Bar
The bar is an element of the turn-based battle system in Deathbulge: Battle of the Bands. Each bar is divided into four measures, and each measure can be filled with different positive or negative Measure Effects. Under the bar is a small arrow, which indicates the next measure to be affacted by a Measure Effect (or Modifier). Furthermore, there are some effects that are applied to the whole bar.
Both the player's and the enemy's team has their own bar with an indicator moving through it which shows the characters' current position in the turn order. How quickly the bar is passed depends on the character's Speed stat. When fighting groups of Enemies, most of the time, each enemy has their own bar indicator. Bands, including the player's, however, share a single bar indicator, which Speed depends only on the currently active character. The player may switch their active character at any point, except while an attack animation is playing. Switching can be beneficial for various reasons, including benefitig from the Speed stat of an exceptionally fast band member, distributing harmful or beneficial Measure Effects, or diverting hits to a more tanky band member by switching right before an enemy attack. Note that Hype is only gained while the bar indicators move.
Once the player's indicator reaches the end of the Bar, combat is paused. Now, the player may freely switch between characters and for any of them select one take on of the following actions:
- Attack with Beats – these are free, basic attacks collected by defeating enemies, and can be upgraded by MODPOD666-X.
- Attack with Mods – these are stronger, character-specific attacks, but lauching them takes Hype. Choosing the right mods helps you shape your characters into different classes.
- Use Merch – these are special items, using them costs Stock.
- Trigger a Performance, if enough Glam has been accumulated.