Artifice

*****Artifice***** is a **simulated-time** (ST) (multi-turn-based) **role-playing** video game in the Svea series, currently in development.

## Plot

Sacred Drakes of the North have been scouted far south, to the edges of the Mainland/Continent.

While it is kept a rumor to most, those in the know are threatened.

The North themselves are confused of the strange behaviour. Svea is sent to where the Drakes were last seen to investigate.

### Finale

In desperation, Valok consumes the flesh of Nidir, becoming the North-Eater. Svea and the party needs to defeat it to free Erapta from his control.

## Gameplay

### Grid

The player side and the enemy side have their units places on a **grid** each. Depending on the row each unit is placed on, two properties are modified: **aggro**, and **bonuses** for **abilities with the same color**. Each color represent "threat level".

### Bonus

Abilities used when the color of the ability's border matches the tile of the grid receive a **bonus effect**.

* Note:
	+ We want an "archer" Hero with gray (I guess blue could work as well) abilities that receive no bonuses, so that he can stay in the back row to avoid aggro. For this we need aggro to be a separate system, and not to have "global modifiers". An archer wouldn't be a healer anyway.

### Stats

* Note:
	+ Abilities have cooldowns, and **Stamina** costs.
		- What makes Stamina different is that it is rapidly consumed, but also rapidly regenerates automatically over time.
		- Completely depleting Stamina causes a self-**Topple**.
			* The user *can* use end-game abilities right away, but not only will they not scale to be as potent, they will *always* cause a Topple due to the Stamina cost.
				+ Self-Topple duration variable? Even longer the more below 0?
			* The enemy is able to take advantage of this with Stamina-decreasing effects.
		- Max. Stamina is equal to current Level, and isn't levelable by other means.
	+ No innate "Defense"-stat exists.
		- This is so attacks used by bosses (who are fixed level) are easily displayed and remembered. Unless they score a critical hit (or suffer a whiff), an arbritrary attack will always deal the same amount of damage.
		- It also has the effect of not underestimating lower-level/early game enemies (as in *Soulsborne* games), as they will be able to deal damage even to a higher-level player.
		- Health and various damage mitigation effects from actives/passives cover the lack of innate Defense.

#### Levelable

* Note:
	+ Health is priority for Tanks.
	+ Assertance is priority for Damagers.
	+ Supportance is priority for Healers.
	+ Speed is generally useful (pending: dependent on Level, as Stamina is?)

#### Calculated

* Note:
	+ Where applicable, criticality is calculated before the ability is used.
	+ While Luck affects both Accuracy and Evasion, effects are capable of influencing them individually.

### Criticality

* Note:
	+ No random "Miss"es exist.

### Ability parameters

* Note:
	+ Basics have no cooldown, and little overall costs but also low efficiency. Each unit has 1, no more no less.

### Topple factors

		- Stagger is represented as negative Stamina above the target's Stamina bar.
		- When the Stagger bar reaches the current Stamina level, the entire Stamina bar is emptied and the enemy is Toppled.
			* Stamina is unaffected until the Stagger point is reached.
			* For player units, the abilities that would cause Stamina to cause Stagger are red-lighted.
				+ Applies even if Stagger bar is completely empty.
				+ Red Topple icon?
		- Depending on how high the current Stamina was before Topple, the longer the duration.
	+ Specialization:
		- Front row specializes in Preservation (Stagger) and Extension (Topple).
		- Center row specializes in Staggering.
			* Without Preserving, Stagger level quickly decreases between hits and will be impossible to maintain.
			* With only Preserving, Stagger level barely rises at all.
	+ Representation:
		- [1]

### Numeric Status Effects

* Each status effect has a *duration* value, that can be increased from 0 to 100, even after it has been applied.
* Not only does this increase the time active, it affects its potency as well.
* In general, status effects are inflicted as a side-effect, rather than a dedicated ability with no primary damaging/healing effect.

 Increases damage dealt.
 Increases support dealt.
 Slightly restores health over time.

Poison
 Increases damage dealt with Beast attacks.Decreases damage taken by Beast attacks.
 Increases damage dealt with Heat attacks.Decreases damage taken by Heat attacks.
 Increases damage dealt with Cold attacks.Decreases damage taken by Cold attacks.

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