Pardner

The **Pardner** is a playable character in *Last Train Outta' Wormtown* whose goal is to complete objectives to escape from Darwin while trying to avoid being killed by the Worm.

## Role

The goal of Pardners is to gather items to complete all three objectives for preparing a Train in order to escape, while trying to avoid being killed by the Worm. If only one Pardner remains, however, Ed the Hot Air Balloon pilot will arrive to rescue them, if they manage to get to his Hot Air Balloon and climb the ladder.

## Mechanics

### Detection

The Pardner can only be seen by the Worm while on the sand, and moving. Standing still or being on top of a prop or item renders the Pardner invisible.

### Bag

The **bag** indicates how many items the Pardner is carrying. Placing an item inside the bag will take up space, up to a maximum of 3, or 5 if they have a backpack. Size X items can not be stored in the bag, and kit items are stored in their own slot.

### Health

**Health** is lost whenever the Pardner is in the Worm's mouth, or when within the range of a sonar scream after sunset. If a Pardner's health reaches zero, they will die. Dynamite explosions and collapsing structures will kill Pardners instantly.

### Stamina

**Stamina** is lost when the Pardner runs, jumps, or climbs while grip is empty. When a Pardner's stamina is empty, they are unable to sprint. Maximum stamina depends on the Pardner's current health; the lower their health is, the lower their stamina is.

### Grip

**Grip** is lost solely when climbing. When grip runs out, the Pardner will begin to lose stamina if they are still climbing. If both grip and stamina are empty, the Pardner is unable to climb.

### Ghost

If the Pardner dies, they become a **ghost**. While the Pardner is a ghost, they can spectate the match and can freely fly around the map. They are invisible to every player in this state except other ghosts and Pardners with a Luigi board. Ghosts can also push items, though with a 25 second cooldown. Ghosts can be brought back to life once per match if their heart jar is brought to the Church by any means, or used with a Necronomicon.

## Abilities

### Jump

**Jumping** simply propels the Pardner into the air. Jumping uses stamina, although the Pardner can still jump if their stamina is empty.

### Sprint

**Sprinting** allows the Pardner to move faster. Sprinting uses stamina, and the Pardner is unable to sprint while their stamina is empty.

### Aim

**Aiming** is an over-the-shoulder view that allows the Pardner to zoom in for a better view, or to aim in order to throw an item. Aiming also shows the health and status of other Pardners, the four cardinal directions in the sky, and the locations of heart jars.

### Throw

**Throwing** is the act of propelling an item in the direction the Pardner is facing. This can be used in conjunction with aiming for the Pardner to more precisely throw an item where they want. Throwing can only be performed while holding an item out.

### Climb

**Climbing** allows the Pardner to reach high locations or get on top of things in an effort to avoid detection from the Worm. Climbing uses grip, or stamina if grip is empty. The Pardner is unable to climb if both grip and stamina are empty. Climbing can only be performed while not holding an item, and attempting to climb while holding an item will cause the Pardner to automatically drop that item.

## Change Log

### Patch July 17th, 2023

* Reworked the Worm mouth escape minigame, requiring the Pardner to hit the correct series of inputs to fill the bar. Missed inputs lose progress.

### Patch July 27th, 2023

* Added quickchat.
* Increased the distance at which ghosts push items.
* Reduced the ghost push cooldown from 40 seconds to 25 seconds.
* Pardners can now see eachothers health in inspection mode.

### The Art of Worm Update

* Added a status effect system for Pardners, visible by particle effects on the Pardner.
* Added the adrenaline status effect, which boosts Pardner movement speed by 50% and prevents stamina loss for 10 seconds after escaping a Worm's mouth.
* Pardners now lose 8% grip when jumping while climbing.
* The mouth escape minigame now has checkpoints, meaning once a certain point is reached, it cannot go below that point again.
* Pardners no longer lose all their grip when climbing too high.
* Added Pardner cosmetic save slots, allowing them to save up to 5 Pardner designs.
* Completing a mouth escape minigame no longer causes the Pardner to lose stamina from the jump.

### Patch November 17th, 2023

* Pardner movement has been reworked internally to be more consistent and smooth..
* Pardners can now run on sloped surfaces without speed loss. This makes running up stairs, sloped rocks, roofs etc. feel much better.
* Improved landing "sticky-ness", so landing on top of cactuses and other small platforms should feel less slippery and frustrating.
* Improved standing on props of all sizes.