Reactions and Traits

One of the most unique feature set of Card Hunter lies in its reaction mechanics. In fact, it is so unique that the developer diaries contain three chapters (Jon talks about reactions, Skaff Elias talks about reactions, developers talk about more reactions) worth of explanations on the history, motivation and implementation. Readers are advised to browse the links for in-depth information and key insights. Another distinct gameplay feature revolves around the Trait mechanic. While card reactions provide a subtle way of streamlining gameplay flow, traits present more strategic deck building depth to the player. This guide presents some basics with regard to reactions and traits with examples of commonly encountered cards. Readers are advised to browse the Keywords guides for detailed information.

Reactions

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 6 broad types of reactions.

Types of Reactions
Reaction	Trigger condition	Trigger effect	Trigger result
Armor	Incoming damage + die roll (optional)	Damage type damage reduction	Modified/unmodified damage value passed
Block	Incoming attack from front + die roll (optional)	Attack type negation	Modified/unmodified attack passed
Boost	Change in game state/action + die roll (optional)	Add/enhance game state/action	Apply additions/enhancement
Handicap	Change in game state/action + die roll (optional)	Add negative state/action	Apply negative state
Move	Change in unit position + die roll (optional)	Modify movement range	Modified/unmodified value passed
Special	Unique game state/action	Unique gameplay effect	Modified/unmodified effect passed

Figure 1 shows an example of a card with the Armor reaction: Reliable Hide Armor. Reliable Hide Armor is a common armor card found in most low-level items. It reacts to incoming damage and reduces it by 1. As the die roll is 1+, Reliable Hide Armor always mitigates incoming damage by 1 and is therefore an absolute damage reducer. Multiple Reliable Hide Armors will stack the damage reduction as the reaction processes from the first to the next.

Figure 2 shows an example of a Block reaction: Block. Unlike Reliable Hide Armor, the block trigger effect uses the keyword 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 Block any effect to occur. Successful trigger result 'blocks' the attack.

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. Arcane aura (Fig. 3) is a classic example of a boost reaction.

IMPORTANT: All reactions are represented by a grey background.