index / posts / super_auto_pets_mechanicsJun 28, 2022 10:48
Super Auto Pets mechanics
Start
I've been playing a lot of Super Auto Pets recently. I was kinda late to play it because last year when it came out I was quite auto battler fatigued, so I couldn't bring myself to try it. But I finally tried it like 2 months ago and have about 100 hours in it since then and I really really like it.
This is a good place for me to write this post because my thoughts on it are freshest, and I've already gotten most analytical insights I'll get even though I'm going to keep playing it for hundreds of hours more most likely. And this happens because there are diminishing returns to such insights, since I've learned the most from the first 100 hours and subsequent ones will each teach less.
One example of this is that I distinctly remember the first ~10-20 hours of SAP feeling alien to me. I don't think I've ever played a game that had quite this combination of mechanics (and by mechanics I mean what each unit does, not the fact that it's an auto battler or that it has a rerolling shop) so they all felt very distinctly weird to me until it all started connecting.
So I'm going to spend this post going over every unit in the game and generalizing the mechanics. SAP has a lot of unique and good ideas that are very easily transferable to any game that is built around a rerolling shop (like SNKRX, Brotato, Just King, Underlords, TFT, etc) so it's worth it to go through it thoroughly.
The most sensible way of dividing SAP's mechanics are in terms of triggers and effects. In the ant's case, its trigger is faint and its effect is a stat change to a random ally. It also seems from the ant's effect that effects in general should have two variables: what the effect is and its target.
Both the faint trigger and the stat change effect also behave differently depending on whether they happen in or out of combat. They are temporary for the former and permanent for the latter. This particular idea is something that is game specific that I'm going to largely ignore, even though it applies to a lot of the game's mechanics.
This is because I can easily imagine a game where the difference between in and out of combat are irrelevant. For instance, if in your rerolling shop game units always die permanently when they die, then it makes no sense for there to be a difference in how faint behaves.
The same goes for another trigger like hurt. If units are always hurt permanently when they are hurt, then it makes no sense for the hurt trigger to behave differently. So given that this is game specific and it has no effect on the mechanic itself whatsoever, it can be safely ignored.
So from the ant we could start with something like this:
Trigger
Description
Faint
when a unit dies
Effect
Description
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Effect target
Description
Random ally
a random ally
The way to build a unit generally is to take one thing from each table. So the ant would be something like:
Trigger: faint
Effect: stat change
Effect target: random ally
And the point of laying out the game's mechanics in tables like this is that it makes it easier to visualize and then iterate upon, provided you've chosen the right level of abstraction for your tables. In this case, triggers and effects are very obviously right, so it will work OK.
Beaver
Trigger
Description
Faint
when the unit dies
Sell
when the unit is sold
Effect target
Description
N random allies
where N >= 1
Just a small change from the previous random ally effect target to avoid having to repeat it in the table for multiple targets. The beaver would look like this:
Trigger: sell
Effect: stat change
Effect target: 2 random allies
I'm not going to repeat this for every unit. For units where a new trigger/effect/effect target exists, I'll just add the new element and it will be bolded like this. And for units that can be built from elements that were previously added then I'll show how they should be built instead.
Cricket
Effect
Description
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Summon
summons another unit
Duck
Effect target
Description
All shop units
N random allies
where N >= 1
Fish
Trigger
Description
Faint
when the unit dies
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Horse
Here we have a new effect type which has a condition (until the end of battle) attached to it. I know that the right move is to separate conditions into their own table because there are going to be more (at least I think so), so that's what I'll do here.
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Faint
when the unit dies
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Effect condition
Description
Until the end of battle
the effect will persist until the next battle ends
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
N random allies
where N >= 1
The problem with ally summoned is that it inherently ties itself to the effect target, in this case, the ally that was summoned. This makes it less composable, so initially I decided to add an N summoned allies effect target instead to see how it goes.
The problem with N summoned allies though is that it was just wrong. For instance, if we wanted to describe the horse using it we could do something like "Ally summoned -> Give 1 summoned ally +N attack until the end of battle". But this is wrong, because it implies that the horse only gives the buff to 1 summoned ally, instead of any ally that is summoned.
