From 6d6f8d0da47cba5f92c495a0d6f3157b7d55b979 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JustinWinningham Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 21:12:45 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 1/7] Create design document for 'The Creature' antagonist Added detailed design document for 'The Creature' antagonist, outlining gameplay mechanics, objectives, abilities, and intended round flow. --- .../round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md | 137 ++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 137 insertions(+) create mode 100644 src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md diff --git a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..1f473bf556 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md @@ -0,0 +1,137 @@ +# The Creature +**Type:** Midround Solo Antagonist (Ghost Role) +**Status:** Draft — values TBD pending playtesting + +--- + +## Summary + +A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tunnels. Fills a gap in the current Wizden midround roster — no existing upstream antag uses stealth/ambush as a primary mechanic. Existing midround threats (Dragon, Ninja, Lone Op, Wizard, Xenoborgs, Rat King, etc.) are either overt or large-scale; The Creature is intimate and personal. + +**Gameplay identity:** Hit-and-fade. Sting a target, drain blood, retreat before crew can respond. Punishes reckless play; rewards map knowledge and patience. + +--- + +## Design Goals + +- Make maintenance feel dangerous again — maint is currently treated as a safe loot corridor for passengers +- Add a stealth archetype currently absent from upstream midround pool +- Increase midround variety +- Generate emergent crew behavior (buddy system, patrols, paranoia) without admin involvement + +--- + +## Objectives + +| Objective | Description | +|---|---| +| **Eat 3 department pets** | Must consume Ian, Poly, Momo, or other map-assigned pets. Forces The Creature to leave deep maint and enter department areas. | +| **Consume X units of blood** | Tracked via Drink Blood ability. Scales with player count at spawn time. Requires repeated engagement across the round. | +| **Survive** | Standard survival objective. Reinforces the retreat-and-hide loop. Gives Security a valid win condition. | + +> **Pet edge case:** If a map has fewer than 3 pets, the objective count adjusts to match available pets. A fallback target (e.g. station mice) may be needed — TBD. + +--- + +## Abilities + +| Ability | Description | Design Purpose | +|---|---|---| +| **Passive Stealth** | Visibility float from fully invisible (at rest) to fully visible (active). Moving, attacking, and using abilities increase visibility; each tick it decays back toward invisible. | Core identity. Rewards patience, punishes recklessness. | +| **Drink Blood** | Channeled action on an adjacent target. Drains blood, heals The Creature, and increments the blood objective counter. Requires standing still for the channel duration. | Sustain loop tied to objective. Creates a vulnerability window during use. | +| **Sting** | Short-range attack that stuns the target for a set duration. Moderate cooldown. | Setup tool for Drink Blood. Creates the Sting → Drink → Retreat sequence. | +| **Attack** | Standard melee. No wide-swing. Applies a brief stagger. | Combat fallback if cornered. No wide-swing discourages open-hallway fighting. | +| **Eat** | Action option. consumes valid animals - crew are blacklisted, similar to dragon | Completing eat pet objective | +| **Speed** | Faster than standard crew. | Enables disengagement. The Creature should be able to choose to flee a bad fight. | +| **Door Pry** | Can force doors open at a significantly faster rate than crew with a crowbar. Produces a sound cue. | Allows station navigation without access cards. Sound cue is a discoverability breadcrumb. | +| **Body Drag** | Can drag incapacitated or dead crew with reduced speed penalty. | Repositioning for safelu drinking blood. Evidence removal. Horror moment generator. | + +--- + +## Stealth Visibility Detail + +Visibility is a float with a minimum (fully invisible) and maximum (fully visible). Thresholds determine visual state, uses existing steath and stealthOnMove component / systems. + +Actions that raise visibility: walking, attacking, using any ability. +Visibility decays passively each game tick while The Creature is not acting. + +All specific float values, thresholds, increment amounts, and decay rates are TBD pending playtesting. + +--- + +## Upgrade System (BONUS - NOT MVP) + +Blood consumed via Drink Blood accumulates in a persistent pool. Between hunts, The Creature can spend blood from this pool to purchase upgrades from a radial menu (similar to the Ninja's UI). This creates a meaningful decision loop: spend blood on upgrades now, or bank it toward the blood objective. + +Each upgrade has three ranks (+1, +2, +3). Purchasing rank 2 requires rank 1, and so on. Each rank costs progressively more blood. All specific blood costs are TBD. + +### Upgrade Tree + +| Upgrade | +1 | +2 | +3 | +|---|---|---|---| +| **Predator's Strike** *(Attack damage)* | Minor damage increase | Moderate damage increase | High damage increase; attacks apply a brief slow | +| **Quickness** *(Movement speed)* | Slight speed increase | Moderate speed increase | Near-sprint speed; visibility increase per tile is reduced | +| **Shadow** *(Stealth — faster decay rate)* | Faster passive visibility decay | Significantly faster decay | Near-instant decay when standing still | +| **Venom** *(Sting — stun duration)* | Slightly longer stun | Longer stun; small damage on sting | Long stun; sting injects minor bleed | +| **Ravenous** *(Drink Blood — channel speed & heal)* | Faster channel | Faster channel; increased heal per tick | Fastest channel; overheal cap added | +| **Pry Mastery** *(Door Pry speed)* | Faster pry | Significantly faster pry | Near-instant pry; no longer produces a sound cue | +| **Iron Hide** *(Damage resistance)* | Minor resistance to all damage | Moderate resistance | High resistance; The Creature can drag bodies at full speed | + +### Design Notes + +- The upgrade menu should only be accessible while The Creature is fully invisible (stationary and below threshold A), preventing mid-combat purchases. +- Pry Mastery +3 removing the sound cue is a deliberate late-game power spike that rewards completing objectives — it should only be reachable if The Creature has been hunting actively. +- No upgrade should push any single stat into "unkillable" territory. The intent is to broaden The Creature's options, not create a mandatory optimal path. +- Consider whether upgrades should be visible to admins in the antag panel for post-round review. + +--- + +## Intended Round Flow + +1. **Early:** Spawns in deep maint fully invisible. Player scouts pet locations, camera positions, etc. No pressure to engage immediately. +2. **Mid:** Begins hunting. Isolated crew in maint are prime targets. Pet kills leave discoverable evidence (blood decal, sound cue). Crew survivors can report sightings. +3. **Late:** Crew is now aware. Security patrols maint; AI watches cameras. The Creature must adapt routes or accept higher-risk department incursions. If objectives are done, it hides and waits for round end. + +--- + +## Crew Counterplay + +**Individual:** Don't go into maint alone. Bring a weapon — a stun baton can interrupt a Drink Blood channel. Flashlights help in dark maint sections. + +**Security:** Patrol maint, respond to missing persons/pet reports, arm crew if threat level warrants. + +**AI:** Monitor maint cameras for stealth shimmer or door pry cues. Bolt doors to restrict movement. + +**Medical:** Fast treatment of blood loss victims prevents death from repeated taps. + +**Engineering/Atmos:** Seal maint hatches to restrict The Creature's movement network. + +--- + +## Design Pillar Alignment + +| Pillar | How The Creature satisfies it | +|---|---| +| **Just a Spark** | Cannot end rounds alone. Crew reaction (lockdowns, panic, overreaction) generates most of the chaos. | +| **Escalation** | Each successful hunt raises tension and crew awareness. Blood objective scales with pop. | +| **Full-Time Job** | Stealth degrades when inactive in open areas; objectives require active predation. No path to victory through crew-blending or passivity. | +| **Back and Forth** | Must expose itself to attack when striking. Cannot stay aggressive indefinitely — must retreat and wait. | +| **Discoverability** | Leaves evidence: missing pets, blood trails, pried doors, shimmer sightings from survivors. | + +--- + +## What This Is Not + +- **Not a murderboner.** Sustained combat breaks stealth; Security can coordinate to kill it. +- **Not a major antag.** No station-wide threats, no infrastructure attacks, no explosives. +- **Not a conversion antag.** Victims do not become allies or infected. +- **Not an NPC.** Ghost role only — human unpredictability is the point. + +--- + +## Open Questions + +- **Spawn rate:** Suggest starting comparable to Space Ninja or Revenant and adjusting from playtesting. +- **Appearance:** Visual design unspecified. requires new sprite(s) and sfx, stealth handled by existing code. +- **Multi-antag interaction:** Should spawn weight be reduced when a major roundstart antag is already present? Likely yes. +- **Partial completion:** Is 2/3 objectives a partial win, or all-or-nothing? Current lean: all-or-nothing, Survive included. From 1da0d0f7a8509db86fc415c375ee7559376175ad Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JustinWinningham Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 21:17:58 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 2/7] Add 'The Creature' proposal to SUMMARY.md --- src/SUMMARY.md | 1 + 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+) diff --git a/src/SUMMARY.md b/src/SUMMARY.md index 5e93c2878b..25e46c533a 100644 --- a/src/SUMMARY.md +++ b/src/SUMMARY.md @@ -209,6 +209,7 @@ Space Station 14 - [Turf War](en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/turf-war.md) - [Changeling](en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/changeling.md) - [Paradox Clone](en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/paradox-clone.md) + - [The Creature](en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md) - [Revolutionaries Rework](en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/revolutionaries-codeword-rework.md) - [Tourists](en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/tourists.md) - [Station Ecology](en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/station-ecosystem.md) From 6c56e92f4f1f5ecbb8fe53b4c4dac54c05cd8e31 