AR-014 — Hero abilities (LOCKED)

Promoted from Action Required card AR-014. This is the decision of record.

This is where I think Astra can be far better balanced than Free Fire. One thing I don't like in many hero shooters is that abilities become more important than aiming. I want Astra to be: > 80% Gun Skill > 20% Hero Ability That ratio should never change. So before designing heroes, we need something AAA studios use internally. --- # Ability Impact Budget (AIB) Every hero ability consumes from a 100-point Impact Budget. Think of it as a balancing currency. text 100 Points Maximum Damage ............... 25 Mobility ............. 20 Vision ............... 20 Defense .............. 20 Utility .............. 15 Total = 100 No hero may exceed the total. This makes balancing measurable instead of emotional. --- # Hero Rules (Locked) Every Hero has: * 1 Passive * Ability 1 (Core) * Ability 2 (Support) * Master Ability (Unlocks later) Only 2 active abilities can be equipped at launch. Master Ability unlocks after Hero Mastery. Every ability follows: * Cooldown: 25–45 sec * Activation Time: <0.5 sec * Counterplay Available * Cannot instantly kill * Cannot ignore cover --- # HERO 1 — HANUMAN ## Role Mobility / Entry --- Passive ### Monkey Agility * Vault 20% faster * Climb 25% faster * Landing recovery reduced No combat damage increase. --- Ability 1 ## Vajra Leap Cooldown 30 sec Cost 25 Prana Effect Leap forward approximately 18–20 meters. Can reach rooftops. Cannot attack during leap. Landing has a short recovery. Impact Budget Mobility: 18 Utility: 2 Total: 20 --- Ability 2 ## Wind Dash Cooldown 25 sec Cost 20 Prana Quick horizontal dash. Distance 6 meters. Cannot pass through walls. Budget Mobility: 10 Utility: 5 --- Master Ability ## Mountain Resolve Cooldown 90 sec Gain temporary resistance to knockback and faster reload for 12 seconds. No damage boost. --- # HERO 2 — RAVANA ## Role Aggressive Assault --- Passive ### Scholar of Lanka Reload speed +10% Weapon swap faster. --- Ability 1 ## Tenfold Wrath Cooldown 40 sec Cost 35 Prana Duration 8 sec Effect * Recoil reduced * Hip-fire accuracy improved * No damage increase Budget Offense: 12 Utility: 8 --- Ability 2 ## Battle Chant Cooldown 35 sec Cost 25 Prana Nearby teammates receive: * Faster reload * Slight recoil stability Radius 12 m Budget Support: 10 Utility: 10 --- Master Ability ## King's Command Nearby teammates instantly reload. No damage buff. --- # HERO 3 — SITA ## Role Recon / Survival --- Passive ### Serenity Footsteps 20% quieter. --- Ability 1 ## Astral Projection Cooldown 40 sec Cost 35 Prana Duration 6 sec Body remains vulnerable. Spirit scouts freely. Cannot attack. Budget Vision: 18 Utility: 7 --- Ability 2 ## Sacred Veil Cooldown 30 sec Cost 20 Prana Creates a short-lived visual distortion that makes it harder for enemies to track movement through it. No invisibility. Budget Defense: 10 Utility: 10 --- Master Ability ## Divine Sanctuary Small safe zone for healing. No invulnerability. --- # HERO 4 — KRISHNA ## Role Control --- Passive ### Divine Insight Enemy footsteps become audible from a slightly greater distance. --- Ability 1 ## Sudarshan Guidance Cooldown 35 sec Cost 30 Prana Launches an energy disc. Tracks only once. Deals moderate damage. Cannot kill a full-health player alone. Budget Damage: 10 Utility: 10 --- Ability 2 ## Maya Pulse Cooldown 35 sec Cost 25 Prana Briefly reveals enemies within 15 m. No wallhack beyond the pulse. Duration 2 sec Budget Vision: 15 Utility: 5 --- Master Ability ## Divine Strategy Entire Duo team sees enemy positions for 3 sec after first contact. --- # HERO 5 — ARJUNA ## Role Precision --- Passive ### Focused Archer ADS sway reduced. No recoil reduction. --- Ability 1 ## Divine Focus Cooldown 30 sec Cost 25 Prana Marks one visible enemy. Team sees marker. Duration 6 sec Budget Vision: 15 Utility: 5 --- Ability 2 ## Eagle Eye Cooldown 35 sec Cost 20 Prana Zoom vision slightly without using a scope. Useful for spotting enemies. Budget Vision: 10 Utility: 5 --- Master Ability ## Perfect Shot First bullet fired within 5 seconds has no weapon sway. Does **not** increase damage. --- # Ability Budget Table | Hero | Mobility | Damage | Vision | Defense | Utility | Total | | ------- | -------: | -----: | -----: | ------: | ------: | ----: | | Hanuman | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 40 | | Ravana | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 40 | | Sita | 0 | 0 | 18 | 10 | 17 | 45 | | Krishna | 0 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 40 | | Arjuna | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 10 | 35 | No hero exceeds the intended impact ceiling. --- # Counterplay Matrix | Hero | Counter | | ------- | ---------------------------------------- | | Hanuman | Track landing, punish recovery | | Ravana | Wait out buff duration | | Sita | Attack vulnerable body during projection | | Krishna | Break line of sight after pulse | | Arjuna | Reposition after being marked | Every ability has a clear answer. --- # Hard Rule #011 (Made Measurable) Instead of simply saying: > Abilities assist, gun skill wins. We define measurable limits: * No ability may deal more than 25% of a full-health player's HP by itself. * No ability may provide more than 3 seconds of unavoidable information. * No mobility skill may ignore map geometry. * No defensive skill may grant invulnerability. * No hero ability may replace weapon mastery as the primary method of securing eliminations. --- ## One thing I would change from our previous discussions I would remove every direct damage buff. Originally we discussed Ravana increasing weapon damage. I don't think we should do that. Instead: * Improve handling. * Improve positioning. * Improve information. * Improve mobility. * Improve teamwork. But never increase raw weapon damage. That keeps every firefight fundamentally about the weapon in the player's hands and the decisions they make, which is exactly what Hard Rule #011 is trying to protect.