Which means that I actually needed to add all summoned allies instead as an effect target. But can all summoned allies be composed with triggers other than ally summoned? Kind of. I can initially imagine a unit like "Level-up -> Give all summoned allies +N attack". The problem is that this wouldn't be immediate, because unless a unit is summoned when the level up happens nothing will happen since there will be no targets.
A way to fix this is to add an effect condition like this turn. So we would change our imagined unit to "Level-up -> Give all allies summoned this turn +N attack". This makes what it does clear and also seems to compose well with other triggers. This also makes the N summoned allies effect target work, for instance "Level-up -> Give 2 allies summoned this turn +N attack".
This little derail is a good example of why it's good to go through a game's mechanics like this. You can't ignore details and you also get the opportunity to think very clearly about the game and how you would use its ideas in your own games.
For the types of games that I want to make, which are build heavy games, I'm also always looking at the question of "how can this mechanic be made more composable" because when you manage to answer that question correctly you get a lot of gameplay out of relatively simple coding.
Mosquito
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Faint
when the unit dies
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Effect
Description
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Summon
summons another unit
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Otter
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Buy
when the unit is bought
Faint
when the unit dies
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Pig
Effect
Description
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Summon
summons another unit
Because this is meant for other games, we can more generally define any non-unit stat such as gold as a "player resource".
Beetle
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
Faint
when the unit dies
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Because this is meant for other games, we're calling "shop food" an item instead, since it's a more general description of the same idea for most rerolling shop games.
Bluebird
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Faint
when the unit dies
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Ladybug
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Faint
when the unit dies
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Cockroach
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Faint
when the unit dies
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Effect
Description
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Summon
summons another unit
Duckling
The first unit where nothing new is needed to describe it. It can be described as:
Trigger: sell
Effect: stat change
Effect target: 1st shop unit
Frog
Effect
Description
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Summon
summons another unit
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
For SAP specifically there's a distinction between swapping of stats between multiple units (such as with the frog) vs. swapping of stats within a single unit (such as with lollipop). As these are different effects they should be separate in the effects table.
Hummingbird
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
"Strawberry friend" is too specific to SAP to be useful, so instead the more general classed ally is used, which means an ally of a given specific class, since auto battlers generally have the auto-chess class mechanic.
Iguana
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Similarly to ally summoned, enemies summoned and enemies pushed tie themselves to the effect target, making them less composable. The fix is the same as before.
Kiwi
Nothing new.
Trigger: sell
Effect: stat change
Effect target: 1 random classed ally
Mouse
Effect
Description
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Summon
summons another unit
Pillbug
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
This has a SAP specific concept that also happens to work for SNKRX, but that might not necessarily work for other shop rerolling games, which is "behind". For games where "behind" doesn't make sense it can be changed to "to the left/right/up/down" or whatever other type of unit neighborhood set up that makes sense.
Seahorse
Effect
Description
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Summon
summons another unit
Chinchilla
Nothing new.
Trigger: sell
Effect: summon
Frilled Dragon
Effect condition
Description
Per specific ally
applies the effect based on the number of allies of a specific type
Until the end of battle
the effect will persist until the next battle ends
Kind of a weird condition, but this is the most composable version of it I think. Another variation of it would be per classed ally, which would apply based on the number of allies of a given class.
Marmoset
Effect
Description
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Summon
summons another unit
Moth
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Apple
Items should be described just like units but focused on their effects, generally because they don't have triggers. You could try to describe them in a more complex manner, because you could also try to take into account when they're held vs. when they apply instantly, but that adds unnecessary complexity for little gain.
So the apple, for instance, can just be described by its effect, which is a simple stat change.
Honey
Effect: summon
Peach
Effect: stat change
Strawberry
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Summon
summons another unit
Keeping up with the theme that strawberry is equivalent to classes in other auto battlers, it makes sense to add the classify effect, which acts very similarly to items in Underlods that can add a new class to a unit.
Bacon
Effect: stat change
Cookie
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: until end of battle
And with this all tier 1 pets and foods are done. It should go faster for the next tiers because a lot of the mechanics have already been covered.
