Effect Types

## **Buff**

A buff is any status effect given to a hero or a minion that gives them a beneficial boost to their performance. The opposite is called a debuff. Buffs can benefit almost any attribute of a character, such as health, mana, attack damage, and ability power, but may provide more than mere stat changes in some cases. Most buffs are temporary, but some may be permanent (such as Doma Umaru's ***Cola Lover*** permanently granting a range increase for his basic attacks and vision). Most, but not all, are lost upon death.

Some buffs can stack up to a predetermined number of times, but most buffs will not stack with themselves. This means that repeated applications of the buff to the same target will not grant any increased effect and will only cause the buff duration to reset.

Some abilities that have a unique cooldown before they can be used on the same enemy twice such as Sha Wujing's ***Moon Tooth Spade*** and Misaka Mikoto's ***Sensory Perception*** are not considered to be buffs applied to an enemy.

There are several sources for buffs in 300 Heroes; specifically, abilities, giant monsters, field-specific buffs, items and summoner spells.

## **Debuff**

A debuff is any status effect given to a hero, minion or monster that negatively impacts their combat performance in some way. The inverse is called a buff. Among other things, debuffs can directly lower a unit's stats, cause damage over time or be triggered with subsequent attacks for additional effects. All forms of crowd control fall under the debuff classification as they inhibit a unit's ability to fight directly.

Unless otherwise stated, debuffs cannot stack with themselves, with repeated applications upon the same target simply causing the debuff duration to reset and not incurring increased effectiveness. All debuffs are either temporary or conditional and do not persist after the affected target's death.

Resource expenditure linked to ability usage (such as with most Mana and Energy using heroes) is not considered to be a debuff. Abilities with certain tradeoff mechanics (such as the increasing mana cost of Usopp's ***Hissatsu Dai Bakuhatsu Boshi [R]*** or the decreased attack range in Expert Fisherman's ***Tidehunter Form [R]***) are also not considered to be a debuff.

There are currently 4 sources of debuffs: hero abilities, summoner spells, item effects and neutral monsters.

## **Crowd Control**

Crowd control (commonly shortened to CC) is a blanket term used from the famous game **League of Legends** and also used in **300 Heroes** to describe abilities or spells that remove or diminish the control a target unit has over aspects of itself - aspects such as being able to cast spells or initiate movement commands. As crowd controls impact a unit's combat ability, they are essentially more specialized forms of debuffs - however, this ability to directly hinder a unit's ability to fight means that crowd controls are often given significantly more importance in regular gameplay than normal debuffs, resulting in their special classification.

There are many different forms of crowd control in the game, each of which is unique in the way it affects its target and the ways it can - if at all - be resisted, mitigated or removed. Some crowd controls can be exclusive or near-exclusive to certain heroes or items, and different heroes can apply the same crowd control in multiple different ways.

The following are the current forms of crowd control that exist within 300 Heroes:

* **Airborne:** A unit that is airborne is unable to control its movement, attack or cast abilities for the duration. The duration is also unaffected by crowd control reduction and cannot be removed by cleansing effects.
	+ **Knock aside:** A knock aside causes the target to be made airborne in a direction perpendicular to the direction of cast.
	+ **Knockback:** A knockback causes the target to be made airborne in a direction away from the point of cast. The duration depends on how far the target travels.
	+ **Knockup:** A knock up causes the target to be made airborne on the spot. The duration depends on how high is the target thrown into the air.
	+ **Pull:** A pull effect causes the target to be made airborne in a direction toward the point of cast.
* **Blind:** A unit that is blinded will miss its basic attacks for the duration. Miss occurs on-hit and does not prevent attacks from being declared.
* **Coma:** A coma causes the target to be unable to control its movement, attack, cast abilities or use spells (including **Cleanse**) by forcing the target to channel the coma's duration.
* **Disarm:**: A unit that is disarmed cannot declare attacks, cast abilities or activate items for the duration. The duration cannot be removed by cleansing effects.
* **Forced Action:** A unit that is under the effect of a forced action cannot control its own movement or attacks, and is unable to cast abilities.
	+ **Charm:** A unit that is charmed will move toward the source for the duration.
	+ **Fear:** A unit that is feared move around randomly for the duration.
	+ **Flee:** A unit that is fleeing will move directly away from the source for the duration.
	+ **Taunt:** A unit that is taunted will attempt to perform basic attacks on the source of the taunt for the duration.
* **Immobilize:** A unit that is immobilized is unable to control its movement for the duration and if that unit is immobilized while moving or taking any drastic action (like dashing), the unit's animation is frozen instead, disabling all target's actions (occasionally referred to as an imprison, snare or root).
* **Nearsight:** A unit that is nearsighted has their Sight radius reduced to see only themselves or specified units and loses their allied vision (i.e their ability to see what their allies see). The duration is not reduced by crowd control reduction and it cannot be removed by any means.
* **Remove:** A unit that is removed is disappeared from the game for the duration. The duration is also unaffected by crowd control reduction.
* **Silence:** A unit that is silenced cannot cast abilities or activate items for the duration.
* **Sleep:** A sleeping unit cannot perform any actions for the duration and it can be awakened by the damage from enemies.
* **Slow:** A unit that is slowed has reduced movement and/or attack speed for the duration.
* **Stasis:** A unit that is in stasis is unable to perform any action while being untargetable and invulnerable. The duration of this effect is unaffected by crowd control reduction. The effect can't be removed by cleansing effects and can't be blocked by crowd control immunity.
* **Stun:** A unit that is stunned is unable to move, attack or cast abilities for the duration.
	+ **Suspension:** A unit that is suspended is considered to be airborne. For countering purposes, it's considered a stun.
* **Suppression:** A unit that is suppressed is unable to control its movement, attack, cast abilities or use spells. The duration of this effect is unaffected by crowd control reduction. The effect can't be removed by cleansing effects and can't be blocked by crowd control immunity.
* **Time Freeze:** A unit that is frozen is unable to control its movement, attack, cast abilities or use spells. The duration of this effect is unaffected by crowd control reduction. The effect can't be removed by cleansing effects and can't be blocked by crowd control immunity.

