Beneficial Modal effects

 

Beneficial Modal effects (aka Mode effects) are game mechanics which grant a character or a creature a few special abilities or advantages for a short amount of time. Often, the being that is affected by the effect will vocally count out the Modal effect.

Armored Rush: Walk into ranged attacks

Aura: Creatures that attack you take damage.

Barrage: Perform 2 or more consecutive attacks upon one or more targets.

Burrowing: Tunnel into the ground, being shielded and hidden by it.

Conceal: Become invisible to view. 

Escape: Run away from danger and from most pursuers.

Flying: Fly up into the air and become immune to melee attacks.

Perceive: Locate hidden creatures or details

Impervious: Be invulnerable to most attacks.

Wave: Perform an attack upon different targets.

Armored Rush 

  • Description: The Armored Rush allows a creature to walk toward their opponent and shrug off ranged attacks. 

  • Benefit: Point with a hand or a weapon at a single target you can see. Invoke “Armored Rush” to gain that status and the following benefits

  • Unfettered Movement: You do not need to halt forward momentum or step back when struck by ranged attacks or using defenses (e.g Dodge, Aegis, etc) against them. Take note that you still suffer from these effects.

  • No Running: For safety reasons, you cannot run, but you can move at a fast walk

  • Duration: Armored Rush ends when you desire or when any the conditions below occur:

    • Time Limit: Approximately one minute has passed

    • Halted Movement: You stop moving for any reason or you move away from your target. This includes being Downed or suffering from an immobilizing Control effect. Holds or similar mechanics will not interrupt an Armored Rush.

    • Interference: Being struck in melee immediately halts your approach.

    • Lost Target: You stop pointing at your target or lose sight of them for 5+ seconds

Aura 

  • Description: The Aura Modal effect represents dangerous energies or fumes radiating from the invoking creature. 

  • Benefit: Such a creature counts down with the effect, starting with the highest intensity and then diminishing until the end. For example, “Aura 10 Flame, Aura 9 Flame, Aura 8 Flame, etc” 

  • Being touched or struck by a creature invoking an Aura effect also means being affected by that effect, which is usually damage. Striking such a creature in melee subjects the attacker to the most recent invoked effect. Ranged attackers have no such penalty.

Barrage 

  • Description: Barrage effects allow the user to deliver one effect multiple times, affecting one target multiple times or multiple targets. 

  • Benefit: Skills that allow for this Modal effect are labeled as “Barrage X”, where X is the maximum number of iterations of this effect. While performing a Barrage skill and delivering its effects, you may not move your feet from their positions. Furthermore, you have a maximum of 5 seconds (or 10 seconds with Barrage 5) to deliver all of the effects. If your feet move from their positions, you lose any attacks/effects that you haven’t delivered yet.

    • For example, a Skill that allows the user to inflict a “3 Flame” attack as a Barrage 3 effect will let said user to perform the Flame attack up to three times, on the same targets or on different ones.  

Burrowing 

  • Description: This is similar to flying and impervious, representing a creature burrowing underground. Like a flying creature, it is apparent where a burrowing creature is. However, said creature takes limited damage as though considered Impervious (see below). 

  • Benefit: To reflect the Burrowing status, vocally count up the Burrowing count (e.g. “Burrowing 1, Burrowing 2…” etc). While in this state, you are immune to all attacks and do not have to take your grunt and step. This represents the fact that your precise location is hidden and the ground offers you protection.

  • You lose some of this immunity when an Unveiling effect (see Perceive) is inflicted upon you via melee or ranged.

    • When Unveiled, the Burrowing creature or character is considered Impervious while Burrowing for the rest of the current Burrowing count. Effects that would end Impervious (e.g. Bane, Siege, etc) also end Burrowing.

  • Most burrowing creatures have deadly barrage attacks that they use upon emerging so following them closely is not encouraged.

Chain

  • Description: Chain effects allow the user to deliver one effect to one or more targets, similar to the Barrage effect.

  • Benefits: This is similar to the Barrage effect except you may only perform the next attack in the series if the current attack hits and is not negated. Skills that allow for this Modal effect are labeled as “Chain X” where X maximum number of iterations of this effect.

  • For example, Treboj has a Chain 3 attack that inflicts “3 Lightning” via packet/dart.

    • First packet: He hits the first target and they do not negate it.

    • Second packet: He throws a packet at a second target, but he misses.

    • Third packet: He does not get to throw this attack because he missed his second packet. The same would follow if he hit his target but they invoked “Dodge” or “Block”.

Conceal

  • Description: The Conceal effect represents Characters that are hiding with exceptional skill or magic, becoming invisible from view.  

  • Concealed Characters: Characters that are Concealed cannot be seen or pinpointed, although other Characters can vaguely sense their presence in a "I think we're being watched" manner. 

  • On the other hand, Concealed characters are able to perceive their surroundings, except for other Concealed characters. When hit by an attack, they can respond with "Immune, I am Concealed" or with a similar clarification -- the only effects that will hit them are Unveiling effects and Global effects. 

To become Concealed, you must fulfill and maintain the following requirements:

  •  Positional: You must lean against immovable cover such as a wall, tree, or a shrub that can block at least half of your body from one direction. You may not use it in the middle of a field or a road. 

  •  Equipment: You cannot be wearing Ultraheavy/Heavy armor or carrying an item/weapon larger than 4 feet. You also may not be carrying an active light source.

Skill Restrictions: You may stay Concealed for as long as you wish. However, in order to do so you must follow the restrictions below:

 • Stand Still: You must be standing and you may not move. Certain Skills may be used while Concealed and they may even allow you to move but all other Skills, attacks, Concentration/Targeting, and actions will end Concealment.

 • Stay Silent: You may not say anything, except for out-of-game clarifies. 

