Stoneshard Update – Throwing System

Ink Stains Games intends to launch a new early access content update for their turn-based RPG Stoneshard in December. Among other new features, this update is going to introduce a dedicated throwing system that will let you distract your enemies, douse them in oil or liquor, trigger traps from afar, and do some extra ranged damage.

Here’s how it will work:

Hello everyone!

In this devlog we’ll tell you about a new, previously unannounced mechanic, which will be added with the Content Update II, planned for this December. This mechanic is…

Throwing items! Initially, we didn’t plan to add this feature during this stage in development, however it ended up necessary for the implementation of certain new consumables, so we had to adjust on the fly. So how does it work and what can you do with it?

For the most part, throwing is used for dealing extra damage to enemies. It’s worth mentioning that any item in the game can be thrown. The resulting distance, the amount and type of damage depend on a thrown item’s weight and material. For instance, if you lob heavy stuff such as moose antlers at someone’s head, you’ll deal heavy damage as long as they are not too far away. A pine cone, on the other hand, is only good for attracting attention.

Additionally, certain items have unique properties:

• By throwing a potion at your enemy, you can apply its effect for a quarter of its base duration.
• Clay and glass items shatter into pieces, dealing piercing damage.
• Breaking a bottle of alcohol or oil on an enemy greatly increases their flammability. On top of that, foul liquids getting into their eyes will make it hard to concentrate on combat…
• Highly flammable items (made from cloth or paper) will burn in fire. Pyromancers, watch your flames!
• A heavy enough item can trigger a claw trap or a pressure plate.
• The amount of noise generated by a thrown item depends on its weight and material. The sound of breaking glass will attract much more attention than a tumbling acorn.
• It’s no easy task to restore a thrown tomato to its original form. Only throw tomatoes you don’t need!
• The same holds true for ale mugs – it’s hard to throw them without spilling their contents.
• And so on…

Weapons

Weapon-throwing is a completely different thing. Instead of weight and material, it takes a different factor into account – a weapon balance, which combines item weight and its aerodynamic properties. The better the balance, the further and more precise a throw will be, and the more damage it will deal upon connecting.

Most daggers and light axes can be easily thrown, offering you a significant edge in combat. Certain spears (not halberds) are slightly worse in this regard. When it comes to swords, maces, and two-handed weapons, they don’t fly far, and they don’t deal significant damage, as these weapon types aren’t well-suited for throwing. It’s also not always a good idea to overuse this mechanic even with a suitable weapon – doing so will quickly drain its durability.

Naturally, your character stats are factored in as well: the damage for throwing any item is influenced by Perception, Strength, and Agility, the distance is decided by Strength, and the hit chance (including the Crit Hit chance) depends on Perception and Agility.

Keep in mind that throwing is meant to be only a supplementary combat mechanic and not a play style, so we don’t plan on introducing a dedicated skill tree for it. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to beat the game by throwing axes and daggers, although you can still give it a try.

That’s all for now. Stay tuned for future devlogs – we still have a few more surprises up our sleeve!