Design Pillars
- Characters have a mechanically symbiotic relationship
- Characters have their own Class
- Each Class has its own gameplay and identity
Marigold
Class: Maiden
“A sharp knife“
Marigold’s kit centers around spending health points (HP) to deal as much damage as possible while staying alive. Her skills are determinant on the amount of HP she currently has. She can also use her blood to heal Poppy in a pinch.
| Reckless Attack | A medium damage single target attack that costs 10HP. Replaced by Offering and Intrusion skills. |
| Opener | Requires full HP. |
| Bloody Opener | A severe damage single target attack that costs 25HP. Puts Marigold into Offering range. If this attack is a killing blow, Marigold’s health is restored. |
| Patience | Buffs Marigold’s attack for the next 3 turns or until a damaging skill is used. |
| Offering | Accessible at 75% HP or below. |
| 30 Strokes | A high damage single target attack that costs 10HP. |
| Forced Communion | A medium damage single target attack that drains enemy HP to heal Marigold. |
| Intrusion | Accessible between 75% – 99% HP. |
| Invasive Slice | A medium damage single target attack that costs 5HP. |
| Lesser Communion | A low damage single target attack that drains HP to heal Marigold. |
| Bleed | Utility skills that leverage Marigold’s ability to manipulate blood. |
| Transfusion | Fully heals Poppy at the cost of 15HP. |
| Martyr | An expression of the Maiden’s true purpose. Marigold’s most damaging skill(s). |
| Cruor | A severe damage area of effect attack. Costs 100 TP. |
Poppy
Class: Partner
“A commanding shield“
Poppy’s kit aims to protect and enable Marigold as much as possible through empowering, disempowering, and soaking damage. Poppy makes up for her middling single target damage with area of effect attacks that build tactical points (TP) which can be spent on impactful Chivalry skills.
| Slash | A medium damage single target attack. |
| Sweeping Slice | A low damage area of effect attack. For each enemy hit, builds TP. |
| Chivalry | The trademark discipline of a Partner. A school of skills built on a foundation of strong principles and protection. |
| Cover | Summons Bats as support. Triggers at 80% and 60% HP. |
| Survival Tactics | Apply survivor skills to address wounds. Restores a minor amount of health & removes poison. |
| Bastion | Increases defense, applies a small heal, and redirects most damage. Redirection lasts 3 turns, costs 30TP. |
| Embolden | Severely increase Marigold’s attack for the current turn. Costs 40TP. |
| Intimidate | Lower attack of all enemies for 3 turns for 20TP. |
| Chasten | Lower defense of all enemies for 3 turns for 20TP. |
Enemies
Enemy Design Pillars
- Players should be able to make informed decisions
- There should be different ways to approach combat
- “Adds” as opportunities to build TP
Enemies have been assigned a rank from “C” through “BOSS” according to their relative threat level.
For a detailed breakdown of each enemy, read on!
C RANK
Bat
Damage Dealer / TP Builder
A wild bat made more violent by consuming corrupted blood. While typically weak, it can mutate into the more dangerous Corrupted Body after consuming enough of Marigold or Poppy’s health.
| Gluttonous Bite | Low damage single target bite attack. |
| Leech Life | Medium damage attack with HP drain. After two of these, a bat will Mutate into a Corrupted Body. |
Rat
Inflict Poison / TP Builder
Formerly a harmless rat, this creature has grown large and aggressive. They can inflict a persistent poison which cripples Marigold’s Opener skills if unmitigated, and will summon family members for support.
| Sceptic Bite | Low damage single target attack that applies poison. |
| Nasty Nibble | Low damage single target attack. |
| Call for Family | Summons another Rat to join the battle. Limited uses per encounter. |
B RANK
Corrupted Body – Red Variant
Damage Dealer
One of the dangerous ‘Bloody Creatures’ that Marigold and Poppy have prepared to fight. It’s body is made of viscous, animated blood which it uses to attack.
| Harvester | A high damage single target attack over two turns. Takes one turn to prepare, and another to fire. |
Corrupted Body – Yellow Variant
Sniper focused on knocking out Marigold
The more lethal of the Corrupted Bodies. This variant is especially fixated on Marigold and relentlessly targets her.
| Fixate | A high damage single target two-step attack that targets Marigold even through Poppy’s Bastion skill. Only if Marigold is knocked out will it target Poppy. |
A RANK
Behemoth
Bulky offensive tank with area of effect attacks
A large, lumbering horned beast. Normally peaceful, it has become more aggressive as the Harvest draws near.
