Hello, sprouts! (This isn't a new chapter update, so I can still get away with calling you this)

Here is the first part of a series of updates concerning the new battle system! However, before I get to that, here's the standard list of things included in the update:

• Quickstart has been adjusted. It has been organised and restructured, the jump to the prologue's midway point has been deleted and replaced with the option to jump to the end of the prologue instead, ready for chapter 1. With each finished chapter will come the option to jump to the end of that chapter. I have played so many IFs where you lose your saved progress with each update and this is my way of avoiding that for you all (because, omg, it's annoying, right?). I will not delete the jump points from now on.
• Corrected typos: many thanks to my friends who found them.
• Removed bold font weight to most links because it was causing formatting issues, especially in battle.
• Found a way to stow the right sidebar on loading, so it isn't making the game mechanics page unreadable for mobile users. Due to this, I have deleted the auto hide function in the codex pages for the right sidebar.
• ALL the main cast portraits have now been added, even if they aren't used, as well as a few generic character variations and two of the side characters.
• Fixed portrait F2 in the profile not showing after I'd organised the portraits and forgot to update that particular link. Fixed portraits not showing in the bad ends (for the same reason as the profile image).
• The prologue battle has been updated and adjusted based on a very sensible question from a friend who asked how the protagonist could fight in the smoke if they're just a normal person without training, when Rallo and his goon couldn't see. I was rather abashed by that observation and now the protagonist has all the smoke bombs and Gog/Thurin will do the fighting. I did consider giving 1 extra bomb but considering that the protagonist also has low combat (unless they're a brawler, in which case they have average combat) in that battle, as it is a winnable fight already. And I know it is because I tested it as a thief, performer and witch.
• Dialog/pop up boxes have been changed to pages because the table formatting messed up if they were opened on another page that also had tables, and the font settings didn't fully work with them. The font changed, but the size and line height didn't, and since there's a lot of background and lore in these boxes, I would like for them to be fully accessible for all in whatever form is best for the reader. Since they were being reformatted, I added a little extra to them here and there. Shadow Figures has been added to Local Lesser Spirits, and Oskamaer has been given a little more information on the same page, for example. Bryn and Frodi's brother, Feane, have their own page with minimal information as well as their portrait. Moloch's wives have been given their own individual pages ready for when I write their history. So far they only contain portraits.
• Combat explanation page has been updated to include this new system. Needs completing.

Now, on to the main course of this update: the battle system!

For you players it will cosmetically look the same, albeit a tad more organised. For me, woooh boy, is it different. I scraped all the original coding and did it all again. As such I am still working on it and will continue to update as milestones are reached.

I've tested it myself a few times, however, due the scale of what I'm aiming to do, I thought it best to release the update in pieces so others can alert me to things that I may have missed. It SHOULD work, and I'm 90% sure I've busted all the bugs in the coding I've done so far.

You can try out the new system from the main menu, where you can set up a training battle however you like. Assume this is a previously hidden part of your combat training, if you need a scenario to put it to.

So, here are the new features:

• Status changes! Items that cause burning or poisoned have a 100% infliction rate, as long as they hit the enemy.
• TIRED: Enemies have a small chance at the start of battle to be tired and it lasts for the duration. You and your companions gain tiredness points as you explore the world and decrease tiredness points by resting. Critical hits by tired combatants will be converted to regular hits.
• BURNING: 1d12 passive damage each turn (1d3 or 2d3 duration, can be stacked)
• POISONED: 1d4 passive damage each turn (1d5 or 2d5 duration, can be stacked)
• Retreating! You can now flee from battles (unless the fight is a plot requirement). While all battles should be avoidable, there is the possibility that you may change your mind part way through battle, or are running low on health. If you or your companion uses a smoke bomb, you will escape with a 100% success rate. if you do not use a smoke bomb, you will have a 50% chance of success. If you fail, you will miss a round of combat and receive damage from all active enemies.
• Items and Inventory! Your inventory has been expanded, and all companions (except Gog in the prologue) have their own separate inventory as well! All accessible from the left sidebar.
• Ranged attacks! Only accessible if you have an active companion. As long ammunition is available, you or your companion can shoot at enemies. Like normal attacks, ranged attacks have a chance of causing critical damage. Rate of damage is as follows: standard hit = 1d5, critical hit = 2d5. This is mostly how you will inflict status effects on your enemies, as you can shoot regular ammunition, poisoned ammunition and burning ammunition. To gain poisoned ammunition, you will need a secondary quiver to store them in. This has been ignored for the combat testing, as has the need for a weapon and a flint box to store matches.
• Terrain/Ambushes! 3 types, two of which have different variations.
• Cramped: You cannot use ranged attacks or explosive bombs.
• Haunted areas: Standard version: The shades inflict damage on ALL combatants with an arcana skill of Average or High, to the rate of: Average = 1d8, High = 1d16. 
• Barghest version: Almost the same as the standard version, but barghests luuuuuv Vaine, so they heal him 1d2 HP per turn instead. You will also avoid damage via association with Vaine. Not going to be a common terrain type found while exploring, but is part of Vaine's special skill when I start setting the unique skills up.
• Murder holes: There are 3 types and each can be adjusted to use regular ammunition, poisoned ammunition or burning ammunition!
• 1. Allied murder holes: ALL your enemies will be targeted during battle on random turns, with a small chance of friendly fire on you and/or your companions. In terms of mechanics, enemies have a 3 out of 4 chance to be hit, while you and your ally have a 1 out of 4 chance.
• 2. Enemy murder holes: the reverse of the above!
• 3. Homicidal murder holes: Everyone's an equal target! Mwa ha ha ha! (All have a 3 out of 4 chance of being hit)

