Learn the beats of a standard battle, the most common battle type you’ll encounter.
There are four different types of battles you should prepare to encounter when adventuring, AetherRen:
- Standard battles – these are the regular kind you’ll encounter when on the road;
- Mini-boss and Boss battles – these are more challenging battles that you have to seek out rather than them coming to find you;
- Team battles – these require you to team up with a fellow AetherRen and work together to defeat your opponent; and
- AetherRen battles – these are the opposite, where fellow AetherRen can challenge you (or you can challenge them!) to a joust!
This lesson, we’re looking at how standard battles play out.
A typical battle involves two participants – in this case, you and your opponent. (An Aethermon and AetherRen should think like one person when engaging in battles.) Battles take place over a series of rounds.
Each round:
- Each participant must play one regular Battle Card (elemental or normal moves);
- Each participant may choose to play one addition (q)uick Battle Card.
(Q)uick Battle Cards are naturally prompt in their effects, and are thus resolved immediately by following the text on the battle card. (If both participants play a (q)uick Battle Card, resolve them by the speed of the regular card.)
Regular Battle Cards are resolved in order of speed, where the Battle Card with the higher speed is resolved first.
- Your Battle Cards will have a speed of either 1, 3, or 5.
- Opponents’ Battle Cards will have a speed of 2, 4, or 6 – as you can see, this means there are no ties.
Once you have used a Battle Card, it is exhausted and cannot be used again until you visit a Waystation – we’ll discuss these more in future. Baby moves do not get exhausted and are thus always available for you to use.
Battles continue with each participant playing one or more Battle Cards per round. If either participant has their HP reduced to zero, they are defeated and the battle is over.
Most opponents you will face at this early stage of your adventure will only have one Battle Card, that they repeat on each round of battle. As you seek out more advanced opponents (rivals, Dojo leaders, other AetherRen), you will encounter more complex challenges.