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Dodo
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Summon
summons another unit
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
Most healthy ally
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Elephant
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Summon
summons another unit
The elephant is the first unit that has multiple effects. There are multiple ways of handling multiple effects, I'm personally just going to assume the simplest possible things: either the unit has multiple chains of "trigger -> effect + condition -> target", or a single "trigger -> effect + condition -> effect + condition -> ... -> target". The elephant happens to be the latter, which would go like "before attack -> deal damage -> repeat -> 1 ally behind".
Flamingo
Trigger: faint
Effect: stat change
Effect target: 2 allies behind
Not sure if there's a difference between "faint" and "before faint", but I don't think there is.
Hedgehog
Effect target
Description
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All units
Most healthy ally
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Peacock
Trigger
Description
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Rat
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
Technically there should be two different summon types, one for allies and one for enemies, but because summoning enemies seems kind of really specific to SAP I'm just not going to bother.
Shrimp
Trigger
Description
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Faint
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
For all summoned units the specific type of unit that is summoned is decided directly by the summon effect, since there's no real composability benefit to specifying it in any of the other tables.
Swan
Trigger: start of turn
Effect: player resource change
Bat
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Dromedary
Trigger: start of turn
Effect: stat change
Effect target: 1st and 2nd shop units
Tabby Cat
Trigger: consumes item
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: until end of battle
Effect target: all allies
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All units
Most healthy ally
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Atlantic Puffin
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: deal damage
Effect condition: per specific ally (strawberry)
Effect target: 1 random enemy
Dove
Trigger: faint
Effect: stat change
Effect target: 2 random classed allies
Guinea Pig
Trigger: buy
Effect: summon
Jellyfish
Trigger
Description
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Koala
Trigger
Description
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally hurt
when any ally is hurt
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Effect condition
Description
Limit triggers
applies the effect up to a max # of times per turn
Per specific ally
applies the effect based on the number of allies of a specific type
Until the end of battle
the effect will persist until the next battle ends
Panda
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: give stat
Effect target: 1 ally in front
Panda has 2 effects, the first giving its stats, and the second is fainting. This is interesting because faint is a trigger, but sometimes it's also an effect, like this in this case. The pill can be implemented in the same way in that its effect is fainting.
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Faint
makes the unit faint
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Pug
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Faint
makes the unit faint
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Salamander
Trigger
Description
Ally bought
when any ally is bought
Ally hurt
when any ally is hurt
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Effect condition
Description
If specific ally
applies the effect if the ally passes a condition
Limit triggers
applies the effect up to a max # of times per turn
Per specific ally
applies the effect based on the number of allies of a specific type
Until the end of battle
the effect will persist until the next battle ends
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All units
Any hurt
Any bought
Most healthy ally
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
any hurt and any bought are the more composable versions of the units that are tied with ally hurt and ally bought, like the ally summoned situation.
Stork
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
Yak
1.
Trigger: end turn
Effect: deal damage
Effect target: self
2.
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect target: self
Frigatebird
Trigger: buy
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: if specific ally
Effect target: 1 random ally
Gold Fish
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Discount
decreases a unit's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Raccoon
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Discount
decreases a unit's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Toucan
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Discount
decreases a unit's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Give item
gives your item to a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Wombat
Effect
Description
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Copy ability
copies another unit's ability
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Discount
decreases a unit's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Give item
gives your item to a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All units
Any hurt
Any bought
Highest tier enemy
Most healthy ally
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Cupcake
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: until end of battle
Meat Bone
This one's a little weird, but if I were to implement it like a unit it would be something like:
Trigger: attack
Effect: deal damage
It's dealing extra damage on each attack, so this makes sense.
Trigger
Description
Ally bought
when any ally is bought
Ally hurt
when any ally is hurt
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Attack
when the unit attacks
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Pill
Effect: faint
As mentioned in the panda section.
