In Teriock Online, everything a creature can do is determined by its abilities. These may be granted by the creature's species type, their classes, magic items they use, or other traits of theirs. By default, every creature is able to use any basic abilities so long as they meet whatever conditions are specified for the given basic ability.
Regardless of where it comes from, each Ability has the same underlying structure.
User
An Ability's User is simply the creature that is using the Ability. This is the same for all Abilities.
Target
An ability's target type determines what kinds of things can be affected by the Ability. Some of the most common ones are listed here.
Creature
Abilities with the Creature Target affect some sort of being. A "creature" doesn't necessarily have to be an animal, it may be an animated statue or a sentient plant. Check with your GM if in doubt of whether something is a creature or not.
Limb
Rather than hitting an entire creature, some Abilities will say that they only hit arms, legs, or limbs. If these Abilities are attacks, then they slightly harder to land a hit with than ones that can hit a creature anywhere. They require hitting that creature's AC + 2.
Vitals
Vitals Targeted Abilities need to hit a creature's head or other vital organs rather than landing anywhere. If these Abilities are attacks, then they require hitting a creature's AC + 3.
Item
Attacks that target items need different hit rolls depending on the type of item.
- Wielded items (such as weapons or shields): AC + 3 - BV
- Large worn items (such as armor or cloaks): AC
- Small searchable items (such as rings or amulets): AC + 6
If an ability that targets an item is successfully blocked, it automatically hits the item that blocked it.
Area
Abilities that Target an Area do not have a precisely defined size. Rather than affect a small, cohesive space such as a campsite, a room in a dungeon, or a small shack.These abilities may not have a Range specified.
Self
Self targeted abilities affect the creature that executes them. They may not have a range specified.
Ability
Instead of targeting some person, place, or other physical thing, some abilities target other abilities. These include cases that target attack target abilities, conjured spells, or other types of abilities.
Other
Some Ability Targets don't fit nearly into one of the aforementioned categories. In these cases, the Ability's Target will just say "Other".
Range
Each Ability has some Range over which it can be used. These depend on the Delivery and Target.
Delivery
Every Ability has one and only one delivery. This always has at least two parts, a Source and Interaction.
Source
The Source of an Ability's Delivery is the means by which it is transmitted from the User to the Target. There are many possible Sources, but the most common ones are as follows.
Item
Item Sourced Abilities are transmitted from the User to the Target via one of the User's items. Some Abilities may only specify "item" as the Source. Others may give a more specific description such as "weapon", "shield", or "armor". These are all considered to be Sourced with items and are just shorthands for the type of item that can be used.
The Range of Item Sourced Abilities is that of the item.
Missile
Abilities with the missile source are those that would have spell stones in live action FanWar. These are most often attacks, but do not have any physical weapon that mediates them. Instead, these Abilities may correspond to a ball of fire, a bolt of lightning, a gust of wind, or some other phenomenon. Missile attacks have disadvantage on targets that have their executor within melee range. Missile sourced abilities also requite that the creature executing them have an open hand.
Sight
Abilities sourced by sight do not require the user to literally see the target with their eyeballs. While that's still necessary in most cases, some creatures may have some sort of "blindsight" that allows them to "see" other creatures even when there's no light in the environment. Nevertheless, these abilities always require that the user have some sort of direct "visibility" of the target akin to seeing them directly. Regardless of how exactly the user sees the target, sight abilities can be used over some range that may not actually be as far as the user can see. For instance, Duel operates by sight, but has a range of 30 feet even though the user may see the target from much further away.
Aura
Abilities with the aura delivery source are ones that could affect every target within some specified radius, centered on the executer. Unless specifically noted by the ability, the executer is not affected by aura abilities.
Hand
Like with sight and eyeballs, hand delivery sourced abilities don't require the user to physically have a dexterous humanoid hand with recognizable fingers. Some creatures with claws, tentacles, or other appendages can use Hand Abilities without problem. However, something of this nature is always required. If a creature that typically has literal hands has their arms Hacked or has their hands cut off, then they are unable to use hand delivered abilities. It may be possible for them to find other ways to use these abilities in the future, but that's up to GM discretion.
The range of hand delivery sourced abilities is the reach of the executer's arm (or other appendage). This depends in part on the creature's size, but is usually 5 feet.
Bite
Abilities with the bite delivery source are similar to hand abilities, but they are transmitted with something that at least resembles a mouth rather than a hand.
The range of bite delivered abilities is the reach of the executer's neck (or other similar body part). This depends in part on the creature's size, but is usually 5 feet.
Self
Self Sourced Abilities are the simplest ones. They have no special means of transmission, but simply come from the User. This is sometimes used as a catch-all for Abilities that don't fit with any other Source.
Interaction
In addition to a Source, every Ability is mediated by one of four interactions. This determines what types of dice rolls, if any, need to be done for an Ability to affect its Target. See the interactions page for complete detail.
Other Delivery Modifiers
Some Abilities are always AV0 or UB. When this is the case, it's mentioned within the Delivery.
Delivery Packages
Abilities may be listed as strikes, rituals, touches, balls, or rays. These represent certain common deliveries composed out of the source and interaction primitives as well as other modifiers. What exactly these mean is listed in parentheses in the "delivery" section of relevant abilities.
Execution or Casting Time
Each Ability has a specified amount of "time" it takes to use. For spells this is called the "Casting" time. For skills and other abilities this is the "Execution" time. This is always paired with the type of maneuver (written in parentheses) the Ability operates under.
Make sure to read the maneuvers page for complete information.
Duration
The duration of an ability is the maximum amount of time that that ability's effect applies for. Many abilities have an "end condition" that can apply before the full duration is reached. Other abilities have an "instant" duration which means the effect is simply applied at once. The duration of passive abilities describes the conditions under which they're in effect.
Power Sources
Every ability is powered through some means. For many abilities, the power source is simply "martial", which means they stem from the physical capabilities of the user. Other abilities could be "magical", "spiritual", or powered through other means. For an ability to work, all power sources must be accessible.
Standard Abilities
Noted under the "delivery sources" section of an ability, is whether it is considered standard. These abilities are typically those given by classes or those that are particularly common, well known, or easy to interact with. Some abilities interact specifically with other standard abilities. Standard spells are referred to as conjured and standard skills as semblant.
Effect Types
Some Abilities are considered "effects" of various types. Effect types don't generally influence the way Abilities mechanically operate. However, many Abilities interact with different effect types in various ways.
Heightening
Some abilities allow you to heighten them. In these cases, you can choose to spend additional MP as you execute the ability and the effect will be altered in some way described in its "Heightened" text. Abilities that don't have this text cannot be heightened. You can only heighten abilities you are proficient or fluent in and, even then, can only heighten up to the corresponding bonus. If an attack ability is heightened, it gets +1 to hit per level of heightening. If a feat ability is heightened, it gets +1 to the DC per level of heightening.
Components
Many abilities require one or more components in order to be executed.
Verbal Components
If an ability has a verbal component, the creature executing it must be able to speak to do so. The must not be deaf.
Somatic Components
If an ability has a somatic component, the creature executing it must have at least one free hand to do so. If the creature has an arm hack then it must have both hands free. If the creature has two arm hacks then it cannot execute the ability.
Material Components
If an ability has a material component, the creature executing it must have the material component on hand to do so. The specific material component is listed in the ability's description. Material components are consumed by the ability unless otherwise noted.