Abilities

An ability is a definition asset that says when and at what it can be cast, plus a list of effect assets that say what happens.

See it running: the 03 · Abilities demo scene. See Demos to import the scenes.

Every field, its default and every member you can call: Abilities reference.

Authoring

Create → Vantage → Abilities → Ability Definition.

Field	Meaning
Display Name / Description	The name on the action bar and cast bar, and the text at the bottom of the ability’s tooltip.
Icon / Icon Id	The sprite the action bar draws. Until you have one, Icon Id names an icon from the package’s icon set, such as `flame`, `sword` or `heart-pulse`.
Targeting Mode	`Self`, `SingleTarget` or `GroundPoint`.
Range	Maximum distance, measured on the ground plane. 0 means no range check.
Resource Kind / Cost	What the cast spends. Charged at cast start, refunded if interrupted.
Cast Time	0 for instant. Otherwise a cast bar runs first.
Cooldown	Seconds before the ability can be cast again.
Triggers GCD / Ignores GCD	Whether the cast starts the global cooldown and whether it waits for it. A basic attack does neither.
Can Auto Cast	Lets the ability sit in the auto-fire slot, which is how auto-attacking works.
Scales With Attack Speed / Range Bonus	Attack-speed stat shortens the cooldown; range-bonus stat extends the range.
Is Channeled	The cast keeps running for `Channel Duration`, firing `Tick Effects` every `Channel Tick Interval`.
Effects	Runs in order when the cast resolves.

Then create effect assets under Create → Vantage → Abilities → Effects and drag them into Effects.

Shipped effects

Effect	What it does
Damage	Rolls a damage range, optionally scaled by a stat, and sends it through the pipeline. Can launch a projectile, splash to nearby units, and chain more effects on hit.
Basic Attack Damage	Like Damage, but reads the numbers from the caster’s unit definition. One asset serves every unit.
Heal	Restores HP, with an optional crit roll.
Apply Buff	Applies a buff definition to the target for a duration.
AoE Damage, AoE Heal, AoE Buff	The same, to every unit in a radius around the target or a ground point. An Area Cue plays an effect at the centre.
Persistent AoE Damage	Leaves a damaging area on the ground for a while, with cues for its start, each pulse and an effect that lasts as long as the area.

An ability’s AreaRadius is the largest radius among its area effects, which aiming previews and tooltips use. Implement IVtAreaEffect on your own area effects to be included. | Taunt, AoE Taunt, Threat On Apply, Threat Shed | Threat manipulation, see Threat. | | Learn Recipe | Teaches a recipe, see Crafting. |

New behaviour is a new effect class; see Extending.

Casting from keys

Put VtAbilityHotkeys on the player and fill its slots. Each press casts at the unit or point under the cursor, or at the selected unit or the current target. Ground abilities can instead be aimed first, with a ring showing where they land. See Movement and input.

Casting from code

var abilities = unit.GetComponent<VtUnitAbilities>();
abilities.GrantAbility(fireball);

var result = abilities.TryCast(fireball, VtAbilityTargetData.SingleTarget(enemy));
if (result != VtAbilityCastFailReason.Success) ShowFeedback(result);

abilities.TryCast(rainOfFire, VtAbilityTargetData.GroundPoint(clickPoint));
abilities.TryCast(warCry, VtAbilityTargetData.Self());

abilities.InterruptCast();

TryCast tells you exactly why a cast was refused: not granted, invalid target, out of range, on cooldown, on global cooldown, not enough resource, caster dead, incapacitated, or already casting. If the unit is mid-cast, one follow-up cast is queued and fires when the current one resolves.

Auto-attack is the auto-fire slot:

abilities.SetAutoCast(unit.Definition.basicAttack, enemy);
abilities.ClearAutoCast();

While a target is set, the unit chases into range, faces it, and recasts the ability whenever it is ready.

What interrupts a cast

Losing the ability to cast (stun, silence), an explicit InterruptCast, and a new move order from the click-to-move input always interrupt. Interrupts refund the resource cost and drop the queued cast.

What damage does is set per ability with Damage Reaction:

Damage Reaction	Cast	Channel
Interrupt	Stops and refunds the cost. The default.	Stops and refunds the cost.
Pushback	Each hit adds Cast Pushback Seconds to the cast bar, never past the full cast time.	Each hit removes Channel Pushback Fraction of the full duration, and the ticks past the new end never happen. A channel pushed to zero ends as if it had completed: no refund, and its cooldown starts.
Ignore	Unaffected.	Unaffected.

Max Pushbacks limits how many hits push back one cast, and separately the channel that follows it. The three values are on the tuning asset.

Events

abilities.OnAbilityCastStarted     += def => ShowCastBar(def.castTime);
abilities.OnAbilityCast            += def => PlayVfx(def);
abilities.OnAbilityCastInterrupted += def => HideCastBar();
abilities.OnAbilityCastPushedBack  += (def, secondsLeft) => UpdateCastBar(secondsLeft);
abilities.OnGCDStarted             += () => FlashHotbar();
abilities.OnAbilityChannelTick     += def => PulseVfx();
abilities.OnAbilityChannelEnded    += def => HideChannelBar();

Cooldowns for a hotbar: abilities.GetCooldown(def) and abilities.GetCooldownFraction(def).

Animation, sound and effects for casts need no code: fill the ability’s Cast Start, Cast and Impact cues and put a VtUnitPresenter on the unit, see Presentation.

Projectiles and area effects

Set a prefab on the Damage effect’s Projectile to make the ability fire a projectile that resolves damage on impact, with optional homing and arc. Fill in Splash to damage units near the primary target with distance falloff and an optional cone. The unit definition’s basic attack has the same two options.