Blood Sweat and Tears - A Combat Simulator
Aug 29, 2016 22:25:59 GMT 1
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Post by Southpaw Hare on Aug 29, 2016 22:25:59 GMT 1
Blood Sweat and Tears
A Combat Simulator Game
Blood Sweat and Tears (BST) is a 1-on-1 tactical combat game that makes use of simultaneous turns and Weighted Rock-Paper-Scissors decisions to simulate combat between weapon-wielding warriors. It is heavily inspired by Yomi; however, it has several key differences in mechanics and style.
Setup and Concepts:
Each player begins the game with 75 HP (for the standard character). The object of the game is to reduce your opponent's HP to 0.
The game consists of a single pool of tokens that are shared between both players. The tokens are placed face-down in a pool, and players draw randomly from the pool and add the tokens to their hand throughout the game. They have identical backs, and are hidden information when held in a player's hand. Each token contain both a Number and a Color on their front side. Tokens contain a number between 3 and 10. There are ten (10) copies of each of these tokens, for a total of 80 tokens. There are also three colors, which represent the titular Blood (Red), Sweat (Yellow), and Tears (Blue), as well as a Wildcard type which counts as all colors. Four of the ten sets of numbers from 3-10 are colored BLUE, three of the sets are colored RED, two of the sets are colored YELLOW, and one set of tokens are WILDCARDS, for a ratio of 4:3:2:1.
At the start of the game, each player draws 5 tokens from the pool. At the start of each subsequent turn, each player draws one additional token. A maximum of 9 tokens can be stored at any time - if the player's hand ever exceeds this, they must immediately discard tokens of their choice until it is within the limit. If the token pool is ever exhausted, the game ends and the player with the higher current HP wins (the game is a tie if their HP is the same).
Players also have a resource known as Charge Counters, or simply Charges, which can be spent to perform certain actions. Each player starts the game with 1 Charge Counter, and they are gained and spent through various interactions throughout the game. There is no secret information regarding these tokens. A maximum of 5 can be stored at any time.
There is one final "resource" that can be gained: Poison Counters. The core character doesn't use these, so don't worry about these if you're just playing with the base rules, but some alternate characters make use of them. See below in the Additional Rules section for details on how they work.
Turn Play:
Phases:
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The game begins at the start of the Play Phase - no draw phase occurs on the first turn.
The players have a total of 10 Ability Tiles with different abilities listed on one side. Each turn, they play one tile face-down and one token from their hand face-down, then simultaneously reveal all tiles and tokens. Various results occur based on the combination of Move, Number, and Color, resulting in damage and effects.
There are three main categories of abilities: Strike, Defense, and Utility.
Strikes:
Defenses:
Utility:
Abilities either win or lose against other abilities, and have a single, specific effect if they win (with one exception involving Guard). In some cases, the number and/or color of the token played along with the ability effects the result; in other cases, it does not and is ignored in the interaction. Regardless of outcome, the token is discarded to the discard pile (with the exception of when winning with Guard).
Overall, the relationship is cyclical between the categories. In general, Strikes beat Utilities, Utilities beat Defenses, and Defenses beat Strikes. However, there are some exceptions to the latter rule; some Strikes beat certain Defenses.
When two Strikes face each other, the Strike with the higher priority wins. Strike priority is determined as follows: Lightning Strike > Finishing Strike > Dashing Strike > Standard Strike > Piercing Strike.
In the event that two Strikes of the same type, and thus priority, are played against each other, the resulting Tie-Breaker comes down to the lower Number on the Token played. If the number is also a tie, both Strikes win, but the players may not play optional added effects in the win effects (such as Follow-up Attacks or Power-Surges).
When two Defenses are played against each other, in most cases, both lose (effectively causing nothing to happen, aside from paying any costs). There are two exceptions:
Here is the complete chart of interactions:
The win effect directly modified by color. Each Move Category (Strike, Defense, and Utility) matches up to a color (Red, Blue, and Yellow, respectively). Playing a move of a matching Category and Color have added effects when they win an exchange:
Color also matters in one specific case of a pairing of two moves - Standard Strike vs Guard (see Moves below for details). Standard Strike wins if the colors are different, while Guard wins if the colors are the same.
