CHANGELOG

======= VERSION 2.3 =======

- class balance changes
-- Warrior: Added Taunt mechanic
--- Warriors unlock the ability to taunt with LVL 15. To trigger, hit a charged attack on an enemy while sneaking.
--- Taunt attracts enemies and locks their aggro onto you
--- Taunt cooldown is greatly reduced if no other enemies to attract were nearby
# the implementation is awkward due to technical reasons (don't have time to figure out new keybinds). tip: attacking while holding sneak doesn't really do anything, so if you want to avoid taunting during a stealth attack, stop pressing sneak before you attack
-- Ninja: Added Lethal Strike
--- Ninjas unlock Lethal Strike at 100 Stealth and LVL 75. To trigger, hit a charged backstab while using the Dash spell. As a result, you will deal immense damage to the target.

- mechanic changes
-- Legendary Mace Bonus
--- Now does not inflict paralyze on already paralyzed targets
# This would reset the paralysis timer and unintentionally "wake up" many mobs by inflicting a shorter paralysis
-- Charisma Fear Bonus
--- Once a player's LVL + (unmodified) CHR adds up to 125, the modified CHR is added to the Fear duration again
# inflicting Fear is useful but there wasn't really a satisfying sense of progression with the mechanic where having higher CHR really fellt like it mattered
--- A third of CHR is now added as ticks to the Fear duration as opposed to all of your CHR - for ranged, your DEX value is added, and for melee, your STR value is added as duration ticks.
--- Backstab Fear duration bonus increased by a factor of x1.2
# Those changes are supposed to make the Fear duration worse for stealth classes like the Rogue when fighting head on - but buffed for backstabs
--- The Fear cooldown is now the Fear duration times 2
# You could get really long Fear durations and with a cooldown of a mere couple of seconds, this mechanic would trivialize encounters against strong enemies.
--- Required CHR to LVL ratio to inflict Fear on skeletons has been increased to 65 %.
# Since skeletons appear in late game, it seemed weird for non-CHR builds to be able to inflict fear
-- Charisma Regen Bonus
--- Now only active when the ally has more than 50 % of its health
-- *NEW* New Legendary Leadership bonus
--- Legendary Leadership now adds a damage cap mechanic
---- Allies can't get one shot - when damage exceeds current HP, their HP is set to 2 instead
---- Below 1/5th of their MaxHP, any damage is capped at 1/2 of their current HP
---- At 2 HP and lower, any damage will be capped at 1 DMG - unless it's more than their Max HP
# This new mechanic is supposed to give more leeway when trying to play a follower build, giving the player a chance to heal & save them without having to babysit them non-stop.

- item changes
-- Other than being fixed, the Valkyrie's Veil is slightly nerfed. But now, casting speed scales with enchantments indefinitely.
# if you actually put everything into the Veil, it becomes really stupid and funny at some point

- map and monster changes
-- Trolls in the Labyrinth have been replaced with Sand Trolls, using a new model
# They are strong, watch out
-- Bugbears in the Ruins have been slightly buffed
# Seemed a bit underpowered
-- Reused the new Baphomet Exit from Vanilla for a transitional map between Underworld and Hell
# In my opinion, it's better to have a little bit of downtime before entering the hectic Hell because it forces completely different gameplay
-- Vampire Assassins now have 75 STR as opposed to 55
# To be more lethal against low CON builds
-- Samwell the digger in Minetown now only has a 10 % chance of spawning a tinkering kit
-- slight changes to the Gnomish Bazaar to reduce cheese potential
-- players in the Ancient Tomb are unable to die
# this is to counteract some Ghost related cheese
-- Bram's Castle monster power level slightly increased, can't levitate over the chasm in the spawn room anymore
# the level didn't feel threatening enough compared to the floors surrounding it
-- Added additional monsters spawns to the Herx fight
-- Moved the pedestal in the Gnomish mines
# this removes some pathfinding issues
-- Added a portal back to invaded Hamlet during the end sequence of the map
# since there are Incubi, it's possible for your weapons to get stolen and carried away

- fixes and QoL
-- Goatmen in Hell being Lesser Goatmen again has been fixed
-- lesser shields now don't allow leveling past 80 for timing counter attacks
-- non-shield offhands now don't allow leveling past 20 as intended
-- the new vanilla shield durability mechanics now work properly
-- Valkyrie's Veil's casting speed reverted to appropriate speeds after something went wrong in the calculation