Broccoli
Effect: stat change
Fried Shrimp
Effect: stat change
Croissant
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
This is the kind of item where we have to ignore the fact that its effect can only happen while it's held.
applies the effect if at least one ally passes a condition
If lost battle
applies the effect if the previous battle was lost
If player resource
applies the effect if a player's resource passes a condition
If specific ally
applies the effect if the ally passes a condition
Limit triggers
applies the effect up to a max # of times per turn
Per specific ally
applies the effect based on the number of allies of a specific type
Until the end of battle
the effect will persist until the next battle ends
Deer
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
Dolphin
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Hippo
Trigger
Description
Ability damage
when the unit's ability deals damage
Ally ahead attacks
when an ally in front attacks
Ally ahead faints
when an ally in front faints
Ally bought
when any ally is bought
Ally consumes item
when an ally is given an item
Ally hurt
when any ally is hurt
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Attack
when the unit attacks
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy hurt
when an enemy is hurt
Enemy killed
when the enemy is killed as a result of this unit's attack
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Roll
when the shop is rerolled
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Parrot
Trigger: end turn
Effect: copy ability
Effect condition: until end of battle
Effect target: 1 friend ahead
Penguin
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: if specific ally
Effect target: 3 specific allies
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Rooster
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
Skunk
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: stat change
Effect target: most healthy enemy
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Most healthy enemy
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Squirrel
Effect
Description
Add shop item
adds an additional item to the shop
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Copy ability
copies another unit's ability
Copy item to
copies this unit's item to another unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Discount unit
decreases a shop unit's cost
Discount item
decreases a shop item's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Gain item
gains a specific item
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Give item
gives your item to a unit
Single stat swap
swaps stats within a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Take less damage
takes less damage from the next attack
Whale
1.
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: faint
Effect target: 1 friend ahead
2.
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
This is a weird one because it has to store the unit it kills. I could try to encapsulate that into a composable mechanic, like "copy unit", but I think it's best to just go for something simpler like "summon", which would summon a specific unit, and then that specific unit is specified to be the one it killed at a lower level of abstraction.
Worm
Trigger: consumes item
Effect: stat change
Effect target: self
Buffalo
Trigger: ally bought
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: limit triggers
Effect target: self
Caterpillar
1.
Trigger: start of turn
Effect: give experience
Effect target: self
2.
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: transform
Effect target: self
3.
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: stat copy
Effect target: strongest ally
Effect
Description
Add shop item
adds an additional item to the shop
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Copy ability
copies another unit's ability
Copy item to
copies this unit's item to another unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Discount unit
decreases a shop unit's cost
Discount item
decreases a shop item's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Gain item
gains a specific item
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Give item
gives your item to a unit
Single stat swap
swaps stats within a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Take less damage
takes less damage from the next attack
Transform
transforms into another unit
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Most healthy enemy
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Strongest ally
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Llama
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: if player resource (number of pets) <= 4
Effect target: self
Lobster
Trigger: ally summoned
Effect: stat change
Effect target: any ally summoned
Microbe
Trigger: faint
Effect: status effect
Effect target: all units
Anteater
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
Crow
Trigger: sell
Effect: replace shop item
Donkey
Trigger: ally faints
Effect: push enemy
Effect target: 5th enemy
Trigger
Description
Ability damage
when the unit's ability deals damage
Ally ahead attacks
when an ally in front attacks
Ally ahead faints
when an ally in front faints
Ally bought
when any ally is bought
Ally consumes item
when an ally is given an item
Ally faints
when an ally faints
Ally hurt
when any ally is hurt
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Attack
when the unit attacks
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy hurt
when an enemy is hurt
Enemy killed
when the enemy is killed as a result of this unit's attack
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Roll
when the shop is rerolled
Sell
when the unit is sold
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Most healthy enemy
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth enemy
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Strongest ally
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Eel
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: stat change
Effect target: self
Hawk
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: deal damage
Effect target: Nth enemy, where N = this unit's position
Orangutan
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect target: least healthy ally
Pelican
Trigger: end turn, start of battle
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: if specific ally
Effect target: random classed ally
Platypus
Trigger: sell
Effect: summon
Praying Mantis
Trigger: start of turn
Effect: kill
Effect target: two adjacent allies
2.
