Cracking Open The Difficulty Settings

16 Feb 2021Developer post

Source: Steam Community (opens in a new tab)

Hey there folks!

This week we'll be rolling Intelligence (Investigation) checks on the Difficulty Settings of Solasta. We briefly talked about them in a previous update, but it's time to get into the nitty gritty details - this way you'll know exactly your options at launch!

But before that, let's give a warm hello to our 3D Programmer's sleepy doggo, Newt.

Preset Difficulty Settings

As with most games nowadays, we will be offering you a few preset difficulty settings to choose from when you start a new adventure. Note that each of those preset can be manually adjusted at any time during your campaign (we'll be going into more details in the next section).

Iron Man has not yet been implemented, but we haven't forgotten about it!

Story Mode, as its name implies, allows players who are not familiar with RPGs to simply enjoy the story. In this mode, damage taken by your party will be severely reduced and you will receive bonuses on most of your dice rolls, as well as having your character automatically revive at the end of each fight. Some features are disabled, among which needing food to rest, having to roll concentration checks when hit and spellcasting being restrained by the spell components.

Explorer Mode offers a more difficult challenge already. While the party still retains some bonuses to their rolls and a slight damage reduction, monsters will mostly be operating at full capacity so don't lure yourself into thinking that it will be a walk in the park. For players who aren't so familiar with the tabletop ruleset, Explorer Mode might be a good starting place.

Authentic Mode is the game as we, the Tactical Adventures crew, play it. No modifiers, true RNG dice rolls that will make you curse the gods for making you miss 5 times in a row - only you, your characters, and the computer as a cold merciless DM.

If you feel like the game is going too easy on you, Scavenger is here to spice things up!

Scavenger Mode will go beyond, making monsters slighter tougher... but much more vicious! At that level of difficulty, monsters will start attacking unconscious characters to finish them off, try to shove characters off cliffs and use powerful moves more frequently (still within the ruleset limits though).

Cataclysm Mode is there for those who've played the game in and out and are looking for the ultimate challenge. Monsters at this stage are not only vicious, they are also incredibly beefed up - on top of which your party will receive 50% more damage from any source. Prepare to die... A LOT.

Custom Difficulty - Battle

As mentioned above, you will be able to pick and choose difficulty settings to your liking - and you'll be able to do so whenever you want, even in the middle of a fight if you feel like things are getting too tough or too easy!

Damage Taken: Sets the damage taken by your characters from 20% to 200% (default: 100%)
Disable Enemy Critical Hits: If activated, disables critical hits for your enemies (default: off)
Enemy Health Multiplier: Adjusts the max HP of your opponent from 50% to 300% of their original value (default: 100%)

Health Multiplier in action! Slap some extra HP on them mobs if they die too quickly for your taste.

Ally Saving Throw: Adds a modifier to your characters' Saving Throws from -10 to +10 (default: 0)
Enemy Saving Throw: Adds a modifier to your enemies' Saving Throws from -10 to +10 (default: 0)
Ally Attack Roll: Adds a modifier to your characters' Attack Rolls from -10 to +10 (default: 0)
Enemy Attack Roll: Adds a modifier to your enemies' Attack Rolls from -10 to +10 (default: 0)

+10 bonus to attack rolls? Parry this you filthy casual.

Ally Ability Check: Adds a modifier to your characters Ability Checks, such as skill checks, from -10 to +10 (default: 0)
Enemy Ability Check: Adds a modifier to your enemies' Ability Checks, such as skill checks, from -10 to +10 (default: 0)
Deadlier AI: If activated, monsters will use their powerful moves (such as large AoE spells or powers) more frequently, although still within the ruleset limits - as well as attempt to shove characters into bottomless pits if given the chance. Off by default to avoid the frustration of being showered with lightning bolts straight off the bat when facing spellcasters, or having monsters open with their most powerful move too often (default: off)
Merciless AI: If activated, monsters will now target unconscious characters on purpose to finish them off (default: off)
Autorevive: If activated, characters will automatically revive at the end of a fight as long as one party member is still standing (default: off)

Are they gone now? No no no I wasn't dead, I was merely pretending.

Custom Difficulty - Health & Rest Settings

Companions Rest: Critical NPCs and companions fully recover their HP when doing a short rest (default: off)
No Food Required: Long rest no longer require rations (default: off)
Max Health on Hit Dice: When recovering HP during a short rest, Hit Dice will always roll their maximum value (default: off)
Max Health on Level Up: Sets the maximum HP of all party members to the maximum value allowed by their Hit Dice. This option is retroactive, meaning if you activate it your level 6 Fighter with 18 CON would see their max HP become (10 + 4) x 6 = 84. Deactivating it will also reset the party members max HP to their original value - in this example, our level 6 Fighter with 18 CON would go back to (10 + 4) + (6 + 4) x 5 = 64 max HP (default: off)

What do you mean, "am I cheating"? I absolutely rolled 10 on every single level up, promise!