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JustinWinningham Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 21:18:45 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 3/7] Add files via upload --- .../round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md | 137 ++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 137 insertions(+) create mode 100644 src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md diff --git a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..1f473bf556 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md @@ -0,0 +1,137 @@ +# The Creature +**Type:** Midround Solo Antagonist (Ghost Role) +**Status:** Draft — values TBD pending playtesting + +--- + +## Summary + +A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tunnels. Fills a gap in the current Wizden midround roster — no existing upstream antag uses stealth/ambush as a primary mechanic. Existing midround threats (Dragon, Ninja, Lone Op, Wizard, Xenoborgs, Rat King, etc.) are either overt or large-scale; The Creature is intimate and personal. + +**Gameplay identity:** Hit-and-fade. Sting a target, drain blood, retreat before crew can respond. Punishes reckless play; rewards map knowledge and patience. + +--- + +## Design Goals + +- Make maintenance feel dangerous again — maint is currently treated as a safe loot corridor for passengers +- Add a stealth archetype currently absent from upstream midround pool +- Increase midround variety +- Generate emergent crew behavior (buddy system, patrols, paranoia) without admin involvement + +--- + +## Objectives + +| Objective | Description | +|---|---| +| **Eat 3 department pets** | Must consume Ian, Poly, Momo, or other map-assigned pets. Forces The Creature to leave deep maint and enter department areas. | +| **Consume X units of blood** | Tracked via Drink Blood ability. Scales with player count at spawn time. Requires repeated engagement across the round. | +| **Survive** | Standard survival objective. Reinforces the retreat-and-hide loop. Gives Security a valid win condition. | + +> **Pet edge case:** If a map has fewer than 3 pets, the objective count adjusts to match available pets. A fallback target (e.g. station mice) may be needed — TBD. + +--- + +## Abilities + +| Ability | Description | Design Purpose | +|---|---|---| +| **Passive Stealth** | Visibility float from fully invisible (at rest) to fully visible (active). Moving, attacking, and using abilities increase visibility; each tick it decays back toward invisible. | Core identity. Rewards patience, punishes recklessness. | +| **Drink Blood** | Channeled action on an adjacent target. Drains blood, heals The Creature, and increments the blood objective counter. Requires standing still for the channel duration. | Sustain loop tied to objective. Creates a vulnerability window during use. | +| **Sting** | Short-range attack that stuns the target for a set duration. Moderate cooldown. | Setup tool for Drink Blood. Creates the Sting → Drink → Retreat sequence. | +| **Attack** | Standard melee. No wide-swing. Applies a brief stagger. | Combat fallback if cornered. No wide-swing discourages open-hallway fighting. | +| **Eat** | Action option. consumes valid animals - crew are blacklisted, similar to dragon | Completing eat pet objective | +| **Speed** | Faster than standard crew. | Enables disengagement. The Creature should be able to choose to flee a bad fight. | +| **Door Pry** | Can force doors open at a significantly faster rate than crew with a crowbar. Produces a sound cue. | Allows station navigation without access cards. Sound cue is a discoverability breadcrumb. | +| **Body Drag** | Can drag incapacitated or dead crew with reduced speed penalty. | Repositioning for safelu drinking blood. Evidence removal. Horror moment generator. | + +--- + +## Stealth Visibility Detail + +Visibility is a float with a minimum (fully invisible) and maximum (fully visible). Thresholds determine visual state, uses existing steath and stealthOnMove component / systems. + +Actions that raise visibility: walking, attacking, using any ability. +Visibility decays passively each game tick while The Creature is not acting. + +All specific float values, thresholds, increment amounts, and decay rates are TBD pending playtesting. + +--- + +## Upgrade System (BONUS - NOT MVP) + +Blood consumed via Drink Blood accumulates in a persistent pool. Between hunts, The Creature can spend blood from this pool to purchase upgrades from a radial menu (similar to the Ninja's UI). This creates a meaningful decision loop: spend blood on upgrades now, or bank it toward the blood objective. + +Each upgrade has three ranks (+1, +2, +3). Purchasing rank 2 requires rank 1, and so on. Each rank costs progressively more blood. All specific blood costs are TBD. + +### Upgrade Tree + +| Upgrade | +1 | +2 | +3 | +|---|---|---|---| +| **Predator's Strike** *(Attack damage)* | Minor damage increase | Moderate damage increase | High damage increase; attacks apply a brief slow | +| **Quickness** *(Movement speed)* | Slight speed increase | Moderate speed increase | Near-sprint speed; visibility increase per tile is reduced | +| **Shadow** *(Stealth — faster decay rate)* | Faster passive visibility decay | Significantly faster decay | Near-instant decay when standing still | +| **Venom** *(Sting — stun duration)* | Slightly longer stun | Longer stun; small damage on sting | Long stun; sting injects minor bleed | +| **Ravenous** *(Drink Blood — channel speed & heal)* | Faster channel | Faster channel; increased heal per tick | Fastest channel; overheal cap added | +| **Pry Mastery** *(Door Pry speed)* | Faster pry | Significantly faster pry | Near-instant pry; no longer produces a sound cue | +| **Iron Hide** *(Damage resistance)* | Minor resistance to all damage | Moderate resistance | High resistance; The Creature can drag bodies at full speed | + +### Design Notes + +- The upgrade menu should only be accessible while The Creature is fully invisible (stationary and below threshold A), preventing mid-combat purchases. +- Pry Mastery +3 removing the sound cue is a deliberate late-game power spike that rewards completing objectives — it should only be reachable if The Creature has been hunting actively. +- No upgrade should push any single stat into "unkillable" territory. The intent is to broaden The Creature's options, not create a mandatory optimal path. +- Consider whether upgrades should be visible to admins in the antag panel for post-round review. + +--- + +## Intended Round Flow + +1. **Early:** Spawns in deep maint fully invisible. Player scouts pet locations, camera positions, etc. No pressure to engage immediately. +2. **Mid:** Begins hunting. Isolated crew in maint are prime targets. Pet kills leave discoverable evidence (blood decal, sound cue). Crew survivors can report sightings. +3. **Late:** Crew is now aware. Security patrols maint; AI watches cameras. The Creature must adapt routes or accept higher-risk department incursions. If objectives are done, it hides and waits for round end. + +--- + +## Crew Counterplay + +**Individual:** Don't go into maint alone. Bring a weapon — a stun baton can interrupt a Drink Blood channel. Flashlights help in dark maint sections. + +**Security:** Patrol maint, respond to missing persons/pet reports, arm crew if threat level warrants. + +**AI:** Monitor maint cameras for stealth shimmer or door pry cues. Bolt doors to restrict movement. + +**Medical:** Fast treatment of blood loss victims prevents death from repeated taps. + +**Engineering/Atmos:** Seal maint hatches to restrict The Creature's movement network. + +--- + +## Design Pillar Alignment + +| Pillar | How The Creature satisfies it | +|---|---| +| **Just a Spark** | Cannot end rounds alone. Crew reaction (lockdowns, panic, overreaction) generates most of the chaos. | +| **Escalation** | Each successful hunt raises tension and crew awareness. Blood objective scales with pop. | +| **Full-Time Job** | Stealth degrades when inactive in open areas; objectives require active predation. No path to victory through crew-blending or passivity. | +| **Back and Forth** | Must expose itself to attack when striking. Cannot stay aggressive indefinitely — must retreat and wait. | +| **Discoverability** | Leaves evidence: missing pets, blood trails, pried doors, shimmer sightings from survivors. | + +--- + +## What This Is Not + +- **Not a murderboner.** Sustained combat breaks stealth; Security can coordinate to kill it. +- **Not a major antag.** No station-wide threats, no infrastructure attacks, no explosives. +- **Not a conversion antag.** Victims do not become allies or infected. +- **Not an NPC.** Ghost role only — human unpredictability is the point. + +--- + +## Open Questions + +- **Spawn rate:** Suggest starting comparable to Space Ninja or Revenant and adjusting from playtesting. +- **Appearance:** Visual design unspecified. requires new sprite(s) and sfx, stealth handled by existing code. +- **Multi-antag interaction:** Should spawn weight be reduced when a major roundstart antag is already present? Likely yes. +- **Partial completion:** Is 2/3 objectives a partial win, or all-or-nothing? Current lean: all-or-nothing, Survive included. From 88bbc6f546063a6a01937303e08011ae416d667a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JustinWinningham Date: Sat, 18 Apr 2026 21:20:12 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 4/7] Delete src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md removed bad file --- .../round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md | 137 ------------------ 1 file changed, 137 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md diff --git a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md deleted file mode 100644 index 1f473bf556..0000000000 --- a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/antagonists/the_creature.