Roq

**Roq Epimetheos** is the protagonist of *Songbringer* and the cause of the world's (prospective) doom.

## Background

You play the role of protagonist and accidental hero, Roq Epimetheos. With a propensity for partying and making music, he cruises the galaxy with his skybot Jib aboard the ship Songbringer, searching for verdant planets absent the presence of galactic police.

When Roq finds the Nanosword hidden in a cave on Ekzera, he unwittingly awakens an ancient evil. The sword is pretty fraggin' sweet though. It... hums.

## Gameplay

Roq Epimetheos, always controlled by Player 1, is the primary driver of gameplay - most Weapons are only usable by Roq, zone transitions only occur when Roq walks into the boundary, and the primary way to lose the game is to have Roq's Courage be reduced to zero.

### Courage

Roq's proximity to death is measured via the Courage gauge in the lower-right corner of the play area. He starts with 3 max Courage, and there are several ways to increase both current Courage (only up to max Courage) and max Courage:

* Each Small Demon's Tooth restores one Courage. These items are frequently obtained from slain enemies and bosses, opened black boxes, destroyed pillars, and trampled grass; they can also be purchased for 2 Diamonds from shops.
* Collecting a Demon's Tooth (or collecting the final of four Quarter Demon's Tooth items) increases max Courage by 1 and sets current Courage to max Courage; in addition, any fear ghosts left in the room are killed instantly. There are enough of these valuable items to increase max Courage to an upper limit of 14.
* Using Meditate to rest in empty rooms slowly restores Courage over time.
* Using a Courage Refill gradually raises current Courage up to max Courage; in addition, it grants an opportunity to save the game without exiting to the main menu.
* Consuming a Cactus restores 1 Courage and grants a brief period of invulnerability on the first use in a room. Subsequent rapid consumption will grant greatly-shortened invulnerability periods (or not grant invulnerability at all), but will still restore 1 Courage per consumed Cactus.
* Drinking a flask of Spirits gradually raises current Courage up to max Courage. Courage restoration does not stop until max Courage is reached, making this a very potent tool for staying alive in tough scenarios.

### Defense

Roq initially takes full damage from all damage types and is susceptible to all status effects. There are several ways to reduce Courage loss and inconvenience due to these effects:

* The Courage Shield (Upgraded/Maxed), only active while Roq is stationary, absorbs a single instance of damage at a time, usually stopping it from applying to Courage. If the damage magnitude is higher than the shield's absorption abilities, excess damage bypasses the shield and damages Courage normally. Additionally, the Courage Shield reflects projectiles produced by cyan pillars, preventing them from damaging Roq.
* Consuming a Cactus, in addition to restoring 1 Courage, grants a brief period of invulnerability (indicated by Roq flashing white) which decreases in length if additional cacti are consumed soon after the first.
* Shadrach's Tear makes Roq immune to hot tiles and rooms, hazards found in The Dark Catacombs and The Fiery Depths. (However, it does not reduce Courage loss due to other heat-based hazards or attacks.)
* Sand's Locket reduces Courage loss due to ice damage, but does not stop the slowing effects of ice attacks.
* The Circuit Breaker reduces Courage loss due to lightning damage.
* Playa Dust reduces Courage loss due to acid damage, both from the initial hit and from the damage-over-time effect.
* Enlightenment makes Roq immune to the fear status effect.
* Using Meditate in an otherwise-empty room makes Roq immune to water dragon bullets and suicide flyers until the action is halted.
	+ Using **Battle Meditation**, Meditate's upgrade, in any room grants Roq almost-perfect invulnerability (though this also renders him unable to attack).

### Economy

Roq starts the game with the ability to carry up to 255 Diamonds at once. The following Items improve Roq's ability to carry various useful goods:

* The Sack and its Medium and Large upgrades increases Roq's Diamond-carrying capacity from 255 up to 511, 767, and 1023, respectively.
* Each Cactus Pouch increases Roq's Cactus capacity by 3. The upper limit on Cactus capacity is 27, achieved at 9 Cactus Pouches.
* Each Empty Flask can hold one dose of Spirits. (A specific shop converts Empty Flasks into Spirits for 20 Diamonds each.) The upper limit on Spirits capacity is 3, achieved by filling three Empty Flasks with Spirits.
* Each Matter Bomb Container increases Roq's Matter Bomb capacity by 4. The upper limit on Matter bomb capacity is 52, achieved at 13 Matter Bomb Containers.
* Each Kilobomb Container increases Roq's Kilobomb capacity by 3. The upper limit on Kilobomb capacity is 9, achieved at 3 Kilobomb Containers.

### Movement

Roq initially is restricted to traversing solid ground at a semi-slow speed. The following items improve Roq's movement abilities:

* The Blink Orb allows Roq to phase diagonally between obstacles to a floor tile on the other side. Extended and Maxed versions increase maximum teleportation distance, allowing Roq to warp through up to two rows of obstacles in the cardinal directions as well.
* The Boots improve Roq's movement speed somewhat.
	+ The **Hyper Boots**, an optional upgrade to the Boots, greatly improve movement speed (they also lay Lightning mines periodically).
* The Teleport Cube, once obtained, allows Roq to teleport at will from any empty room in the Overworld (including underground rooms) to the *Songbringer* ship, any discovered Courage Refill, or the last location from which he teleported.