Trigger: start of turn
Effect: stat change
Effect target: self
Effect
Description
Add shop item
adds an additional item to the shop
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Copy ability
copies another unit's ability
Copy item to
copies this unit's item to another unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Discount unit
decreases a shop unit's cost
Discount item
decreases a shop item's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Gain item
gains a specific item
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Give item
gives your item to a unit
Kill
deals damage and kill a unit
Single stat swap
swaps stats within a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Take less damage
takes less damage from the next attack
Transform
transforms into another unit
Armadillo
Trigger: hurt, faint
Effect: stat change
Effect target: all allies
Dragonfly
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect target: 1 random ally of each level
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Most healthy enemy
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth enemy
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random allies of each level
where N >= 1
N random allies of each tier
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Strongest ally
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Jerboa
Trigger: consumes item
Effect: stat change
Effect target: all allies
Lynx
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: deal damage
Effect target: 1 random enemy
Mole
Trigger: buy
Effect: stat change
Effect target: two adjacent allies
Porcupine
Trigger: hurt
Effect: deal damage
Effect target: attacking enemy
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Attacking enemy
the enemy that just attacked this unit
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Most healthy enemy
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth enemy
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random allies of each level
where N >= 1
N random allies of each tier
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Strongest ally
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Canned Food
Effect: stat change
Effect target: all shop units
Effect target: all future shop units
Effect target
Description
All allies
All shop units
All future shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Attacking enemy
the enemy that just attacked this unit
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Most healthy enemy
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth enemy
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random allies of each level
where N >= 1
N random allies of each tier
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Strongest ally
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy hurt
when an enemy is hurt
Enemy killed
when the enemy is killed as a result of this unit's attack
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Roll
when the shop is rerolled
Sell
when the unit is sold
Specific ally bought
when a specific ally or type of ally is bought
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Fly
Trigger: ally faints
Effect: summon
Effect condition: limit triggers
Gorilla
Trigger: hurt
Effect: give item
Effect condition: limit triggers
Effect target: self
Leopard
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: deal damage
Effect target: 1 random enemy
Mammoth
Trigger: faint
Effect: stat change
Effect target: all allies
Snake
Trigger: ally ahead attacks
Effect: deal damage
Effect target: 1 random enemy
Tiger
Trigger: ally ahead uses ability
Effect: repeat
The tiger makes another unit repeat their ability, which makes representing it in this system kind of awkward. Still, "ally ahead uses ability" is a fairly composable trigger so it should be added.
Trigger
Description
Ability damage
when the unit's ability deals damage
Ally ahead attacks
when an ally in front attacks
Ally ahead faints
when an ally in front faints
Ally ahead uses ability
when an ally in front uses its ability
Ally bought
when any ally is bought
Ally consumes item
when an ally is given an item
Ally faints
when an ally faints
Ally hurt
when any ally is hurt
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Attack
when the unit attacks
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy hurt
when an enemy is hurt
Enemy killed
when the enemy is killed as a result of this unit's attack
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Roll
when the shop is rerolled
Sell
when the unit is sold
Specific ally bought
when a specific ally or type of ally is bought
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Octopus
Trigger: before attack
Effect: deal damage
Effect target: 2 random enemies
Sauropod
Trigger: item bought
Effect: player resource change
Effect condition: limit triggers
Tyrannosaurus
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: if player resource (gold) >= 3
Effect target: all allies
Hammershark
Trigger: start of turn
Effect: player resource change
Effect condition: if any specific ally
Komodo
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect: shuffle
Effect target: all allies ahead
Effect
Description
Add shop item
adds an additional item to the shop
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Copy ability
copies another unit's ability
Copy item to
copies this unit's item to another unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Double damage
chance to deal double damage to a unit
Discount unit
decreases a shop unit's cost
Discount item
decreases a shop item's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Gain item
gains a specific item
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Give item
