Stealth Elimination Mechanics

1. Summary

A multi-faceted stealth combat system allowing players to eliminate enemies through various methods: direct melee attacks (kill or knock out), ranged attacks (pistols, rifle), traps, staged accidents, and environmental interactions. Players can lure guards into ambushes, use distractions to create openings, and employ character-specific abilities for tactical advantages. The system balances stealth (knock out, minimal noise) with aggressive options (direct kills, area attacks) while managing the risk of raising alarms.

2. Tags

3. Design Intent / Job Story

When a guard blocks the path to my objective, I want to eliminate them silently without raising an alarm, so that my team can proceed undetected.

4. Role in Gameplay Loop

• Provides the primary combat resolution method in a stealth-oriented tactical game
• Enables tactical puzzle-solving by offering multiple solutions to each enemy encounter
• Creates risk/reward decisions between quiet/slow methods and fast/loud methods
• Drives squad coordination through simultaneous multi-character eliminations
• Supports mission replayability via varied playstyles (lethal, non-lethal, avoidance)

5. Preconditions

• The player character performing the elimination is alive and not incapacitated
• The target enemy is within the elimination ability's effective range
• The target is not already in an alert or alarm state (for stealth takedowns)
• For firearm eliminations, the character has remaining ammunition
• For reusable ranged abilities (shuriken, trap, sake bottle), the item has been retrieved after prior use
• For environmental eliminations, the required interactable object is present and the target is in position

6. Parameters

7. Core Rules

• Every playable character possesses a melee stealth takedown ability that silently kills or incapacitates a single enemy at close range.
• Melee takedown speed and noise level vary by character archetype: some are fast and quiet, others are slower and produce audible noise.
• Certain characters can perform leaping kills from elevated positions onto enemies below.
• Ranged elimination abilities include thrown projectiles, firearms, and sniper rifles, each with distinct range, trajectory, and noise profiles.
• Thrown projectiles travel in a straight line and require clear line of sight; some are reusable and must be retrieved after use.
• Firearms consume limited ammunition, produce loud noise that alerts enemies within a radius, and may stun rather than kill armored enemies.
• One character wields a more powerful firearm capable of killing armored enemies outright at the cost of fewer shots and increased noise.
• Traps can be placed on the ground and kill the first enemy to step on them; traps placed in concealment spots automatically hide the victim's body.
• Area-of-effect abilities can eliminate multiple non-armored enemies simultaneously but leave the user vulnerable during the execution animation.
• Environmental eliminations (falling objects, animal kicks, poisoned objects) are treated as accidents by enemies and do not trigger alarms.
• Characters with sufficient strength can throw heavy objects to crush enemies; nearby guards regard this as an accident.
• Elimination methods that do not instantly kill may cause the victim to enter a writhing state where they can be spotted by other enemies.
• Bodies of eliminated enemies trigger detection if visible; they must be hidden in concealment spots to prevent alarm.
• Shadow Mode allows multiple characters to queue elimination actions that execute simultaneously, enabling coordinated takedowns of grouped enemies.
• Armored enemy types (samurai) are immune to instant elimination by most firearms and bare-handed melee; they require specialized weapons, environmental kills, or a stun-then-finish approach.

8. BDD Scenarios

9. Edge Cases

• A melee takedown initiated just as the target turns around may result in the target entering suspicion state instead of dying
• A victim in a writhing death state may be spotted by a patrolling guard before the player can hide the body
• Throwing a reusable projectile that lands in an unreachable location (e.g., on a roof or in water) permanently loses that ability for the mission
• A trap placed in an enemy's vision cone is spotted and avoided, rendering it useless
• A firearm shot intended for a normal guard may hit and only stun a samurai who walked into the line of fire
• Shadow Mode queued eliminations may fail if one character's target moves out of range before execution
• A character carrying a body may be spotted at a greater distance, preventing safe movement to a hiding spot after elimination
• Area-of-effect eliminations can harm friendly characters if they are within the blast radius
• A disguised character who eliminates an enemy in view of others immediately loses the disguise and is attacked
• Poisoning a mission target's food or drink may require the target to consume it before the elimination completes, creating a time window for discovery
• A civilian knocked out instead of killed may eventually wake up and raise an alarm if not hidden

10. QA Notes

11. Mechanic Dependencies

• Stealth Detection System (vision cones and detection states govern whether a stealth elimination can be attempted without being spotted)
• Character Ability System (elimination methods are implemented as character abilities with cooldowns, ammo constraints, and range limits)
• Alarm Response System (failed or noisy eliminations trigger alarm states and mission consequences)
• Body Manipulation Mechanics (hiding bodies after elimination prevents discovery and alarm triggers)
• Enemy Type Hierarchy (enemy armor classes (normal, straw hat, samurai) determine which elimination methods are effective)
• Shadow Mode Coordination System (enables simultaneous multi-character eliminations that would be impossible in real-time sequential play)

12. UI Links

• Post-Mission Results Screen - the Enemies killed and Bodies discovered statistics are derived from the stealth elimination mechanics, tracking successful kills and body concealment failures

References

1. 1.

   Steam Community :: Guide :: Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun 101 (L34-101 of 101) Tactical tips confirming trap-bush interaction for auto-hiding bodies, dragging bodies through dark vision areas, and distraction chaining for luring patrols into elimination ambushes.1: Lead them Around Guards will react whenever they hear sound - Even when already reacting to something they heard earlier. Yuki can lure them to a spot with her flute,...

2. 2.

   The Art of Shadow Tactics Blades of the Shogun and STRATEGY GUIDE (L1396-2200 of 4930) Strategy guide walkthroughs demonstrating environmental eliminations (falling crates), poison usage, coordinated Shadow Mode takedowns, leaping kills, and the stun-then-finish approach for armored samurai enemies.Guard (8.2) isn't that easy to dispose of as guard (8.3) has him in direct line of sight. To solve this problem, Mugen may utilize his own footprints to lure guard (8.4) towards...

3. 3.

   Прохождение Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun #3 - Гора Цуру|Убийство господина Ябу[Профессионал] (39:55-40:15) Gameplay frames showing the Ability Command Bar with elimination abilities mapped to A/S/D/F, Shadow Mode coordination prompts, and stealth kill positioning relative to enemy vision cones.