Jack-o-nine: Combat
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Helpful post from user Drix at ULMF forums: [1]
" The great secret to combat is in alignment(or multipliers). Every attack can either cause a buff or debuff or deal double damage for attack of the same color. So what you want is to align an attack to cause the biggest damage of the same color. A simple example is while you have furry(2x red) while the enemy is unbalanced(2x red) and the enemy is blocking(2x red) if you strike it with a roundhouse special skill(lots of damage) he is toast. You can kill pretty high level monsters with this.
To defend yourself want to use halve damage buffs and debuffs. Slow and steady is also good for more manageable opponents. You generally only want to strike with same attack color as their defense only when you have so power backing you(multipliers). For defense I usually leave it green since you get a buff at the start of combat with this character(from fetish or vigor?) "
Contents
Combat Basics
Both the slaver and their enemy have 3 colored hearts that dictate their status. When any of them reach 0 or less the fight is over. Going into a fight with 1 energy
- Red heart for health - person dies. Starting value based on Strength.
- Green for stamina - person collapses and is unable to continue fighting. Starting value based on Energy. Damage may reduce Energy.
- Purple for morale - person flees combat. Starting value based on Personality. Damage may reduce Mood.
Different weapons and attacks have different effects on the hearts, for example a whip doesn't do much physical damage (red heart), but causes a lot of pain so decreases morale (purple heart).
In general, unarmed attacks and blunt weapon attacks don't do HP damage and so cannot kill an opponent in this game, while slashing and piercing damage do hp damage and therefore can kill your opponents.
("Roundhouse Kick" is not necessarily an unarmed attack despite the name; it does whatever type of damage is dealt by the main-hand equipped weapon at the time it is used - so if main-hand weapons are removed to reveal the jab and uppercut attacks, "Roundhouse Kick" deals nonlethal damage like any other unarmed attack.)
In border of the fogs, enemies (especially minions) might die regardless of which heart is reduced to zero.
If a weapon-type damages certain heart-gauges at all, it affects all damaged heart-gauges to the same degree.
The fact that attacks and defences have colours which correspond EXACTLY to the colours of the heart-gauges is irrelevant and potentially misleading. Red attacks do not do damage to the hp gauge especially or necessarily, while blocking (a red defence) does not either protect or expose the hp gauge particularly.
For example, whips ONLY do Morale damage, and yet they ONLY have red and green attacks.
Armour works by applying a flat minus after all other modifiers have already been applied, though attacks always deal at least 1 damage.
So if for example the damage-type dealt is slashing, and the armour has 5 resistance against slashing, you will take 5 less damage than you would otherwise take. Attacks that would have dealt 6 damage deal 1, and attacks (eg doubled by defence-type or buffs) that would have dealt 12 damage deal 7, etc, but attacks that would have dealt 1 damage still deal 1.
Note:
There seems to be something extremely strange in the armour code or somesuch thing: if you wear, for example, Gothic Plate for a few fights, it seems that the armour bonus becomes innate to you, so even if you take the armour off you still take less damage. And if you keep the armour on, you continue to take less and less damage over time. Something about the Slaver's defence values is extremely unclear. (Tested in Sandbox mode.)
Offense and Defense
Underneath the portrait of both combatants is the type of defense and a list of any buffs/debuffs that character has. If you attack (or get attacked) by a type with the same color the attacker gets a 2x damage multiplier in addition to any multipliers gain from status effects. You can cycle your own defensive type by clicking the arrow next to it and take advantage of any defensive buffs you might currently have or to avoid offensive buffs on your enemy.
You also have the option to defend to remove all harmful status effects and restore some stamina.
When it comes to attacks and defence-styles, red stands for heavy attacks, green stands for swift attacks, and purple stands for precise attacks, while the colour of a defence-style shows the attack-type against which it is WEAKEST in terms of pure damage.
When a regular attack-type (as opposed to a special technique) encounters a defence-style, the wheel of effects is as follows:
Block (Red Defence): Purple attacks buff attackers, green attacks debuff defenders, and red attacks doubly damage defenders.
Evade (Green Defence): Red attacks buff attackers, purple attacks debuff defenders, and green attacks doubly damage defenders.
Counterattack (Purple Defence): Green attacks buff attackers, red attacks debuff defenders, and purple attacks doubly damage defenders.
As can be seen and used as a mnemonic by looking at the colours of your 3 always-available unarmed attacks: the attack which is one step above the defence colour will buff, the attack which is two steps above will debuff.
Note:
1) The in-game description of blocks is incorrect: speed attacks debuff the defender as noted above, as opposed to buffing the attacker as the in-game description suggests.
2) The Baseball bat's "knock out" red regular attack has no effect on purple defences: as an inexplicable anomaly, this must be an oversight.