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,137 +0,0 @@ -# The Creature -**Type:** Midround Solo Antagonist (Ghost Role) -**Status:** Draft — values TBD pending playtesting - ---- - -## Summary - -A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tunnels. Fills a gap in the current Wizden midround roster — no existing upstream antag uses stealth/ambush as a primary mechanic. Existing midround threats (Dragon, Ninja, Lone Op, Wizard, Xenoborgs, Rat King, etc.) are either overt or large-scale; The Creature is intimate and personal. - -**Gameplay identity:** Hit-and-fade. Sting a target, drain blood, retreat before crew can respond. Punishes reckless play; rewards map knowledge and patience. - ---- - -## Design Goals - -- Make maintenance feel dangerous again — maint is currently treated as a safe loot corridor for passengers -- Add a stealth archetype currently absent from upstream midround pool -- Increase midround variety -- Generate emergent crew behavior (buddy system, patrols, paranoia) without admin involvement - ---- - -## Objectives - -| Objective | Description | -|---|---| -| **Eat 3 department pets** | Must consume Ian, Poly, Momo, or other map-assigned pets. Forces The Creature to leave deep maint and enter department areas. | -| **Consume X units of blood** | Tracked via Drink Blood ability. Scales with player count at spawn time. Requires repeated engagement across the round. | -| **Survive** | Standard survival objective. Reinforces the retreat-and-hide loop. Gives Security a valid win condition. | - -> **Pet edge case:** If a map has fewer than 3 pets, the objective count adjusts to match available pets. A fallback target (e.g. station mice) may be needed — TBD. - ---- - -## Abilities - -| Ability | Description | Design Purpose | -|---|---|---| -| **Passive Stealth** | Visibility float from fully invisible (at rest) to fully visible (active). Moving, attacking, and using abilities increase visibility; each tick it decays back toward invisible. | Core identity. Rewards patience, punishes recklessness. | -| **Drink Blood** | Channeled action on an adjacent target. Drains blood, heals The Creature, and increments the blood objective counter. Requires standing still for the channel duration. | Sustain loop tied to objective. Creates a vulnerability window during use. | -| **Sting** | Short-range attack that stuns the target for a set duration. Moderate cooldown. | Setup tool for Drink Blood. Creates the Sting → Drink → Retreat sequence. | -| **Attack** | Standard melee. No wide-swing. Applies a brief stagger. | Combat fallback if cornered. No wide-swing discourages open-hallway fighting. | -| **Eat** | Action option. consumes valid animals - crew are blacklisted, similar to dragon | Completing eat pet objective | -| **Speed** | Faster than standard crew. | Enables disengagement. The Creature should be able to choose to flee a bad fight. | -| **Door Pry** | Can force doors open at a significantly faster rate than crew with a crowbar. Produces a sound cue. | Allows station navigation without access cards. Sound cue is a discoverability breadcrumb. | -| **Body Drag** | Can drag incapacitated or dead crew with reduced speed penalty. | Repositioning for safelu drinking blood. Evidence removal. Horror moment generator. | - ---- - -## Stealth Visibility Detail - -Visibility is a float with a minimum (fully invisible) and maximum (fully visible). Thresholds determine visual state, uses existing steath and stealthOnMove component / systems. - -Actions that raise visibility: walking, attacking, using any ability. -Visibility decays passively each game tick while The Creature is not acting. - -All specific float values, thresholds, increment amounts, and decay rates are TBD pending playtesting. - ---- - -## Upgrade System (BONUS - NOT MVP) - -Blood consumed via Drink Blood accumulates in a persistent pool. Between hunts, The Creature can spend blood from this pool to purchase upgrades from a radial menu (similar to the Ninja's UI). This creates a meaningful decision loop: spend blood on upgrades now, or bank it toward the blood objective. - -Each upgrade has three ranks (+1, +2, +3). Purchasing rank 2 requires rank 1, and so on. Each rank costs progressively more blood. All specific blood costs are TBD. - -### Upgrade Tree - -| Upgrade | +1 | +2 | +3 | -|---|---|---|---| -| **Predator's Strike** *(Attack damage)* | Minor damage increase | Moderate damage increase | High damage increase; attacks apply a brief slow | -| **Quickness** *(Movement speed)* | Slight speed increase | Moderate speed increase | Near-sprint speed; visibility increase per tile is reduced | -| **Shadow** *(Stealth — faster decay rate)* | Faster passive visibility decay | Significantly faster decay | Near-instant decay when standing still | -| **Venom** *(Sting — stun duration)* | Slightly longer stun | Longer stun; small damage on sting | Long stun; sting injects minor bleed | -| **Ravenous** *(Drink Blood — channel speed & heal)* | Faster channel | Faster channel; increased heal per tick | Fastest channel; overheal cap added | -| **Pry Mastery** *(Door Pry speed)* | Faster pry | Significantly faster pry | Near-instant pry; no longer produces a sound cue | -| **Iron Hide** *(Damage resistance)* | Minor resistance to all damage | Moderate resistance | High resistance; The Creature can drag bodies at full speed | - -### Design Notes - -- The upgrade menu should only be accessible while The Creature is fully invisible (stationary and below threshold A), preventing mid-combat purchases. -- Pry Mastery +3 removing the sound cue is a deliberate late-game power spike that rewards completing objectives — it should only be reachable if The Creature has been hunting actively. -- No upgrade should push any single stat into "unkillable" territory. The intent is to broaden The Creature's options, not create a mandatory optimal path. -- Consider whether upgrades should be visible to admins in the antag panel for post-round review. - ---- - -## Intended Round Flow - -1. **Early:** Spawns in deep