Alianza irregular 3 – Stealth Kills Explained

Description of instant kill mechanics in Jagged Alliance 3.

Stealth Kills

Here are my findings after studying the source code.

The most important thing is that number of stealth kill bars scales linearly:

• 1 bar – 1%-24% chance of instakill
• 2 verja – 25-49% chance of instakill
• 3 verja – 50%-74% chance of instakill
• 4 verja – 75%-100% chance of instakill

The base probability of an event occurring is 1%. The attacker’s chance of success is increased by 1% for every point of Dexterity they possess. En cambio, the target’s chance of evading the attack is decreased by 1% for each point of Wisdom they have. It is worth noting that every individual possesses some degree of Wisdom; Por ejemplo, the Goon exhibits a wisdom value of 30, while the Elite Raid Leader has a wisdom value of 85.

In situations where the attacker’s Dexterity is lower than the target’s Wisdom, resulting in a negative chance, the probability is adjusted to 0, signifying an impossibility of success.

Además, specific modifiers are applied to the base probability:

• A penalty of -40% is applied for attacks against Crocodile and certain story characters.
• A bonus of +10% is granted if the attack targets the head or neck region.
• Un adicional +15% is added for attacks that possess 3 or more Aim levels, provided the attacker has the Assassination perception skill at tier 3.
• If the attacker has the Ambusher perception skill at tier 2, a +10% bonus is applied.
• The presence of the Stealthy trait grants a +10% prima. It is important to mention that the final probability of instantly killing the target cannot drop below 30% when this trait is present.

Finalmente, if the weapon is equipped with the Tactical Device modification, a bonus of +2% is applied for each Aim level possessed by the attacker.

Upon summing all pertinent factors, the game has the capability to augment the computed probability according to the following criteria:

• For the target’s state:
  • If the target is in an «Aware» estado, the multiplier is 0.75.
  • If the target is in a «Sospechoso» o «Surprised» estado, the multiplier is 0.5.
• If the attacker’s weapon penetration class (categorized as light, medio, or heavy) is inferior to the target’s armor class (categorized as light, medio, or heavy), then the multiplier is 0.5.

Ejemplo:

En este escenario, a highly skilled Fox character, possessing a Dexterity attribute of 92 and the Stealthy trait, employs a weapon with superior light penetration capabilities to engage a Goon adversary who is moderately armored. The Goon, with a Wisdom attribute of 30, is taken by surprise due to the recent demise of a fellow teammate at the hands of Fox.

To compute the likelihood of a successful hit, we deduct the Goon’s Wisdom score of 30 from Fox’s Dexterity score of 92, and then add 10 for the effect of the Stealthy trait. This yields a result of 72. Taking into account the Goon’s surprise, we reduce this value by half, Resultando en 36. Además, due to the discrepancy between the Goon’s armor class and the penetration capabilities of Fox’s weapon, we halve the value again, provocar 18. Sin embargo, considering Fox’s Stealthy trait, the success probability cannot be less than 30%. Por eso, Fox has a 30% chance to execute an instant kill on the Goon.

As evidenced by the significant contrast between the initial 72% chance and the reduced 18%, these discrepancies arise from variations in the Goon’s state and armor composition.

Even if the enemy possesses a special ability to evade the first hit during each turn, it will still succumb to an instakill. Sin embargo, in the event that the instakill attempt fails, and Fox merely inflicts a regular hit, the enemy’s special ability activates, safeguarding it against all damage, even if the attack would have resulted in 100% health reduction.

Let’s consider another example:

In the case of a Grizzly character, boasting a Dex score of 76, aiming at an Elite Raider Leader with a Wisdom score of 85, the calculated chance of success is 0%. Sin embargo, the minimum chance is set at 1%, implying there is a mere 1% possibility of executing an instakill. Irrespective of the target’s awareness level or armor class, the game interface displays a single stealth kill indicator, leading the player to believe there is a 24% oportunidad. Sin embargo, in this specific scenario, the true chance remains at a mere 1%, thus it is advisable not to rely on luck and attempt the action.

Melee Instant Kill

Upon scrutinizing the code, an intriguing observation arises regarding the Machete, a melee weapon. It possesses the capability to promptly eliminate an adversary, even without executing a stealthy maneuver. Extraordinariamente, the game employs the superior probability between the stealth chance and the instant kill chance. The latter is contingent on the Machete’s precise targeting of the opponent’s neck and is computed as 5 + máximo(0, (attacker’s Strength stat – target’s Health stat)/2).

para ilustrar, let us consider Igor, whose Strength attribute is 98, and he wields a Machete to strike a Goon whose Health stands at 28. En este escenario, the instant kill probability manifests as 5 + máximo(0, (98 – 28) / 2) = 5 + máximo(0, 70/2) = 5 + máximo(0, 35) = 5 + 35 = 40%. Como consecuencia, Igor possesses a 40% chance of executing an instantaneous elimination of the target.