OneSamurai: Dusk Development Blog – Skills (Aug 2022)

Hello and welcome to this OneSamurai: Dusk blog. In this blog will we be discussing an important part of the game, skills.

There are three main skills, primarily used to determine different attributes in combat.

There are also eleven secondary skills, some of which are used only in combat, and some only outside of combat. However, advancing certain skills can also unlock traits used in other areas.

Main Skills

The three main skills in the game are Attack, Defence, and Swiftness.

The attack skill as the name implies, is the attribute which decides how much damage a weapon will do when wielded. A character with a high attack will wield their weapon with more skill, inflicting more damage upon an opponent. A character with low skill is more likely to wield their weapon poorly, hitting an opponent with the flat side of the sword rather than the sharp.

The defence skill is another skill well suited to the name. The defence skill decides how effective an attack is when hitting you. A character with a high defence skill will likely understand how to best use their armour and weapon to block an attack.

The final of the three skills is the swiftness skill. This skill determines how likely you are to hit an opponent, and how likely an opponent is to hit you. A character with high swiftness will be skilled in dodging and rolling away from attacks.

Though these three skills are important in determining combat, they also need to be correctly balanced with whatever equipment is being used. A character who is very swift but wearing a full suit of armour will still find themselves being hit fairly easily.

Dialog Skills

Outside of combat the main place where skills are employed is in the dialog with friends, opponents, and those undecided.

There are three main specific dialog skills which are the most utilised in these situations. The Persuasion, Intimidation, and Barter skills.

The persuasion skill is mainly focused on persuading your opponent to do something. This is generally something done for their own benefit. The intimidation skill involves intimidating your opponent into doing something. This is generally pointing out the realities of the situation you find yourself in. The barter skill is used to persuade your opponent through logical or monetary means. The barter skill is also used to try to reduce or raise the amount of coin when the situation arises.

When trying to persuade, intimidate, or barter with someone, it is important to make sure you have enough skill to do so. If you do not, there is a different response which can lead to different results.

Barter Check Passed (Please note that conversation interface is not final)

Barter Check Failed

The difficulty of these checks is also influenced by others factors. If someone likes you, they will be easier to persuade. Conversely, if the do not like you, they will be harder to persuade but easier to intimidate. The easy of bartering someone increases when they like and dislike you a fair amount, meaning you are someone who is seen as flexible. Your overall reputation also has an effect on these checks.

Using speech skills can also lead to advantageous outcomes elsewhere. For example, persuading enough people will unlock a special trait if that skill is at a high enough level. This trait in combat makes opponents hit you less, as you are so likeable, they do not want to.

Aside from the three speech skills, there are other checks for the other skills that can be performed. These skills will only show up for selection if the value is high enough.

The final the thing to consider when engaging in dialog with someone is the effect companions have upon the conversation. Bringing along a companion will make some speech checks more difficult and some more easy depending on their character. Occasionally, the companion may offer themselves as an option to say someone you didn’t think of.

Other

Outside of conversation skill checks can also be carried out in the world itself. An example would be using the ranged skill to throw a rope over a wall which could then be climbed over.

There are many factors which come into the difficulty of these checks, including traits and bonuses from elsewhere.

Thank you again for reading through this OneSamurai: Dusk development blog. In the next blog we will be discussing the Ao Ken. The organisation to which the main character is a member.