Power
added to Combat also
Power
A power in Shadowbane is an ability or talent granted to a character. Powers may be obtained through character creation or character development and are one of the hallmark differences and deciding factors between classes and factions within the world.
Mechanics
Powers can be both offensive and defensive (buffs). They are never passive and must always be activated by the user. Powers can be activated by either pressing on their cameo in your powers list, or by way of hotkey. Some powers have prerequisite conditions, such as a second party target, and most powers exact a power cost: a tribute of mana, health, or stamina.
Types
Powers in Shadowbane fall into several archetypes:
- AI Modification powers that will change the way mobiles act.
- Area of Effect, or AoE, powers which can affect many targets in a specific radial or spherical area.
- Buff powers that benefit a player's combat ability for a limited period of time.
- Chants, which provide limitless buffs, but can be interrupted.
- Charms that bring a mobile under a player's control as a pet.
- Conversion powers which convert health, stamina, or mana into a different variable.
- Damage powers intended to inflict damage on other characters.
- Damage Over Time, or DoT, powers that spread inflicted damage out over a specific amount of time.
- Debuffs, which negatively impact their target's combat ability for a limited period of time.
- Transfers, which siphon health, mana, or stamina to the caster from the target or vice versa.
- Effect Removal powers that will strip players of timed effects such as buffs.
- Epic Powers: extremely effective powers granted to players who reach the level cap. Epic powers have since been removed.
- Heals, which grant a player additional health or stamina.
- Hone powers, which increase the destructive ability of weapons or the effectiveness of armor.
- Procs that grant a weapon a 5% chance of discharging a burst of damage, or a drain.
- Recalls that teleport a player or a group of players to their home city or a runegate.
- Runegate Activation powers, intended to open specific runegate gates.
- Summons, which allow players to call forth familiars or even other players.
- Tracking, which grants the ability to find out what PCs or NPCs exist in your surroundings.
Training
While some powers are granted at their full effectiveness, most powers may require training in order to increase their potency. The benefits of training a power can include inflicted damage chance increase, increased protection amount, stat adjustment, lowered power cost, increased duration, increased efficiency, better success rate, or a shortened recast timer. Discipline-granted powers, in most cases, may only be trained to twenty, while powers granted by your class are usually able to reach the game's maximum power level of 40 or Grand Master.
