Ranged Elimination Abilities

Advanced

Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

Status: Released
Year: 2016
Genre: Indie, Strategy
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux

1. Summary

Ranged elimination abilities let the player neutralize enemies from outside melee reach, trading safety and positioning power against visibility, noise, ammunition, recovery, and enemy-tier constraints. The system includes reusable projectile kills, shared firearm shots, long-range scoped fire, and heavy ranged anti-Samurai fire, each with distinct line-of-sight, ammo, noise, and kill-versus-stun behavior.

2. Tags

advanceddocumented

3. Design Intent / Job Story

When an enemy blocks a route or patrol pattern from beyond safe melee reach, I want to select an appropriate ranged elimination option, so that I can remove or disable the target while managing noise, ammunition, line-of-sight, and enemy-type consequences.

4. Role in Gameplay Loop

Provides a non-melee solution for isolated or hard-to-reach guards.
Creates tactical tradeoffs between quiet reusable tools and loud limited ammunition.
Differentiates characters through range bands, projectile behavior, ammo capacity, and target-tier effects.
Forces planning around enemy hearing, view cones, body discovery risk, and post-shot recovery.
Supports coordinated takedown plans when combined with distraction, stealth detection, and Shadow Mode systems.

5. Preconditions

A controllable character with a ranged elimination ability is selected.
The selected ability is unlocked and currently available in that character's command slots.
The target is within the ability's valid range or effective range category.
A clear line-of-sight or valid projectile path exists where required by the ability.
The ability has ammunition or a recoverable projectile available.
The player can accept the generated noise, alert, stun, or body-discovery consequences.

6. Parameters

Parameter	Value	Type	Notes
Projectile range	Medium / limited	range band	Valid distance for reusable thrown projectile kills. Exact numeric range needs implementation or capture evidence.
Projectile path	Straight line / clear path	targeting rule	Projectile-style ranged kills require a valid unobstructed path to the target.
Projectile recovery	Required before reuse	state flag	The projectile is unavailable after use until physically recovered.
Victim noise radius	Visible blue circle / TBD numeric value	radius	Hearing area generated by the dying target after a projectile kill.
Matchlock ammo	3 shots	integer	Standard firearm ammo pool for eligible users.
Matchlock reload delay	A couple seconds / TBD exact value	duration	Delay before another standard firearm shot can be fired.
Matchlock noise	Loud	noise level	Gunshot noise that can alert nearby enemies.
Matchlock Samurai effect	Stun, not kill	enemy-state result	Standard firearm effect against Samurai-tier enemies.
Hand cannon ammo	2 shots	integer	Heavy ranged weapon ammo pool.
Hand cannon noise	Louder than matchlock	noise level	Heavy weapon noise consequence.
Hand cannon Samurai effect	Kill	enemy-state result	Heavy ranged weapon can kill Samurai at range.
Rifle range	Practically unlimited / line-of-sight gated	range band	Long-range scoped fire limited primarily by visibility and sightline.
Rifle noise	Silent	noise level	Scoped shot does not create firearm noise.
Rifle ammo	6 bullets	integer	Scoped rifle ammunition pool.
Rifle Samurai effect	Stun, not kill	enemy-state result	Scoped rifle disables Samurai but does not kill them outright.

7. Core Rules

A ranged elimination ability may only be executed against a valid target inside its permitted range or targeting constraints.
Abilities that require line-of-sight fail or cannot be confirmed when terrain, height, or obstacles block the path.
Projectile-style ranged kills can create victim noise; enemies inside the visible noise radius may react even when the attack itself is not firearm-loud.
Recoverable projectile abilities consume the projectile until it is physically recovered from the target or impact location.
Shared matchlock pistols kill most enemies in one shot but stun Samurai instead of killing them.
Shared matchlock pistols are loud, have three shots, and require a reload pause before another shot can be fired.
Heavy hand-cannon fire is louder and more limited than the shared pistol but can kill Samurai at long range rather than only stunning them.
Scoped rifle fire provides very long-range silent elimination, but still requires clear line-of-sight and limited ammunition.
Ranged eliminations still produce a corpse or incapacitated enemy state that can be discovered unless hidden, moved, or timed safely.
Enemy alert, alarm, and detection systems process noise, body discovery, and observed attacks after the shot resolves.