 • Crossed Arms: Your arms must be crossed over your chest. You may hold items.     

Being Revealed: Even if the restrictions above are followed, you can be Unveiled if you are hit by an Unveiling effect or a Global effect. The latter is an effect that hits everyone that can hear it, representing something that affects the entire area. 

  • Unveiling effects are usually delivered via melee touch or a spell packet and only by someone using a Sense-type skill such as Perception or Detect Presence -- these Skills allow their user to perceive Concealed creatures for a short time after their use. Perceiving individuals will announce themselves and while holding their hands over their brows as though shielding their eyes from the sun or be holding forward a light source.  

  • Sense Skills like Keen Perception will not reveal someone using Superior Concealment although the incredibly rare “Master Unveiling” effect can do so. 

Escape

  • Description: This allows an individual to attempt an escape from the current battle or scene. 

  • Benefit: See below

    • Escape 30: Begin an audible “Escape count” that goes up to 30. Put your hand or weapon atop your head to show that you are "out of game". During the Escape count, you may slow or fast walk out of the current area. No one may interact with or pursue you without the proper Skills. 

    • No Return: You may not return to the current area (your judgment) until approximately after 10 minutes, even with help. 

    • Last 10 counts: Ensure that these last 10 counts of the Escape effect are extra audible to indicate your return to the game environment -- at “Escape 30”, lower your hand from your head. 

  • Pursuit effects: Other creatures may use “Pursuit” effects to follow you. They will exit the game and enter the game at the same time you do so. Similarly, other characters may join your escape by using their Skill simultaneously to your own use.

Flying 

  • Description: This is a modal effect that represents flight or a high jump. 

  • Benefits: You must raise an arm above your head. While you are doing this, FIRMLY invoke “Flying 1, Flying 2…” in an audible tone, up to the count limit (which is usually 10 but can go up to 30).

    • This lasts until make X seconds pass or X counts are reached -- whichever comes first. For example: a Flying 10 ends at 10 counts, 10 seconds or 10 steps, whichever comes first.

    • While Flying, you take no damage or effects from melee attacks or melee touches. Only ranged attacks, vocal attacks and global effects will affect you.

    • You may use Defenses or Item defenses to negate attacks against you as normal. But you may not attack while flying, even with ranged attacks. Take note, some monstrous creatures and beings may be flying by default (aka True Flight) and may attack while doing so. 

  • Ending your flight: If you are affected by a Snare, Stun or a Hobble effect, you drop from this effect and take 5 points of physical damage from your fall. 

    • The Seraphic and Chimeric Stigmata allow for the Diving Dodge and Safe Landing abilities.

      • Diving Dodge: This grants you the benefit of a Dodge then ends Flying immediately afterward.

      • Safe Landing: This grants you “Resolve 3” if you willingly end Flying or reach the end of your Flying count naturally.

  • Take note, most flying creatures have deadly barrage attacks that they use upon landing so following them closely is not encouraged.

IMPERVIOUS

  • Description: You are shielded from harm, through magic or through a special technique.

  • Benefit: Invoke “Impervious 1, Impervious 2…” to “Impervious X” in a FIRM voice (The value of X is dependent on the skill, but usually 3, 5, or 10). You may move at a slow or fast walk.

    • Duration: This status ends when you reach Impervious X or when X seconds have elapsed, whichever happens first.

    • Minimal Damage: While doing so, you take no damage from basic melee attacks although they still stop forward momentum. -- Other damaging attacks are reduced to “1 damage”. Control effects work normally.

    • Weak to Bane and Siege: Bane damage and Siege damage inflict their normal amount and end the effect prematurely.

    • Other actions: You may use defenses to negate attacks while Impervious and you may make melee basic attacks. However, you may not perform Concentration or use any other Active Skills while Impervious

  • Unyielding Creatures: Some monsters are incredibly tough. Most damaging attacks upon them inflict 0 damage (although they still Step and Grunt). Siege attacks (PRC 7 dmg or more) or Bane attacks inflict 1 damage instead. Healing upon them only heals 1 - respond with “Minimal”. Same with Resolve.

  • There are several grades of Unyielding, with escalating durability. Fighting Unyielding monsters requires the utmost of teamwork and preparation.

Perceive

  • Description: You can locate and potentially unveil Concealed creatures.

  • Benefit: You must hold one empty hand to your brow (as though shielding your eyes from the sun) or hold a light source in front of you to further signify that you are Perceiving. 

    • While Perceiving: You can see Concealed individuals and speak to Spirits (within step and arm’s reach only). Concealed characters have their arms crossed over their chest and otherwise cannot be seen/pinpointed. Spirits wear purple headbands and otherwise cannot be spoken to. A Game Marshall may point out a Concealed item to you or clarify an unknown facet of the current situation to you. Similarly, there may be some Out-of-Game notes that require the use of this skill to read.

    • Unveiling: Tap Concealed individuals with a hand/melee weapon or throw a spell packet at them while invoking "Unveiling". If you do not miss, they lose their Concealed status -- this does not deal damage or have any other effect.  

    • Skill Restrictions: Damage does not disrupt you from Perceiving but being unable to use Active Skills will do so (e.g. being Downed or receiving a Pain effect). Also, this Skill cannot reveal a person that is under a Superior Concealment effect. 

    • However, it can be used to defeat a “Conceal Item” effect by applying the Unveiling on the item or the person Concealing the items. You must be adjacent to them. 

Wave 

  • Description: Wave effects allow the user to deliver one effect to one or more targets, similar to the Barrage effect. 

  • Unlike the Barrage effect, you must aim your attacks at different targets, though those who are hit by them must take their effects regardless. Skills that allow for this Modal effect are labeled as “Wave X” where X maximum number of iterations of this effect.