Combat Mechanics

Pit People is a fast-paced turn-based strategy RPG, which uses its own twist of well established tropes within this genre.

Bleeding
Blood droplet particles appear on the unit, indicating that it has low health. This does not appear on cupcakes or zombies. Electrobots still "bleed," though their animation shows oil, not blood. Bleeding units take more damage from Vampiresses, and cause them to leech more health. Even though Wraiths have a bleeding animation, they are lifeless and Vampiresses do not gain any bonus against them in this state. Vampiresses do not leech extra health from bleeding electrobots, nor do they deal extra damage to them

Counter Attack
Kobolds and units wielding a shield or axe-type weapons have a chance to block an attack for slightly reduced damage. This initiates a counter attack, striking the enemy that caused the counter attack to start. Counter attacks can be interrupted and prevented if the counter-attacker takes damage before their attack animation finishes. An experiment concludes that the chances for a block is 3% with small shields, 4% with medium shields, and 5% with large shields. Kobolds have 8% counter chance and axes have 25%.

Elemental Resistances
Units may have one or many resistances to elements or associated status effects. These are represented by a badge on the unit's stats information in the house.

Bonus damage from elemental attacks is unaffected by defense.

Flying
Allows the character to safely move over hazards such as spikes, holes, water, flames, and more. Electrobots, Gnomes, Octoclopes, Pixies and Wraiths are all flying units. Vampiresses are typically ground units, but may take flight for the duration of their moving phase at the cost of health. Gas clouds still affect flying fighters. Flying units still can't move onto empty spaces such as abysses, but can move through them. All flying units (with the exception of Vampiresses) cannot be snared.

Hero
A team may only have one hero (or none). The hero generally receives stats bonuses such as reduced weight, increased damage, increased defense, increased movement, and/or increased health. Any unit may be set as the hero. Some benefit more from the status than others, however.

Move Order
Each type of unit has its own inherent move priority, or speed. This value dictates at what time they will begin their order during the action or attack phase. Units with the same speed will all start their move in a random order every round. For example, 6 humans wearing the same items circling a single unit will not all attack at once, they will instead attack in a random order.

Knowing the move order of one's party makes it easier to manage the random elements of the fight. While Vampiresses and mascots quickly get in position at the start of the attack phase, other units like hair trolls and mushrooms often start moving last.

Player Party
Players may fill up to 6 unit slots. (AI does not follow this rule strictly). At least one party slot must be occupied and a prompt will let the player know their team is missing a hero if they do not assign one. However, it is possible to not have any hero within the party.

It is not possible to enter PVP without a full party.

Sharp
Piercing attacks that negate part of their target's defense, and deal bonus damage to vampiresses. Kobolds have a resistance to sharp attacks.

Targeting
Upon moving, the unit will target a random enemy from the selection within range. Each action will pick a new random target. Ranged projectiles may miss the target. Ranged fighters prioritize targets on distance; most will target closer enemies first, Rainbow Horses will target enemies at 7 hexes of distance preferably.

Unit Slots
Players start with 4 unit slots unlocked, and have to purchase the remaining 2 for 900 and 1450 gold. While most units only occupy one unit slot, some units come in pair for every unit slot, and some occupy 2 or even 3 slots.

Using less slots decreases the amount of enemies encountered in worldmap fights and certain quests.

Buff
Boosts damage, defense, and accuracy for units that remain next to a mascot. Doesn't affect undead units such as the wraith and the zombie.

Debuff
Lowers damage, defense, and accuracy for one round. Doesn't affect undead units such as the wraith and the zombie.

Freeze
Stuns the target for one round and boosts its defense. Appears to halve all damage, including bonus damage.

Confusion
Makes the target unable to distinguish friend from foe; a confused unit may randomly attack friendly units.

Ink Swap
The affected unit turns to the opposite color for one turn; the effect wears off right before the disabler's turn.

Poison
Damage over time, bonus damage per round when applied. Mushrooms and certain weapons can inflict poison. Damage is unaffected by defense.

Shock
Stuns target for one round. Unit cannot be stunned for the following round.

Slow
Reduces movement to 1 for one turn. Can be chained on the same unit from round to round.

Snare
Netted in place for one round, cannot move but can act. Flying units and troll mothers are immune.

Stun
Stuns target for one round.

Blind
Greatly reduces melee and ranged accuracy for one round.

Explosive Barrel
Explosive Barrels are obstacles in arenas that explode once they have taken enough collateral damage from units such as rainbow horses, fairies, and other creatures that deal damage across multiple tiles. Explosive Barrels cannot be targeted.

Certain map obstacles can be destroyed by barrel explosions.

Flame
Fire may appear on hexes hit by a Pixie's explosion. It hurts non-flying units that stay on it or walk through it. It eventually dies out, but may spread to adjacent tiles. Hexes that have already caught on fire cannot do so again. Some hexes are more vulnerable to flame than others.

Gas Cloud
Appear on all hexes selected by a Mushroom when it attacks, after the initial damage. Will spawn on empty hexes or on units even if they dodge the attack. Will poison units 90% of the time, or remain on the field for one turn, not disappearing even if units walk through it. Afflicted units will take poison damage every round for multiple rounds.

Hole
Can be flown over or flung over, but not walked over.

Lava
Deals huge damage to ground enemies once per round when they step in, or when they remain in it. Flying units will not be damaged.

Obstacle
Act as walls. Flying units cannot pass through, although teleporting units can. Cyclopes and Hair trolls can fling enemy units past obstacles. Gnomes can fling allied units past obstacles.

Certain tiles can only be stood on by flying units.

Spikes
Deals very random damage to ground units that walk on the hex. If a unit remains on the spikes, it will take damage at the end of the turn, except for newly spawned troll babies and gorgon snakes, which will have their attacks cancelled by the damage.

Water
Halves defense, halves fire damage received, increases vulnerability to electricity. Costs more movement points to traverse, except for flying units, cyclopes, and troll mom's upper and bottom left hexes.