Dark Delve: Combat Mechanics FAQ

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COMBAT MECHANICS FAQ
 by Stacktrace  (stacktrace@gmail.com)

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Last updated: February 5, 2012  (Version 1.0)

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[Change Log]
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Version 1.0: Initial version based on game version 1.1.4
                    

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[Introduction]
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Welcome to the Combat Mechanics FAQ for Dark Delve.  I am always interested in
the combat mechanics of RPG games I enjoy.  As the creator of the game Dark
Delve I have the unique position of knowing the actual combat mechanics used
within and wanted to share the details for other like minded individuals.

Seeing the support and love this little indie RPG has been getting has been
the most exciting part of this project, and I cannot thank the fans of this
game enough.

If you have any questions or requests for additional information, please
feel free to email me.

-Stacktrace
stacktrace@gmail.com

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[1. Character Stats]
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Each character has 4 visible stats that determine how they perform in combat.
There is also three hidden stats used behind the scenes that are derived from
one of the other stats.

[Visible Stats]
Attack          The base damage caused by weapon attacks
Defense         Reduces weapon damage
Speed           Determines when a character acts
Magic           Determines base damage from Magic attacks

[Hidden Stats]
Resist	        Derived from Magic, reduces magic damage taken
Critical        Derived from Speed, represents the percent chance to score
                critical damage with all attacks
Flee            Derived from Speed, represent the percent chance to
                successfully Run away in combat		


Though each hidden stat is based on a visible stat, they can all be further
updated individually through Equipment, Skills and Conditions.

Resist =    Magic / 2
Critical =  Speed / 5
Flee =      30 + Speed / 5

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[2. Hit Calculation]
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There are two types of attacks, and each type of attack has a different base
hit chance.

Weapon attacks have a base of 90% to hit the target
Magic attacks have a base of 120% to hit the target

Weapon accuracy bonuses do not affect Magic attacks.
Weapon accuracy bonuses only affect attacks with that weapon
  (offhand hit bonuses do not affect main hand attacks, and vise versa)
Skills identified as "Accurate" have an additional +25% to hit
Blind attackers suffer a penalty of -40% to hit
Blind targets are 20% easier to hit
Targets with Evasion are 40% harder to hit
Stunned targets are always hit (no roll to hit is made)

Some enemy types have additional traits that affect the to hit calculation:

  - Boss enemies except the Goblin Warlord, Roach Warden, and Rat King have a 
    +10% bonus to hit
  - Demonic Fiend has an Accuracy bonus of 20%
  - Clockwork Hulk has an Accuracy bonus of 40%

  - Rat Thief is more difficult to hit by 20%  +/-5% based on game difficulty
  - Ratassin is more difficult to hit by 10%
  - Shades are more difficult to hit by 30%  +/-10% based on game difficulty
  - Imps are more difficult to hit by 10%

  - The following enemies are easier to hit
       Earth Shield by 10%
       Earth/Fire/Water/Air Rune by 20%
       Bull/Lion/Dragon/Phoenix/Serpent Lock by 20%
       Barrel by 20%
       Crate by 20%
       Coffins by 30%

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[3. Damage Calculation]
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The base damage of Weapon based attacks is equal to the attacker's Attack stat
The base damage of Magic based attacks is equal to the attacker's Magic stat

Each skill modifies this base damage by a fixed multiple (see section 5 below)

This base damage value is then modified by the following steps in order:
  - If the attack was a critical hit, Damage is increased by 50%
  - Damage is updated by conditions on Attacker
        AttackUp condition increases Weapon attack damage by 60%
        MagicUp condition increases magic attack damage by 60%
        AttackDown condition decreases weapon attack damage by 50%
        MagicDown condition decreases magic attack damage by 50%
  - Damage is then randomized by +/- 10% of the computed damage

The defender's absorb value.  The base absorb value depends on the type of
attack:

Base Absorb value is equal to the target's Defense for weapon based attacks
Base Absorb value is equal to the target's Resist for magic based attacks
  