## **On-Hit Effects**

On-hit effects are effects that are triggered when a hero's basic attacks hits an enemy, and by a selected few abilities. A basic attack or ability that applies on-hit effects can apply any number of these effects at once.

Most on-hit effects will contain the words "on-hit" in their description. If they do not, they may be an on-attack effect instead.

Critical strike is not considered an on-hit effect. A few selected abilities can critically strike, but this should not be mistaken for standard functionality.

In almost all cases, the attack that triggers an on-hit effect may still critically strike and apply life steal. Also in most cases, critically striking will not affect the damage of the on-hit effect, unless explicitly said otherwise.

Life steal applies to all physical damage dealt on-hit, including any sourced from on-hit effects.

Damage dealt to enemies beyond your target through splash damage will not apply life steal. That is unless the damaging effect specifically states that on-hit effects will apply to all enemies damaged (such as Lu Bu's ***Blood Thirsty Killer [Q]***).

## **On-Attack Effects**

On-attack effects are a special category, similar to on-hit effects, but are applied only when a hero performs basic attacks. Unlike on-hit effects, on-attack effects are not affected by dodge, block, or blind.

On-attack effects are not considered on-hit effects by abilities or other effects.

On-attack effects can be distinguished from on-hit effects in that the description will not use the words "on hit".

## **On-Spell Effects**

On-spell effects are effects that trigger on a hero's damaging abilities. They apply to all damaging abilities, with the exception of on-hit effects or abilities that specify that they apply on-hit effects. Abilities can apply any number of spell effects at once.

On-spell effects occur when your hero's ability deals damage, rather than when the ability is cast. They won't trigger if the ability is blocked or you miss the ability.

## **Area of Effect**

Area of effect (or AoE) is a term used in many role-playing and strategy games to describe attacks or spells that can affect multiple targets within a specified area. Spell Vamp has reduced effect when used with AoE abilities.

The following are the current forms of AoE (are of effect) that exist within 300 Heroes:

* **Aura:** The Aura is a passive modifier to units that are near the aura source, which may be a hero that has the aura thanks to an ability of his own or to an item he is holding, or an object, which can only be placed by a hero. Some auras buff allies, increasing their effectiveness in battle, while others debuff enemies, hindering their efforts on the battlefield. In almost all cases aura effects are unique, and cannot be stacked. There are two types of auras:
	+ **Global:** These auras have a global range and grant bonuses to the allies of the hero that carries it.
	+ **Area of effect:** This is the most common aura type, and refer to auras that will only grant bonuses or debuffs to units near the aura source. These divide themselves depending on whether they need activation or are persistent.
		- **Constant:** These auras give bonuses to allies or debuff enemies around the carrier of the aura constantly.
		- **Stance:** These auras give bonuses to allies for as long as the carrier has the aura-granting stance active.
		- **Active:** These auras are active only for a few seconds after the ability that grants it is activated.

* **Chain:** Chain area of effect spells start their effect with a single target, but, if there is another valid target within the range of the chain, the effect will jump to that target.

* **Conic:** Conic area of effect ("CAoE") spells affect a cone-shaped area that usually starts at the feet of the caster. All valid targets in the cone receive the same damage.

