SpiritWars™

Spirit Attributes

This is a general guideline designed to provide brief descriptions of the primary attributes that define a physical spirit and the playing piece created when that spirit is activated in the game.

Not all spirits, or the physical playing pieces they create upon activation, will have all of the attributes listed here.

Some are unique to a specific type of spirit.

For example, a spirit with the ability to block enemy attacks (a Defender) will have different attributes than a piece whose only function is to create energy resources, or points.

Attack First Turn:
Most units, upon entering the playing field from the castle courtyard can't participate in a combat event the same turn they leave the courtyard. They must wait until the following turn to attack, to defend themselves or to defend another unit.

Units with the "Attack First Turn" attribute, however, have the ability to engage in a combat event the first turn they are in play.

Attack Power:
This indicates the amount of damage the spirit inflicts on an opponent during an attack event, whether they are initiating an attack or defending themselves.

Attack Range:
This defines the maximum distance, measured in hexes on the playing map, between an active piece and the target of its attack.  For example, if a piece has an attack range of two, the target of its attack must be located within two hexes of the piece.

Blocking Power:
If a spirit has a blocking power greater than zero, it has the ability to inflict damage upon the attacking piece when intercepting an attack directed at another spirit.

Blocking Range: Blocking is the ability to intercept an attack directed at another piece on the playing field. This powerful ability is determined by a spirit having a blocking range greater than zero.

This range measures the distance between the blocking spirit and the attacking unit (not the unit under attack).

Defense:
This is the critical measurement of the life force remaining for the unit in play. If the defense rating is reduced to zero, or below, the unit is destroyed and removed from the playing field.

Energy Production:
All energy pieces, and some special combat spirits and Defenders, have the ability to generate energy points during the Energy Phase that begins each turn of play.

In the various game interface screens, this ability it represented by colored windmill icons.

Some pieces, such as the Aqueduct, have the ability to create more than one color of energy resources each turn.

                        

Healing:
Some spirits have the ability to heal themselves after they have been damaged. A healing phase directly follows the Combat Phase and any surviving spirits with the healing attribute will have the opportunity to heal the damage they have suffered. The associated healing cost must be paid in order for the unit to be healed.

Healing Cost:
For those spirits with the healing ability, an associated healing cost attribute determines the cost of self-healing. This rating reflects the cost, in color-specific energy points, to heal one point of damage. The Unicorn, for example, has a healing cost of two points. To heal 3 points of damage would require 6 green energy points.

Magical Abilities: While "magical" spirits represent spells that affect the playing world or physical spirits currently in play on the game board, some physical spirits also have magical abilities that can be used once they are in play.

The Gladiator
Academy, for example is a Flatlands spirit. Its primary function is to produce one white energy point each turn. However, once per turn it also has the magical ability to increase the attack power of any friendly Slave spirit by one point.

Maintenance:
Most spirits have a maintenance rating of zero. These pieces, once activated, have no on-going energy requirements to remain in play.

Any spirits with a maintenance rating greater than zero, however, require on-going payment of maintenance fees in order to remain in play.

Maintenance fees are paid during the Energy Phase that begins each turn of play.

If a player can not pay this fee, or for strategic purposes chooses not to pay, the piece is removed from play.

(Be aware that a spirit with the resurrection attribute may be resurrected back to the courtyard when it has been destroyed by the lack of maintenance.)

Movement Cost:
Some units can move without any associated energy cost. If this attribute is greater than zero, however, you must be prepared to pay the movement cost when the unit is moved.

This cost is always paid in energy resources (or points) of the Homeland color of the spirit. For a player attempting to play with a minimum level of energy-producing resources, using spirits with no movement costs can be a critical aspect of the dungeon design.

Movement Range:
The distance, in hexes, that a unit can move in a turn. A unit has one movement opportunity per turn and can move any number up to this maximum movement range.   Not all units can move.

Some units have a movement range of zero, indicating that they can not be moved.

Energy and Defenders do not have the ability to move once placed in play.

Move First Turn:
Normally, the act of moving from the courtyard onto the playing field uses the spirit's one-per-turn "movement event."  The exceptions to this rule are those spirits with the ability to move on their first turn in play.

Such spirits can be put in play during the activation phase and then moved during the following movement phase of the same turn, providing that the player can afford any energy costs associated with the piece's movement.

Resurrection:
This true/false attribute indicates whether a spirit has the ability to be resurrected when it has been destroyed.

If resurrected, the dying spirit is returned to the courtyard of the player's castle.

A resurrection opportunity will only occur when a resurrection-enabled unit has been destroyed, there is room available in the courtyard of the controlling player, and that player can afford to pay the associated energy costs.

When these conditions are met, the player will be provided with an accept/decline option to resurrect the unit.

If the player declines to exercise a resurrection opportunity, the unit is removed from play for the duration of the current game.

Resurrection Cost:
For physical spirits with the ability to be resurrected, this is the energy cost of the resurrection.

If the player can not afford to pay this energy cost, the resurrection opportunity will not occur.

Shielding:
Some spirits have magical shielding that protects them from physical attacks by spirits from specific homelands.

A spirit with yellow shielding, for example, will not suffer any damage when attacked by a Drylands spirit.   This shielding, however, only protects the piece from physical damage normally inflicted during combat events.

It does not provide any protection from magical spells.

Some spirits enter play with shielding, while others may gain shielding by the use of magical spells.

Shielding can also be stripped from a spirit by magical spells.

                                       

Vision:
This determines the distance the unit can see. As with all distance-related attributes in the game, this is measured in physical hexes on the playing field.

A spirit with a vision of three can see three hexes in all directions from its current location.