A Wildcard token always counts as the most beneficial color in all cases where color matters, even as different colors for multiple cases at once. For example, a Standard Strike with a Wildcard will count as red for purposes of gaining +2 damage, and also can simultaneously be considered not red for purposes of defeating a red Guard. When a Wildcard Standard Strike and a Wildcard Guard meet, the Standard Strike wins.
At the end of each turn, after the effects of abilities have been resolved and before moving on to the next turn, players may each optionally Gather Power: they may discard two tokens of the same number value in order to gain one Charge Counter. This may only be done up to one time per turn.
Throughout the game, a player can be inflicted by a status-effect known as Off-Balance. This status is applied to a player during the resolution of effects, and persists through the reveal of abilities on the following turn. After abilities are checked for winning or losing, the effect is removed (although it could be immediately added again due to the result of those abilities). In the event that both players are afflicted by this status simultaneously, they are negated and both players immediately lose the status.
The effects of Off-Balance are as follows:
Additional Rules:
Poison Counters:
Some special effects owned by certain characters inflict poison. When this occurs, the afflicted player takes 1 Poison Counter and sets it next to them. Every turn, immediately after drawing during the Draw Phase, players take 2 damage for each Poison Counter they possess. Left alone, Poison Counter can last indefinitely, though they can be removed through action; anytime a player heals any amount or Gathers Power, they may remove 1 Poison Counter. (Performing both actions at the same time, such as the Warpriest's ability to heal while Powering-Up, only removes 1 Poison Counter).
Illegal Moves:
In the event that a player reveals an illegal move - one they cannot afford, for instance, or one that is unavailable due to being Off-Balance - the move is automatically replaced with Standard Strike if it is an illegal Strike, or Guard if it is an illegal Defense. These moves are always legal.
Strikes:
When interacting among themselves, strikes follow a predictable pattern using the following system of priority: Lighting -> Finishing -> Dashing -> Standard -> Piercing Strikes beat all other strikes of lower priority, and lose to all strikes of higher priority. When two strikes of the same type are used against each other, the one paired with the token of the lower number wins. In the event that the token is also tied, both strikes "win" and deal their effects, but optional decisions posed by the effects are not allowed to be performed. As a special rule, if a player is Off-Balance, their Standard Strikes always lose to the Standard Strikes of their opponent regardless of token value.
Strikes are successfully defended against by different various Defenses. All Strikes always win against Power-up.
Examples:
Standard Strike:
A basic Strike that deals damage, can help gain Tokens, and even allows a Follow-up combo! It penetrates Guard when the Tokens are of different colors. It doesn't beat most other Strikes, but it also doesn't cost any Charges to use!
Wins Against: Piercing Strike, Guard of a different color, Power-up, other Standard Strikes against an Off-Balance opponent
Loses Against: Lightning Strike, Finishing Strike, Dashing Strike, Guard of the same color, Parry, Counter-attack, Evasion, other Standard Strikes when Off-Balance
Win Effect: Deal damage equal to the value of the token played. Then, draw one additional token and add it to your hand. Then, optionally, perform a FOLLOW-UP ATTACK: Discard an additional token from your hand (can be the token that was just drawn or a different token) and deal damage equal to 1/2 (rounded down) of that token.
Similar To: Normal Attacks in Yomi, Normal Attacks in most fighting games.
Piercing Strike:
A penetrating Strike that beats all Defenses except for Evasion. It loses to all other Strikes, though, so use with caution! Deals a set amount of damage and sets the opponent Off-Balance. Power Surge for a little extra damage.
Wins Against: All Defenses except Evasion, Power-up
Loses Against: All other types of Strikes, Evasion
Win Effect: Deal 5 damage, and your opponent becomes Off-Balance. Then, optionally, perform a POWER SURGE: Spend 1 Charge Counter to deal an additional 4 damage.
Similar To: Throws in Yomi, Throws in most fighting games.
Dashing Strike:
A versatile pursuing Strike; does excellent damage, inflicts Off-Balance, and cannot be Evaded. Can't be used when you're Off-Balance yourself! Costs 1 Charge, and can be Power Surged to be even deadlier!