gives your item to a unit
Item effectiveness
add, sub, mul or div to item effectiveness
Kill
deals damage and kill a unit
Single stat swap
swaps stats within a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Remove item
removes this unit's held item
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Shuffle
changes the positions of multiple units
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Take less damage
takes less damage from the next attack
Transform
transforms into another unit
Effect target
Description
All allies
All allies ahead
All shop units
All future shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Attacking enemy
the enemy that just attacked this unit
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Most healthy enemy
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth enemy
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random allies of each level
where N >= 1
N random allies of each tier
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Strongest ally
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
Orca
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
Ostrich
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: per specific ally
Effect target: self
Piranha
Trigger: hurt, faint
Effect: stat change
Effect target: all allies
Reindeer
Trigger: before attack
Effect: give item
Effect condition: limit triggers
Effect target: self
Sabertooth Tiger
Trigger: hurt
Effect: summon
Spinosaurus
Trigger: ally faints
Effect: stat change
Effect target: 1 random ally
Stegosaurus
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect condition: until end of battle
Effect condition: per turn number
Effect target: 1 ally ahead
Effect condition
Description
If any specific ally
applies the effect if at least one ally passes a condition
If lost battle
applies the effect if the previous battle was lost
If player resource
applies the effect if a player's resource passes a condition
If specific ally
applies the effect if the ally passes a condition
Limit triggers
applies the effect up to a max # of times per turn
Per turn number
applies the effect based on the number of turns
Per specific ally
applies the effect based on the number of allies of a specific type
Until the end of battle
the effect will persist until the next battle ends
Velociraptor
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: give item
Effect target: 1 random classed ally
Alpaca
Trigger: ally summoned
Effect: give experience
Effect condition: limit triggers
Effect target: any summoned ally
Lioness
Trigger: end turn
Effect: stat change
Effect target: all shop units, all future shop units
Tapir
Trigger: faint
Effect: summon
Walrus
Trigger: faint
Effect: give item
Effect target: N random allies
White Tiger
Trigger: start of battle
Effect: set level
Effect target: N allies behind
Effect
Description
Add shop item
adds an additional item to the shop
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Copy ability
copies another unit's ability
Copy item to
copies this unit's item to another unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Double damage
chance to deal double damage to a unit
Discount unit
decreases a shop unit's cost
Discount item
decreases a shop item's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Gain item
gains a specific item
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Give item
gives your item to a unit
Item effectiveness
add, sub, mul or div to item effectiveness
Kill
deals damage and kill a unit
Single stat swap
swaps stats within a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Remove item
removes this unit's held item
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Set level
sets the unit's level to a specific value
Shuffle
changes the positions of multiple units
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Take less damage
takes less damage from the next attack
Transform
transforms into another unit
Melon
Trigger: damage taken
Effect: take less damage
Effect: remove item
Trigger
Description
Ability damage
when the unit's ability deals damage
Ally ahead attacks
when an ally in front attacks
Ally ahead faints
when an ally in front faints
Ally ahead uses ability
when an ally in front uses its ability
Ally bought
when any ally is bought
Ally consumes item
when an ally is given an item
Ally faints
when an ally faints
Ally hurt
when any ally is hurt
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Attack
when the unit attacks
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
Damage taken
when the unit takes damage
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy hurt
when an enemy is hurt
Enemy killed
when the enemy is killed as a result of this unit's attack
OK, so now that this is all done we have a few tables that contain all the triggers, effects, effect conditions and effect targets that SAP uses. This is what the tables look like:
Trigger
Description
Ability damage
when the unit's ability deals damage
Ally ahead attacks
when an ally in front attacks
Ally ahead faints
when an ally in front faints
Ally ahead uses ability
when an ally in front uses its ability
Ally bought
when any ally is bought
Ally consumes item
when an ally is given an item
Ally faints
when an ally faints
Ally hurt
when any ally is hurt
Ally sold
when an ally is sold
Ally summoned
when an ally is summoned
Attack
when the unit attacks
Any level-up
when any ally levels up
Before ally attack
before an ally is about to attack
Before attack
before the unit is about to attack
Buy
when the unit is bought
Consumes item
when the unit is given an item
Damage taken
when the unit takes damage
End turn
when the current turn (shop round) ends, but before battle
