Water

Overview

Water is about flow, displacement and stamina pressure. It moves people and wears them down rather than simply hitting hard. Its most important trait is what it leaves behind.

Wet

Any successful Water effect that affects a character applies Wet. This applies to allies and enemies alike.

Wet is not a generic “takes more damage” debuff. It changes the state of the target, and with it the way other magic behaves:

• Wet characters are more conductive, and Lightning is drawn toward them.
• Wet strengthens Chill, the central status of Frost.

Wet fades gradually once a character leaves water or wet conditions.

Playing with Water

Because Water changes targets rather than only damaging them, it rewards thinking a step ahead: who is Wet, who will be standing near them, and what comes next. See elemental interactions for the wider picture.

In the design

• Defining rule. Every Water spell that successfully affects a character applies Wet. Water moves through currents, not gravity.
• World property. Wetness and flow.
• Exceptional at. Battlefield flow / elemental setup.
• Deliberate weakness. Low burst; positioning and environmental dependence.
• Mastery. Tidecaller: unprecedented authority over flow, Wet and water.