Injuries
The slaver's condition going into and coming out of a fight will carry over. If you go in with lots of energy, you'll have a higher green heart. If you're not trained for combat and have poor health, or have been previously injured, you'll have a low red heart. Coming out of a fight with low health (red heart) will leave you injured and hamper both your mood and energy recovery until it's healed.
Injuries will heal naturally over time, but you can speed up the process by going to the Medical Center and paying sparks relative to the degree of injury, or consuming healing balms made through alchemy, which will heal the injury by one rank per application. The best option, however, is to use a healing balm in combat right before finishing off your opponent.
On a similar note, when the Slaver fights rebellious slaves, injuries can result depending on the kinds of weapons used.
Bruises and "traces of beatings" which severely decrease beauty can result to a slave, and stamina damage to a slave translates to much less energy being available post-beating to that slave.
Whips and other morale-damage-only weapons are therefore potentially the best types to use in slave-fights if one has skill with them, because
(1) they do not leave bruises or traces of beatings, unlike other types of weapons, and because
(2)they do not decrease the energy of the defeated slave, unlike weapons which do stamina damage.
Naturally, unless the slaver happens to be of a particularly sadistic sort, this is the quintessential time to avoid using slashing, piercing, or other fatal-damage type weapons, because a mis-step with any fatal-damage type weapon can easily result in the slaver killing his slave.
Buffs and Debuffs
Every regular attack has 3 possible outcomes depending on the defensive style of your opponent. Sometimes they'll add a buff to yourself helping to mitigate certain types of damage, other times it will debuff the enemy making certain actions less effective or opening up vulnerabilities.
Buffs
| Name | Color | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Adrenaline | Red | 1/2 red damage received |
| Fury | Red | 2x red damage dealt |
| Evasion | Green | 1/2 green damage received |
| Acceleration | Green | 2x green damage dealt |
| Attention | Purple | 1/2 purple damage received |
| Precision | Purple | 2x purple damage dealt |
Debuffs
| Name | Color | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Unsteadiness | Red | 2x Red damage received |
| Weakness | Red | 1/2 Red Damage dealt |
| Stunned | Green | 2x Green Damage received |
| Stiffness | Green | 1/2 green damage dealt |
| Distraction | Purple | 2x purple damage received |
| Severe Pain | Purple | 1/2 purple damage dealt |
Special Techniques
Special Techniques are taught by Lanista at the Coliseum, and you can learn up to 4, 1 per level of current Fighter skill. The cost to train increases with each skill learned: $10, $40, $90, $160 Some abilities are always available, while others require a specific weapon type. Learning an ability requires at least 1* of energy and will take all day.
- Roundhouse Kick - Red ability that does triple damage (before modifiers). Always available, but only 1 use per fight.
- Swift Blow - Green Multi-target ability that hits two targets for double damage. Requires a slashing weapon.
- Battle Cry - Purple ability that deals morale damage while giving yourself a boost. Grants Fury[4]. Always available, but only 1 use per fight.
- Heavy Blow - Red ability that stuns the opponent and deals double damage. Requires a blunt weapon.
- Dashing Blow - Green ability that causes Unsteadiness[99] Requires a slashing weapon.
- Precise hit - Purple ability that does double damage and causes Distraction[99]. Requires a piercing weapon
Weapon Types and abilities
Unarmed attacks
Unarmed attacks are always available regardless of which weapon you're currently using.
| Attack | Red | Green | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kick | 2x | Attention | Stunned |
| Push | Distraction | 2x | Adrenaline |
| Sweep | Evasion | Unsteadiness | 2x |
Secondary
Equippable in any slot except shoulder holster.
