[Endgame: rise or DROWN]

[warpweft]

[How long have you been exploring Nessa's palace now? You've met her family, viewed her memories, learned how to fight as a witch and tried to find the source of her power and the Treasure of her palace: the Voidheart. And along the way, you've tired your best, with mixed success, to avoid the incarnation of her eldest cousin and the representation of her trauma and fear, the Nightmare of Esmau.]

[Wherever you are in the Palace right now, you feel the ground briefly shake under your feet. Little shakes here and there haven't been out of the ordinary - Esmau is trying to blow the place down to the studs, after all. But that felt different. That felt....worse.]

[Your phone beeps as you receive a message.]

Comments

COMBAT RULES

[voidhearts]

Casting Spells:

Spells have many different effects. There are attacking spells, support spells, debuffing spells, spells that give specific elemental effects, etc. Keep the following in mind:

- You can equip four spells before going into battle.
- Your spells will hit their target 100% of the time. Missing is impossible.

There are three tiers of spells and you use them in different ways.

Basic Spells: Basic spells are simple, weak spells can be cast three times per round. That can be the same spell three times, three different spells one time, or any combination thereof. Basic spells are weak on the surface but can begin powerful combinations.

Powerful Spells: Powerful Spells inflict higher damage and have greater effects than basic spells, but have charging requirements, usually requiring you to cast a certain number of basic spells first. You have to cast your basic spells and your powerful spells with the right timing to get the most effectiveness out of both.

Invoke: Your Invoke is your strongest spell, reaching into the core of your heart, drawing out your latent power and pushing your magic to its highest limit. Their effects are greater than a powerful spell, but they take time to charge up and only last a short time before they expire. Some Invokes happen all at once, some will let the caster harness their power over the course of one or more rounds.

Defense:

When an enemy attacks, they make a roll to hit you on a 1d20, targeting a certain threshold. If they roll above that threshold, they hit you, if they roll below it, they miss. If an enemy hits you, you’ll take significant damage, there are three ways to attempt to mitigate it.

Guard: You are guaranteed to take damage, but you take less damage.
Dodge: Apply a penalty to your opponent’s roll to hit, making them likelier to miss.
Parry: Make a direct roll against your opponent’s roll. If you exceed it, you deflect the attack and attack them back. If you don’t exceed it, you take full damage.

Some spells will apply a defense bonus if they’re the last spell you use that turn. Spells also have a distinction between Melee and Ranged. Be cautious that if you use a Melee spell, you may open yourself up to a deadly Reaction Attack.

Shards and Facets:

Shards are shards of power that can be inserted into the Voidheart. Each Shard has an elemental affinity and is completely unique to its player and allows them to affect combat in their own unique ways.

Facets are smaller bits of power that can be inserted into a Shard. Each Shard has a certain amount of slots for Facets to be inserted. Facets have the same effects for all players and allow greater combinations with spells and Shards.

Spark Elements:

There are three kinds of Spark elements that can be used to cast magic.
- Void, the primordial energy that spawned the universe. Void spells can buff yourself and your allies and make your opponent take more damage.
- Vulcan, the flames of a race of ascended beings that forged the world. Vulcan spells can make you inflict explosive damage, help you defend yourself better and taunt your opponent into attacking you.
- Harmony, a psychic network that spawned life on the planet. Harmony spells can heal you and your allies and inflict psychic damage to your opponent.

You can choose which element you want your Spark to be attuned to. Each different kind of Spark has various keywords that reoccur in their Shards, Spells and Facets.

Void:
Invisibility:
Cloak yourself in Void Spark to escape from sight. When you attempt to dodge an opponent’s attack, reduce their hit roll by 3.
Strike from the shadows at your opponent’s weak point. Certain Void spells can inflict critical damage while you’re Invisible.
Lasts 1 round or until you commit an offensive action.

Volatile:
Raw, unstable Void Spark. When your spell is charged with a Volatile Spark, casting that spell on an opponent will make them Volatile.
Continue inflicting damage to a Volatile opponent to make the spark detonate, inflicting damage.
Only Void spells can hold a Volatile Spark and each spell can only contain one Volatile Spark at a time.

Barrier:
A protective shield made of Void Spark. Receives any damage meant for you.
Lasts until its HP is depleted.

Harmony:
Heal:
Restores HP to yourself or an ally.

Heightened:
Focus your senses to anticipate your opponent’s attack and counterattack. Increase your chances to parry an incoming attack.
Four tiers:
Heightened x1: +2 to Parry Chance
Heightened x2: +3
Heightened x3: +4
Heightened x4: +5
Lasts until your next Parry attempt.

Psyshock:
Inflict a psychic curse on your opponent. When triggered, the curse will inflict massive psychic damage.
When attacking an opponent afflicted by Psyshock with a Harmony spell, roll against a certain threshold, if you pass, inflict critical damage.
Additional stacks of Psyshock lower the threshold to inflict critical damage.
Lasts until opponent receives critical damage.

Vulcan:
Stoking:
Build a flame within yourself. Release the flame when casting a Vulcan spell to inflict critical damage.
If too much Stoking is released at once, an attack becomes Explosive, dealing significantly increased critical damage but also significant self-damage.
If you reach 100 Stoking, it is automatically released with your next attack.

Challenge:
Challenge your opponent to strike you down. A Challenged opponent becomes more likely to attack you and if they don’t attack you, their damage is reduced.

Ironheart:
Forged in fire, built of iron. You take less damage while Guarding.
Three Tiers (all numbers rounded down):
Ironheart x1: 25% less damage
Ironheart x2: 33% less damage
Ironheart x3: 50% less damage
Lasts for one Guard.