Combat System
Real-time action combat with strategic depth in Arcania.
Arcania features a real-time action combat system with tab-targeting elements. Combat is designed to be accessible yet strategic, rewarding positioning, timing, and build optimization.
Combat Philosophy
Core Principles
- Readable Combat - Players should always understand why they won or lost
- Meaningful Choices - Ability selection and timing matter
- Build Diversity - Multiple viable approaches per class
- Scalable Difficulty - Easy to learn, challenging to master
Attack System
Basic Attacks
Auto-Attack:
- Automatic attacks when target is selected
- Speed determined by weapon and equipment bonuses
Attacks Per Second = Base Weapon Speed × (1 + Attack Speed Bonus)
Soft Cap: 2.5 APS (50% efficiency beyond)
Weapon Speeds
| Weapon Type | Base Speed | Category | Classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sword (Dual) | 1.5 | Medium |  Warrior |
| Bow | 1.4 | Medium |  Ranger |
| Staff | 1.3 | Medium |  Mage,  Cleric |
| Flail | 1.1 | Medium-Slow |  Paladin |
| Mace | 1.0 | Slow | Paladin |
| Spear | 0.9 | Slow | Warrior |
| Maul | 0.8 | Very Slow | Paladin |
| Scythe | 0.8 | Very Slow | Warrior |
Damage Calculation
All abilities scale from derived stats (
Physical Attack or 
Magic Attack), not primary stats directly. This means equipment directly affects ability damage.
Physical Damage (Warrior, Paladin, Ranger)
Ability Damage = Base Damage + (Physical Attack × Skill Multiplier)
Defense Reduction = Enemy Defense / (Enemy Defense + 100)
Final Damage = Ability Damage × (1 - Defense Reduction)
Example: Warrior's 
Power Strike (×1.5 multiplier)
- Physical Attack: 200 (from equipment)
- Base Damage: 100
- Ability Damage = 100 + (200 × 1.5) = 400
Magic Damage (Mage, Cleric)
Ability Damage = Base Damage + (Magic Attack × Skill Multiplier)
Resistance Reduction = Enemy Resistance / (Enemy Resistance + 120)
Final Damage = Ability Damage × (1 - Resistance Reduction)
Example: Mage's 
Fireball (×1.5 multiplier)
- Magic Attack: 250 (from equipment)
- Base Damage: 120
- Ability Damage = 120 + (250 × 1.5) = 495
Note
Equipment with +Physical Attack or +Magic Attack directly increases ability damage. A weapon with +50 Physical Attack adds +50 × skill multiplier to every physical ability!
Critical Hits
Critical Chance = 5% + Equipment Bonus
Critical Chance Cap: 50%
Critical Damage = 125% + Equipment Bonus
Critical Damage Cap: 200%
Note
All characters have a base 5% critical chance. Additional critical chance and damage come from equipment. Agility-focused gear often provides crit bonuses.
Defense System
Miss Chance
Attacks have a chance to miss based on the level difference between attacker and target. Higher level targets are harder to hit, and this applies to both players and monsters.
Miss Chance = 5% + (Level Difference) × 2%
Cap: 40%
| Scenario | Miss Chance |
|---|---|
| Same level | 5% |
| Target +5 levels | 15% |
| Target +10 levels | 25% |
| Target +15 levels | 35% |
| Target +18+ levels | 40% (cap) |
Note
This system works both ways: your attacks miss more against higher level enemies, and lower level monsters miss more against you. Outleveling an area provides natural survivability as enemies struggle to hit you.
Penetration
Penetration allows attackers to bypass a portion of enemy defenses.
Armor Penetration = Equipment Bonus
Cap: 40%
Effective Enemy Armor = Enemy Armor × (1 - Armor Penetration)
Magic Penetration = Equipment Bonus
Cap: 40%
Effective Enemy Resistance = Enemy Magic Resistance × (1 - Magic Penetration)
Warning
Penetration comes entirely from equipment. Against heavily armored targets, investing in penetration can be more effective than raw damage stats.
Status Effects
Buffs
| Effect | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
 Empowered | 30-60s | Increases damage dealt by 10-25% |
 Fortified | 30-60s | Increases max HP by 10-20% and restores HP over time |
 Haste | 10-30s | Increases attack speed by 20-50% |
 Shield | 10-20s | Absorbs incoming damage |
Debuffs
| Effect | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
 Slow | 5-10s | Reduces movement speed by 30-50% |
 Vulnerable | 8-12s | Increases damage taken by 15-25% |
 Stun | 1-3s | Cannot act |
 Silence | 3-6s | Cannot cast spells |
 Bleed | 6-12s | Damage over time |
Diminishing Returns
Note
Crowd control abilities have diminishing returns to prevent stun-lock situations.
- First CC: Full duration
- Second CC (within 15s): 50% duration
- Third CC (within 15s): 25% duration
- Fourth CC (within 15s): Immune for 15s
Boss Immunity:
- Boss monsters are immune to hard CC (stun, freeze)
- Bosses can be slowed/weakened at reduced effect
Combat Resources
Health & Mana
HP Regen = 5 + Equipment Bonus
Out of Combat: HP Regen × 3 per tick (2 seconds)
In Combat: HP Regen × 1 per tick
Mana Regen = 5 + Equipment Bonus
Out of Combat: Mana Regen × 2 per tick
In Combat: Mana Regen × 1 per tick
Death & Resurrection
Death Penalties
- 10% durability loss on equipment
- Respawn at nearest safe point
- 10-second resurrection sickness (reduced stats)
Resurrection Options
| Method | Cast Time | Range | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Resurrect | 10s | Self | Once per 30 min |
| Cleric Resurrect | 3s | 30m | Requires Cleric |
 Resurrection Scroll | 5s | Self | Consumable item |
Balance Targets
Time-to-Kill (TTK)
| Scenario | Target TTK |
|---|---|
| Player vs Hostile Monster (same level) | 5-8 seconds |
| Player vs Elite Monster (same level) | 15-25 seconds |
| Full Party vs Boss | 2-5 minutes |
Healing vs Damage
- Healers should not outheal focused damage from 2+ DPS
- Solo healer should sustain party against reasonable damage
- Self-healing should not make classes unkillable