The RPG Trinity : Damage
(For a brief description on the RPG Trinity and the 3 roles, see last weeks post “Part 1 : Tanks”)
“Aewin looked down the shaft, eyeing up her target as it charged towards her and the group she was stationed with. Releasing the held tension in the string, she muttered the words taught to her by the den mother and watched the flint arrow head ignite mid air, the blue flame streaking behind it as it arced towards the creature bounding across the clearing towards Toya who seemed to have it’s focus for now. It connects with the target, sinking into a fleshy muscled shoulder, a howl in an unnatural language released from its snarling jaws. A split second later the creature is engulfed in an ethereal blue explosion of energy before disappearing into the wind in particles of dust and ash, but she sees none of that, already looking down the shaft of another arrow seeking the next target that needs to exist no longer.”
The Damage role in the group, also referred to as DPS (Damage Per Second), is typically responsible for taking out the monsters or creatures that the group are fighting. In some regards it's the simplest of roles - point and shoot at whatever turns up in front of you, but there are multiple nuances that can make being a great Damage dealer a lot harder than it seems. In today's pondering we are going to investigate the profiles of damage a player can deal, the 4 classifications of damage dealers and then what I believe is important to being a great damage dealer within any party.
A profile of damage is the way in which a character as a damage dealer likes to deal that damage to one or multiple targets. This isn’t about the implements, spells or weapons used to deal the damage, but more about the chunks of damage being dealt over the passage of time. Is it small little bits of consistent damage, or big chunks of damage infrequently. Maybe the damage multiplies over time, starting small but with each progressive application or swing deals more and more or perhaps you are waiting for a window where the stars align and your damaging capabilities are truly maximized.
The below 5 profiles all add up to the same amount of damage over the same period of time, but you can imagine that if you were to cut the graphs (so only take the first half or second half as an example) the damage outputs could be different for different styles. Lets dig into each one with a brief explanation of how it feels to play and when it can perform well.
Consistent Damage
Constant medium damage that can be performed for a very very long time, maybe forever. This is the simplest and probably most common type of damage profile, where every strike is roughly the same strength and comes at the same time. Normally requiring little mechanical input from the player, this type of damage is normally associated with “simpler” characters or characters that also need to focus on other things or do other tasks such as support
Burst Damage
Spikes of damage using strikes that have to charge up / have a cooldown or have limited uses. Characters typically have big flashy single strikes that can be planned for and executed quickly, target selection is key to make sure damage isn’t wasted on overkills and this tend to shine when dealing with waves of monsters that line up nicely with their burst profiles.
Critical Strike Damage
Critical strikes are typically determined by a random or skill based element, aiming to achieve a hit that deals more damage than usual such as head shots or critical shots. They can be unpredictable in damage, sometimes hitting several critical hits in a row and other times going through droughts without hitting the big numbers. Critical Strike builds tend to attract players who enjoy getting streaks / lucky over more predictable damage. The semi random damage profile can make it difficult to maximize, but if you can through mechanical talent & skill optimization it can be lethal to anything in front of them.
Ramp Up Damage
Build up and layering of damage that gets bigger over time. This can be via the stacking of effects, poisons or curses, sometimes that work with each other and typically the longer the combat the more this damage profile can deal. Damage profiles like this allow the player to excel in long drawn out fights against monsters with high hit points, typically boss fights or elite creatures.
Windowed Damage
Probably the most challenging to play, windowed damage dealers have a small window of time in which they deal incredible amounts of damage. This can be triggered by their own abilities, or as part of a reaction to other external effects, but they have a high performance zone where they need to maximize the damage they output and supersede almost any other damage dealer. Windowed dealers typically deal the highest damage numbers in a short period of time as long as they can get the window just right, but get it wrong and it can be low damage and no kills. This can very much optimize the high risk high reward style that lots of players look for.
Within most RPG’s, you can find examples of the damage profiles throughout the classes. In addition, you can also spread the classes on a 2 x 2 grid based on the way in which they deal their damage to the enemy. The columns indicate how the enemy gets hurt, either through physical means such as swords or bullets or magical means such as spells, fireballs or psychic damage. The rows split the classes across their range : are they up close and personal in melee with the foe, or attempting to strike them down from afar? Within each element of the grid I have tried to put some examples using the famous classes from Dungeons and Dragons, but I am sure if you were to look at your favorite Video Game or TTRPG (Tabletop Role Playing Game) you could likely find similar classes or characters that fit the bill.
By selecting from the three groups above (Type, Range, Profile) you can effectively create 20 different types of damage dealers (2 types x 2 ranges x 5 profiles), but 20 boxes isn’t actually enough and never will be. The reality is nothing breaks down that nicely, and nor should it. What about if we were to split the range between Short, Medium and Long instead of just melee or ranged, or maybe we split the Magical damage into Elemental vs Psychic vs Divine etc. This is a simplification, a framework to start thinking about the types, but by mixing and creating from within this you can get some really interesting and fun characters that kick ass and are amazing to play whilst doing it!
And so you think you know what kind of damage dealer you want to play, but what makes a player a great damage dealer instead of just a good one. Outside of the raw damage stat, the DPS (Damage per second) that you can output, I see 4 traits that separate the greats from the goods:
Target Selection - Picking the right enemy to take down in a situation is key, and can be the difference between success or defeat. Should I target the enemy healer at the back of the group, or take out the guy that's hitting our healer? Should I deal with the annoying enemy that has just popped up (known as an “add” or additional enemy by some gamers) or continue focusing on the boss to take them down as quickly as possible. This can vary from fight to fight, and damage dealer to damage dealer depending upon the role they have been assigned.
Mechanical Ability / Skill Knowledge - The type and profile of damage dealer you play will mean this varies from class to class, but having the dexterity, knowledge and ability to deal the damage can range from maximizing every single strike through to having it so second nature that you have the mental capacity to focus on the other elements within the fight.
Resource Management - All damage profiles have resource management. There is a limited resource that you are trying to convert into the maximum amount and type of damage within that situation and in potential future situations. This could be as simple as time (you only have 1 action per round so what's the best thing to do), or it could be mana or energy or rage that you need to spend to perform tasks, or maybe a meter that you need to keep below a certain level so you are walking a line of “blowing yourself up”. It could also be about knowing what's coming down the line, and not entering that critical window of maximum damage until its needed, or until the true big boss turns up.
Self Preservation - Don’t stand in the fire! There is a belief in some gaming communities that those dealing damage are so focused on dealing damage they will do it at the cost of their own health and preservation, taking deliberate damage just to eke out that extra dps. For example, you could move away from the fire that's burning on the floor at your feet, but that means you are spending time running and not casting another damaging spell. Quite often it then becomes the job of the healer to now focus on healing the Tank and the DPS, which can lead to people dying and the whole party failing. Knowing when to drop the damage and make the healer's job easier is an often underappreciated task, but one that can be key and influential in success.
So there you go, my take on the Damage dealers within the RPG trinity. Are there damage types that fit between the boxes that you want to see more often played?
Do you often find your damage dealers sitting in the fire taking damage just to get those last few hits off? And if so, how do you plan on punishing them?