Wins Against: Standard Strike, Piercing Strike, Evasion, Power-up
Loses Against: Lightning Strike, Finishing Strike, All Defenses except Evasion
Cost: A player must pay 1 Charge Counter when revealing this ability
Win Effect: Deal damage equal to the value of the token played, and your opponent becomes Off-Balance. Then, optionally, perform a POWER SURGE: Spend 1 Charge Counter to deal an additional 6 damage.
Special: This ability cannot be used when Off-Balance.
Similar To: Attacks in Yomi of speeds between 1.0 and 2.0, Fast "Zone-breaker" attacks in most fighting games.
Lightning Strike:
A blazing-fast Strike that is unmatched in priority! Beats all other types of Strikes, but loses to all Defenses. Costs 1 Charge, and can deal a little more damage and cause Off-Balance if Power Surged!
Wins Against: All other types of Strikes, Power-up
Loses Against: All Defenses
Cost: A player must pay 1 Charge Counter when revealing this ability.
Win Effect: Deal 7 damage. Then, optionally, perform a POWER SURGE: Spend 1 Charge Counter to deal an additional 3 damage and inflict Off-Balance.
Similar To: Non-Super Attacks in Yomi of speeds below 1.0, Super-fast "Reversal" attacks in most fighting games.
Finishing Strike:
An ultra-powerful combination Strike that deals tons of damage and beats most other Strikes! It can't be Counter-attacked, either! Costs a pricey 3 Charges.
Wins Against: Dashing Strike, Standard Strike, Piercing Strike, Counter-Attack, Power-up
Loses Against: Lightning Strike, All Defenses except Counter-Attack
Cost: A player must pay 3 Charge Counter when revealing this ability
Win Effect: Deal damage equal to the value of the token played. Then, optionally, discard up to two additional tokens from your hand and deal damage equal to the value of those tokens as well.
Similar To: Super Attacks in Yomi
Defenses:
Defenses also interact among themselves in a predictable pattern. When two defenses are played against each other, both lose, with exceptions relating to Guard. Defenses each defend against a unique array of Strikes. All Defenses always lose to Power-up.
Guard:
An economic Defense that can help gain a lot of Tokens. It blocks Standard Strikes of the same Token color, as well as most other Strikes right-out. It even allows a special Follow-up attack against an enemy Counter-Attack!
Wins Against: Lightning Strike, Finishing Strike, Dashing Strike, Standard Strike of the same color, Guard, Counter-Attack* (special)
Loses Against: Piercing Strike, Standard Strike of a different color, Parry, Evasion, Power-up
Win Effect: Return the token played to your hand. Then, draw an additional token and add it to your hand.
Win Effect vs. Counter-attack: In addition to the regular win effect, then, optionally, perform a FOLLOW-UP ATTACK: Discard a token from your hand and deal damage equal to 1/2 (rounded down) of that token.
Similar To: Block in Yomi, Blocking or Guarding in most fighting games.
Counter-Attack:
A retaliatory Defense that deals damage back at the attacker. It doesn't even require Charges to use! However, watch out - it can't counter Finishing Strikes!
Wins Against: Lightning Strike, Dashing Strike, Standard Strike
Loses Against: Finishing Strike, Piercing Strike, All Defenses
Win Effect: Deal damage equal to 1/2 (rounded down) of the value of the token you played.
Similar To: Dodging into a Special Attack in Yomi, Counter-attacks in some fighting games.
Parry:
A precision Defense that deals moderate damage, sets the foe Off-Balance, lets you see their hand, and allows you to force them to discard any token of your choice. It defends against all Strikes except for the defense-foiling Piercing Strike. Costs 1 Charge.
Wins Against: All Strikes except Piercing Strike
Loses Against: Piercing Strike, All Defenses
Cost: A player must pay 1 Charge Counter when revealing this ability
Win Effect: Deal 6 damage, and your opponent becomes Off-Balance. Then, your opponent reveals their hand of Tokens and discards one of your choice.
Similar To: Dodging into Throw (especially Bonecracker) in Yomi, Getting a punish that leads to an advantageous state in some fighting games.
Evasion:
A patient Defense useful for waiting out dangerous situations or seeking out resources. Avoids all Strikes except for Dashing Strikes. Costs 1 Charge, but you get it back if it's successful. Can't be used when Off-Balance.
