Salt & Steel: Movement and Controls

Document Type: Design Specification — Core Systems
Status: Canonical Draft
Last Updated: 2026-04-24
See Also: Combat System | Skill System | Naval Combat | Pillars: Dual-Layer Combat

Overview

Movement is the invisible design. Players talk about combat skills, ship cannons, and magical abilities — but what they are actually doing, every second of play, is moving. Good movement design is felt without being noticed. Bad movement design is noticed constantly without being understood.

Salt & Steel's movement design has one organizing principle: the captain should always feel in command. On foot, they move with purpose and weight — not Soulslike sluggishness, but physicality. At sea, steering the ship should feel like steering something real, something with momentum and personality. In the transitions between modes, the player should never feel like the game is pausing to change modes — they should feel like a captain moving through their world.

This document specifies every movement mode, the controls that drive it, and the transitions that connect them.

1. On-Foot Movement

1.1 Core Movement

Control Scheme: WASD direct movement (PoE 2 style). The character moves in the direction the key indicates relative to the camera. There is no click-to-move option. The camera is not locked to the character's facing — the player can look different directions than they move (hold right-click to rotate camera; release to snap back to default isometric angle, or toggle to free-camera mode in exploration).

Why WASD, Not Click-to-Move: Click-to-move creates a layer of abstraction between the player and the character. For a game where active defense timing matters, where dodge direction is meaningful, and where the player must control their position relative to multiple enemies simultaneously, direct WASD control is the only appropriate choice. Click-to-move is an artifact of the ARPG's Diablo lineage. Salt & Steel's combat demands better.

Movement Speed: Base movement speed = Basic Move stat × 1.3 meters/second (the ×1.3 scales GURPS's hex/second into satisfying ARPG pacing). A character with DX 12, HT 12 (Basic Speed 6.0, Basic Move 6) moves at approximately 7.8 m/s — fast enough to feel capable, slow enough to feel weighted.

Directional Response: The character turns and accelerates instantly — there is no acceleration curve on WASD input. However, directional changes have a subtle lean animation: the character's body angles into the turn, communicating physicality without creating the sluggishness of "committed direction." Players who are precise with their WASD input feel precision; players who make sudden inputs see the character respond immediately but fluidly.

1.2 Sprint

Activation: Hold Shift (default) while moving.
Cost: 1 FP per 3 seconds of sustained sprint.
Speed: Basic Move × 2.0 meters/second. A Basic Move 6 character sprints at roughly 12.0 m/s — meaningfully faster than base movement.
Duration: Unlimited while FP > 0; when FP drops to the 1/3 threshold, sprint is automatically disabled and requires a FP recovery window before it can resume.

Sprint Mechanics:

Sprint cannot be activated during an attack animation (prevents exploiting sprint momentum into attack hitboxes)
Sprint cancels automatically if the character takes a hit (the momentum breaks)
Sprint does not prevent attacks — a character who attacks while sprinting uses the "Rush Attack" maneuver (−4 attack, max effective skill 9; see Combat System)
Sprint can be directed diagonally (WASD diagonal inputs) for full speed gain

Sprint and Combat: Sprint is the primary gap-creation and gap-closing tool. A character fleeing from an overwhelming encounter, dashing between cover points, or closing the distance on a retreating enemy all use sprint. The FP cost ensures sprint cannot be maintained indefinitely — extended combat against multiple enemies will drain the sprint resource alongside the dodge resource.

1.3 Dodge Roll

Activation: Space bar (default), directional input modifies roll direction.
Cost: 1 FP per dodge roll.
I-frames: 0.3 seconds of invulnerability on a successful dodge roll (GURPS defense check passes).
No I-frames: A failed dodge roll (GURPS 3d6 > Dodge value) still triggers the roll animation but the character takes the hit — the roll was too slow, too short, or in the wrong direction.
Direction:

WASD held during Space: Roll in that direction
No WASD held: Roll backward (away from the camera center, i.e., away from the nearest threat in front)

Dodge Roll Distance:

Default: 2 meters in the chosen direction
With Acrobatics investment: 2.5 meters; roll animation is faster
With Basic Speed 7+: 2 meters but slightly faster recovery (reduced lockout after roll)

Dodge Direction Matters: Dodge rolls move the character physically. Against a sweeping attack, dodging perpendicular to the swing is more effective than dodging backward (which keeps you in the danger zone longer). Against an AoE explosion, dodging any direction works. Against a charge attack, dodging sideways avoids the charge lane while dodging backward stays in it. Players who think about dodge direction get more value from each roll.

