Combat System

The game's combat system is 100% computer moderated. It is, in our opinion, painfully simple and exquisitly complicated - all at the same time.

From the player's perspective, all you need to do is equip your characters and military units, put them in a stack, and send them into battle. The battle system will give you a detailed accounting of the combat and let you know if you won or lost the battle.

For those of you who like more detail, this is where it gets exquisitely complicated.

Duels and Battles
Duels and Battles different primarily on the types of units that are involved in a combat. If both the attacker and the defender are using Party stacks, then the battle is a Duel. If either stack has military units of any kind in it, the combat is considered a Battle.

Battle Map
The battle map is 40 hexes by 20 hexes. Depending on the terrain the combat is taking place in, the map can be a flat terrain or a complex series of trees, walls and broken ground.

When the battle begins, the attackers line up on one side and the defenders line up on the other.

There are 4 retreat points on the map. Any retreating unit that makes it to the retreat point has successfully escaped from the combat.

Combat Role
Each unit, whether it be a character or a military unit (MU), is given a combat role. This role dictates the unit's behaviour in combat.

Anvil
An Anvil's role is to attract enemies away from his allies and on to himself. Anvils typically have higher hit points and/or defense ratings, making them harder to kill.

If an anvil sees any allied non-anvil characters is an enemy's primary target, the anvil will try and make himself the enemy's primary threat.

If an anvil is the primary threat of the enemies, he will attack whatever enemy he perceives to be his primary threat.

Commanders number one job is to enhance allied units.  They typically get powers that allow them to buff allied units, making them more effective in combat.
If a commander has any "commander" powers available that he can use, he will use those powers first.

If a commander has no commander powers to use, he will attack whatever unit he perceives to be his primary threat.

Hammer
Hammers are best described as glass canons. They deliver heavy damage, but they can't take much damage without taking a dirt nap.

A hammer will always attack whatever enemy he perceives to be his primary threat.

Healer
Well, healers are your best friend. They'll pull your unit's butt out of the fire when it looks like all is lost.

A healer will first try to heal any unit that has taken more than 30% wounds. He will always try to heal his most wounded ally first.

If no ally is below 30% wounds, he will attack whatever enemy he perceives to be his primary threat.

Infiltrator
Infiltrators number one job is to mess with the opposition. They typically get fun area affect powers that either damage or debuff the enemy.

If an infiltrator has any "infiltrator" powers available that he can use, he will use those powers first.

If an infiltrator has no infiltrator powers to use, he will attack whatever unit he perceives to be his primary threat.

Battle Slots
Each unit must be assigned to a battle slot. This identifies the unit's starting hex on the battle map.

There are ten battle slots for each side (attackers and defenders) as shown in the battle map image.

You can assign any number of units to a specific battle slot. Each unit is added to the battle map and they'll fill in the space beside or behind the starting hex for the slot.

Reserve Units
There are no limit to the number of units that can engage in a battle. However, there can only be a maximum of 10 units starting the battle. If there are more than 10 units in the stack (or in allied stacks), the remaining units will sit in reserves waiting for a unit to be killed or retreat. When that happens, a reserve unit will be added to the battlefield.

If there are more than 10 units in the battle, the 10 units with the highest EL rating will be put into combat. If there is a tie for EL, the unit's XP will be used as the determining factor. Reserve units will be ordered by the EL/XP levels as well.

Attack Sequence
Each unit in combat has their attack sequence set based on their initiative roll plus their Initiative Bonus. In the event of a tie, the unit with the highest Dexterity goes first. In the event of a further tie, the unit with the highest EL/XP level goes first. In the event of a further tie, the order is determined randomly.

Perceived Threat Levels
Much of the decision process that determines a unit's target is it's perceived threat levels of enemy targets. A unit will always attack it's highest threat level first.

There are a number of caviats to that rule.
 * 1) Retreating units never attack anything.
 * 2) Unconsious units never attack anything.
 * 3) Non-hammer units will carry out their primary objective first, allowing them to disregard the enemy unit they perceive to be their biggest threat.

Preferred Targets
A player can give their units a preferred target type (unit class or combat role). This effectively increases the threat level of all units that meet that condition, making them want to attack them first. In some cases, this can make the Attack Sequence critically important. Units that can attack their preferred target first prevents the enemies Anvils from drawing their attention away from their target.