Ability Guide

Lykan can shift individual body parts rather than fully transforming. Each body part type has a unique mechanical effect. Multiple partial shifts can be active at the same time, depending on the current partial shift ability tiers that have been unlocked. Effects do stack when applicable.

• Claws or Talons - Bonus damage. Your attacks roll one dice tier higher than normal.
• Fangs or Teeth - Applies venom effect if a venomous shift is unlocked, or adds +10 flat damage if it is not.
• Scales or Thick Hide - Reduces all incoming damage by an additional 15%. Stacks with other damage reduction.
• Tail - Trip or knock a target off balance on a successful hit. Target loses their next action.
• Eyes - See in complete darkness. Detect invisible, hidden, or concealed targets.
• Fins or Gills - Breathe and move freely underwater.
• Legs or Hooves - Ground movement is completely unimpeded. Immune to all terrain effects.
• Spines or Quills - Any enemy that strikes you in melee takes d10 reflected damage.
• Shell or Carapace - Absorb one incoming hit completely before the shell breaks. Single use per shift.

Venom effects scale with the tier of the venomous creature you shift into. Venom applied through partial shifts or venom spit uses the tier of the highest venomous shift you have unlocked.

• Small venomous shift (Level 3) - Drops target one dice tier for 1 turn on a successful strike.
• Medium venomous shift (Level 4) - Drops target one dice tier for 2 turns on a successful strike.
• Large venomous shift (Level 6) - Drops target two dice tiers for 2 turns on a successful strike.

• When a shifted form is reduced to 0 HP, the following rules apply.
• Any remaining damage from the hit that destroyed the form carries over to the player's base HP.
• After a shifted form is destroyed, the player cannot shift again for 2 full turns.
• The player can shift into a different form on the turn the cooldown ends.
• There is no limit on how many times a player can shift per fight, but the cooldown applies each time a form is destroyed.

• Companions are permanent bonds. They are not temporary summons.
• If a companion reaches 0 HP, it dies permanently. It cannot be revived by any ability, including Lumen's full restoration.
• After losing a companion, the player must wait 1 full chapter before bonding with a new one.
• The bond slot sits empty during the cooldown period and cannot be used.
• A player can only have one companion bond active at a time per bond ability unlocked.
• Lumen can heal companions, but cannot revive them after death.

These reductions apply only while Lykan is fully shifted into an animal form. They do not apply in base form or partial shift form.

• Physical damage reduction - 35% of all incoming physical damage is reduced while fully shifted.
• Decay and corruption reduction - 75% of all decay and corruption damage is reduced while fully shifted.

When two elements interact on the same target, a bonus reaction is triggered. Only one elemental reaction can trigger per turn regardless of how many abilities are used together. Reactions reward players who invest in multiple elements and combine them over the course of multiple turns.

• Frozen target struck by fire - The ice shatters instantly. Deals bonus d30 damage on top of the fire hit. The target is no longer frozen after this.
• Burning target struck by ice - The fire is extinguished immediately. Target takes d20 cold shock damage from the temperature clash. Target's movement is slowed for 1 turn.
• Electrocuted target struck by water or ice - Electricity conducts through the water or ice. Deals an extra d20 on top of ability damage. If multiple targets are in the water or ice and they are within radius, it hits them too.
• Burning target struck by lightning - The fire is supercharged from the lightning. Target takes an extra d20 burn damage.

Burn is a damage over time effect applied by fire and some electrical abilities.

• Burning targets take d10 damage per turn for 3 turns after the burn is applied.
• After 3 turns the burn fades naturally.
• Burn can be reapplied after it fades, resetting the 3 turn duration, unless otherwise stated.
• Multiple burns cannot stack on the same target at the same time. Reapplying it only refreshes the turn counter.

Wildfire (Level 6) causes fire to spread automatically between targets.

• Fire spreads only to targets who are within contact range of or physically touching the original burning target.
• Spread deals 50% of the original hit's damage rounded down.
• Spread applies the standard burn effect (d10 per turn for 3 turns) to the new target.

