Karma

* Normal
* Stance

**Stats**

 500
 450
 450
 450

 300
 300
 150
 100

**Status Effect Effectiveness**

### Immune

**Karma** is a side story boss in *Octopath Traveler II*. He may only be fought as part of the Sword Hunter in the Decaying Temple side story.

He is a thief who stole the  from a young boy and hid himself away in the Decaying Temple, a place that forces people to enter by themselves.

## Battle

**Karma** may only be fought alone.

At specific health thresholds, **Karma** will use a different stance.

Once **Karma** uses a stance, his posture and appearance will change. Each stance has a different number of maximum shields and weaknesses. He will then use the following abilities for the next turns in the following order:

* Single Slice
* Double Slice
* Triple Slice
* Killer Karma

A warning message appears at the end of each turn he uses a "Slice" ability, indicating his level of hostility. The turn after using **Triple Slice**, **Karma** will use **Killer Karma**. **Killer Karma** consists of numerous small hits followed by a final hit that has a fixed damage of 9,999, instantly incapacitating the traveler unless they have the passive Hang Tough.

Once he recovers from a break, he will recover with 8 shields, change his weaknesses, and attack normally until the next health threshold is reached, whereupon he will use the next stance.

### Abilities

* **Unsheathing Stance:** Karma's initial stance.

* **Tiger and Wolf:** Used a 75% of **Karma's** maximum health and after **Unsheathing Stance**. The following occurs:
	+ **Karma** sets his shields to 7.
	+ **Karma** gains a buff that evades all boosted attacks and latent powers.
	+ **Karma** changes his weaknesses to the following:

* **Flawless Stance:** Used at ##% of **Karma's** maximum health. The following occurs:
	+ **Karma** decreases his maximum shield to 1.
	+ **Karma** changes his weaknesses to nothing. Karma must be broken using abilities that reduce shields directly, ignoring weaknesses.

* **Unbreakable Stance:** Used at ##% of **Karma's** maximum health. The following occurs:
	+ **Karma** increases his maximum shield to 15.
	+ **Karma** changes his weaknesses to be weak to all types of damage:

* ***Karma's hostility grows!*:** Used three turns prior to using **Killer Karma**.
* ***Karma's hostility grows further!*:** Used two turns prior to using **Killer Karma**.
* ***Karma's hostility is at its limit!*:** Used the turn prior to using **Killer Karma**.

* **Single Slice:** Physical attack, single target. [Power 75]
* **Double Slice:** Physical attack, single target. Hits twice. [Power 75]
* **Triple Slice:** Physical attack, single target. Hits 3 times. [Power 75]
* **Killer Karma:** Special attack. Hits 8 times for 1 damage, then finishes with a 9,999 damage hit.

* **Attack:** Physical attack, single target. [Power 100]
* **Oblique Slash:** Strong physical attack, single target. [Power 120]
* **Armor Cleaver:** Physical attack, single target. Applies  **Decreased Physical Defense** for 3 turns. [Power 105]
* **Severing Sword:** Physical attack, single target. Applies  **Decreased Physical Attack** for 3 turns. [Power 105]
* **Ready Weapon:** Buff. Gains 3 charges of  **Sidestep**.
* **Lesser Slash:** Physical attack, single target. Reduces BP by 2. [Power 100]

* ***Karma stands ready...*:** Used whenever **Karma** recovers from a break. Changes **Karma's** weaknesses:

## Strategies

* Killer Karma's 9999 dmg final hit can be survived if the traveler has Hang Tough and isn't at critical health.
	+ Note that the traveler needs to heal themself before Karma attacks again - if Karma is set to use Killer Karma after and act again before the traveler can act, the traveler needs to defend to get a turn to heal up from 1 HP.
* There are multiple options to breaking the shield of Flawless Stance, including, but not limited to:
	+ Using an
	+ A Warrior's Vengeful Blade counterattack
	+ A Dancer's Ruinous Kick
	+ Temenos's Latent Ability
	+ A Merchant's Hired Help Ability using Beastling
* At high levels of P.DEF, the damage Karma deals will become miniscule (except Killer Karma). Combined with Hang Tough, the traveler will be almost unkillable.

## Trivia

* Due to the Decaying Temple's requirement to enter, Karma is the only boss that is fought one-on-one without the use of a Path Action or a character's first chapter.