Enemy hurt
when an enemy is hurt
Enemy killed
when the enemy is killed as a result of this unit's attack
Enemy summoned
when an enemy is summoned
Enemy pushed
when an enemy is pushed
Faint
when the unit dies
Hurt
when the unit is hit
Item bought
when an item is bought
Level-up
when the unit levels up
Roll
when the shop is rerolled
Sell
when the unit is sold
Specific ally bought
when a specific ally or type of ally is bought
Start of battle
when the battle starts
Start of turn
when the turn (shop round) starts
Summoned
when this unit is summoned
Upgrade shop tier
when the shop levels up
Effect
Description
Add shop item
adds an additional item to the shop
Classify
adds a class to a unit
Copy ability
copies another unit's ability
Copy item to
copies this unit's item to another unit
Deal damage
deals damage to a unit
Deal damage behind
deals damage to the unit behind the one that is attacked
Double damage
chance to deal double damage to a unit
Discount unit
decreases a shop unit's cost
Discount item
decreases a shop item's cost
Faint
makes the unit faint
Gain item
gains a specific item
Give experience
gives experience to a unit
Give item
gives your item to a unit
Item effectiveness
add, sub, mul or div to item effectiveness
Kill
deals damage and kill a unit
Single stat swap
swaps stats within a unit
Multiple stat swap
swaps stats between multiple units
Player resource change
add, sub, mul or div of a player resource value
Push enemy
pushes an enemy to a different position
Repeat
repeats the effect its attached to
Replace item
replaces shop items with other items
Remove item
removes this unit's held item
Roll shop
rolls the shop
Set level
sets the unit's level to a specific value
Shuffle
changes the positions of multiple units
Stat change
add, sub, mul or div of a stat
Stat copy
copies a stat from another unit
Stat give
gives a stat to another unit
Stat set
sets a stat to a specific value
Status effect
applies a status effect to a unit
Steal item
steals item from a unit
Summon
summons another unit
Take less damage
takes less damage from the next attack
Transform
transforms into another unit
Effect condition
Description
If any specific ally
applies the effect if at least one ally passes a condition
If highest tier ally
applies the effect if this is the highest tier unit
If lost battle
applies the effect if the previous battle was lost
If player resource
applies the effect if a player's resource passes a condition
If specific ally
applies the effect if the ally passes a condition
Limit triggers
applies the effect up to a max # of times per turn
Mult lowest tier ally
multiplies the effect with lowest ally tier
Per turn number
applies the effect based on the number of turns
Per specific ally
applies the effect based on the number of allies of a specific type
Until the end of battle
the effect will persist until the next battle ends
Effect target
Description
All allies
All allies ahead
All classed allies
classed ally = of a specific class
All specific allies
specific ally = ally that passes a specific condition
All shop units
All future shop units
All summoned allies
All pushed enemies
All summoned enemies
All unfrozen shop units
All units
Any bought
Any enemy hurt
Any hurt
Any levelled up
Any that consumed item
Attacking enemy
the enemy that just attacked this unit
Enemy about to be attacked
Highest tier enemy
Least healthy ally
Most healthy ally
Most healthy enemy
Nth ally
where N >= 1
Nth enemy
where N >= 1
Nth shop unit
where N >= 1
N adjacent units
where N >= 1
N allies behind
where N >= 1
N allies in front
where N >= 1
N units in front
where N >= 1
N random allies
where N >= 1
N random allies of each level
where N >= 1
N random allies of each tier
where N >= 1
N random classed allies
where N >= 1, classed ally = of a specific class
N random enemies
where N >= 1
N random frozen shop units
where N >= 1
N specific allies
where N >= 1, ally specified in effect condition
Self
applies to the unit that triggered it
Strongest ally
Two adjacent units
applies to 2 units adjacent to the one that triggered it
Two adjacent allies
applies to 2 allies adjacent to the one that triggered it
We could do some refactoring here. Removing some things that are repetitive, adding some that are missing that are obvious, and so on. For instance, there are effect targets for "least healthy ally", "most healthy ally" and "most healthy enemy". There's obviously one missing, which is "least healthy enemy".
Similarly, we can see that often there are effect targets for allies, enemies and shop units. So we could add "most healthy shop unit", "least healthy shop unit" as well. We can also see that there's a distinction between frozen and unfrozen shop units, so we could add "most healthy frozen/unfrozen shop unit", "least healthy frozen/unfrozen shop unit". There's also "strongest ally", which is a different calculation than "most healthy". And it's also missing "strongest enemy", "strongest shop unit", etc.
You get my point, right? We can go from the things that SAP uses to a lot more that come obviously from just looking at the list. One of the benefits of doing an exercise like this is that if you choose the right level of abstraction, just looking at the tables generated gives you a lot of ideas for new gameplay.
Another benefit is that you can now just combine things from the different tables to create new units. There's a total of 33 triggers, 34 effects, 10 effect conditions and 40 effect targets. So I'm just going to go on random.org and generate 3 random numbers from 1-33, 1-34 and 1-40. I'm going to omit effect conditions from this because they're too specific, so it's best to add them manually depending on what comes out.
