Stoneshard Development Update – Athletics

The upcoming Trollslayer content update for the early access version of Stoneshard will introduce a couple of new skill trees to Ink Stains Games’ turn-based RPG. Earlier this month we had an opportunity to acquaint ourselves with the new Combat Mastery tree. And now, this Steam announcement offers a detailed overview of the Athletics tree. Check it out:

Hello everyone!

In today’s devlog we’ll share some details about our new skill tree, Athletics, which will be added to the game with the “Trollslayer” update in the end of March.

Athletics is an utility skill tree composed of 13 abilities: 6 actives and 7 passives. Its primary goal is to provide more options to control the battlefield and improve mobility. Because of that, Athletics can easily be picked up by almost any build, since warriors, archers, and mages can all find a use for a timely repositioning. Let’s now have a look at these new abilities:

Active Abilities

Mighty Kick is an opening ability for this skill tree. It offers a cheap but effective way to knock an enemy back while dealing a bit of damage. At the same time, the power of knockback resistance is doubled against this specific skill, so you are most likely going to have a bad time if you attempt to kick a bear. In case if you fail to inflict a knockback, the cooldown for Mighty Kick is immediately refreshed, so you’ll be able to try your luck again.

Sudden Lunge deals low damage, but puts all enemy’s abilities on cooldown for a few turns. Also it has a chance to apply Confusion for a couple turns, preventing enemy from attacking or using skills (but not spells).

Elusiveness grants 100% dodge chance till the end of the turn. After that it applies an effect of “Elusiveness”, its duration scaling with the amount of attacks dodged after the skill’s activation. Elusiveness increases dodge chance and decreases damage taken. Moving and receiving attacks grant extra stacks of the effect.

Dash allows you to charge for up to three tiles. It can be used to either create some breathing room or to initiate a fight. If you decide to Dash into enemies, you’ll receive a decent bonus to damage and reduce skills energy costs.

Leg Sweep is an unusual ability, somewhat similar to Deadly Trick from the current version of the game (it’s been slightly changed in the Trollslayer update). Leg Sweep deals a small amount of damage to three adjacent enemies, immobilizing them. Then it allows you to move to a nearby tile.

Adrenaline Rush can be viewed as a controlled, but weakened version of the Second Wind effect. Adrenalin Rush replenishes energy, slightly decreases pain and grants an effect which significantly increases energy restoration, crit chance, and pain resistance. The strength and the duration of the effect increase when low on health.

Passive Abilities

• No Time to Linger – using Sudden Lunge against stunned, dazed, bleeding, or immobilized targets will trigger a free attack against them without damage penalty.
• Sprint Training increases the distance by one tile for all charge-based skills such as Mutilating Lunge (Axes), Onrush (Swords), Heroic Charge (Greatsword), Step Aside! (Staffs), Distracting Shot (Bows), and, naturally, Dash from this very skill tree.
• Disengage decreases the chance to trigger Attacks of Opportunity by 30%.
• Peak Performance grants bonus damage, dodge chance, and reduces abilities cooldowns if your energy level is more than 75%.
• Never Again significantly boosts Fortitude (resistance to negative effects) after receiving a negative effect.
• Inner Reserves replenishes 15% of your max energy when it drops below 15%. This passive can only trigger once per 90 turns.
• Invigorating Violence replenishes 5% Health for each enemy you kill while under the effect of Adrenaline Rush, allowing you to better capitalize on the limited duration of that effect.

That’s all for now. Until next week!