New Mechanic: Custom Ability System!
Introduction
While I was deepening mechanics for charismatic characters like Lustmap, Hidden Kink, BDS and the personality system, I realized there was a gap between classic
warrior's and
seducer's styles in the deepness of mechanics. Charisma-based characters have a wide range of tools that need to be applied differently depending on the situation and the opponent. They learn and adapt during each encounter. Meanwhile, combat-focused characters are mostly limited to a set of abilities that always work in the same way.
When leveling up combat skills, the player simply gains access to a new set of abilities or some passive effects. You know the drill. But compared to the seduction system, it clearly feels more narrow, repetitive, and kind of boring. To be honest, I noticed this even at the very beginning of the project- but only now it became a real problem. On top of that, seductive characters have no reason to fight or use damage skills- it's simply not how they play.
There was another issue- weapons. Their only function was to provide a few bonus modifiers and determine what set of abilities the player has access to. In other words, character progression was reduced to choosing a weapon type and using the best stat stick available.
So I decided to fully redesign how Warriors and Warrior-Seducers ability system works.
Daemonic Runes
When a demon dies, it leaves behind a splinter of its soul- a Demonic Rune. For centuries, these Runes were kept as trophies… until the Abyss revealed their true purpose.
1. Bond
Any weapon forged in the Abyss can be bonded to Daemonic Runes. The better the weapon, the more Runes it can hold.
This Bond creates a new ability. But each weapon can hold multiple Bonds. Every ability you create gets added to your list of available skills and takes up a
Memory Slot in Ami’s mind.
The number of Memory Slots is determined by
Intelligence. Even with the lowest Intelligence, Ami can always memorize at least 1 Bond. After that, every 3 Intelligence gives 1 additional slot.
2. Force of Momentum
Creating an ability starts with selecting a
Force of Momentum.
This is not a Rune and not a physical object- it's the direction and style of the attack. The way you move when striking.
Force of Momentum defines:
- the attack animation,
- the type of damage (piercing, blunt, slashing, magic),
- which stats modifiers the attack,
- the base Stamina and Action Point cost.
New Forces unlock as you master weapon types. They can’t be bought or sold- only learned through combat. Movement is the only language demons understand. Even blind, they see it. And only a precise movement can awaken a Rune.
3. Runes
Weapons have slots — some on the blade (
Edge), some on the handle (
Handle).
- Edge Runes apply effects to the target.
- Handle Runes apply effects to the wielder.
There are two types of Runes —
Force and
Hex. They must be placed in matching slots. One Rune can only be part of one Bond at a time.
Force Runes
These provide a one-time effect- like dealing elemental damage or changing values such as
Stamina,
Stability,
Arousal,
Satisfaction, or
Climax progress.
Adding a Force Rune increases the ability’s
Stamina cost.
Hex Runes
These give less stable but longer-lasting effects, either on the target (Edge) or the user (Handle).
They don’t raise
Stamina cost, but increase the
cooldown by 1, because they overload the runes in the Bond.
How to get Runes?
Runes can be purchased from merchants or obtained from defeated demons. The older and stronger the demon was, the more powerful the Rune received after its destruction will be.
Ami is trained in the ritual of Rune Invocation and is capable of creating new abilities outside of combat by first breaking existing Bond. However, most creatures do not possess such skills, though they can still use Runes that were Bound for them by their Mages, Priests, or Shamans.
Nevertheless, defeating an enemy who uses Runes won’t always grant you their Runes. Most Runes will be destroyed the moment the original wielder of the weapon ceases to own it or dies, for saving Runes, people are using Severing the Bond Ritual. The connection remains stable only when all three links are intact: the Weapon, the Weapon’s Wielder, and the Runes.
Conclusion
Ultimately, this gives us the ability to adapt Runes to a build, among other things expanding the very concept of Buildcraft and progression. Weapons now carry more weight, and their choice has become more flexible depending on which Runes you want to embed into the weapon.
Want to become stronger in battle? Choose a weapon with a couple of Hex slots in the Handle.
Want to deal powerful and crushing attacks? Choose a weapon with
Force slots in the Edge and Bond some damage Runes!
As I mentioned above, Force Runes can not only deal damage but also
affect parameters.
Is your strategy based on sexually overheating the enemy or getting them aroused as quickly as possible? Use Runes that increase Arousal in the Edge slots!
Want to exhaust the enemy? Let them climax over and over, weakening and losing Max Stamina and other stats through Runes that increase Climax progress. Even let them feel it when they are not prepared, or have low Satisfaction, it will grant them another debuff based on how badly those Satisfaction is right now!
Don’t forget about the different types of Force of Momentum-
Blunt damage deals a lot to Armor but much less to Health!
Of course, you can also apply these Runes to yourself if you're pursuing different goals in battle, by placing them in the Handle.
This mechanic is already fully functional, but in the future, I’d like to introduce potential tweaks and updates such as:
Planned features:
- Preview window of the ability in the “Invoke Runes” menu.
- Ability library- save and reuse your favorite skills.
- Second active weapon.
- Rune synergies.
Points 3 and 4 are undecided- I’ll wait for feedback before adding those.
And here’s a video showing how ability creation works:
You must be registered to see the links