Wins Against: All Strikes except Dashing Strike
Loses Against: Dashing Strike, All Defenses
Cost: A player must pay 1 Charge Counter when revealing this ability
Win Effect: The Charge Counter is refunded. Then, search the discard for any token and add it to your hand (tokens played this turn are not in the discard yet).
Special: This ability cannot be used when Off-Balance.
Similar To: Dodging into nothing in Yomi, Running around evasively in some fighting games.
Utility:
The Utility category consist only of the Power-up ability. It follows the most straight-forward pattern of all: It loses against all Strikes, and wins against all Defenses.
Power-up:
Take a moment to replenish those valuable energies! A successful Power-up gains you 2 Charges. It loses to all Strikes, but wins against all Defenses (and itself)!
Wins against: All Defenses, Power-Up
Loses Against: All Strikes
Win Effect: Gain 2 Charge Counter.
Similar To: Powering up in Anime games.
CHARACTERS:
The Wandering Sellsword
A well-traveled and worldly adventurer with a practiced sword-arm. Willing to accept any job, their experience has forged them into a versatile warrior who is prepared for any situation.
No changes; uses core rules.
The Phalanx Sentinel
A disciplined soldier equipped with heavy armor and a deadly, defense-penetrating spear. Their well-trained combat style is simple, yet terrifyingly efficient.
The Devout Warpriest
A pious acolyte of peace and war, wielding both divine miracles and a crushing morning-star. Their unwavering dedication to their cause means that surrender is never a consideration to them.
The Unrelenting Assassin
A focused and vicious killer who pursues their prey with dual light blades and frightening efficiency. Believes in ending a fight quickly with a swift offense.
The Mystic Channeler
A practiced weaver of spells who commands the very energies of nature itself. Capable of stealing power from their foes and turning back against them.
The Poison-Quilled Razorbeast
A ferocious, spined monster with massive claws that can tear through flesh and steel alike. Generally prefers a life of peaceful solitude, but is immensely dangerous if goaded into aggression.
A Combat Simulator Game
Blood Sweat and Tears (BST) is a 1-on-1 tactical combat game that makes use of simultaneous turns and Weighted Rock-Paper-Scissors decisions to simulate combat between weapon-wielding warriors. It is heavily inspired by Yomi; however, it has several key differences in mechanics and style.
- Compared to Yomi, the core interactions are more complicated, but the individual characters are much less complicated. BST has a total of 10 different RPS-based abilities that one can choose from compared to Yomi's 5, leading to numerous interactions. However, all characters use only these moves - there are no additional character-specific attacks to memorize. Characters add only passive effects and slight numerical adjustments to the existing moves, allowing you to focus on the core interactions. One character simply is the core interactions, without any changes.
- Compared to Yomi, there are fewer, more-universal resources. Instead of keeping track of many different types of cards with special properties, your ability to play moves is metered by your Charge Counters and Tokens. These can be used to perform, and possibly boost, any of your moves.
- Compared to Yomi, you cannot permanently run out of moves. Your 10 moves are printed on tiles, which are always in front of you. While some moves have resource costs, you retain access to all of your moves for the entirety of the game. (Some characters do lack access to some of the moves as part of their innate properties.)
Setup and Concepts:
Each player begins the game with 75 HP (for the standard character). The object of the game is to reduce your opponent's HP to 0.
The game consists of a single pool of tokens that are shared between both players. The tokens are placed face-down in a pool, and players draw randomly from the pool and add the tokens to their hand throughout the game. They have identical backs, and are hidden information when held in a player's hand. Each token contain both a Number and a Color on their front side. Tokens contain a number between 3 and 10. There are ten (10) copies of each of these tokens, for a total of 80 tokens. There are also three colors, which represent the titular Blood (Red), Sweat (Yellow), and Tears (Blue), as well as a Wildcard type which counts as all colors. Four of the ten sets of numbers from 3-10 are colored BLUE, three of the sets are colored RED, two of the sets are colored YELLOW, and one set of tokens are WILDCARDS, for a ratio of 4:3:2:1.
At the start of the game, each player draws 5 tokens from the pool. At the start of each subsequent turn, each player draws one additional token. A maximum of 9 tokens can be stored at any time - if the player's hand ever exceeds this, they must immediately discard tokens of their choice until it is within the limit. If the token pool is ever exhausted, the game ends and the player with the higher current HP wins (the game is a tie if their HP is the same).
