaction triggers twice on first strike, resulting in a 100% damage/healing increase. Can never activate multiple times as the first hit counts as having used the ability.
===Desperation===
*Description: If your HP is below 50%, this ability gains 100% critical strike chance.
*Condition: Sonny's HP is less than 50%.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling, and can target enemies.
===Final Hour===
*Description: Gain 100% power on targets with less than 50% HP.
*Actual effect: Increases damage/healing by 100%.
*Condition: Targets has less than 50% HP.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Reaction triggers twice on first strike, resulting in a 200% damage/healing increase. Stacks additively (+100%) on successive strikes, as long as the condition is met.
===Consume===
*Description: Killing blows also restore HP equal to 200% of the damage done.
*Condition: Kill the enemy target.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling, and can target enemies.
===Opening Gambit===
*Description: Deal double damage to targets with full HP.
*Actual effect: Increases damage/healing by 100%.
*Condition: Targets have full HP.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling, and can target enemies.
*Note: Reaction triggers twice on first strike, resulting in a 200% damage/healing increase. Will keep the damage/healing bonus on successive strikes from multistrike abilities. Stacks additively (+100%) on successive strikes as long as the condition is met ("AoE" abilities).
===Overwhelm===
*Description: Gain 50% extra power against targets with less than 50 focus.
*Actual Effect: Increases damage/healing by 50%.
*Condition: Targets has less than 50 focus.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling, and can target enemies.
*Note: Reaction triggers twice on first strike, resulting in a 100% damage/healing increase. Stacks additively (+50%) on successive strikes, as long as the condition is met.
===Rapid Strikes===
*Description: Critical strikes with this ability also restore 30 Focus.
*Requirement: Non-zero Power scaling.
==Buff Evolutions==
Buff Evolutions are functionally the same as Passive Mechanic Evolutions, they both add a mechanic to the ability. All of these evolutions are similar in one way though, their mechanic is applying a specific buff to either the caster or the target, when the evolved ability is used. All the buffs applied from evolutions here have the buff condition Turn End, with the exception of Barrier which has the condition Turn Start. All Turn End buffs will have their duration reduced by 1 turn when the buff is self-applied. As Nourish actually does something when it triggers, restoring HP, only it will have not been considered wasting a turn.
A common theme for these evolutions is that they can be applied on abilities with 0% Power scaling (Guard & Stone Form), as long as they fulfill the other requirements.
===Barrier===
*Description: After using this skill, gain Shield (Gain 100% damage reduction for 1 turn).
*Actual effect: After using this ability, gain Shield (Gain 100% damage reduction and 50% more healing for 3 turns).
*Requirement: 4 turn cooldown or longer.
*Note: The buff applied from this evolution will actually always expire on Turn End.
===Empower===
*Description: Apply Empower (gain power) to target.
*Requirement: Can target self and/or allies.
===Erode===
*Description: Apply Breach (reduced defense) to the target.
*Requirement: Can target enemies.
===Haste===
*Description: "Apply Haste (increased speed) to target."
*Requirement: Can target self and/or allies.
===Nourish===
*Description: Apply Regen (healing each turn) to the target.
*Requirement: Can target self and/or allies.
===Resonance===
*Description: Gain 75% extra elemental power after using this ability.
*Actual effect: Applies the positive buff Resonance on Sonny for 3 turns.
*Requirement: None.
===Weaken===
*Description: Apply Weaken (reduced power) to target.
*Requirement: Can target enemies.
==Element Evolutions==
These evolutions can only be evolved on abilities with a specific element. Otherwise they also belong to one of the above categories.
===Apocalypse===
*Description: Increases power by 100%, and cooldown by 2 turns.
*Actual Effect: Increases Power scaling by +100% additively, and cooldown by 2 turns.
*Requirement: Fire element, and non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Works the same as Passive Stat Evolutions.
===Bleed===
*Description: Apply Bleed (extra damage when hit) to the target.
*Requirement: Physical element, and can target enemies.
*Note: Works the same as Buff Evolutions. Buff condition is Turn End.
===Dark Torrent===
*Description: Gain Haste (increased speed) after using this ability.
*Requirement: Shadow element.
*Note: Works the same as Buff Evolutions. Is similar to the evolution Haste, with the difference being the requirement, and that this evolution can be evolved on abilities that only target enemies.
===Fragile===
*Description: Critical strikes deal 100% extra damage.
*Requirement: Frost element, and non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Works the same as Passive Stat Evolutions. Has exactly the same effect as Impact.
===Reactive Armor===
*Description: Increases defense by 100% for one turn.
*Actual effect: Applies the positive buff Reactive Armor on Sonny for 3 turns.
*Requirement: Nature element.
*Note: Works the same as Buff Evolutions. Buff condition is Turn Start, but it will actually always expire on Turn End.
===Static Potential===
*Description: Gain 50% extra power if you have a Lightning buff.
*Actual effect: Increases damage/healing by 50%.
*Condition: Sonny has a Lightning buff.
*Requirement: Lightning element, and non-zero Power scaling.
*Note: Works the same as Conditional Mechanic Evolutions. Reaction triggers twice on first strike, resulting in a 100% damage/healing increase. Stacks additively on successive strikes, as long as the condition is met.
==Trivia==
*When Sonny 3 was in development, there was going to be a similar mechanic called Overload, which would give extra effects to abilities. These would include adding stun to a skill or for a status effect to do more damage. Using a skill that was Overloaded would have had an extra cost of some kind.
*Blaze Aura, Ice Wall and Disrupt can target any unit, which can lead to these abilities being able to apply negative buffs to self or allies, and apply buffs to enemies.
*It's possible to earn the achievement R & D in a single run, as long as the player chooses the Shadow Strain when prompted. This is because the ability Chroma Shell, from the mentioned strain, can change it's own element. This means that most Element Evolutions can be evolved on it. The exception is Bleed, but since the player always has access to the Physical Strain, this doesn't become a problem.
*Resonance is the only evolution that can be applied to any Active or Basic Attack Ability.
Category:Game Mechanics
Category:Sonny (2017)