I'm exploring a combat system for a Souls-like where the player deals 0 damage with basic attacks. The goal is to replace traditional HP attrition with a "Poise break" mechanic, turning every fight into a parry-focused duel. I need a sanity check on the math before prototyping.
Design Goal:
Traditional Souls-likes reward chip-damage and kiting. I want to force the player to engage with enemy attack patterns 100% of the time, removing the "safe poke" strategy. Every encounter should feel like a rhythmic dance where success depends entirely on reading the opponent and executing perfect parries.
Core Mechanics:
Player: 3 base Poise (upgradable to ~7)
Enemies: Mobs 1–2 Poise. Bosses: 5 (early) → 20 (final)
R1 Light Attack: 0 damage. Resets enemy regen. Builds 1 Soot stack (max 4).
Perfect Parry: Deals 1.0 base Poise damage. Detonates Soot for extra +0.5 per stack.
Max burst: 4 stacks = +2.0 → 3.0 total Poise damage in one parry.
Blocking (missed parry): Costs 0.5 player Poise.
Enemy Regen: 0.5 Poise every 3s (frozen during their attack animations).
Soot Decay: If no parry within 5s of max stacks, stacks decay at 1 per 2s (prevents camping).
The Math (Final Boss, 20 Poise):
No Soot → 20 perfect parries (too long).
Max Soot (4 stacks) every cycle → 20 / 3.0 = ~7 perfect parries + R1 build-ups in between.
Goal: ~5–8 minute duel. Early bosses (5 Poise) die in ~2 parries to teach the mechanic.
Questions for the community (be brutal):
Pacing: At 20 Poise, the player needs ~7 perfect parries. If they miss 2–3 parries, the fight extends significantly. In your experience, does this create a "snowball of frustration" or a healthy skill-check? Would you recommend adjusting the Poise scaling curve (e.g., 5→15 instead of 5→20)?
Soot Decay: 5-second window to detonate, then 1 stack per 2 seconds decay. Is this fair punishment for passive play, or does it create too much stress for players learning boss patterns? Would you increase the window to 6–7 seconds but add punishment on hit instead?
Build Variety: I'm considering Heavy Armor reducing Block cost from 0.5 to 0.25 player Poise. Does this break the resource economy (making tanks too durable), or is it a valid trade-off for slower movement and less damage output? Should I tie this to a stat instead?
Visual Feedback: No damage numbers. What's the clearest way to communicate Soot stacks to the player? Glowing embers on the enemy? UI icons? Audio cues?
Has anyone playtested a similar "0-damage" system? What was the biggest player pain point you observed? Any advice on what I'm missing before I move to prototyping?
Full breakdowns and math available on request. Thanks in advance for your time!