Players also have a resource known as Charge Counters, or simply Charges, which can be spent to perform certain actions. Each player starts the game with 1 Charge Counter, and they are gained and spent through various interactions throughout the game. There is no secret information regarding these tokens. A maximum of 5 can be stored at any time.
There is one final "resource" that can be gained: Poison Counters. The core character doesn't use these, so don't worry about these if you're just playing with the base rules, but some alternate characters make use of them. See below in the Additional Rules section for details on how they work.
Turn Play:
Phases:
- Draw Phase
- Draw new Token
- Apply Poison Damage
- Play Move Tile and Token
- Simultaneously Reveal
- Determine Combat Win/Loss
- Remove Off-Balance
- Resolve Combat Win Effects
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The game begins at the start of the Play Phase - no draw phase occurs on the first turn.
The players have a total of 10 Ability Tiles with different abilities listed on one side. Each turn, they play one tile face-down and one token from their hand face-down, then simultaneously reveal all tiles and tokens. Various results occur based on the combination of Move, Number, and Color, resulting in damage and effects.
There are three main categories of abilities: Strike, Defense, and Utility.
Strikes:
- Standard Strike
- Piercing Strike
- Dashing Strike
- Lightning Strike
- Finishing Strike
Defenses:
- Guard
- Parry
- Counter-attack
- Evasion
Utility:
- Power-up
Abilities either win or lose against other abilities, and have a single, specific effect if they win (with one exception involving Guard). In some cases, the number and/or color of the token played along with the ability effects the result; in other cases, it does not and is ignored in the interaction. Regardless of outcome, the token is discarded to the discard pile (with the exception of when winning with Guard).
Overall, the relationship is cyclical between the categories. In general, Strikes beat Utilities, Utilities beat Defenses, and Defenses beat Strikes. However, there are some exceptions to the latter rule; some Strikes beat certain Defenses.
- Piercing Strike beats all Defenses except Evasion (Guard, Counter-Attack, and Parry)
- Dashing Strike beats Evasion
- Finishing Strike beats Counter-Attack
- Standard Strike beats Guard when the paired tokens are of different colors
When two Strikes face each other, the Strike with the higher priority wins. Strike priority is determined as follows: Lightning Strike > Finishing Strike > Dashing Strike > Standard Strike > Piercing Strike.
In the event that two Strikes of the same type, and thus priority, are played against each other, the resulting Tie-Breaker comes down to the lower Number on the Token played. If the number is also a tie, both Strikes win, but the players may not play optional added effects in the win effects (such as Follow-up Attacks or Power-Surges).
When two Defenses are played against each other, in most cases, both lose (effectively causing nothing to happen, aside from paying any costs). There are two exceptions:
- When two Guards face each other, both Win
- When Guard faces Counter-Attack, Guard wins and gets a special added win effect (the only "special" win condition in the game)
When both players play Utility (Power-Up being the only one), both win.
Here is the complete chart of interactions:
The win effect directly modified by color. Each Move Category (Strike, Defense, and Utility) matches up to a color (Red, Blue, and Yellow, respectively). Playing a move of a matching Category and Color have added effects when they win an exchange:
- Performing a Bloody Strike (RED) grants +2 damage
- A successful Tearful Defense (BLUE) heals +1 HP (you cannot heal over your starting HP)
- Utilizing a Sweaty Power-Up (YELLOW) grants +1 token draw
Color also matters in one specific case of a pairing of two moves - Standard Strike vs Guard (see Moves below for details). Standard Strike wins if the colors are different, while Guard wins if the colors are the same.
A Wildcard token always counts as the most beneficial color in all cases where color matters, even as different colors for multiple cases at once. For example, a Standard Strike with a Wildcard will count as red for purposes of gaining +2 damage, and also can simultaneously be considered not red for purposes of defeating a red Guard. When a Wildcard Standard Strike and a Wildcard Guard meet, the Standard Strike wins.
At the end of each turn, after the effects of abilities have been resolved and before moving on to the next turn, players may each optionally Gather Power: they may discard two tokens of the same number value in order to gain one Charge Counter. This may only be done up to one time per turn.