Two pairs of abilities cannot be used in the same fight due to conflicting mechanics - and also due to balancing issues.

• Firestorm and Wildfire - Firestorm makes wind abilities carry fire. Wildfire makes fire spread automatically. These two cannot be active at the same time as they would be chaotic to balance.
• Eye of the Storm and Forecaster - Eye of the Storm transforms Tempest players into a living storm. Forecaster doubles all damage rolls. Using both in the same fight would make the storm transformation deal 2x damage which is incredibly powerful; you'll have to pick one per fight.

Wounds inflicted by Umbra's decay abilities are resistant to healing. This applies to all abilities in the decay progression tree including Necrotic Touch, Corrosive Spread, construct decay, and Full Necrosis.

• Any healing ability applied to a decay wound restores only 50% of its rolled value for 3 turns after the wound is inflicted.
• After 3 turns, healing returns to full effectiveness on that wound.
• Full Necrosis is the exception - it requires outside intervention to stop entirely. Lumen's full restoration ability counts as valid outside intervention and can prevent Full Necrosis.

Constructs are physical extensions of Umbra's shadow. They can be directed to attack, defend, or act independently depending on their tier.

• Small construct (Level 3) - 30 HP. Follows simple direct commands. Cannot act independently.
• Medium construct (Level 4) - 50 HP. Follows simple direct commands. Cannot act independently.
• Large construct (Level 5) - 70 HP. Can act independently on simple commands. Once per fight.
• Dual constructs (Level 6) - Two constructs active simultaneously, each 50 HP, each d60.
• Triple constructs (Level 7) - Three constructs active simultaneously, sharing a single 150 HP pool. When the pool reaches 0 all three collapse. Once per fight.

Shadow Execution (Level 6) deals different damage depending on whether Umbra is hidden or visible when it is used.

• If Umbra is invisible or hidden in shadow when the ability is used, it deals full d60 damage. However, Umbra is revealed immediately after striking and loses their concealment for the remainder of that turn.
• If Umbra is visible when the ability is used, it deals d30 instead.
• The Level 7 version, Void Execution, deals d100 damage and passes through all barriers. It also automatically hits at full damage if hidden but doesn't have the reveal penalty since it's a high tier ability.

Lumen and Umbra are natural counters to each other. The following rules govern how their abilities interact directly.

• Lumen's Luminous passive (Level 0) and all light abilities that illuminate an area directly counter Umbra's darkness abilities. Umbra cannot maintain darkness or concealment in an area that Lumen is actively illuminating.
• Light constructs passively illuminate a close radius around themselves at all times, automatically suppressing Umbra's shadow-based abilities within that radius.
• Lumen's Purge abilities immediately remove Umbra's decay effects, bypassing the 3 turn healing reduction entirely on the purged wound.
• Lumen's full Restoration counts as the outside intervention required to halt Umbra's Full Necrosis. It stops the decay immediately and restores the target.

Lumen's healing abilities scale in power and become more limited the more powerful they get. Early game healing is unlimited to allow for better builds and easier progression. Stronger healing is sparser to stop Lumen players from making their teams indestructible.

Barriers absorb a flat amount of damage rather than rolling dice. This makes them more easy to keep track of and better for team combos.

• Light Barrier (Level 2) - Absorbs 20 damage. Single hit. Twice per fight.
• Light Barrier II (Level 3) - Absorbs 30 damage. Protects Lumen and one ally. Twice per fight.
• Light Ward (Level 6) - Absorbs 50 damage. Bestowed on an ally. Twice per fight.

Light constructs are physical manifestations of concentrated light energy. Unlike Umbra's shadow constructs, light constructs passively illuminate their surroundings at all times, countering Umbra's darkness abilities within close range.

