Creating Abilities
When you are creating special abilities to set your character apart, it is good to note that there are four different kinds of abilities, and you will very likely need a sprinkling of each kind if you want to be a versatile KinsGuard. These ability types are similar to the ways that you would normally attack and defend, as they are meant to bolster these actions. For abilities you have:
Physical Attack Ability
Physical Defense Ability
Magical Attack Ability
Magical Defense Ability
In order to create these abilities, you need to have Skill Slots.
Skill Slots are earned through simply placing your experience into your character and levelling up their stats. For every 20 stat points put into your character (other than Health), beyond the initial 100 you have already used during character creation, you gain 1 Skill Slot.
Skill Slots, are essentially just a measure of the level of skill that can be created using them. A Level 1 Skill Slot can make a level 1 Ability, or be used to increase the level of a current ability by 1. A Level 2 Skill Slot, would be used for a level 2 Ability, or to increase a current ability's level by 2. However, you cannot increase an ability's level higher than that of your highest skill slot.
100 Stats is our starting point, as you get them for free, however, gaining slots looks like this:
Level 1 Skill Slot: 120 Stats
Level 2 Skill Slot: 140 Stats
Level 3 Skill Slot: 160 Stats
Level 4 Skill Slot: 180 Stats
Level 5 Skill Slot: 200 Stats
Level 6 Skill Slot: 220 Stats
This continues increasing by 20 stats per level permanently. However, with the ability to upgrade old abilities, one does not have to recreate stronger versions of the same skill, they could instead, upon reaching a Level 6 Skill Slot, use their Level 5 Slot (if previously unused, of course) to upgrade their first Level 1 Ability up to Level 6, and also use their Level 6 Slot to create another new level 6 ability.
An ability costs action points in combat equal to the level of the skill. If your speed only allows you 5 Action Points per turn, you cannot use a level 6 ability.
Attack abilities add an additional multiplication to the damage multiplier for every 10 levels spent. Standard damage is 5x the attack stat, so a level 30 skill would then cause 8x the attack stat as damage.
Defensive abilities add levels to the durability modifier as well. The regular modifier being x2, at the same 1 per 10 levels, this means a level 30 skill would raise it to 5x the stat in damage reduction.
Utility abilities will not be able to be placed alongside attack or defensive abilities and are used to target your allies in a supportive way.
Your Abilities, when you create them will be listed on your profile in this format:
Ability Name:
Level:
Class: Physical Attack, Physical Defense, Magical Attack, Magical Defense
Effects: Whichever effects one has applied to their skills, using the levels available. Available effects listed below.
Description: Insert a description of your skill here.
[b]Ability Name:[/b]
[b]Level:[/b]
[b]Class:[/b]
[b]Effects:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b] [size=11][/size]
[b]Level:[/b]
[b]Class:[/b]
[b]Effects:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b] [size=11][/size]
Ability Effects
Attack Effects:
- Area of Effect: This ability will strike out at any foe in the area surrounding the initial target. The number of enemies it can strike outside of the first is increased by 1 per 20% of levels used, rounded up. (Minimum level 5 skill.)
- Bleed: For every level used, cause 1% of the final damage of this skill to recur on the next turn. Every 5 levels invested adds another turn the bleed will remain in effect. This damage can not be reduced by any means.
- Cripple: The ability aims to completely destroy the body of your enemy, reducing the stat used to defend against this skill (Defense or Arcane Protection) by the number of levels used in this skill. This ability stacks up to 5 times, and lasts until the end of battle. This only applies on a successful hit.
- Enfeeble: For every level used, steal 5 points of any stat you choose, to be added to your own stat of your choosing. This stat boost lasts until the end of your next turn. The stats affected must be chosen upon creation.
- Enhanced Damage: For every level used, increase the total damage of the attack by 5%, rounded up.
- Hand of Death: For every two levels placed in Hand of Death, you may remove an action point from your enemy's pool on their following turn, so long as this skill lands. Can not remove their last action point.
- Hastened Attack: Costs 50% of your levels to apply. If you strike with a hastened attack, your enemy will be unable to prepare a solid defense in time. As such, any skill used to defend against a Hastened Attack, will only gain half of the Ability Level toward their defense calculation.
- Illusive: An illusive ability causes an enemy's success to defend against it to be cut in half. This costs 50% of the ability's levels. (Minimum Level 4)
- Increasing Toxicity: Every time the enemy is hit with an ability that has this modifier, they take an additional 1% final damage for every level used in this skill. This extra damage stacks, for each subsequent attack with this ability. The stacked damage resets if the enemy is struck without an ability that has this modifier on it. May stack up to 10 times.
- Leech: For every level used, return 5% of final damage as Health.
- Primal Instincts: If a skill with Primal Instincts is being sustained, half of the total levels used (minimum 2), will be applied to all regular physical or magical attacks (attacks made without using skills) as a damage multiplier, in place of a skill's multiplier. If another skill is used during the time that Primal Instinct is active, and lands a successful hit, Primal Skill's damage multiplier will extend to that skill. If this occurs, Primal Instinct will immediately end and must be re-initiated by a skill with this modifier. Every time Primal Instincts is re-activated, its ability point cost is doubled. This resets at the end of battle.