Throughout the game, a player can be inflicted by a status-effect known as Off-Balance. This status is applied to a player during the resolution of effects, and persists through the reveal of abilities on the following turn. After abilities are checked for winning or losing, the effect is removed (although it could be immediately added again due to the result of those abilities). In the event that both players are afflicted by this status simultaneously, they are negated and both players immediately lose the status.
The effects of Off-Balance are as follows:
- The player's Standard Strikes will always lose tie-breakers against other Standard Strikes
- The player cannot use Dashing Strike or Evasion
Additional Rules:
Poison Counters:
Some special effects owned by certain characters inflict poison. When this occurs, the afflicted player takes 1 Poison Counter and sets it next to them. Every turn, immediately after drawing during the Draw Phase, players take 2 damage for each Poison Counter they possess. Left alone, Poison Counter can last indefinitely, though they can be removed through action; anytime a player heals any amount or Gathers Power, they may remove 1 Poison Counter. (Performing both actions at the same time, such as the Warpriest's ability to heal while Powering-Up, only removes 1 Poison Counter).
Illegal Moves:
In the event that a player reveals an illegal move - one they cannot afford, for instance, or one that is unavailable due to being Off-Balance - the move is automatically replaced with Standard Strike if it is an illegal Strike, or Guard if it is an illegal Defense. These moves are always legal.
Strikes:
When interacting among themselves, strikes follow a predictable pattern using the following system of priority: Lighting -> Finishing -> Dashing -> Standard -> Piercing Strikes beat all other strikes of lower priority, and lose to all strikes of higher priority. When two strikes of the same type are used against each other, the one paired with the token of the lower number wins. In the event that the token is also tied, both strikes "win" and deal their effects, but optional decisions posed by the effects are not allowed to be performed. As a special rule, if a player is Off-Balance, their Standard Strikes always lose to the Standard Strikes of their opponent regardless of token value.
Strikes are successfully defended against by different various Defenses. All Strikes always win against Power-up.
Examples:
- Player A plays a Standard Strike with a YELLOW 3 token and Player B plays a Lightning Strike with a BLUE 10 token. Player B wins as Lightning Strikes always defeat Standard Strikes.
- Player A plays a Dashing Strike with a BLUE 3 token and Player B plays a Dashing Strike with a BLUE 8 token. Player A wins as both players played the same type of Strike and Player A's token has the lower number.
- Player A plays a Standard Strike with a RED 4 and Player B plays a Standard Strike with a YELLOW 4. Both players win as the type of Strike and the value of the tokens are both identical. Neither player can decide to perform the optional "Follow-up Attack" that they would normally be entitled to as an effect of winning with a Standard Strike.
- Player A plays a Standard Strike with a YELLOW 8 token and Player B is Off-Balance and plays a Standard Strike with a BLUE 3. Player A wins because Player B is Off-Balance, which causes them to always lose in the event of each player using a Standard Strike.
Standard Strike:
A basic Strike that deals damage, can help gain Tokens, and even allows a Follow-up combo! It penetrates Guard when the Tokens are of different colors. It doesn't beat most other Strikes, but it also doesn't cost any Charges to use!
Wins Against: Piercing Strike, Guard of a different color, Power-up, other Standard Strikes against an Off-Balance opponent
Loses Against: Lightning Strike, Finishing Strike, Dashing Strike, Guard of the same color, Parry, Counter-attack, Evasion, other Standard Strikes when Off-Balance
Win Effect: Deal damage equal to the value of the token played. Then, draw one additional token and add it to your hand. Then, optionally, perform a FOLLOW-UP ATTACK: Discard an additional token from your hand (can be the token that was just drawn or a different token) and deal damage equal to 1/2 (rounded down) of that token.
Similar To: Normal Attacks in Yomi, Normal Attacks in most fighting games.
Piercing Strike:
A penetrating Strike that beats all Defenses except for Evasion. It loses to all other Strikes, though, so use with caution! Deals a set amount of damage and sets the opponent Off-Balance. Power Surge for a little extra damage.
Wins Against: All Defenses except Evasion, Power-up
Loses Against: All other types of Strikes, Evasion
Win Effect: Deal 5 damage, and your opponent becomes Off-Balance. Then, optionally, perform a POWER SURGE: Spend 1 Charge Counter to deal an additional 4 damage.
