Squad Character Ability System — Desperados 3

1. Summary

The player controls a squad of five playable outlaws, each with distinct movement traits, weapons, tools, takedown speeds, body-handling limits, and utility roles. Missions are solved by combining complementary kits such as distractions, long-range shots, traps, disguises, healing, mind control, and mobility access rather than by treating characters as interchangeable units.

2. Tags

real-time tacticssquad controlcharacter selectioncharacter-specific abilitiesaction barShowdown Modestealth toolsetweapon noisebody handlingresource-limited abilitytarget validationmission party composition

3. Design Intent / Job Story

When a mission presents overlapping patrols, sightlines, and objective constraints, I want to swap between squad members with distinct abilities and combine their tools, so that I can create a safe tactical solution that no single character could perform alone.

4. Role in Gameplay Loop

Defines the squad as specialized tactical roles rather than interchangeable units.
Creates the problem-solving vocabulary for stealth, combat, distraction, infiltration, traversal, healing, and body control.
Forces the player to read each encounter and select the character/tool whose constraints fit the space, enemy type, and timing window.
Feeds Showdown planning by giving each selected character different actions to queue and synchronize.
Supports replayability because the same mission space can be approached with different ability combinations and risk profiles.

5. Preconditions

A gameplay mission is active.
At least one playable squad member is available and controllable.
The selected squad member is alive, conscious, and not locked out by mission scripting.
The selected ability is unlocked for that character in the current mission.
The target, destination, or world object satisfies the selected ability's range, line-of-sight, resource, and enemy-type requirements.

6. Parameters

Parameter	Value	Type	Notes
Squad size	Up to 5 playable characters	integer	Maximum cast represented by the system across the campaign; mission party composition may be smaller.
Active character	One available squad member	enum/ref	Character whose portrait, action bar, targeting rules, and command context are currently active.
Ability loadout	Character-specific	set	Actions, tools, weapons, and special interactions available to the selected character in the current mission.
Ability slot hotkey	Per controls configuration	input binding	Key or button label displayed under each action bar slot.
Ability resource counter	0..capacity / TBD by ability	integer	Remaining ammunition, charges, or uses for limited abilities.
Noise radius	Ability-specific	distance	Area in which enemies can hear the selected action; loud firearms have larger risk radii than quiet tools.
Effective range	Ability-specific	distance	Maximum distance from character to target or placement location.
Target validity	Ability-specific	ruleset	Enemy type, line of sight, status, terrain, and interaction requirements needed before execution or queuing.
Body capacity	Character-specific	integer	Number/type of bodies the character can carry, drag, tie, move, or otherwise manipulate.
Takedown profile	lethal / non-lethal / none / special	enum	Defines whether the character can kill, knock out, tie, or only assist via setup tools.
Mobility profile	character-specific	enum	Movement strengths and limits such as speed, climbing/swimming access, crouch behavior, and traversal options.
Showdown queue eligibility	Ability-specific	boolean	Whether the action can be assigned as a planned Showdown command before execution.

7. Core Rules

Each playable squad member owns a distinct ability loadout exposed through the selected-character action bar.
Changing the selected character changes the available action icons, hotkeys, resource counters, and valid target set.
Abilities may be executed in real time or assigned as queued actions while Showdown Mode is active.
Ability validity is constrained by the selected character's position, movement state, line of sight, range, target type, enemy awareness, and resource count.
Character traits include movement/mobility, health, takedown speed, weapon profile, body-handling capacity, and access to special interactions such as lockpicking, disguise use, healing, traps, lures, or mind-control style effects.
No single character is intended to solve every tactical situation; missions require swapping roles or combining complementary kits.
Loud weapons and noisy tools expose a noise radius or hearing risk and can trigger investigation or alarms if enemies are within range.
Silent, disguised, accidental, or distraction-based abilities reduce detection risk but usually carry tighter positional, target, or setup constraints.
Some abilities consume finite ammunition, charges, or cooldown-like resources and must visibly update their availability after use.
Enemy archetypes can override or resist parts of the ability system, such as targets that cannot be handled by weaker takedowns, distractions, disguise safety, or body-control options.
Body handling is character-dependent: some characters can move bodies poorly or not tie them, while heavier specialists can carry more or weaponize bodies.
Mission scripting may temporarily add, remove, teach, or restrict squad members and abilities without changing the global rule that the selected character determines the active toolset.

8. BDD Scenarios

Scenario: Switching character changes available tools

Given: a mission has multiple controllable squad members
When: the player selects a different squad member from the roster or hotkey
Then: the selected portrait changes to that character
And: the action bar updates to that character's available abilities, weapons, resources, and hotkeys

Scenario: Execute a character-specific ability in real time

Given: the selected character has an available ability
When: the player confirms the ability in live gameplay
Then: the character performs the ability
And: the target satisfies that ability's range, line-of-sight, resource, and enemy-type requirements
And: any resource counter, noise feedback, body state, target state, or detection response updates according to the ability profile

Scenario: Queue complementary abilities in Showdown

Given: Showdown Mode is active
When: the player assigns valid actions from different character loadouts
Then: each queued action remains associated with its owning character
And: multiple squad members are available
And: pressing Execute resolves the planned actions as a synchronized squad sequence

Scenario: Ability blocked by character or target constraints

Given: the selected character has an ability highlighted
When: the player targets an enemy, object, or location that violates the ability's constraints
Then: the ability is not committed
And: the UI communicates invalid targeting or unavailable state without spending resources