The numbers: 13, 5, 11. This corresponds to:
Trigger: before ally attack
Effect: deal damage
Effect target: all units
Well this sounds disgusting. But I can imagine it working if you keep the damage real low and add some limits. Something like:
Locust - 1/1 - Tier 3
Lv.1: Before friend attack -> Deal 1 damage to all pets. Works 2 times per turn. Lv.2: Before friend attack -> Deal 1 damage to all pets. Works 4 times per turn. Lv.3: Before friend attack -> Deal 1 damage to all pets. Works 6 times per turn.
It's a locust because of locust swarms that deal lots of small damage! Maybe it would be cool? Let's try another. The numbers were: 19, 24, 9. This corresponds to:
Trigger: enemy hurt
Effect: set level
Effect target: all summoned enemies
This sounds positively weird and way too specific, but maybe something like:
Panther - 5/5 - Tier 2
Lv.1: Enemy hurt -> Decreases the level of summoned enemies by 1. Lv.2: Enemy hurt -> Decreases the level of summoned enemies by 2. Lv.3: Enemy hurt -> Decreases the level of summoned enemies by 3.
Doesn't seem very cool or useful to me... I chose panther because it's kind of the opposite of white tiger... Let's try a last one. Numbers: 23, 14, 15. This is:
Trigger: faint
Effect: item effectiveness
Effect target: any hurt
This one initially doesn't seem to make much sense but I think it's cool. The first thing to notice is that for any other unit that uses "item effectiveness" it doesn't really have a target. So we can safely ignore the effect target for this one, which is good because it doesn't make much sense anyway.
So we're left with something that increases item effectiveness when it dies. Which means we could go for a canned food type of deal but instead of increasing the stats of shop units, it increases the stats of shop foods. The only thing left to consider is that this would have to happen only outside of combat, but there are other units with the "outside of combat" modifier. So we could go for something like:
Can't think of an animal - 3/2 - Tier 2
Lv.1: Faint outside of combat -> Give all current shop foods +2 to attack and health effects. Lv.2: Faint outside of combat -> Give all current shop foods +4 to attack and health effects. Lv.3: Faint outside of combat -> Give all current shop foods +8 to attack and health effects.
So whenever you make this unit faint outside of combat (via pill, praying mantis, etc) it gives any current food shop a bonus to its attack and/or health effects. If there's a pear on the shop and you sell this unit at Lv.2, then the pear will give a total of 6 attack and health instead of the original 2.
Of course you could change this to give it to all current and future shop foods, like the canned food, but then you'd have to find mess around with it more to balance it properly.
Rerolling shop genre
All of this shows that Super Auto Pets is both very cleverly designed and also very expandable. It has a clear set of composable parts that work well together, but most importantly, that work well on any rerolling shop game. Rerolling shop games generally have the following features:
There's a shop that offers units and can be rerolled
The shop has levels and can be levelled up
Units can be bought, sold, locked
Units have levels and can be combined to level up
Units have positions in relation to one another
Units can hold items
There's a distinction between shop phase and combat phase
Maybe there are a few I'm forgetting, but the more of these features a game has, the more it can use SAP's mechanics. For instance, in SNKRX the ability to freeze individual units doesn't exist, which means that I can't make any effects that make use of the frozen/unfrozen distinction.
In both SNKRX and Brotato, the units (which are the guns in Brotato) can't hold items, which means that we can't use any effects that have to do with items. In Just King, on the other hand, units can hold items, which means that things like "copy item", "give item", "item bought", etc, can be used by it.
In pretty much all rerolling shop games units have positions relative to each other, which means that all effects having to do with "ahead", "behind", "nth position", "adjacent" and so on can be used by them.
The point being that because SAP covers so much ground for all common ideas that exist in rerolling shop games, it can safely be used as solid ground to build from. Of course, a lot of its ideas exist in other games too. Lots of card games by definition will have notions of triggers and effects, and its not uncommon to see, for instance, a "trigger: hurt" out in the wild.
But what makes SAP unique to me is that it combines ideas specific to rerolling shop games and builds upon them in a very thorough and creative way. So if you're making a rerolling shop game you should 1000% play SAP and get used to its mechanics, because using them will very easily make your game better.
Start
Final tables