- Rain of Blows: For every 20% of levels used, you may add an additional attack to your ability. If the initial strike lands, the successive attacks rain down immediately in the opened defense. The first additional strike deals 50% damage, every subsequent strike deals 10% less damage than the one before. Durability of the enemy is reduced from each of these attacks as normal, and can not be reduced below 80% of the damage. (Minimum Skill Level 5)
- Recurring Pain: When you strike your enemy, be it with a physical or magical ability with this modifier, you place a mark on them. This mark is essentially an energy mine, and when the enemy increases their own energies to use an ability, the mark will react, disappearing and dealing X% of the original ability's final damage where X is equal to double the number of levels invested.
- Reflexive: The attack seems to trick the eye, striking from multiple directions. Two different defensive rolls must be made. Each being worth 60% of the total damage rounded up. This costs 50% of your skills levels rounded up. (Minimum 2)
- Stumbling Blow: Regardless of the outcome of the attack, this will shake the foe. Reduce their Defensive Chance against your next attack by 1% for every level used.
Defense Effects:
- Absorb Damage: If a skill with Absorb Damage is successful in its defense, you absorb 2% of the projected damage per level used as health.
- Blind: Cause a distraction that dulls the enemy's senses. If the defense is a success, the opponent will be affected by the blind, reducing their hit chance by 1% per level used until your next turn.
- Counter-Attack: Upon a successful defense, launch a standard physical or magical attack that automatically lands, though is still reduced by the enemy's durability. This costs 50% of the skill's levels.
- Defensive Mastery: For every 2 points placed in this modification, you may increase the threshold of how much damage may be reduced by your durability by 1%. Usually one can only soak up to 80%, but if you fail your defense using a skill with this modifier, you can push that up to a maximum of 90% instead. A skill with this on it must be sustained each round to stay in effect, costing its action points every turn.
- Delayed Defense: For 50% of the skill's levels, you may apply Delayed Defense. If you fail a defensive move with this skill, you can have it re-cast against the next available attack without expending any action points.
- Enhanced Durability: For every level used, increase total damage reduction, if defense is failed, by 5%.
- Hand of Death: For every two levels placed in Hand of Death, you may remove an action point from your enemy's pool on their following turn, so long as this skill lands. Can not remove their last action point.
- Hastened Defense: Costs 50% of skill's levels. If someone launches a Hastened Attack, there is only one way to manage to defend against it with full effectiveness--an equally hasty defense.
- Parry: Strike out at your enemy at the same time as they launch their attack to knock them off balance. If this is a Physical Defense, you instead use your Strength as a modifier. If it is a Magical Defense, then you use your Arcane Power. This costs 50% of your Levels, rounded up. (minimum 2)
- Reflected Damage: For every level used, reflect 5% of total damage back at the attacker upon a successful defense.
- Trap: If successful in your defense, you snare your enemy, causing them to be unable to attack for X turns. This only lasts for one turn, unless you have spent enough points to increase duration. (Increase length by 1 turn per 5 skill points used. Minimum 1 turn, Maximum 5 turns) During these turns, the enemy must fight against the ability. If they roll 75 or above on a D100, they break the bonds of the skill early. If they fail, they remain bound, and take an additional 25% damage from all sources. If the restraint is broken within the first action taken against it, the defender may immediately respond with an attack phase. If not, the turn they break free will also be null.
Utility Effects:
- Area of Effect: This ability can be used to target multiple allies at once. The number of targetable allies outside of the first is increased by 1 per 20% of levels used, rounded up. (Minimum level 5)
- Damage Buff: This ability allows you to increase the damage potential of your allies. For every point placed in this skill, you can increase the final damage of your target by 5%.
- Damage Link: This ability allows you to create a link with your allies that disperses damage any targets take and returns a portion to you. You may receive 5% of a target's damage per level placed into this effect. This lasts until your next turn, and must be recast to maintain the effect.
- Heal: When using a skill with this ability, you may return Health equal to your Durability to any target. For every additional level placed into Heal, you will multiply your Durability total an additional time.
- Shield: When using a skill with this ability, you may bless an ally with a shield to absorb incoming damage. Damage is taken from the shield before you reduce damage with your durability. If there would be any damage left over, you then apply the regular durability damage reduction. This shield is equal to 5% of the targets maximum health per level used. This only lasts until your next turn, unless you recast this spell to keep the shield going.
- Stat Buff: When using a skill with this ability, you may target an ally and increase (X stat) by 5% per level used. This only remains in tact until your next turn, and must be recast in order to maintain the buff. You must choose the type of stat that your skill buffs at the time of creation, and you will only be able to buff the stated stat. You may choose to invest levels into different stats on a single skill, so that one skill buffs both Speed and Physical Strength, or whichever combination you so choose.