Custom Difficulty - Inventory

There are three different options for the Encumbrance Rule (default: Solasta)

Tabletop: Characters can carry up to 15x their STR score, as per the official tabletop ruleset
Solasta (Variant): Characters can carry up to 15x their STR score, but will be encumbered above 5x and heavily encumbered above 10x
Simplified: Characters can carry up to 150x their STR score - making their bags effectively portable black holes

Loot goblins rejoice, you can pick up everything and render Scavengers obsolete! They are now unemployed! Are you happy, you heartless monsters?

Custom Difficulty - Spellcasting & Spell Components

Never Lose Concentration: If activated, your spellcasters will no longer roll concentration checks when taking damage (default: off)
Universal Scrolls: If activated, scrolls will be usable by anyone. By default, scrolls can only be used by a character if the spell exists in their class' spell list (default: off)
Verbal Components: If activated, spells with the Verbal component can no longer be cast if the caster is Silenced (default: on)
Somatic Components: If activated, spells with the Somatic component will require a free hand to be cast. Two-handed weapons like quarterstaves don't prevent the casting of Somatic spells (default: on)
Material Components: If Basic mode is activated, spells with the Material component will require a spell focus or component pouch to be equipped to be cast. If Full mode is activated, some spells will also require specific items to be available in your inventory - such as a pearl for Identify or a diamond for Revivify (default: basic)

Why yes, casting magic is complicated my good man! Without the proper conditions I cannot make miracles happen

Custom Difficulty - Dice Rolls

There are two options for the Random Mode (default: True Random)

True Random: Better pray to the gods of RNG, because true random can absolutely shaft you with multiple bad rolls in a row. Just like real dice. That's why dice prison is a thing.
Karmic Dice: For those who are tired of being on the receiving end of the fickle RNG gods, the Karmic Dice options will accumulate luck whenever you roll poorly or when your opponents roll particularly well. High luck will greatly affect your chances of getting good rolls as well as your opponents' chances of getting bad rolls, and will slowly decrease when you get good rolls. Note that there is no negative luck - Karmic Dice can only help you. At 0 luck, the dice behavior is the same as True Random

Other than that, there are two other options that impact the Dice Roll:

Guaranteed Critical: If activated, the game will guarantee to roll a 20 for the player at least once every 15 rolls (default: off)
Preserve Random Seed: Although not a difficulty setting, many players are used to reloading saves hoping to get better rolls when playing Tactical RPGs. This option, which is activated by default, prevents save scumming by preserving the random seed - meaning if you roll a 1, then reload to try again, you will just roll another 1. Deactivating this option allows you to roll a new number after reloading. Preserve Random Seed can be found in the Gameplay section, at the top of the Game Settings tab (default: on)

Deactivate that option and save-scum away! No one's judging you, it's a single player game

Custom Difficulty - Story

Force Dialog Roll Success: If activated, you will automatically succeed any skill checks during dialogs. Makes Intimidation, Persuasion, Deception and Insight obsolete (default: off)
Always Display Dialog Chances: If activated, you will automatically see the success chances of any skill check during dialogs. Makes Insight obsolete (default: off)
Unlock All Bestiary: If activated, unlocks all bestiary entries. If deactivated during the campaign, the bestiary will still retain the information of the monsters you already faced, provided you succeeded on your skill check to gather information (default: off)
Disable Random Encounter: If activated, disables random encounters when traveling on the World Map (default: off)

Honestly though, slowly filling your Poked... - I mean bestiary - on your own is a pretty fun thing to do!

Custom Difficulty - Exploration

Reroll Exploration Checks: If activated, allows you to reroll skill checks during exploration as many times as you want. By default, failing to open a open a lock or disarm a trap will prevent you from trying again (default: off)
Autodetect Traps: If activated, traps will be automatically detected when you get close to them (default: off)
No Tool Required: If activated, characters will be able to craft and unlock doors without needing to have the proper tools in their inventory (default: off)
Force Crafting Roll Success: If activated, crafting rolls will always be successful (default: off)

That's for all of you folks out there who can't find the damn Manacalon Rosary. Where the hell is it?!

Alright folks, this is the end for today! Thank you for reading, and don't hesitate to drop by our Forums or our Discord Server.

Read our previous articles here:

Article by Tactical Myzzrym