• Light Guardian - small construct (Level 4) - 20 HP. Follows and shields a single target. Intercepts one attack before breaking.
• Light Guardian II - medium construct (Level 5) - 40 HP. Acts on simple commands. Base attack d50.
• Light Guardian III - large construct (Level 7) - 60 HP. Acts on complex commands independently. Base attack d100. Once per fight.

Lumen's purge abilities remove curses, toxins, and decay effects automatically. No dice roll is required for purge to succeed.

• Purge (Level 4) - Removes one curse, toxin, or decay effect. Once per fight.
• Purge II (Level 5) - Removes multiple curses, toxins, or decay effects simultaneously. Twice per fight.

Restoration (Level 7) is the most powerful healing ability in the campaign. The following restrictions apply, to keep it balanced:

• Restoration cannot resurrect a dead target. Targets have to be alive for it to work.
• Restoration can fully heal any physical injury no matter how severe, including wounds afflicted by Umbra's Full Necrosis. Lumen's full restoration counts as the outside intervention required to stop necrotic decay.
• Restoration can only be used twice per chapter total, not per fight.
• Each use targets one character only. It cannot be split between multiple targets.

Lumen and Umbra are natural counters to each other. The following rules govern how their abilities interact directly.

• Lumen's Luminous passive (Level 0) and all light abilities that illuminate an area directly counter Umbra's darkness abilities. Umbra cannot maintain darkness or concealment in an area that Lumen is actively illuminating.
• Light constructs passively illuminate a close radius around themselves at all times, automatically suppressing Umbra's shadow-based abilities within that radius.
• Lumen's Purge abilities immediately remove Umbra's decay effects, bypassing the 3 turn healing reduction entirely on the purged wound.
• Lumen's full Restoration counts as the outside intervention required to halt Umbra's Full Necrosis. It stops the decay immediately and restores the target.

Aether's teleportation abilities are movement actions, not main abilities. This means Aether can teleport and still use a main ability in the same turn. This is part of their support and control identity.

• Teleportation has no damage component on its own.
• Forced teleportation of another target (Level 6) counts as a main ability, not a movement action, since it directly affects another player or NPC.
• Forced teleportation is limited to the radius of the current battlefield. Targets cannot be sent outside the combat area.

Aether has two time freeze abilities at different tiers. Both work the same way in that time stops in an area and only the Aether player can move. The difference is the size of the area they're in and the number of free actions Aether receives.

• Temporal Snare II (Level 3) - Small area freeze. Aether receives 2 free actions before time resumes. Once per fight.
• Temporal Snare IV (Level 5) - Moderate area freeze. Aether receives 3 free actions before time resumes. Once per fight.

Aether has three probability manipulation abilities that can interact with each other.

• Probability (Level 3) - Reroll any dice result and take the better outcome. Applies to Aether's own rolls. Once per fight.
• Probability II (Level 5) - Force a target to reroll their next dice result and take the worse outcome. Once per fight.
• Probability III (Level 7) - Any single dice roll made by a target automatically results in the worst possible outcome. Twice per fight.
• Bad Luck (Level 7) - All of a target's dice rolls are halved for 3 turns. Once per fight.

Rewind II (Level 7) allows Aether to undo their own personal timeline by up to two full turns. The following rules define exactly what can and cannot be undone.

• Aether chooses specifically what gets rewound. They are not forced to undo everything.
• Any HP Aether lost during the rewound turns is restored.
• Everything Aether did or was affected by during the rewound turns is undone. Aether chooses what is kept or reverted, including health and damage.
• Other players' actions are completely unaffected. Only Aether's personal timeline is rewound.
• This ability cannot be used to undo another player's death or revive a companion.
• Once per fight.

Erasure (Level 7) removes a target from the current moment in time entirely for one full turn. While annihilated, the target cannot act, be targeted, or be affected by any ability.

• This ability cannot be used on bosses, for obvious reasons.
• This ability cannot be applied to a target who is already trapped by Umbra's Shadow Snare. The first control ability applied takes priority.
• Shadow Snare and Erasure cannot be applied to the same target at the same time.