Rate Limit: As per the Combat System's defense rate limit, consecutive dodge rolls accumulate defense penalty. The rate limit is mechanical (−1 to Dodge per additional roll in a 2-second window), not UI-locked. The player can always press Space — the question is whether the roll succeeds.

1.4 Climbing

Activation: Approach a climbable surface and press Interact (E default). The character automatically reaches for the climb start point.
Movement: WASD while climbing; vertical movement on W/S, horizontal on A/D if the surface allows.
FP Cost: 1 FP per 10 meters climbed.
Speed: ~60% of base movement speed in vertical climbing; 80% on rope or rigging (faster than bare cliff).

Climbable Surfaces:

Cliff faces with defined handholds (generated geometry; climbable surfaces are explicitly tagged)
Rope and rigging (ship masts, dock structures, fortress walls)
Ladders (fastest climbing speed; vertical only)
Damaged walls with exposed brick/stone
Anchor chains

Climb Checks: On particularly difficult climbs (wet rock, steep angles, damaged rigging under load), the system rolls 3d6 ≤ Climbing skill (DX-based). Failure causes the character to slip — they fall to a lower point (taking falling damage if significant height), not necessarily all the way to the bottom. A critical failure during climbing causes a full fall.

The Perfect Balance advantage (Sea Legs keystone) prevents all non-combat fall events from climbing — the character simply cannot slip on a climb attempt.

Climbing in Combat: A character can be attacked while climbing (they are immobile, effectively). Active defenses are at −2 while on a vertical surface. This creates risk/reward for gaining elevation: higher ground is worth +2 to attack rolls, but reaching it requires vulnerability.

1.5 Swimming

Activation: Move into water (automatic; no button).
FP Cost: 1 FP per 5 seconds while submerged; 1 FP per 10 seconds while swimming on the surface.
Speed:

Surface swimming: 40% of base movement speed
Underwater: 30% of base movement speed
With Swimming skill 14+: 50% surface, 40% underwater
With Walk the Deep spell active: 80% underwater (no penalty)

Breath: The character's breath capacity is HT × 3 seconds (base 30 seconds at HT 10). The HUD displays a breath indicator when submerged. At 0 breath, the character takes 1 HP per second and must surface within 6 seconds or fall unconscious.

Advantages:

Amphibious: Full movement speed in water; no FP drain while swimming (rare advantage, high cost)
Enhanced Swim: +50% swim speed; FP drain reduced to 1 per 15 seconds

Underwater Gameplay: Underwater areas use the full movement system with directional input mapped to 3D space — W is forward (relative to camera), S is backward, A/D strafe, Jump key dives deeper, Dodge key kicks upward. The camera shifts to a closer third-person follow view when fully submerged, with a gentle blue-green color correction.

Underwater Combat: All physical attacks at −4 (water resistance). Firearms cannot be used underwater (powder ignition fails). Bladed weapons work at −2 (less resistance than blunt). Magic operates normally. The primary underwater threats are environmental (pressure damage in deep zones, creatures) rather than enemy soldiers — underwater zones are exploration content, not combat arenas.

1.6 Grapple and Swing

Activation: Aim at a rope or structural grapple point; press Interact (E). The character grabs and swings or pulls themselves to the target point.
Distance: Character can grapple to points within 15 meters (extended to 20m with Grapple technique upgrade on Skill Atlas).
FP Cost: 0.5 FP per grapple action.

Swing: If the grapple point is overhead and forward, the character swings in an arc and can release at the optimal point to land further away or on an elevated surface. A well-timed release (at the apex of the swing) maximizes distance. Poor timing drops the character early.

Pull: If the grapple point is on a wall or surface, the character is rapidly pulled toward it — useful for closing distance to an enemy surface quickly or reaching elevated positions.

Combat Grappling (Boarding): During a boarding action, grapple points on the enemy ship's rigging allow the character to swing across the gap rather than walking the plank. A swing-boarding approach is faster but requires a Seamanship check (3d6 ≤ Seamanship) to land correctly. Failure = the character misses the landing point and falls into the water between ships (maritime hazard).