8. BDD Scenarios

Scenario: Quiet medium-range projectile kill

Given: a valid target is isolated within medium range
When: the player targets the enemy and executes the projectile ability
Then: the target is killed from range
And: the selected ranged projectile is available
And: the victim noise radius is shown or applied
And: the projectile must be recovered before the ability can be reused

Scenario: Loud firearm creates alert risk

Given: a firearm user has ammunition available
When: the player fires the weapon at a valid non-Samurai target
Then: the target is killed
And: enemies are close enough to hear a loud shot
And: nearby enemies can react to the gunshot noise
And: the firearm ammunition count is reduced

Scenario: Samurai resists standard ranged firearm lethality

Given: a Samurai is targeted by a standard matchlock pistol or scoped rifle shot
When: the player fires the ability successfully
Then: the Samurai is stunned rather than killed
And: the player must follow up with another valid elimination method before the Samurai recovers or triggers consequences

Scenario: Heavy ranged weapon kills a Samurai

Given: the heavy anti-Samurai ranged weapon has ammunition available
When: the player fires the heavy weapon at the Samurai
Then: the Samurai is killed at range
And: a Samurai is a valid target
And: the shot consumes one of the weapon's limited charges
And: the louder noise consequence is applied

Scenario: Blocked line-of-sight prevents ranged execution

Given: a target is outside the ability's valid path because an obstacle blocks line-of-sight
When: the player attempts to use a line-of-sight ranged elimination ability
Then: the ability cannot be executed or cannot confirm the target
And: no ammunition or recoverable projectile should be consumed.

9. Edge Cases

Target enters cover, leaves range, or crosses an obstruction before the shot executes.
Projectile impact or victim death occurs inside another enemy's hearing radius.
A recoverable projectile lands in a dangerous or temporarily inaccessible location.
The target is a Samurai and the selected weapon only stuns rather than kills Samurai.
The player fires the last available shot and cannot complete a planned follow-up elimination.
Reload or recovery timing prevents a second shot during a synchronized plan.
A body created by the ranged elimination is visible to a patrol after the shot.
A loud shot chains into alarm response even if the player character remains unseen.
The player attempts to fire while the ability owner is immobilized, repositioning, carrying a body, or otherwise unable to execute commands.

10. QA Notes

Verify each ranged ability respects its documented range category and line-of-sight constraints.
Verify ammunition counts decrement only on successful shots and cannot go below zero.
Verify recoverable projectile abilities remain unavailable until the projectile is recovered.
Verify visible noise radii match enemy hearing reactions for projectile victim noise and firearm noise.
Verify standard firearms kill normal enemies but only stun Samurai.
Verify the heavy anti-Samurai ranged weapon kills Samurai and consumes its smaller ammo pool.
Verify rifle shots remain silent but still obey line-of-sight and ammunition limits.
Verify bodies or stunned enemies produced by ranged attacks can trigger detection, alarm, or follow-up requirements.
Verify Shadow Mode timing does not bypass reload, ammo, line-of-sight, or projectile recovery constraints.

11. Mechanic Dependencies

Stealth Detection System (Line-of-sight, view cones, noise response, body discovery, and alarm escalation determine whether a ranged elimination remains stealthy or triggers detection.)
Character Ability System (Ranged eliminations are exposed as character abilities with character-specific slots, availability, input binding, and execution constraints.)
Stealth Elimination Mechanics (Ranged eliminations are one branch of the broader stealth elimination system and share consequences such as corpse creation, takedown timing, and follow-up hiding needs.)
Enemy Type Hierarchy (Enemy tier rules determine whether a ranged attack kills, stuns, or requires follow-up, especially for Samurai targets.)
Shadow Mode Coordination System (Shadow Mode can coordinate ranged eliminations with other actions, but the ranged ability still depends on ammo, reload, sightline, and recovery constraints.)
Four-Slot Ability Binding Framework (The four-slot binding framework determines where ranged abilities such as projectile, firearm, and scoped-shot commands appear and how players trigger them.)

12. UI Links

Bottom Gameplay HUD Bar - The bottom gameplay HUD anchors the selected character's command set and shows availability context for ranged actions during play.
Ability Command Bar - The ability command bar exposes ranged ability icons, slot bindings, ammo/readiness state, and selection input for projectile, firearm, and scoped-shot commands.
Shadow Mode Command UI - Shadow Mode command UI can queue ranged eliminations as part of synchronized execution plans while still showing command targets and timing.
Enemy Vision Cones - Enemy vision cones and line-of-sight feedback help the player judge whether using a ranged elimination will be observed or blocked.
Detection Feedback Overlay - Detection feedback communicates the consequences of noisy shots, observed bodies, and alert escalation after ranged eliminations.

References

1.
Steam Community :: Guide :: Shadow Tactics: Full Character Guides and Tricks (L0-116 of 116)
2.
Let's Play Shadow Tactics Blades Of The Shogun - Ep. 1 - Silent Gameplay & Death! (12:49-14:06)
3.
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun (L6-18 of 52)