maint fully invisible. Player scouts pet locations, camera positions, etc. No pressure to engage immediately. -2. **Mid:** Begins hunting. Isolated crew in maint are prime targets. Pet kills leave discoverable evidence (blood decal, sound cue). Crew survivors can report sightings. -3. **Late:** Crew is now aware. Security patrols maint; AI watches cameras. The Creature must adapt routes or accept higher-risk department incursions. If objectives are done, it hides and waits for round end. - ---- - -## Crew Counterplay - -**Individual:** Don't go into maint alone. Bring a weapon — a stun baton can interrupt a Drink Blood channel. Flashlights help in dark maint sections. - -**Security:** Patrol maint, respond to missing persons/pet reports, arm crew if threat level warrants. - -**AI:** Monitor maint cameras for stealth shimmer or door pry cues. Bolt doors to restrict movement. - -**Medical:** Fast treatment of blood loss victims prevents death from repeated taps. - -**Engineering/Atmos:** Seal maint hatches to restrict The Creature's movement network. - ---- - -## Design Pillar Alignment - -| Pillar | How The Creature satisfies it | -|---|---| -| **Just a Spark** | Cannot end rounds alone. Crew reaction (lockdowns, panic, overreaction) generates most of the chaos. | -| **Escalation** | Each successful hunt raises tension and crew awareness. Blood objective scales with pop. | -| **Full-Time Job** | Stealth degrades when inactive in open areas; objectives require active predation. No path to victory through crew-blending or passivity. | -| **Back and Forth** | Must expose itself to attack when striking. Cannot stay aggressive indefinitely — must retreat and wait. | -| **Discoverability** | Leaves evidence: missing pets, blood trails, pried doors, shimmer sightings from survivors. | - ---- - -## What This Is Not - -- **Not a murderboner.** Sustained combat breaks stealth; Security can coordinate to kill it. -- **Not a major antag.** No station-wide threats, no infrastructure attacks, no explosives. -- **Not a conversion antag.** Victims do not become allies or infected. -- **Not an NPC.** Ghost role only — human unpredictability is the point. - ---- - -## Open Questions - -- **Spawn rate:** Suggest starting comparable to Space Ninja or Revenant and adjusting from playtesting. -- **Appearance:** Visual design unspecified. requires new sprite(s) and sfx, stealth handled by existing code. -- **Multi-antag interaction:** Should spawn weight be reduced when a major roundstart antag is already present? Likely yes. -- **Partial completion:** Is 2/3 objectives a partial win, or all-or-nothing? Current lean: all-or-nothing, Survive included. From 966e64def47a0ab2fcea5be6cb235f84feec3fef Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JustinWinningham Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:29:21 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 5/7] Refine The Creature's gameplay mechanics and objectives Clarified gameplay mechanics and objectives for The Creature, emphasizing stealth and engagement strategies. Adjusted visibility mechanics and clarified the role of The Creature in gameplay. --- .../round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md | 18 ++++++++++-------- 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) diff --git a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md index 1f473bf556..bfed00ac1b 100644 --- a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md +++ b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md @@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ ## Summary -A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tunnels. Fills a gap in the current Wizden midround roster — no existing upstream antag uses stealth/ambush as a primary mechanic. Existing midround threats (Dragon, Ninja, Lone Op, Wizard, Xenoborgs, Rat King, etc.) are either overt or large-scale; The Creature is intimate and personal. +A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tunnels. Fills a gap in the current Wizden midround roster — no existing upstream antag uses stealth/ambush as a primary mechanic. **Gameplay identity:** Hit-and-fade. Sting a target, drain blood, retreat before crew can respond. Punishes reckless play; rewards map knowledge and patience. @@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tu | Objective | Description | |---|---| | **Eat 3 department pets** | Must consume Ian, Poly, Momo, or other map-assigned pets. Forces The Creature to leave deep maint and enter department areas. | -| **Consume X units of blood** | Tracked via Drink Blood ability. Scales with player count at spawn time. Requires repeated engagement across the round. | +| **Consume X units of blood** | Tracked via Drink Blood ability, which can be utilized in the future for vampire antag. Scales with player count at spawn time. Requires repeated engagement across the round. | +| ** Kill x crew or specific crew** | Gives the creature a reason to fight other players, not just static NPCs. | | **Survive** | Standard survival objective. Reinforces the retreat-and-hide loop. Gives Security a valid win condition. | > **Pet edge case:** If a map has fewer than 3 pets, the objective count adjusts to match available pets. A fallback target (e.g. station mice) may be needed — TBD. @@ -39,7 +40,7 @@ A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tu |---|---|---| | **Passive Stealth** | Visibility float from fully invisible (at rest) to fully visible (active). Moving, attacking, and using abilities increase visibility; each tick it decays back toward invisible. | Core identity. Rewards patience, punishes recklessness. | | **Drink Blood** | Channeled action on an adjacent target. Drains blood, heals The Creature, and increments the blood objective counter. Requires standing still for the channel duration. | Sustain loop tied to objective. Creates a vulnerability window during use. | -| **Sting** | Short-range attack that stuns the target for a set duration. Moderate cooldown. | Setup tool for Drink Blood. Creates the Sting → Drink → Retreat sequence. | +| **Sting** | Short-range attack that stuns the target for a set duration. Moderate to long cooldown. | Setup tool for Drink Blood. Creates the Sting → Drink → Retreat sequence. | | **Attack** | Standard melee. No wide-swing. Applies a brief stagger. | Combat fallback if cornered. No wide-swing discourages open-hallway fighting. | | **Eat** | Action option. consumes valid animals - crew are blacklisted, similar to dragon | Completing eat pet objective | | **Speed** | Faster than standard crew. | Enables disengagement. The Creature should be able to choose to flee a bad fight. | @@ -52,9 +53,11 @@ A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tu Visibility is a float with a minimum (fully invisible) and maximum (fully visible). Thresholds determine visual state, uses existing steath and stealthOnMove component / systems. -Actions that raise visibility: walking, attacking, using any ability. +Actions that raise visibility: moving (already implemented). Possibly attacking (needs implementation) or other actions. Visibility decays passively each game tick while The Creature is not acting. +Bonus - increased stealth recovery in darkness, if code complexity permits. + All specific float values, thresholds, increment amounts, and decay rates are TBD pending playtesting. --- @@ -122,8 +125,8 @@ Each upgrade has three ranks (+1, +2, +3). Purchasing rank 2 requires rank 1, an ## What This Is Not -- **Not a murderboner.** Sustained combat breaks stealth; Security can coordinate to kill it. -- **Not a major antag.** No station-wide threats, no infrastructure attacks, no explosives. +- **Not a murderboner.** Sustained combat breaks stealth; Security can coordinate to kill it. Stealth takes time to regenerate, meaning prolonged or agressive fights are severely punished. +- **Not a station destroying antag.** No station-wide threats, no infrastructure attacks, no explosives, no nuke interaction. Can still be a major threat if played well or ignored. - **Not a conversion antag.** Victims do not become allies or infected. - **Not an NPC.** Ghost role only — human unpredictability is the point. @@ -133,5 +136,4 @@ Each upgrade has three ranks (+1, +2, +3). Purchasing rank 2 requires rank 1, an - **Spawn rate:** Suggest starting comparable to Space Ninja or Revenant and adjusting from playtesting. - **Appearance:** Visual design unspecified. requires new sprite(s) and sfx, stealth handled by existing code. -- **Multi-antag interaction:** Should spawn weight be reduced when a major roundstart antag is already present? Likely yes. -- **Partial completion:** Is 2/3 objectives a partial win, or all-or-nothing? Current lean: all-or-nothing, Survive included. +- **Multi-antag interaction:** Should spawn weight be reduced when a major roundstart antag is already present? From e2f6a9477ceb58dcbc150cd193a4665af435519e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JustinWinningham Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:55:16 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 6/7] Update status and summary for The Creature proposal Clarified the status and gameplay identity of the creature antagonist. --- src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md | 5 ++--- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md index bfed00ac1b..d2f6b34429 100644 --- a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md +++ b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md @@ -1,13 +1,12 @@ # The Creature **Type:** Midround Solo Antagonist (Ghost Role) -**Status:** Draft — values TBD pending playtesting +**Status:** Draft --- ## Summary -A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tunnels. Fills a gap in the current Wizden midround roster — no existing upstream antag uses stealth/ambush as a primary mechanic. - +A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tunnels. Fills a gap in the current Wizden midround roster, while the ninja does use stealth, its not used in the same way as this proposed antag. **Gameplay identity:** Hit-and-fade. Sting a target, drain blood, retreat before crew can respond. Punishes reckless play; rewards map knowledge and patience. --- From 27ecae51f1cbfe6cd54528cea16e785c3ad4fe73 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JustinWinningham Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:29:33 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 7/7] Revise The Creature abilities and upgrade system Updated abilities and upgrade system details for The Creature, including changes to the Drink Blood ability and adjustments to upgrade