Similar To: Throws in Yomi, Throws in most fighting games.
Dashing Strike:
A versatile pursuing Strike; does excellent damage, inflicts Off-Balance, and cannot be Evaded. Can't be used when you're Off-Balance yourself! Costs 1 Charge, and can be Power Surged to be even deadlier!
Wins Against: Standard Strike, Piercing Strike, Evasion, Power-up
Loses Against: Lightning Strike, Finishing Strike, All Defenses except Evasion
Cost: A player must pay 1 Charge Counter when revealing this ability
Win Effect: Deal damage equal to the value of the token played, and your opponent becomes Off-Balance. Then, optionally, perform a POWER SURGE: Spend 1 Charge Counter to deal an additional 6 damage.
Special: This ability cannot be used when Off-Balance.
Similar To: Attacks in Yomi of speeds between 1.0 and 2.0, Fast "Zone-breaker" attacks in most fighting games.
Lightning Strike:
A blazing-fast Strike that is unmatched in priority! Beats all other types of Strikes, but loses to all Defenses. Costs 1 Charge, and can deal a little more damage and cause Off-Balance if Power Surged!
Wins Against: All other types of Strikes, Power-up
Loses Against: All Defenses
Cost: A player must pay 1 Charge Counter when revealing this ability.
Win Effect: Deal 7 damage. Then, optionally, perform a POWER SURGE: Spend 1 Charge Counter to deal an additional 3 damage and inflict Off-Balance.
Similar To: Non-Super Attacks in Yomi of speeds below 1.0, Super-fast "Reversal" attacks in most fighting games.
Finishing Strike:
An ultra-powerful combination Strike that deals tons of damage and beats most other Strikes! It can't be Counter-attacked, either! Costs a pricey 3 Charges.
Wins Against: Dashing Strike, Standard Strike, Piercing Strike, Counter-Attack, Power-up
Loses Against: Lightning Strike, All Defenses except Counter-Attack
Cost: A player must pay 3 Charge Counter when revealing this ability
Win Effect: Deal damage equal to the value of the token played. Then, optionally, discard up to two additional tokens from your hand and deal damage equal to the value of those tokens as well.
Similar To: Super Attacks in Yomi
Defenses:
Defenses also interact among themselves in a predictable pattern. When two defenses are played against each other, both lose, with exceptions relating to Guard. Defenses each defend against a unique array of Strikes. All Defenses always lose to Power-up.
Guard:
An economic Defense that can help gain a lot of Tokens. It blocks Standard Strikes of the same Token color, as well as most other Strikes right-out. It even allows a special Follow-up attack against an enemy Counter-Attack!
Wins Against: Lightning Strike, Finishing Strike, Dashing Strike, Standard Strike of the same color, Guard, Counter-Attack* (special)
Loses Against: Piercing Strike, Standard Strike of a different color, Parry, Evasion, Power-up
Win Effect: Return the token played to your hand. Then, draw an additional token and add it to your hand.
Win Effect vs. Counter-attack: In addition to the regular win effect, then, optionally, perform a FOLLOW-UP ATTACK: Discard a token from your hand and deal damage equal to 1/2 (rounded down) of that token.
Similar To: Block in Yomi, Blocking or Guarding in most fighting games.
Counter-Attack:
A retaliatory Defense that deals damage back at the attacker. It doesn't even require Charges to use! However, watch out - it can't counter Finishing Strikes!
Wins Against: Lightning Strike, Dashing Strike, Standard Strike
Loses Against: Finishing Strike, Piercing Strike, All Defenses
Win Effect: Deal damage equal to 1/2 (rounded down) of the value of the token you played.
Similar To: Dodging into a Special Attack in Yomi, Counter-attacks in some fighting games.
Parry:
A precision Defense that deals moderate damage, sets the foe Off-Balance, lets you see their hand, and allows you to force them to discard any token of your choice. It defends against all Strikes except for the defense-foiling Piercing Strike. Costs 1 Charge.
Wins Against: All Strikes except Piercing Strike
Loses Against: Piercing Strike, All Defenses
Cost: A player must pay 1 Charge Counter when revealing this ability
Win Effect: Deal 6 damage, and your opponent becomes Off-Balance. Then, your opponent reveals their hand of Tokens and discards one of your choice.