======= KEEP YOUR SECRETS UPDATE =======
Ported to 4.3 Keep Your Secrets

- mechanic changes
-- Blocking: Hybrid between the new blocking mechanics and HC+. Off-hands don't skill past 20 and you still need advanced shields to level past 80.
-- Charisma bonuses are now properly affected by items modifying the Charisma stat
-- Fear inflicted through the Charisma bonus now plays a sound effect
-- Spellbooks not crumbling is removed - HC+ uses the new vanilla mechanic now
-- Levitation doesn't cost 15 MP to cast anymore - we embrace the new vanilla mechanic (to be adjusted, if needed)

- item changes
-- Khrysalaketos: With Legendary Ranged skill, Khrysalaketos now shoots 2 special arrows
# this started out as a bug but I found it cool so I kept it lol
-- Ring of Strength now also increases throwing weapon velocity
# to make for a more consistent mechanic
-- Ring of Teleportation now teleports you in set intervals
# ditto

- map and monster changes
-- added a bell and a second exit to the Sky Town city hall

- miscellaneous changes
-- parts of the HUD now have a reddish instead of a golden hue
# this is for the sole purpose of making it easier to discern HC+ footage

======= OCTOBER 2024 UPDATE =======

- class balance changes
-- Accursed: The last and second to last stages of hunger give you a mighty STR and DEX boost instead of weakening you
# I found it more interesting to turn hunger into a double-edged sword for the Accursed, also giving them some flexibility to deal with hunger issues
-- Accursed: Spawns with Hunger Stone
--- Hunger Stone: When empty, it stores hunger satiation. When full, it gives it back to the player using it. Can only be used above/below a certain satiation threshold.
# A complaint regarding the Accursed was the class' low viability in multiplayer settings where certain races-class combinations would find it near impossible to stay satiated. The Hunger Stone was conceptualized to add some party resource management.

- mechanic changes
-- Spellbooks now don't disappear when broken
# It's frustrating for players who want to enchant a book as their main weapon to have it crumble and disappear due to bad RNG
-- Extent of the PER based sniping bonus is now also tied to the Ranged skill
# Disregarding the ranged skill at all yet dealing massive throwing weapon damage didn't feel right
-- Cap weapon skill gainable on allies at 40
# with the CHR ally regen bonus, this became an obvious, lame and sluggish way to level up your weapons
-- Slowing duration on dash backstabs increased
-- Attacking dummy bots will now allow you to speedlevel melee weapon skills in exchange for durability. Leveling boost with unarmed or artifact weapons is capped at 20.
# gives tinkerers some extra utility and adds use for throwaway weapons, especially late game
-- Fear inflicted through CHR has its calculation reworked
--- You can start inflicting fear on charged hits once your current LVL + CHR value hit 10
--- Whether you apply Fear is now dependent on your CHR relative to your current level, on a monster type basis
---- Examples: To apply Fear to a rat, your CHR value must be at least 50 % of your LVL (say, 7 CHR at level 14). For a Cockatrice, it has to be at least 73 % (say, 59 CHR at LVL 80).
--- Now doesn't lock out from additional CHR fear infliction for a flat 10 seconds but for the fear duration + 3 seconds.
## Streamlining the mechanic a little bit

- item changes
-- Parashu slow nerfed from 2 to 1 second
## Since Parashu's RNG has effectively been removed at 100 axe skill, this change makes the weapon less of a free kiting tool late game and requires more consistent attention

- map and monster changes
-- Replaced Sokoban with the Ancient Tomb
# Sokoban grew stale in my opinion so here's a new benign challenge level for you to earn your Djinn's Brace
-- Decreased Insectoid Squadron Leader XP gain
# Gave same as Raider despite being weaker
-- Swapped Ancient Raider and Ancient Knight XP gain
# Raider gave more XP previously but this just clashes with player intuition since the Knight appears later

- fixes and QoL
-- Fixed the "You hit a long-range shot" message only playing for host (and whenever a client hit a shot)
-- Fixed the Conjurer skeleton having a life saving amulet at a certain rank
-- Fixed the last purple orb in Invaded Hamlet being retrievable
-- Changed it so purple orbs don't need to stay on the pedestal to keep the secret merchant areas open
-- Tweaked the Gnomish Bazaar to avoid gnomes attacking the human prisoners, thus causing havoc without the players' fault
-- Added main menu banners for the holiday themes