descriptions. --- .../round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md | 19 +++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 9 insertions(+), 10 deletions(-) diff --git a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md index d2f6b34429..9d2651644a 100644 --- a/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md +++ b/src/en/space-station-14/round-flow/proposals/the-creature.md @@ -38,13 +38,14 @@ A stealth-based predator that hunts crew and department pets from maintenance tu | Ability | Description | Design Purpose | |---|---|---| | **Passive Stealth** | Visibility float from fully invisible (at rest) to fully visible (active). Moving, attacking, and using abilities increase visibility; each tick it decays back toward invisible. | Core identity. Rewards patience, punishes recklessness. | -| **Drink Blood** | Channeled action on an adjacent target. Drains blood, heals The Creature, and increments the blood objective counter. Requires standing still for the channel duration. | Sustain loop tied to objective. Creates a vulnerability window during use. | +| **Drink Blood** | Channeled action on an adjacent target. Drains blood, heals The Creature, and increments the blood objective counter. Requires standing still for the channel duration. | Sustain loop tied to objective. Creates a vulnerability window during use. heals | | **Sting** | Short-range attack that stuns the target for a set duration. Moderate to long cooldown. | Setup tool for Drink Blood. Creates the Sting → Drink → Retreat sequence. | | **Attack** | Standard melee. No wide-swing. Applies a brief stagger. | Combat fallback if cornered. No wide-swing discourages open-hallway fighting. | | **Eat** | Action option. consumes valid animals - crew are blacklisted, similar to dragon | Completing eat pet objective | | **Speed** | Faster than standard crew. | Enables disengagement. The Creature should be able to choose to flee a bad fight. | | **Door Pry** | Can force doors open at a significantly faster rate than crew with a crowbar. Produces a sound cue. | Allows station navigation without access cards. Sound cue is a discoverability breadcrumb. | | **Body Drag** | Can drag incapacitated or dead crew with reduced speed penalty. | Repositioning for safelu drinking blood. Evidence removal. Horror moment generator. | +| **Darksight** | Has a client sided point light. | Navigating dark areas. | --- @@ -61,7 +62,7 @@ All specific float values, thresholds, increment amounts, and decay rates are TB --- -## Upgrade System (BONUS - NOT MVP) +## Upgrade System (BONUS) Blood consumed via Drink Blood accumulates in a persistent pool. Between hunts, The Creature can spend blood from this pool to purchase upgrades from a radial menu (similar to the Ninja's UI). This creates a meaningful decision loop: spend blood on upgrades now, or bank it toward the blood objective. @@ -71,20 +72,18 @@ Each upgrade has three ranks (+1, +2, +3). Purchasing rank 2 requires rank 1, an | Upgrade | +1 | +2 | +3 | |---|---|---|---| -| **Predator's Strike** *(Attack damage)* | Minor damage increase | Moderate damage increase | High damage increase; attacks apply a brief slow | -| **Quickness** *(Movement speed)* | Slight speed increase | Moderate speed increase | Near-sprint speed; visibility increase per tile is reduced | -| **Shadow** *(Stealth — faster decay rate)* | Faster passive visibility decay | Significantly faster decay | Near-instant decay when standing still | -| **Venom** *(Sting — stun duration)* | Slightly longer stun | Longer stun; small damage on sting | Long stun; sting injects minor bleed | -| **Ravenous** *(Drink Blood — channel speed & heal)* | Faster channel | Faster channel; increased heal per tick | Fastest channel; overheal cap added | +| **Predator's Strike** *(Attack damage)* | Minor damage increase | Moderate damage increase | High damage increase; | +| **Quickness** *(Movement speed)* | Slight speed increase | Moderate speed increase | Moderate speed increase again | +| **Shadow** *(Stealth — faster decay rate)* | Faster passive visibility decay | Significantly faster decay | Near-instant decay | +| **Venom** *(Sting — stun duration)* | Longer stun | Longer stun | Longer stun | +| **Ravenous** *(Drink Blood — channel speed & heal)* | Faster channel | Faster channel | Fastest channel | | **Pry Mastery** *(Door Pry speed)* | Faster pry | Significantly faster pry | Near-instant pry; no longer produces a sound cue | | **Iron Hide** *(Damage resistance)* | Minor resistance to all damage | Moderate resistance | High resistance; The Creature can drag bodies at full speed | ### Design Notes -- The upgrade menu should only be accessible while The Creature is fully invisible (stationary and below threshold A), preventing mid-combat purchases. -- Pry Mastery +3 removing the sound cue is a deliberate late-game power spike that rewards completing objectives — it should only be reachable if The Creature has been hunting actively. - No upgrade should push any single stat into "unkillable" territory. The intent is to broaden The Creature's options, not create a mandatory optimal path. -- Consider whether upgrades should be visible to admins in the antag panel for post-round review. +- Balance to be determined during playtesting - current values at 500 health, 300 blood, crit at 400. ---