Attributes for Combat Characters

[Nauth]

The Short Version:
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Onwards combat system is designed to be balanced as possible, giving every character the opportunity to excel in a fighting style that suits their prioritized attributes.

Whether you want to play a physically weak but agile, precise fighter who deals lighter but more frequent strikes or a heavy hitter who relies on raw strength, the system supports your choice.

In other words: No particular attribute like strength or dexterity governs or dominates combat efficiency in Onward's code.

A character who has only high agility can hold their own against a character who has only high strength. Dexterity, relevant attribute scores, and skill levels will be the determining factors in such a matchup.

This is to allow players the freedom to create diverse and viable combat builds, allowing for strategic depth and personal expression in how they fight and more importantly, for the fighting style to match their character concept.

Note that your attributes also determine your skillcaps in an associated skill such as Medium-Edged weapons, Shortbow, or skills such as Disarm.
https://onwardmud.com/wiki/index.php?title=Skills
Thus a character with very high strength will be very likely to master all strength related combat skills.

Expanded: Combat Related Attributes and what they do:
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Primary Attributes

Strength:

• Physical Power: Strength governs your character's raw physical power. It determines how much weight your character can carry and how much damage they can deal with brute force.

• Melee Combat: Affects damage output in close combat, particularly for heavier weapons or attacks that rely on raw strength.

• Throwing: Strength is also a factor in throwing heavier objects or projectiles, though other factors like dexterity can play a role in the effectiveness of throws.

• Resistance: Characters with high strength may have better resistance against being knocked down or moved in combat situations that rely on physical power.

Agility:

• Speed and Reflexes: Agility impacts how quickly your character can react in combat. It governs their reflexes, helping with dodging incoming attacks and maintaining balance.

• Dodge and Balance: A high agility stat improves a character's ability to dodge attacks and maintain their footing during combat, especially in fast-paced or dynamic fights.

• Throwing Precision: Agility also plays a role in throwing attacks, where accuracy and timing are key. It helps improve the chances of hitting a target, especially in ranged combat.

• Combat Flexibility: Agility enhances your character’s ability to perform swift maneuvers, such as evading blows, repositioning quickly, or reacting to combat changes effectively

Dexterity:

• Precision and Accuracy: Dexterity governs your character's finesse and ability to land precise strikes, making it crucial for ranged attacks and precise melee combat.

• Ranged Combat: A high dexterity improves accuracy with thrown weapons, bows, or other ranged attacks, increasing the likelihood of hitting the target.

• Shield and Projectile Defense: Dexterity enhances your character's ability to block projectiles with a shield or evade incoming missiles, reflecting their hand-eye coordination and quick reactions.

• Fine Motor Skills: Essential for combat maneuvers requiring precision, such as disarming opponents, targeting weak points, or performing intricate moves with weapons.

• Combat Efficiency: Dexterity helps balance agility and strength, allowing characters to act with both precision and speed, especially in situations requiring coordinated attacks or rapid follow-ups.

Secondary:


Willpower (WIL) in Combat:
Willpower (WIL) serves as a measure of a character's mental and emotional resilience. Here's how it influences combat:

• Resisting Fear and Intimidation: Affects the character's ability to stand firm in the face of fear-inducing effects, such as those caused by intimidating opponents or magical abilities.

• Endurance Under Pressure: Helps maintain composure during prolonged fights or when faced with overwhelming odds. This could prevent negative effects like panic, fleeing, or morale drops.

• Mitigating Combat Penalties: Reduces the impact of combat-related stress, such as penalties from wounds or environmental factors (e.g., fighting in darkness or extreme conditions).

• Recovery from Debilitating Effects: Contributes to the character’s ability to recover faster from combat impairments, like being stunned, dazed, or temporarily disabled.

• Overcoming Mental Disruptions: Counters effects that target the mind, such as charm, confusion, or magical fear.

• Wound Tolerance: Helps mitigate the impact of wounds, reducing penalties caused by injuries (e.g., bleeding, pain, or slowed actions from severe hits).

Constitution (CON) in Combat:
Constitution (CON) represents physical durability, stamina, and overall toughness. It impacts combat in the following ways:

• Health and Damage Resistance:A higher Constitution directly influences how much damage a character can endure before being incapacitated. It might contribute to their overall health pool.

• Wound Tolerance: Helps mitigate the impact of wounds, reducing penalties caused by injuries (e.g., bleeding, pain, or slowed actions from severe hits).

• Stamina and Endurance: Determines how long a character can sustain combat actions without becoming fatigued. Characters with higher Constitution are less likely to tire from extended fights, swimming, or strenuous maneuvers.

• Resistance to Poisons and Diseases: Provides better defenses against toxins, venoms, and sickness, making the character harder to weaken with such effects during combat.

• Environmental Resilience:Offers resistance to environmental hazards like extreme temperatures or suffocation, which can play a role in combat scenarios.

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[Nauth]

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Q
What if I only have high dex and medium agi and low str will my character still be ok against a character with high str and med dex and low agi ?

A

Yes, your character can still hold their own, even with high Dexterity, medium Agility, and low Strength, against a character with high Strength, medium Dexterity, and low Agility. Here's how the match-up would likely play out In Onwards Code simply by going on raw attributes:

High Dexterity, Medium Agility, Low Strength:

Strengths:
Precision Advantage: Your attacks are more likely to land accurately and hit vital areas. You can focus on critical strikes rather than raw damage output.