======= SEPTEMBER 2024 UPDATE =======

- race balance changes
-- damage tables adjusted
--- unarmed is now only weak vs trolls, slimes, shadows, mimics and automatons; it's also quite strong vs the bosses now
# unarmed is an underwhelming weapon type in general, this change is to make it only uneffective in the most intuitive cases.
--- goblins are now slightly resistant to all melee
# as a melee-focused race, it makes sense for goblins to be a bit tougher at close-range
--- goatmen are now resistant to all melee except polearms; less susceptible to magic by 10 %
# same reasoning as goblin - here the damage tables didn't reflect the goatman's specialization properly, also they took the most exta damage from magic (70 %) with little to outweigh it.
--- automatons now have 50 % ranged resistance
# intuitive buff for a race that otherwise has only weaknesses as far as damage goes.
--- vampires are now weaker against melee
# small intuitive nerf to vampires
--- succubi are now weaker against melee
# see vampire

- class balance changes
-- Barbarian and Ninja stat growth swapped
# doesn't it make more sense for the Barbarian to be the class with CON growth? and less CHR? seems like both a balance and intuition adjustment
-- Arcanist: spawns with new Arcane Arrows, which apply Arcane Mark
# to give the Arcanist added support capabilities and aid him in early game where ranged resistances are abundant
-- Barbarian: spawns with new Ring of Rage item and Potion of Strength
--- Ring of Rage: buffs strength potion effects, giving more STR, giving CON and lifesteal on enemy kills. downside: you lose HP while under a strength potion's effect and health potions are weakened
# a fun rework that fits with the classic Barbarian archetype
-- Brewer: starts with healing, paralysis and strength potions. Spawns with additional empty bottles. Spawns with 10 fewer Alchemy skill points, gains Hazard Goggles
# the Brewer is supposed to get creative with having access to many potions early on, but access to really good potions is luck based. this should give him a bit of early game consistency. Also, the addition of goggles will make him good against firestorm gnomes. More empty bottles = more opportunities to get early water
-- Conjurer: conjured skeletons get 1.6x EXP; life-saving amulet removed
# the Conjurer never scaled properly in HC+, this should make him viable again
-- Merchant: starts with a Purple Artifact Orb
# this gives the Merchant access to some secret parts of the game - his new class gimmick
-- Rogue: starts with 30 sword and 30 ranged as opposed to 25
# slight buff to his stats
-- Rogue: now has bear traps and daggers
# items moved from Ninja to Rogue
-- Ninja: starts with 20 ranged as opposed to 40
# the Ranged skill of the Ninja probably reflects his proficiency with throwing weapons. Imo 40 is too big of a boost for a damage type that is quite crazy due to its later legendary bonuses. In the end, the Ninja should be more incentivized to be a melee build - this is also a shadow buff to the Rogue
-- Ninja: PER and CON growth swapped, spawns with 2 PER instead of 1
# why does the fragile assassin level CON? Give him PER to make use of the new sniper bonus
-- Ninja: no bear trap and daggers, has 1 crystal shuriken and potions of confusion now.
# fits his glass cannon DPS archetype more

- map and monster changes
-- mine to swamp miniboss harder, caves to citadel miniboss harder
# I found The Jibster and Deekin to be a bit underwhelming
-- you can't reach the Minetown miniboss anymore by digging through the exit room
# was a bit too simple for my taste
-- Minetown always spawns
# not getting minetown is just too big a disadvantage in its current state, it messes with the entire run imo
-- swamp to labyrinth miniboss drops potions of strength
# just to add another opportunity to get some strength potions
-- increased power of Mystic Library humans
# to make them not cannon fodder
-- stealth hunters (invisible levitating skeletons with hunting arrows) and blinders (inviisble skeletons throwing blindness potions) added to the Underworld
# I wanted the Underworld to be even more messed up
-- certain monsters will now relentlessly chase players (imps in Haunted Castle, vampire assassins and The Jubster; also floor 41 of Hell)
# when fitting, I decided to make monsters actively engage the player on the entire map
-- in SkyTown, killing guards or the mayor will now spawn SkyTown Deathbringers who will hunt players relentlessly
# to incentivize a more stealthy or peaceful approach to the first segment
-- Vampire Assassins spawn in invaded Hamlet
# to add some challenge
-- Baphomet now fires poison and bleed projectiles alongside fireballs
# Bapho's projectiles were kind of weak compared to everything else that's going on in the fight so now he basically spawns 3 projectiles at once, all inside each other
-- lava boulders in the Baphomet fight deal much higher damage now
# just to give you another reason to cry
-- Erudyce's missile barrage is faster; Clones of Orpheus now appear when you kill Erudyce first; curses will annoy you during the fight
# To spice the fight up
-- You can now always find a Spellbook of Teleportation on the Underworld start island
# Due to there being more monsters, it seems to occur at times, that the shrines can't teleport you due to the destination being blocked my monsters. If they don't/can't move away, you are kinda softlocked. Giving players the opportunity to learn teleport (if they haven't yet) alleviates this.

