Ability

Abilites are the main commands into the game. An ability can be used to attack, defend, improve some skill, etc. Using them mostly consumes energy but it can also require blood, money or an specific object to be spent.

## Ability's features

There are several visible and non-visible characteristics that define an ability. They are

#### Name and id

The name is an unique identifier of the ability, as well as the id. It gives a brief description of it.

#### Class

There are three main Class: Offensive, Defensive and movement. The main class serves as a feature that can increase several characteristics of the player.

#### Subclass

Subclass gives more specific information about common characteristics between different abilities. It serves as as a feature that can modify its parameters as well as gameplay's parameters.

#### Attack

The attack property is the total damage caused by the ability. Despite of techniques, which relies on user's attack, ability's damage is accounts by itself. If used over an entity with armor of the same subclass, the total damage is the difference between attack and defense. Any power-up must be accounted before substracting.

#### Range

The system topology is divided by eight regions. The ability's range defines at which extend it is effectively used. It can get any entire value between 0-7 where **0** corresponds to the same player space, **1** very close combat space (as with fangs), **2** closed combat (as with claws), **3** normal combat distance (as with a longwsord or a spear), **4** mid-range figth (as with many spells), **5** long range (as with bows and many guns) and **6** for very long range combat (as with many invocations and some weapons). The **7** range is an out-of range region.

#### Load time

It is the time taken by any ability to be used again, it can take from some seconds to several minutes. Powerfull abilities tend to take more than 5 minutes while low-class abilities reload in less than 1 min.

#### User lap

The lap of time taken by the ability, it have to values: The first one represents the busy-time during which the user cannot due anything else but preparing the ability. The second one (between brackets) indicates the ability's lap.

#### Target

While some abilities affect only specific target(s), other cause field-effect.

#### Energy points

As said before, almost every ability consumes energy. The consumption is reflected in the ammount of energy points reduced. Depending on the details of the ability, it can take the energy points during busy-time, while it is used or in some rare cases, during load time.

## Ability class

### Offensive

Offensive abilities tend to cause direct or indirect damage, despite causing other effects. These abilities usually increase the Bravery, Cruelty and Implacability of the user.

### Defensive

Defensive abilities tend to increase overall or specific armo-types of the user and other units under its influence, despite causing other effects. These abilities commonly increase the Wisdom, Tenacity and Implacability of the user.

### Movement

Movement abilitites tend to serve as complements and aids during battle or puzzle-like situations and have several different effects- These abilities commonly increase the player's bravery and wisdom

### Additional info

The three class are also divided between low-class mid-class and high-class abilites, being them a way to qualitatively describe the might and difficulty associated with it obtaining.

## Ability subclass

There are many subclasses, each one descibred in its own article. Here we give a brief description of each one.

**Add damage:**  Rare subclass. It includes abilites that have secondary effects as infected or poisoned, or increases the damage with time. For example, intoxicating bite which causes a poisoned state or mortify which causes a terrified state.

**Animal:** This subclass includes almost every ability that uses animals (summoning) or have a relation with them. Some examples are Command Rat swarm which summons several rats or Owl eyes giving an increase on perception.

**Blood:** The abilities related with control over blood are included in this subclass. Tend to have a multiplier effect in blood income. For example, Purge blood gives two times blood income while psychotic bloodlust increases attack and the blood income x1.5.

**Demonic:** This subclass is related with demons and diabolic powers. It includes dark magic and demons summoning, but it is not limited to. Some examples are Hellfire, which summon a special fire or Hellrider's curse which summons the Hellrider.

**Familiar:** It is an extensive class which includes many abilities that allow the user to summon a familiar or use a characteristic ability/weapon of it. As example we can mention the raise zombies ability or possess doll which summons the Possess doll.

**Metaphysical:** Many abilities related with metaphsyical phenomena are included in this sublcass. There is a great variety of them, as well as its effects. Some examples are the Wail of the Banshee ability - can cause a tierrified state - or Mummification, which creates a Mummy familiar.

**Nature:** The nature subclass is uncommon and usually have frozen or burn states as secondary effects. For example, the Ice blast ability (which causes frozen state) or the Unbereable heat ability that causes burn state.

**Psycho:** Psycho subclass is related to mental abilities and have very usefull and interesting effects. The most common examples are Cause madness, which induces mad state and Telpathy, causing a decrease of attack intention.

**Shadow:** It is a very rare subclass related with shadow manipulation. The most known ability is Shadow transformation, which gives the Shadowform state.

**Shapeshifting:** The abilities related to this sublcass include body transformartion. There are a few ones but the most known and used are the Invisbility and Bone spikes abilities.

## Ability's damage mechanics

Generally, abilities damage is substracted directly from HP. However there are several concerns about abilities damage.

On one hand, damage caused by any ability can be reduced depending on the objective. For examle, nature type abilites have a 45% reduction on its damage if used over Mineral type or Dragon type creatures, another example, metaphysical abilites have no effect on soulless creatures. In addition, creatures can have specifications around the damage caused by certain abilities or ability subclass. The same is true for abilities, which have may have specific restrictions or advantages over an specific creature or creature type.

### Abilities area damage

Several abilities may cause damage to more than one objective. Thus, the total damage for each ability is just a reference of the real damage. It can be divided up in four main ways.

* The total damage refers to the real damage that *each* objective undergoes. This is the case for many Animal subclass abilities as Command Rat Swarm or Control Bear Clans. This type of real damage is called one to one damage.
* The total damage is divided equally among the objectives. This kind of distribution is not very common. Som examples are the Locust Swarm or Command Ravens abilities. This is called true area damage or simply area damage.
* Some abilities reduce their damage with distance. This is known as radial damage because is based on the concept that, as the radius of an sphere increases, the damaga must be distributed inside it. The total attack is divided by the radius squared. For example, if an ability has a damage of 50, at range 1, this is the true damage, in a 2 range distance, the damage that receive *each* objective is 50/4=12.5 or 13 roughing. This is typical for many nature type abilities.
* There is an opposite version, not very common, where max damage is caused in the 6th range while a minimal (divided by 36) is located in the first range. This is called increasing damage or inverse radial damage.