| Weapon | Attack | Red | Green | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | $10 base damage = str+1 | |||
| - | Precise Thrust | Acceleration | Severe Pain | 2x |
| - | Slash | Stiffness | 2x | Precision |
| Stiletto | $10 base damage = 4 | |||
| - | Precise Stab | Stiffness | Acceleration | 2x |
| - | Rapid Stab | Severe Pain | 2x | Precision |
| Brass Knuckles | $10 base damage = str+1 | |||
| - | Powerful punch | 2x | Acceleration | Stunned |
| - | Rapid Hit | Unsteadiness | 2x | Adrenaline |
| Lash | $10 base damage = whip+1 morale | |||
| - | Flog | Pain | 2x | Acceleration |
| - | Smack | Precision | Stiffness | 2x |
| Stunner | $10 base damage = str+1 | |||
| - | Blow to the head | 2x | Adrenaline | Stunned |
| - | Poke | Unsteadiness | 2x | Precision |
| Butcher's Cleaver | $20 base damage = str*2-1 | |||
| - | Butcher's Blow | 2x | Adrenaline | Distraction |
| - | SlaughterHouse | Severe Pain | 2x | Fury |
One-Handed
| Weapon | Attack | Red | Green | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whip | $50 base damage = whip+3 morale | |||
| - | Biting Impact | Pain | 2x | Acceleration |
| - | Sweeping Strike | 2x | Adrenaline | Stunned |
| Epee | $50 base damage = str+2 | |||
| - | Deep Thrust | Acceleration | Pain | 2x |
| - | Triple Thrust | Distraction | 2x | Evasion |
| Rapier | $50 base damage = 5 | |||
| - | Accurate Thrust | Acceleration | Stunned | 2x |
| - | Fulminant | Distraction | 2x | Precision |
| Koncerz | $50 base damage = str+3 | |||
| - | Precise Thrust | Fury | Weakness | 2x |
| - | Pierce | 2x | Precision | Stiffness |
| Gladius | $50 base damage = str+3 | |||
| - | Poke | Attention | Weakness | 2x |
| - | Swing | Distraction | 2x | Evasion |
| Bastard Sword | $100 base damage = str+3 | |||
| - | Slash | 2x | Acceleration | Stiffness |
| - | Arc hit | Unsteadiness | 2x | Adrenaline |
| Machete | $50 base damage = str+3 | |||
| - | Snag cut | 2x | Adrenaline | Stunned |
| - | Chop | Fury | 2x | Unsteadiness |
| Katana | $100 base damage = str+3 | |||
| - | Uchiotoshi | Acceleration | Stunned | 2x |
| - | Renzoku | Distraction | 2x | Precision |
| Baton | $25 base damage = str+3 | |||
| - | Wicked poke | Attention | Pain | 2x |
| - | Smash | 2x | Adrenaline | Stiffness |
Two Handed
| Weapon | Attack | Red | Green | Purple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flamberge | $200 base damage = str+5 | |||
| - | Short Blow | Stunned | 2x | Fury |
| - | Powerful Blow | 2x | Acceleration | Unsteadiness |
| Naginata | $200 base damage = str+5 | |||
| - | Direct Hit | Acceleration | Stunned | 2x |
| - | Scythe of Death | Weakness | 2x | Evasion |
| Morning Star | $150 base damage = str+6 | |||
| - | Twisted | Fury | Stunned | 2x |
| - | Sweeping | 2x | Acceleration | Unsteadiness |
| GreatAxe | $100 base damage = str+5 | |||
| - | Woodcutter | 2x | Adrenaline | Pain |
| - | Crescent | Unsteadiness | 2x | Fury |
| Baseball Bat | $100 base damage = str+5 | |||
| - | Knock out | 2x | Adrenaline | nothing (not Pain) |
| - | Sweeping | Stiffness | 2x | Evasion |
| Cattle prod | $150 base damage = str+5 morale | |||
| - | Goad | Attention | Pain | 2x |
| - | Cattle prod | 2x | Adrenaline | Stiffness |
Armor
| Armor | Price | Cutting | Piercing | Crushing | Frost | Fire | Lightning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aramid Suit | $100 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Evasion 3 |
| Leather Armor | $400 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| Elven Chainmail | $250 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Evasion 3 | |
| Yatserin Mail | $300 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | something weird in the code |
| Combined Armor | $800 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | Stiffness 2 |
| Gothic Plate | $1000 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Stiffness 5 |
Only Lich and the Vatican Champion use magical attacks (Corvus Champion's special attack is psychic so no armor helps) therefore only the first three defence modifiers matter.
Tips
If your Strength is very low, consider which weapon you choose
- If you can afford them, and don't mind a 2-handed weapon, the Greataxe, Morningstar, Naginata, Cattle Prod and Flamberge will do high base damage even with low strength.
- If your Flagellation skill is much higher than Strength, consider the Whip and/or Lash which do damage based on that skill instead.
- If all else fails, consider starting with the Rapier, which is cheap ($50) and does a base 5 damage regardless of stats, or the Stiletto ($10, 4 damage).
- You can raise Strength through Sparring in the Colosseum or through other daily activities
- It took about 3 sparrings vs Unarmed slave to raise Strength from Weak to Unfit, 10 sparrings vs Wardress to go from Unfit to Strong
- Buy an Aketon ASAP and make sure to equip it before combat, it's only $10.
- If you start without armor, you can have Isabella unequip her Leather Armor and wear it for at least a little protection at start.
Devastating Combo (single target)
- Equip a Flamberge.
- Hit the enemy with a Dashing strike for Unsteadiness[99] (2x red damage)
- Use Battle Cry to gain Fury (also 2x red damage)
- Attack with Short Blow until they defend by Blocking
- Hit them with Roundhouse Kick for 200 damage.
- Wipe the blood off your clothes.
