Enemies
How enemies work — tiers, AI patterns, intent telegraphing, encounter sizes, and per-act difficulty ramps.
Enemies
Around 42 unique monsters live across the three acts (8 basic + 4 elite + 2 boss designs per act, ×3). Every enemy is built on the same skeleton: a tier, an AI type, a roster of actions, and an intent it telegraphs to you before acting.
Tiers
| Tier | Count per encounter | AI | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 1–3 per combat node | Pattern (fixed repeating sequence) | Learnable fodder that teaches you the mechanics |
| Elite | 1–2 per elite node | Conditional (state-based decisions) | Tougher checkpoints with complex intents and strong interference |
| Boss | 1 at floor 15 of each act | Conditional, multi-action | Multi-phase fights — see [[Content/Bosses |
AI: Pattern vs. Conditional
Basic enemies follow a fixed action pattern. A Slime with pattern [Attack, Attack, Defend] always cycles those three actions in order. This is deliberate — basic enemies are learnable puzzles. Once you see the pattern, you know when the big hit is coming.
Elites and bosses use conditional AI. Instead of a fixed cycle, they evaluate rules top-to-bottom and pick the first matching action. For example, an elite might behave like this:
- If HP < 30% → Heal 15
- If turn number = 0 → Buff all allies
- Otherwise → Attack 12
Bosses layer multiple conditions and can take 2–3 actions per turn in their later phases. They change behavior as the fight progresses — an enraged boss on turn 5 is a very different fight than the opening turn.
Intent telegraphing
Every enemy shows exactly what it will do next above its sprite, with one of 5 intent icons. This is the core of the game's decision-making — you pick your target, your hand, and your consumables based on what's coming.
| Icon | Intent | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Dagger (red) | Attack | Deals HP damage — 5–20 per hit depending on tier and act |
| Shield (blue) | Defend | Gains block this turn |
| Potion (green) | Heal / Buff | Restores HP, or strengthens itself/allies |
| Die (orange) | Dice Interference | Modifies your dice (SNIPE, CHAOS, GRAVITY, FLIP_ALL, CURSE, EVENODD, RIG, LOCK_DIE, STRIP_ELEMENT) |
| Key (purple) | Resource Steal | Steals a reroll, locks a hold, burns a die, steals a die, or forces a reroll |
Hovering an icon shows the full action description. Stunned enemies show no intent icon — they're skipping their next action.
See Combat Flow for the full list of interference types and how block and stun resolve.
Encounter composition
The map node type decides how tough the fight is:
| Node | Composition |
|---|---|
| Combat | 1–3 basic monsters. Most common node type. |
| Elite | 1 elite + 0–1 basic add. Never before floor 5. |
| Boss | 1 boss. Act 2 bosses can have 1 add. Act 3 bosses always have 1 elite add. |
Per-act difficulty ramp
Enemies of every tier get stronger each act. No Act 1 monster reappears in later acts — every tier is a fresh pool.
| Tier | Act 1 HP | Act 1 damage | Act 2 HP | Act 2 damage | Act 3 HP | Act 3 damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 20–40 | 5–9 | 35–50 | 8–11 | 45–65 | 10–13 |
| Elite | 50–70 | 8–11 | 65–90 | 10–14 | 80–110 | 12–16 |
| Boss | 120–160 | 10–14 | 160–200 | 12–17 | 200–250 | 14–20 |
Act 2 enemies add stronger interference patterns and thematic effects. Act 3 enemies hit the hardest, can chain multi-action turns, and often synergize with each other.
Notable elites
A few elites have unusual mechanics worth flagging:
- Frost Wraith (elite) — uses STRIP_ELEMENT to dispel the element from 2 of your elemental dice. Only activates if you have 5%+ elemental chance per die; otherwise it falls back to a regular attack. Bring Purify and don't invest everything in elementals against it.
Specific monster names, action patterns, and intent orders will be added to this page as rosters are confirmed. The act themes (Graveyard → Dicing Hall → Wasteland) shape the flavor of each pool — debtors and crypts, casino cheats, and corrupted war machines respectively.
Related: Combat Flow · Bosses · Run Structure