| Chomp | A high damage single target attack. |
| Trample | Medium damage attack with HP drain. After two of these, a bat will Mutate into a Corrupted Body. |
| Loaf Around | Occasionally the Behemoth gets tired of stomping and chomping about. Burns a turn to be idle. Added to give the player a chance of breathing room and space to burn through the Behemoth’s large health pool. |
Forager
High damage dealer that gains an extra action when weakened
A tragic victim of the corruption visible in the forest. Their minds are almost completely lost, and the Foragers now attack indiscriminately. Glimmers of their former selves can sometimes be visible.
| Mutilate | A high damage, area of effect attack over two turns. Takes one turn to prepare, and another to fire. |
| Flail | A medium damage single target attack that is paired with Mutilate once the Forager reaches approximately 50% HP. |
| Horrible Cry | Summons a Corrupted Body to join the battle. Scripted to fire at specific HP breakpoints. |
BOSS
Behemoth Prime
Bulky offensive tank with lethal attacks and summons
The unofficial king of the Behemoths. Drawn by the flesh flower at the Hunter’s Refuge Camp, it has crashed through the stone walls and is pursuing Henry until Marigold and Poppy stop it.
| Chomp | A high damage single target attack. |
| Loaf Around | Kings need time to relax and this fellow is no exception. Occasionally burns a turn to be idle. Intended to add breathing room and give the player some space. |
| How Dare You? | Boosts the user’s attack. |
| Beckoning Bellow | Summons Bats as support. Triggers at 80% and 60% HP. |
| King’s Keelhaul | The Behemoth has had enough. A severe damage, area of effect attack over two turns. Takes one turn to prepare, and another to fire. |
The Rat Couple
Consisting of the Rat Father and the Rat Mother, these rodents have taken up residence in an abandoned mine. The rats that inhabit the forest are this couples’ brood, and they won’t hesitate to summon them for violent assistance.
Rat Father / Healer and buffer
The patriarch of the rat family. He adores his partner and lavishes her with support.
| Sycophancy | Heals the Rat Mother for a small amount of HP. |
| Down Bad | Boosts the Rat Mother’s attack in a display of love. |
Rat Mother / Damage dealer and summoner
The matriarch of the rat family who musters her children for extra muscle. She is the main power of the rat clan and won’t hesitate to show that off with paws and teeth. She adores her partner and will deeply mourn his loss.
| Jugular Rip | A high damage single target attack. |
| Thunderous Paws | A medium damage area of effect attack. |
| My Heart Will Go On | Applies an attack and defense boost to the user for several turns. Triggered when her beloved partner, the Rat Father, is knocked out. |
| Get Them! | Summons Rats as support. |
A Familiar Face
Marigold’s Mirror
An unsettling woman. She can do what you can do, but better. From a design perspective, she is intended to be a reflection of Marigold and her abilities. The player cannot win their first encounter against her, but will be rewarded by bringing her to a certain amount of HP.
With overwhelming force, she badly wounds Marigold and Poppy, forcing them to run for their lives. Later, she can be overcome through Marigold’s Cruor skill.
| Choke Pear | A single target attack that brings the target to 1HP. |
| Scaphism | An area of effect attack that brings all targets to 1HP. |
| Flash of Teeth | A follow up attack that partners with Scaphism deeper into the fight. Will knockout a player character. |
| Bloody Victory | An area of effect enrage attack that will knockout Marigold and Poppy. Foreshadowed by a “Murderous Aura”. |
The Willful Beast
The Crystal’s Keeper
The true form hiding beneath the veneer of the unsettling woman. It is a powerful creature that blocks access to the crystal. Because of this, Marigold and Poppy determine that they must kill it.
It is a multi-phased encounter intended to give the player room to use their full arsenal of skills.
| Phase 1 | A simple fight to build player confidence and TP |
| Agonies | A high damage area of effect attack over two turns. Takes one turn to charge, and another to fire. |
| Censure | A high damage single target attack. |
| Phase 2 | Stop the countdown! |
| Consecration | A lethal attack that is charged up over five turns. Players must defeat this phase before Consecration is fully charged or they will lose the encounter. |
| Phase 3 | Farm TP, maintain health, and blow everything up with Cruor |
| Agonies | See Phase 1. |
| Call Allies / “oUr wiLL…” | Summons lesser Familiar Faces that use Marigold’s Reckless Attack skill from the start of the game. |
Elhora Davis Game Design 