Ranged Combat Superiority: If ranged weapons are involved, your high Dexterity gives you a significant edge, ensuring your projectiles hit more often and possibly exploit weak points in your opponent's defense.

Defense Against Projectiles: Your ability to block or evade incoming ranged attacks (via shields or dex-based maneuvers) is much higher.

Efficient Combat Style: With medium Agility, you can still react reasonably quickly, maintaining balance and evading some attacks.

Weaknesses:
Lower Damage Output: Against a high-strength opponent, your hits will deal less damage, requiring you to focus on sustained precision rather than quick knockouts.

Vulnerability to Overwhelming Force: A character with high Strength might overpower you in situations requiring brute force, such as grappling or breaking through defenses.


High Strength, Medium Dexterity, Low Agility:
Strengths:

Raw Power: This character excels at landing heavy, punishing blows, potentially ending fights quickly with brute force.

Moderate Precision: Medium Dexterity means they won't be entirely clumsy and can still land hits with reasonable accuracy.

Endurance in Close Combat: Their strength allows them to shrug off minor disadvantages and maintain dominance in a direct brawl.
Weaknesses:

Slower Reactions: Low Agility means they are less likely to dodge attacks or recover quickly from imbalances.

Vulnerability to Precision: A high-Dexterity opponent can exploit openings in their defense, especially with medium Agility to keep them mobile enough to evade the slower, heavier strikes.
Outcome:

The fight will largely depend on your strategy:

High Dexterity Build:

Focus on staying mobile and using precision-based attacks to target weak points. Exploit your opponent's slower reactions and lower Agility.
Avoid direct confrontations where their Strength can overwhelm you. Instead, aim for sustained engagements where your precision wears them down.

High Strength Build:

They'll try to close the gap quickly and rely on brute force to break your defense. However, their slower recovery and lower reaction speed give you an opportunity to dodge and counter.

This fight will be influenced depending on skills used, skill levels, and other factors such as armour and weapons involved. Onwards combat code has been designed specifically to make combat interesting and have strategy and environmental factors play a part.

[Nauth]

Question

Q:

What about when my character with high agility and low str and medium dex fights a character with medium agility medium strength and high dex?

A:

When a character with high agility, low strength, and medium dexterity fights a character with medium agility, medium strength, and high dexterity, the outcome will depend on their respective strengths, weaknesses, and strategies.

Here's how the match-up might play out:

High Agility, Low Strength, Medium Dexterity:

Strengths:

Evasion and Mobility:

Exceptional ability to dodge attacks and maneuver around their opponent.
Likely to avoid being pinned down or hit by slower strikes.

Consistency in Combat: Medium Dexterity allows for reliable attack accuracy, even if not at the same level as the high-dexterity opponent.

Outlasting the Opponent: With low strength, they rely on wearing down their opponent with repeated, evasive engagements rather than quick knockouts.

Weaknesses:
Limited Damage Output: Low strength reduces the impact of their attacks, making it harder to overcome an opponent with greater durability or resilience.

Dependence on Speed:
If their agility advantage is negated by terrain, fatigue, or an opponent's superior tactics, they may struggle to maintain an edge.

Medium Agility, Medium Strength, High Dexterity:
Strengths:
Precision Strikes:
High Dexterity provides exceptional accuracy, enabling them to exploit weaknesses in the opponent’s defense.
Greater likelihood of landing critical hits or targeting vulnerable areas.

Balanced Attributes:
Medium Strength allows for respectable damage output without relying solely on precision.
Medium Agility ensures they can still evade or respond to attacks effectively, even if they aren’t as quick as their opponent.

Adaptability:
This build is well-rounded and can adapt to a variety of combat situations, leveraging both precision and reasonable durability.

Weaknesses:
Vulnerability to Speed:
High Agility opponents may be able to avoid attacks, forcing them into prolonged engagements where stamina and positioning matter.

Reliance on Dexterity:
While precise, they might struggle against a highly evasive opponent who minimizes opportunities for clean strikes.

Combat Dynamics:
The High Agility Character will need to rely on superior movement and dodging to avoid the high-dexterity opponent’s precision strikes. Their medium Dexterity ensures they can still land hits, but they’ll need sustained effort to chip away at their opponent’s health.

The High Dexterity Character will aim to use their precision and balanced stats to counter the agility advantage. Their medium Agility helps keep up with the faster opponent, while their medium Strength allows their hits to have meaningful impact when they connect.

Outcome Factors:
Terrain and Fatigue:

If the fight takes place in a space that limits movement, the high-agility character loses their primary advantage.
Over time, agility-reliant characters may tire faster if the high-dexterity opponent pressures them effectively.
Tactics:

The high-agility character can win by staying mobile and exploiting openings.
The high-dexterity character can win by maintaining pressure and capitalizing on moments when their opponent missteps.

Skill Levels:

In Onward's system, skill progression also heavily influences combat outcomes, ensuring that raw stats alone do not determine victory.
Ultimately, both builds are viable, and the battle’s outcome will depend on how well players leverage their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses as the code system is flexible, with strategy over sheer stat dominance.