Notes on part 1 and the planned content for part 2

WARNING: ranged attacks have a small (1 in 4) chance of friendly fire, and could inflict status effects or critical damage on you or your companion. You and your companions are trained to shoot well, which is why you have a higher chance of an accurate hit, but accidents happen, especially in close combat, so I couldn't rule it out completely.

Some of these items are used in battle, in direct or indirect ways. Smoke and explosive bombs are obviously battle ready items, but if you have matches, a regular bolt, alcohol and cloth, you can hastily put together a burning arrow to shoot at your enemies. You can only hold matches if you have a flint box to store and light them.

More about the explosive bomb, the most powerful of battle items: deals 1d18 damage on target and 1d10 on the other enemy if applicable, enemies will miss a turn of combat, AND it will inflict burning on all enemies. If you have a companion, they will skip a turn so as to not get caught in the blast, and vis versa.

They will also be useable outside of battle, as will smoke bombs, but this isn't a story update so you don't need to think about this yet.

With all this going on, and seeing the length of options for 2v2 battle (especially that long range attack section), I made a quick table with the same formatting to check how long the list would be for a 2v3 battle, and it's just... wow. No. It's not that I can't add it, and I know I can code it now, but the LENGTH of it- just from one extra person! There goes my tentative idea to add a second companion as well as a third enemy. It's maxed at 2v2 and that's final.

You will notice that the options to choose from are considerably decreased when you fight on your own. Just like in real life, you can do more when you're working as a team and have a higher chance of success. You will notice that some battles put you at a considerable disadvantage. This is intentional, just like how I have not put in healing in battle (you can heal outside battle). Despite this, I am aware that there is a possibility of solo players without using the allies, so the battles are winnable as long as you use items or the upcoming skills.

But Glou, how can we go about killing everyone if we are so easily damaged and have limited healing opportunities, you may ask. Well, you don't. You were hired for your brain and ability to think up plans on the fly, not for being a homicidal maniac (they're just hoping that you are willing to be). No, you are expected to weigh up the pros and cons of your actions and try to find the optimal solutions. You are not all powerful. You're just a single person with a certain skill set, no more and no less. Like you or I, there's only so much they can do (whether they're alone or not), and, again (can't state this enough) the best choice would be to weigh up the options on whether a fight is worth the danger.

I plan to give each companion their own unique skill that will either deal heavy damage and/or heal. The protagonist can learn lesser versions of these skills depending on their stat levels, and whether your companions trust or like you enough to teach it to you.

However, because I plan to make these skills overpowered, their uses will be limited. I originally planned to make them usable once per day but that would be punishing for solo players, so I have changed them to be usable for as long as the user isn't tired, but using a skill is strenuous and makes them tired (+8 tiredness).

In battle, you can use a stimulant to decrease tiredness at the cost of HP. Since stimulants are a quick injection, a round of combat will pass without action by anyone else. Passive/terrain damage will be paused for that round.

Stimulant effects will change slightly based on needle fear. Being okay with needles has the least effect with -1d3 health cost and -2 tiredness. Being so-so with needles costs -1d6 HP cost and -4 tiredness. Fearful of needles costs -1d9 HP cost and -6 tiredness (fear keeps you alert and is distressing!). See, I knew needle comfort levels were a weird thing to add but I had a reason behind it beyond wanting to potentially torture your character!

Antidotes remove poison but add +1 to tiredness on account of how they work story-wise. Basically the antidote isn't quite an actual antidote but a mixture meant to accelerate the rate of which the poison passes. Very taxing on the body. Since it's just a capsule, a round of combat will pass without action by anyone else. Passive terrain/passive damage will be paused for that round.

Skills, stimulants and antidotes have not been implemented yet. Tiredness system is already in place.

I may need to adjust the terrain slightly as it causes another round of damage if you return to the battle page after viewing the inventories or codex. While I am not certain why a player would need to view them when in a battle, I don't want to accidentally kill their character in that manner. Make no mistake, I'm still gunning for you though and planning the bad ends to come. To avoid this I have blocked the codex, inventories and profile while in battle. This may be a permanent fix, it may not. Depends on whether I can figure out how to redo the terrain code to prevent that specific damage.

Once all of this has been finalised, I can finish the combat text and add in more variation. I know 99.9% of people won't read it, but I want to do it. So I shall!

So, yes, I have a few more things to complete before I consider this battle overhaul complete, but I think this current build is bulky enough to warrant an update and get some help with hunting down bugs that have escaped my notice. This upload can also serve as an extra backup of this version before I go replacing/making more mechanics, which is a nice bonus.

Many thanks once again for all the people following the game or for adding it to a collection! Seeing both of those numbers grow does surprise me in the best way, and it really is appreciated!

~Glou