Reactions and Traits

A reaction consists of a trigger condition, trigger effect and a trigger result. A trigger condition refers to the state required for the reaction to manifest/activate. Trigger effect refers to the function of the reaction while the trigger result refers to the outcome of the reaction. As reactions are tied to actions/state of the game itself, bounded action space translates into bounded reaction types. There are currently five broad types of reactions in game (Table 1).

|+ Table 1: Types of Reactions

| STYLE="vertical-align: center; text-align:justify;" align="left" rowspan=3| Figure 1 shows an example of a card with the {{K|Armor}} reaction: [[Cards/Reliable Hide Armor|Reliable Hide Armor]]. [[Cards/Reliable Hide Armor|Reliable Hide Armor]] is a common [[:Category:Armor_Card|armor]] card found in most low-level items. It reacts to incoming damage and reduces it by 1. As the die roll is 1+, [[Cards/Reliable Hide Armor|Reliable Hide Armor]] always mitigates incoming damage by 1 and is therefore an absolute damage reducer. Multiple [[Cards/Reliable Hide Armor|Reliable Hide Armors]] will stack the damage reduction as the reaction processes from the first to the next. Also note that any card bearing an {{K|Armor}} reaction has a grey background. <br /><br /> Figure 2 shows an example of a {{K|Block}} reaction: [[Cards/Block|Block]]. Unlike [[Cards/Reliable Hide Armor|Reliable Hide Armor]], the {{K|Block|Block}} trigger effect uses the keyword {{K|Block Any|Block any}}. This means that the trigger effect will negate any type of attack from the front provided the trigger condition is satisfied. In this case, the trigger condition is an incoming frontal attack with a die roll greater than 4 in order for the {{K|Block Any|Block any}} effect to occur. Successful trigger result 'blocks' the attack. Note that cards bearing the {{K|Block}} reaction have a green background. <br /><br /> Another common reaction is the Boost. There are many interpretations to the boost effect. In general, boosts are commonly used to increase or enhance an action/game state. [[Cards/Arcane Aura|Arcane Aura]] (Fig. 3) is a classic example of a boost reaction. It contains two reactions: an {{K|Armor}} reaction followed by a boost reaction. This means that [[Cards/Arcane Aura|Arcane Aura]] reacts on incoming damage as well as when the card bearer plays a damaging {{K|Magic}} card. The trigger condition is a play of a damaging Magic card. The trigger effect is to add 2 to the damage. If a card like [[Cards/Surging Bolt|Surging Bolt]] is played with [[Cards/Arcane Aura|Arcane Aura]] in hand, the total damage dealt to the target is raised from 3 to 5. Not all boost reactions increase damage, some like [[Cards/Dimensional Traveller|Dimensional Traveller]] boosts the game state via enhancements. In this case, the character with [[Cards/Dimensional Traveller|Dimensional Traveller]] gains an additional {{K|Teleport|teleport move}} of 1 tile at the start of each round. This is a highly useful positional ability. In addition, [[Cards/Dimensional Traveller|Dimensional Traveller]] also contains the {{K|Trait}} keyword which acts as an automatic card draw (covered in the Traits section below). All boost reactions are denoted by orange card backgrounds. <br /><br /> Handicap reactions are the polar opposite of boosts. Where boosts add and enhance gameplay, handicaps create detrimental effects. [[Cards/Slowed|Slowed]] is an example of a handicap reaction. It triggers when a positional change of the card bearer is detected. When the die roll is less than 4, the trigger effect ({{K|Encumber}}) is applied. [[Cards/Slowed|Slowed]] therefore reduces the movement range of the character by 1. With the {{K|Keep}} keyword, [[Cards/Slowed|Slowed]] is not discarded after it reacts. Instead, it will trigger if another move is detected, creating an annoying movement handicap chain. Handicap reactions does nothing beneficial to the player and are best avoided. However, a game feature of [http://www.cardhunter.com/ Card Hunter] consists of in-game quests requiring players to form parties using items with [[:Category:Handicap_Card|handicap]] cards. As such, learning to play with and around [[:Category:Handicap_Card|handicaps]] are an excellent way to differentiate between good players and great players. Again, note that Handicap reactions are denoted by black card backgrounds. <br /><br /> The last reaction cover the scope of special reactions that fall outside all above classifications. As of writing, the special reaction mechanic exists only on one card: [[Cards/Arrogant Armor|Arrogant Armor]]. [[Cards/Arrogant Armor|Arrogant Armor]] contains two reactions, an {{K|Armor}} trigger and a special reaction. The special reaction states "If a card would be attached to you, discard that card instead. {{K|Keep}}." A card is attached to a character when the card effect states "Attach to target/yourself". An example is that of [[Cards/Dimensional Traveller|Dimensional Traveller]] as shown previously. [[Cards/Arrogant Armor|Arrogant Armor's]] special reaction is designed to specifically negate attachments of any sort, beneficial or harmful. The trigger condition is an incoming card attachment to character while the trigger effect is to invoke immediate discard of said attachment. In short, [[Cards/Arrogant Armor|Arrogant Armor]] does not allow the character to be buffed or debuffed, acting as a natural deterrent and completely blocks a plethora of {{K|Stun|stun}}, {{K|Trait|traits}}, damage over time cards. This favors party builds revolving around the use of instants and immediate effects. Unlike the above reaction, special reactions do not have a dedicated card color. <br /><br /> In summary, reactions play a huge role in [http://www.cardhunter.com/ Card Hunter]. Dedicated players spend time carefully studying and experimenting with card reactions and deck synergy, making the right build for each character. Understanding what reactions are and how reactions work The next section discusses an equally important game mechanic of {{K|Trait|traits}}.