Scenario: Use role synergy to create a safe takedown window

Given: an enemy is protected by vision cones or patrol timing
When: the player uses one character's distraction, lure, disguise, or control ability to reposition or distract the target
Then: the encounter resolves without alarm if vision, noise, timing, and body visibility constraints are satisfied
And: another character performs the takedown or body-control action

9. Edge Cases

Selected character becomes unavailable while an ability is selected; clear the active action and refresh selection to a valid squad member.
Ability is queued in Showdown, but the target moves, dies, becomes invalid, or leaves line of sight before execution; cancel, fail, or revalidate cleanly without stale markers.
Resource counter reaches zero; preserve the slot but disable use and prevent further spending.
Multiple character abilities target the same enemy simultaneously; resolve ordering, overkill, body state, and alarm reactions consistently.
A loud weapon or tool is valid mechanically but would be heard by nearby enemies; show the risk and trigger investigation/alarm according to hearing rules.
A body-handling action is attempted by a character with insufficient capacity or no tie/carry capability; block the command or use that character's weaker allowed behavior.
Enemy archetype resists the selected ability; communicate why the expected takedown, distraction, disguise, or control effect does not apply.
Mission scripting removes or swaps party members; action bars, hotkeys, queued actions, and roster states must update without retaining unavailable abilities.
Character-specific movement limits prevent reaching the target; do not allow the ability to imply pathing or traversal that the character cannot perform.
Disguise, mind-control, lure, or distraction effects interact with watchers; the system must still respect enemy perception and alarm rules.

10. QA Notes

Verify every mission party composition shows only available squad members and the selected character drives the correct action bar.
Verify each character's unique abilities, weapons, movement traits, body-handling limits, and resource counters match their intended profile.
Verify switching characters during live gameplay and Showdown updates portrait, action bar, targeting rules, and queued-action ownership.
Verify invalid targets do not spend ammunition, charges, cooldowns, or consumables.
Verify noisy abilities display/produce hearing risk and cause enemy investigation or alarms when enemies are inside the affected radius.
Verify character-specific body handling covers carry capacity, tying ability, dragging speed, thrown bodies, and inability cases where applicable.
Verify ability interactions with enemy archetypes such as long coats, ponchos, civilians, animals, and alerted guards.
Verify mission scripting that teaches, grants, restricts, or removes abilities leaves no stale hotkeys or queued commands.
Verify Showdown execution preserves per-character timing differences such as melee travel time, ranged attacks, thrown tools, and lures.
Verify save/load restores selected character, resources, cooldown-like states, body states, and queued/planning state correctly.

11. Mechanic Dependencies

Tactical Stealth Mission Loop (The tactical stealth mission loop is the encounter context where character abilities are selected, combined, and iterated to clear objectives.)
Disguise and Social Infiltration (Disguise and social infiltration are specialized ability categories that change how a character can move through guarded spaces and manipulate targets.)
Showdown Synchronized Planning (Showdown planning depends on this ability system because queued commands come from each selected character's available actions and target rules.)
Takedown and Body Control (Takedown and body control are character-dependent capabilities within the squad ability system, including different knockout, kill, carry, tie, and disposal limits.)
Enemy Perception and Alarm AI (Enemy perception and alarm AI gate whether an ability is safe, valid, or risky through vision, hearing, investigation, and alarm responses.)
Lethal and Non-Lethal Combat Resource Limits (Combat resource limits define ammunition, charges, weapon noise, and lethal/non-lethal constraints for many character-specific actions.)
Distraction and Noise Manipulation (Distraction and noise manipulation are core ability categories used by multiple squad roles to reposition enemies or create safe timing windows.)
Movement, Terrain, and Cover Navigation (Movement, terrain, and cover navigation constrain which squad members can reach positions, stay hidden, or use mobility-dependent abilities.)

12. UI Links

Character Roster And Selected Portrait - The character roster and selected portrait expose which squad members are available and which character currently drives the active ability loadout.
Character Action Bar - The character action bar is the primary HUD surface for this mechanic, showing selected-character abilities, hotkeys, counters, and availability states.
Showdown Mode Execution Interface - The Showdown execution interface uses the selected character's ability loadout to queue and execute synchronized squad actions.
Tactical Spatial Markers - Tactical spatial markers display ability targeting feedback, vision cones, noise/range risks, interaction prompts, and queued-action markers needed to validate ability use.

References

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Steam Community :: Guide :: In-Depth Character Guide (L36-104 of 336)
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Steam Community :: Guide :: In-Depth Character Guide (L143-192 of 336)
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Steam Community :: Guide :: In-Depth Character Guide (L199-250 of 336)
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Steam Community :: Guide :: In-Depth Character Guide (L251-305 of 336)
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Steam Community :: Guide :: Character guides and tricks. (L70-167 of 167)
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DESPERADOS III - Know THESE Important Tips Before Playing (1:09-3:08)
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DESPERADOS III - Know THESE Important Tips Before Playing (5:44-6:29)
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DESPERADOS III - Know THESE Important Tips Before Playing (7:52-8:50)
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DESPERADOS III - Know THESE Important Tips Before Playing (2:24-2:27)
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DESPERADOS III - Know THESE Important Tips Before Playing (5:59-6:02)
11.
DESPERADOS III - Know THESE Important Tips Before Playing (8:04-8:07)