Fallen Earth: QotW #16: Talking About Skill-Based Special Attacks

Question: Talking about skill-based special attacks - and a bonus round!

To go along with the information on mutation from two weeks back, this week we have some information on skill-based special attacks.

What will these special attacks be? DoT attacks? Stun attacks? Slow? Will different kinds of bullets be these attacks (like incindiery rounds for dot, special rubber bullets for stun, etc.) or will you just have different attacks as skills?

How important will special abilities be in combat and in general? Can you give us some examples of some of the specials that we might see in game? Approximately how many specials are there within each skill?

Each active skill in Fallen Earth has a number of special activatable abilities linked to it. Each ability requires a certain level in a linked skill to learn the ability, so you have to have a certain level of Pistol to learn Pistol Whip. The number of abilities under each skill varies according to how useful the skill is aside from its special abilities. For example Pistol, Rifle, Melee, Evade, and Dodge all have a direct effect on combat and so have fewer special abilities than Athletics or Group Tactics, which have few uses besides their related special abilities. So while you'll only learn a handful of special attacks with your pistol, you can learn a larger selection of special abilities through Group Tactics that allow you to aid your allies in combat.

Each skill's special abilities relate directly to that skill; for example, all the Rifle special abilities involve using rifles and require you to have a rifle equipped. Special abilities consume stamina to use, and most consume stamina over time instead of in one large chunk when the ability is activated.

Much like mutations, special abilities are not designed to be a primary combat style. You will not do the majority of your damage with special abilities. Instead they are used to strengthen your own abilities or weaken your enemy. A perfect example is Knockdown Strike, a Melee special ability, that allows you to knock down a target for a very short time; it makes the target easier to kill, but you still have to smack them around with your weapon a few times. These abilities primarily allow you to alter how much damage you do instead of doing the damage.

Not all special abilities are combat-related. Some Stealth abilities allow you to disguise yourself as a member of another faction, while Athletics abilities like Dash increase your movement rate.

Some Special Abilities for Each Skill:

Armor Use

Athletics

Dodge

Evade

First Aid

Group Tactics

Melee

Pistol

Rifle

*And a bonus question this week:

We've seen a number of fantastic/mutant animals that pose a threat, but will there be any mutated plants? If there are none planned for the initial release, are sentient plants something you will do later?

Currently the vicious hydra weed is a nigh-constant problem in the Plateau and some other areas of the Grand Canyon Province. Its fruit, the blood seed, is favored by the CHOTA for use in cooking and some of their strange herbal concoctions. Reports of other dangerous types of plants occur occasionally, but have not been substantiated yet.