- item changes
-- adjusted spawn level of life saving amulets
# life saving artifacts were too plentiful in my opinion
-- buffed the artifact weapons
--- Gungnir and Parashu effect chance to scales from 0 - 100 % like Dyrnwyn
--- Gungnir AC pierce increases at 60 polearm skill (70 % pierce) and at 100 polearm skill (90 % pierce)
--- Sharur now returns your MP for every spell costing less than 6 mana and returns half your MP for all other spells
--- Sharur lets you snap out of sleep and fear (because his voice is so grating)
# the artifact weapons were not a satisfying in HC+ before, now their abilities should feel more useful
-- potions of strength increase throwing weapon velocity
# just for fun

- spell changes
-- strike spell buffed, bonus damage dependent on unarmed skill
# this spell is not worth standing in place for 2 seconds, maybe like this it'll have its niches

- miscellaneous changes
-- enemy INT now affects their spell power - adding INT/2 to damage
# basically this means magic monsters can now be QUITE strong
-- the ranged armor pierce chance dependent on perception now goes up to 100 %
# PER is bad enough anyway, give it a buff
-- added a sniper bonus to ranged and thrown weapons, based on PER and range (excluding bosses)
-- chakrams and shuriken have an increased sniping bonus
-- daggers and tomahawks can, starting with 60 stealth, inflict root upon backstabs
-- boomerang will always root at a certain distance, root duration scales with distance
-- boomerang return speed scales with range (caps at 3 seconds, like vanilla)
# this adds yet another use to PER which rewards positioning
-- added CHR based fear - if your CHR is high enough, charged hits inflict fear. Whether it works and duration is based on your CHR and their stats. Backstabs always give duration bonus.
-- it also works on ranged, in this case, however it's an Arbalest only bonus. Whether it works or not is also based on ranged skill here.
-- added regeneration to followers based on CHR and leadership. Notes: The buff only applies to monsters that aren't much stronger than yourself and only if you have more than 1/4 of your HP.
# CHR is also an underwhelming stat, with this perhaps it'll have more value
-- attacking during dash now gives you a damage bonus
-- unlocked at 60 stealth, hitting a charged backstab during dash inflicts extra damage, root and slow
# thought it'd be fun
-- maximum attainable MP regen increased
# because it's fun to stack MP regen
-- golems and cockatrices are protected from Domination starting with the Citadel
# if you manage to dominate many of these guys, it's basically GG. this change should make it less of a cheesy strat and make the Caves an important place for you to collect golems and cockatrices if you want to do that.
-- Hell is now redesigned, adding a large version and a wave based arena!
# to make it a bit more interesting
-- taking too long at the Baron Herx fight will now not spawn monsters but send you 20 floors ahead, straight into Hell
# this should equal death but IF you beat the game like this, consider yourself a GOD

- fixes and QoL
-- hell was redesigned due to performance issues
-- added a warning when Levitation is running out
-- fixed a bug where a multiplayer client's appraisal would be set to 0 due to faulty map scripts
-- crashes and inventory saving issue in SkyTown fixed
-- fixed the SkyTown gates not being interactable with Interact Aim Assist disabled
-- fixed the Reflect Magic spell crashing the game
-- removed enemies wielding the fear spell since it caused crashes in combination with reflecting
-- added an alternative version of Ozyx' Domain without voice acting. simply rename the file called "fskincustom_novoice" to "fskincustom" and backup the original if you want to switch back.