Similar To: Dodging into Throw (especially Bonecracker) in Yomi, Getting a punish that leads to an advantageous state in some fighting games.
Evasion:
A patient Defense useful for waiting out dangerous situations or seeking out resources. Avoids all Strikes except for Dashing Strikes. Costs 1 Charge, but you get it back if it's successful. Can't be used when Off-Balance.
Wins Against: All Strikes except Dashing Strike
Loses Against: Dashing Strike, All Defenses
Cost: A player must pay 1 Charge Counter when revealing this ability
Win Effect: The Charge Counter is refunded. Then, search the discard for any token and add it to your hand (tokens played this turn are not in the discard yet).
Special: This ability cannot be used when Off-Balance.
Similar To: Dodging into nothing in Yomi, Running around evasively in some fighting games.
Utility:
The Utility category consist only of the Power-up ability. It follows the most straight-forward pattern of all: It loses against all Strikes, and wins against all Defenses.
Power-up:
Take a moment to replenish those valuable energies! A successful Power-up gains you 2 Charges. It loses to all Strikes, but wins against all Defenses (and itself)!
Wins against: All Defenses, Power-Up
Loses Against: All Strikes
Win Effect: Gain 2 Charge Counter.
Similar To: Powering up in Anime games.
CHARACTERS:
The Wandering Sellsword
A well-traveled and worldly adventurer with a practiced sword-arm. Willing to accept any job, their experience has forged them into a versatile warrior who is prepared for any situation.
No changes; uses core rules.
The Phalanx Sentinel
A disciplined soldier equipped with heavy armor and a deadly, defense-penetrating spear. Their well-trained combat style is simple, yet terrifyingly efficient.
- +10 HP
- When losing a Strike Tie-Breaker (i.e. same strike, higher number), discard two tokens of the same color as the token you played to win the Tie-Breaker.
- Piercing Strike deals +3 damage.
- Cannot perform Follow-up Attacks
- Cannot use Lightning Strike or Evasion
The Devout Warpriest
A pious acolyte of peace and war, wielding both divine miracles and a crushing morning-star. Their unwavering dedication to their cause means that surrender is never a consideration to them.
- -15 HP
- When Gathering Power, heal 2 HP, +1 more HP if either token is Blue.
- If you are reduced to 0 HP or less while possessing 5 charge counters, do not lose the game. Instead, after all ability effects are resolved, set your HP to 5 and lose all of your charge counters. During your next turn, all charge counter costs are free for you.
- Finishing Strike costs 2 charge counters instead of 3.
- You can only add one additional token to Finishing Strike instead of two.
The Unrelenting Assassin
A focused and vicious killer who pursues their prey with dual light blades and frightening efficiency. Believes in ending a fight quickly with a swift offense.
- -5 HP
- When performing a Follow-up Attack, you may reveal and use a random token from the pool instead of using one from your hand.
- Follow-up Attacks performed with Red tokens inflict Off-Balance.
- Counter-Attack inflicts 1 Poison Counter.
- Counter-Attack deals no damage.
- Winning with Power-up grants one Charge Counter instead of two.
The Mystic Channeler
A practiced weaver of spells who commands the very energies of nature itself. Capable of stealing power from their foes and turning back against them.
- -10 HP
- When winning with Power-Up, you may take one of the gained charge counters from your opponent instead of the supply.
- Whenever your opponent has no Charge Tokens, you may take away their Piercing Strike move and set it aside. If you do, they cannot take it back or play it until they have Charge Tokens.
- Dashing Strike deals extra damage equal to the number of Charge Tokens you possess (after paying for the Strike, before Power Surge).
- Cannot use Finishing Strike.
- Standard Strike deals -2 damage.
The Poison-Quilled Razorbeast
A ferocious, spined monster with massive claws that can tear through flesh and steel alike. Generally prefers a life of peaceful solitude, but is immensely dangerous if goaded into aggression.
- +5 HP
- Counter-Attack and Lightning Strike inflict 1 Poison Counter.
- Counter-Attack can benefit from Color Matching with Red as if it were a Strike in additional to Blue (both if Wildcard).
- Cannot use Evasion or Finishing Strike.
- Dashing Strike costs 2 Charge Counters instead of 1.