Grapple in Combat Movement: A character can grapple-swing through combat as a movement action (replacing their standard move) — this is the "chandelier swing" move from GURPS Swashbucklers. The character swings across a room, landing on an enemy's position and creating a knockback effect on landing (Acrobatics check + 1 FP for a clean landing-into-attack combo).

2. Ship Movement

2.1 The Helm

Control Interface: When at the ship's helm (character walks to the helm wheel and interacts), the camera view shifts to the Ship Helm View (see Section 5). Controls change to ship navigation inputs.

Steering:

A/D: Turn port (left) or starboard (right). Hold to continue turning; release to hold the current heading. The turn rate is the ship's Maneuverability stat (degrees per second).
No automatic centering: If the player releases A/D, the helm stays at the current position. The player must actively return to neutral (neither A nor D).

Speed Control:

W: Order more sail (increase speed toward maximum for current wind angle)
S: Order less sail (decrease speed; at 0 sail, the ship decelerates and eventually stops)
Shift + S: All Sail In (Emergency stop — see Naval Combat Section 5)
Shift + W: Full Sail Sprint (Emergency maximum speed — see Naval Combat Section 5)

Tacking and Jibing: When the player changes heading across the wind direction, the crew handles the sail adjustment automatically. However:

Tacking (turning bow through the wind): If the turn is too slow or into strong wind, the crew may fail to complete the tack — a Seamanship crew check (3d6 ≤ average crew Seamanship) is required. Failure results in "in irons" — the ship stops, facing directly into the wind, and the player must back the sails (S) to fall off on the desired tack.
Jibing (turning stern through the wind): Faster than tacking; no check required in calm seas. In storm conditions, an uncontrolled jibe can snap a boom or boom-equivalent component (catastrophic for small ships).

Why It Feels Real: The ship does not turn like a car. It responds to the wind. Turning into the wind slows you down. Turning away from the wind speeds you up. The player who learns to use turn direction as a speed control is a better sailor. The player who ignores it wastes their wind.

2.2 Sail Management Detail

The player does not manually trim sails. Sail trim is automated based on the ordered speed (W/S) and the ship's current heading relative to wind. The crew finds the best available trim for the current situation.

What the Player Controls:

Heading (A/D)
Speed order (W/S/Shift variants)
Cannon targeting and firing (broadside order)
Crew role assignments (through the Crew Management panel)
Emergency maneuvers (Shift variants)

What the Crew Handles:

Optimal sail trim for current heading
Tack execution (with Seamanship check)
Damage control (if assigned)
Cannon reloading (at their skill rate)

The division of labor keeps the player making strategic decisions without becoming a one-person sailing simulator. The player is the captain, not the crew.

2.3 Anchor and Dock

Anchor:

Order anchor deployment from the Crew panel (or dedicated key: F by default)
The ship decelerates to a stop over 10 seconds; anchor deploys; ship holds position
At anchor, the ship cannot move but can still rotate to bring guns to bear (current from the anchor point limits rotation to ±45° from current heading)
Raising anchor takes 30 seconds (crew action); the ship cannot move during this time

Docking:

Automatic when the ship approaches a friendly dock below 2 knots
The character transitions from helm to dock walkway (loading screen with ambient audio of dock sounds — no transition screen, just a camera fade to the port hub)
The ship's inventory is accessible from the dock
Crew can be managed, replaced, or upgraded from port facilities

Hostile Harbor: Entering a harbor with a hostile faction reputation (−3 or below) triggers challenge from harbor patrol. The player can attempt to navigate in anyway (combat likely), request parley (social check), or turn away. Turning away while under fire from harbor cannons requires sprint-equivalent full sail speed.

2.4 Wind Indicator

The wind direction is always displayed in the HUD during ship navigation — a compass rose overlay in the upper-left quadrant of the helm view showing:

Current wind direction (arrow pointing where wind is blowing from)
Current heading (ship's nose direction)
Optimal angles highlighted (green sectors on the compass showing 90°–150° from wind direction, where the ship sails fastest)
Danger angle (red sector within 30° of directly into the wind — slow and hazardous)

The wind indicator is not a minimap obstruction — it is a slim, semi-transparent overlay that experienced players can read at a glance without losing situational awareness.

3. Seamless Transitions

The dual-layer combat system requires transitions that do not feel like mode changes. The camera and controls must flow from one mode to the other as naturally as a captain moves through their world.