* **Ground-targeted:** With ground-targeted area of effect ("GTAoE") abilities and spells, the player selects a location on the ground as the anchor for the spell's effect. One carefully places this around the targets and clicks to start casting/channeling. All units that are in that area or remain in that area for channeled or persistent GTAoEs suffer the damage and/or effects.

* **Linear:** Linear area of effect ("Skillshot") abilities require only a direction from the caster to be used and affect an area contingent on the ability's width and range. This type of AoE is dominated by projectile-based abilities where in the projectile acts as the carrier for the spell's effects, but there are some which do not have these and simply affect the entire area at once as CAoE spells do.

* **Point Blank:** Point Blank area of effect ("PBAoE") spells are cast or used without having to target someone or something; the caster is the anchor for the spell. The effect/damage radiates outward from the caster up to a given range, affecting all targets, or the first given number of targets, within the radius.

* **Splash:** A splash area of effect ability requires at least one target to trigger and subsequently affects an area around the struck unit. The primary target is not always affected.

* **Hybrid:** Given the sheer amount of abilities, some are bound to include more than one type of AoE. This is where a "hybrid" classification comes into play.

## **Displacement Skills**

Displacement skills are skills that cause the caster or the target to move to a target location or unit.

The following are the current forms of displacement skills that exist within 300 Heroes:

* **Blink:** A blink is a type of hero ability in the game that causes the caster to move to a target location or unit with no travel time required. As blinks do not require the user to traverse any intervening terrain, they allow a hero to circumvent any obstacles placed in their path (including impassable terrain) - for example, Shirai Kuroko may use ***Jump [W]*** to easily pass through a square arena of Sha Wujing's ***Flowing Heavenly Prison [R]***.

* **Dash:** A dash is a type of hero ability in the game that causes the caster to move to a specified destination, direction or to a specified unit by moving them through the space between the caster's location and the point, maximum range of the ability or the target unit, respectively. All abilities that involve changing the location of the user via direct transit are classified as dashes, even ones that visually appear to be **jump** effects, or utilize movement through the air - the game engine does not take into account the height of a unit so jumping units are considered to be on the ground for the purposes of skill shots and the like. Dashes should not be confused with **knockback** effects and **pull** effects, which are usually sourced from enemy units (and are classified as crowd control).

## **Healing**

**Healing** is a game mechanic in the game that is the ability to restore a unit's vitality. It may represent anything from attending to battle wounds to repairing damaged hardware to replenishing a magical spell that holds a construct together. Outside of its physical representation, its effect is always the same - it serves as a direct increase to a unit's current health.

Healing can be viewed as the polar opposite of damage. Unlike sources of damage, however, sources of healing are uncommon and the majority cannot be used to heal others - and those that can frequently have large ulterior costs to use. Healing itself is distinct from the other forms of health restoration (life steal, spell vamp and health regeneration).

**Healing reduction** effects will reduce the effectiveness of health restoration, including healing.

Healing cannot increase a unit's current health over its maximum. The act of leveling up and certain hero abilities (such as Kanzaki H. Aria's **Scarlet Blazing God [R]**) will increase a unit's current health by the same amount as the increase to their maximum health, but this is not considered a form of healing. As a result, they are not affected by healing reduction effects.

## **Shield**

**Shield** refers to the game mechanic which grants temporary health to a hero for some time. These shields absorb a set amount of damage before it disappears, whether because it reached its capacity of damage absorption or because its duration ran out. It is marked by an extra white bar in the hero's health bar.

Most of these shields are granted by hero abilities and items.

Shields are classified by the type of damage they absorb. Most of them absorb all types of damage, including true damage. Magic shields absorb only magic damage. They also appear as the normal white, and heroes with magic shields take direct damage to their health from physical and true damage.

All shields take the hero's resistances into account when receiving damage to the temporary health.

**Spell shields** from A.T. Field and Substitute Scarecrow, which allow you to completely block the effect of one single ability, are not considered a type of shield.

Some "shields" such as Sephiroth's ***Scintilla [E]*** grant armor, magic resistance or damage reduction when activated, but as these don't give any "temporary health" they are not considered shields.

## **Stealth**

**Stealth** is the mechanic by which some units become invisible for a determined period of time.

Stealthed units will fade and/or disappear from enemy sight until they attack (in some case, have been attacked) or the duration of their invisibility effect expires. For some heroes, using an ability that will cause them to become stealth is preceded by a period called a **"fade time"**, during which the hero appears partially transparent, but is still visible to enemies. Summoner spells or some abilities that don't have animation can be used during stealth without breaking it.