The base absorb is then modified by the following steps in order:
  - Base absorb is divided by 2, the decimal portion remains significant
  - Absorb is updated by conditions on the Defender
	DefenseUp condition increases absorb against weapon attacks by +40.0
	MagicUp condition increases absorb against magic attacks by +40.0
	DefenseDown condition decreases absorb against weapon attacks by -40.0
	MagicDown condition decreases absorb against magic attacks by -40.0
  - If Absorb is less than 0.0, it is set to 0.0
  - If Absorb is greater than 90.0, it is set to 90.0

The total absorb represents the percentage of damage absorbed such that:

Actual Damage = Damage * (100.0 - Absorb)/100.0

Note: There is a soft cap of 160 for a character's Defense and Resist scores
  allowing DefenseUp and MagicUp conditions to play a significant part even
  on characters which have maxed out this value

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[4. Status Conditions]
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The various status conditions play a major part in the combat in Dark Delve.
There are 6 pairs of mutually exclusive conditions.  Each pair has both a
positive and negative version.  

Conditions can have up to 9 stacks, and each stack is reduced by 1 at the end
of each character's turn.  When the stack size is 0, the character loses the
condition.

If a condition is applied to a character/enemy that already has stacks of the
opposite condition in the pairing, the existing opposing stacks will be cancel
each other out, leaving only the one which had a greater stack count.  
(example: applying 3 stacks of DefenseDown to a target that has 2 stacks of
DefenseUp will result in the target having a stack count of 1 DefenseDown)

Condition                   Effect
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AttackUp       Weapon attack damage increased by 60%
AttackDown     Weapon attack damage decreased by 50%
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DefenseUp      Increases absorb against weapon attacks by 40%
DefenseDown    Decreases absorb against weapon attacks by 40%
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MagicUp        Magic damage and healing increased by 60%
               Increases absorb against magic attacks by 40%
MagicDown      Magic damage increased by 60%
               Magic Healing increased by 50%
               Decreases absorb against magic attacks by 40%
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Evasion        Reduces chance to be hit by 40%
Blind          Increases chance to be hit by 20%
               Reduces chance to hit by 40%
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Haste          Doubles initiative value
               Increases chance to critically hit by 50% of base crit chance
               Gain extra main hand attack with base attacks and some skills
Stun           Loses next combat action
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Regen          Regain 10% of max hp at the start of each turn
               Increases healing received by 50%
Wound          Lose 10% of max hp at the start of each turn
               Reduces healing received by 50%
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Note: Regen and Wound Restore/Damage boss enemies by 1-2% instead of
      10% as shown above due to their disproportionate amount of hp
      Boss enemies are also unstunable, though applying stun conditions 
      will still reduce any Haste condition stacks on the boss enemy

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[5. Skill Multipliers]
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WARRIOR SKILLS
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Skill                 Type         Damage/Healing Multiplier
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Cleave                Weapon            1.2
Power Strike          Weapon            0.8 + 0.8 per chain
Bloodlust             Weapon            2.6
Flurry                Weapon            1.0
Sunder                Weapon            1.0
Slam                  Weapon            0.8 + 0.2 per chain
Vengeance             Weapon            3.6
Smite                 Magic             3.6
Consecrate            Magic             0.4 + 0.6 per chain
Cleanse               Magic             5.0
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ROGUE SKILLS
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Skill                 Type         Damage/Healing Multiplier
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Hide                  Magic             1.2
Shadow Strike         Magic             0.6 + 0.6 per chain
Puncture              Weapon            1.75
Envenom               Weapon            0.8 + 0.6 per chain
Ambush                Weapon            4.8
Trip                  Weapon            1.0
Swipe                 Weapon            0.5 + 0.25 per chain
Fan of Knives         Weapon            2.8
Pacify                Magic             1.6
Rally                 Magic             0.4 + 0.4 per chain
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MAGE SKILLS
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Skill                 Type         Damage/Healing Multiplier
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Arcane Bolts          Magic             1.2
Heal                  Magic             0.5 + 0.75 per chain
Regrowth              Magic             0.5
Call Lightning        Magic             1.2
Entangle              Magic             1.0
Drain Life            Magic             3.0
Reap Soul             Magic             0.8 + 1.20 per chain
Decay                 Magic             3.0
Freeze                Magic             1.0
Fireball              Magic             0.6 + 0.6 per chain
Incinerate            Magic             3.0 + 0.4 per condition stack removed
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COPYRIGHT (C) 2012 by Stacktrace
All Right Reserved