3.1 Ship to Boarding (Naval → On-Foot)

When It Triggers: The captain orders boarding when ships are within 30m and grappled.

Transition Sequence:

The grappling hooks pull the ships together. The helm view shows this closing.
As the ships lock, the captain character appears at the ship's railing (auto-positioned; the player was at the helm a moment ago, and now they are there — no jarring cut).
The camera begins pulling in from the wide naval helm view to the isometric on-foot view as the captain crosses.
By the time the captain's feet hit the enemy deck, the on-foot combat view is fully active.

Duration of Transition: 4–6 seconds from boarding order to first combat input.

No Loading: There is no loading screen. The enemy ship is always present in the same world space. The camera and control scheme simply shift.

Return Transition: When boarding combat ends (enemy crew defeated or the captain retreats to their ship), the captain crosses back. The camera widens again. The helm returns. Any damage taken during boarding is applied; crew casualties from the boarding action are counted. The naval situation may have changed — time passed, ships may have drifted, the enemy ship's state may differ.

3.2 Ship to Island/Port (Naval → On-Foot Exploration)

When It Triggers: The player chooses to go ashore (anchor near a coast and row a dinghy, or dock at a port).

Transition Sequence:

The captain orders anchor or approaches a dock at low speed.
If anchoring offshore: a dinghy is launched; the captain's character enters it. The helm view follows the dinghy to shore. As the character steps onto land, the view shifts to isometric.
If docking: Smooth camera fade from helm view to port hub starting position.

World Continuity: The ship remains at anchor in the world. If the player is away long enough for events to trigger (pirate patrol, faction fleet passing, storm), those events continue. When the player returns to the ship, the world state reflects what happened.

3.3 Ship to Underwater (Naval → Underwater)

When It Triggers: The player orders a dive (deploy Diving Bell module, or character jumps overboard from the ship's edge).

Transition Sequence:

Character jumps or is lowered from the ship.
The camera follows the character into the water. As submersion depth increases, the water-optics visual effect activates (color shift, refraction, muffled audio).
By 2 meters of depth, the full underwater movement mode is active.
The ship is visible from below — through the water's surface, the ship's hull is visible overhead, providing orientation.

Duration: The transition is instant and non-cutscene. The camera moves with the character continuously.

Return: The character swims up; exits the water at the ship's side (climb up the hull rope or anchor chain); back to on-deck isometric.

3.4 Port Arrival (Open Sea → Town Hub)

When It Triggers: The ship docks at any port hub.

Transition: The camera fades from the helm view to a brief port arrival cutscene (5–8 seconds, skippable): the ship coming into harbor, dockside activity, the captain stepping ashore. This is the only moment where a brief scene plays — port arrival is a meaningful moment of rest and resupply that earns its small ceremony. After the cutscene (or skip), the player is placed at the port hub entrance in full isometric on-foot control.

Port Hub: The port hub is a small explorable area with:

Dockside shops (weapons, ammunition, supplies)
Tavern (crew recruitment, information, Carousing skill use)
Shipwright (hull/sail/cannon upgrades)
Faction representative (reputation management, missions)
The ship itself at dock (inventory management, crew assignment)

The port hub uses the same on-foot control system as all land areas. It is an explorable space, not a menu.

4. Crew Orders and Battle Stations

The player directs crew behavior through the Crew Command Panel — a persistent UI element accessible at all times (Tab key default), showing all crew roles, current assignments, and individual crew status.

4.1 Battle Stations System

Battle Stations are pre-configured crew assignments that can be activated instantly with a single command. The player creates up to 4 Battle Stations configurations in port and switches between them during combat.

Example Battle Stations:

"Attack":

Gunnery: 60% of crew
Rigging: 20%
Damage Control: 10%
Combat (boarding standby): 10%

"Defense":

Gunnery: 30%
Rigging: 20%
Damage Control: 35%
Combat (repel boarders): 15%

"Boarding Assault":

Gunnery: 20% (maintain suppression)
Rigging: 15%
Damage Control: 5% (skeleton)
Combat: 60% (maximum boarding party)

"Retreat":

Gunnery: 10% (rear chasers only)
Rigging: 50% (maximum sail performance)
Damage Control: 30% (patch as we run)
Combat: 10%

Switching Battle Stations has a 1-round (6-second) lag as crew physically reposition.

4.2 Direct Crew Orders

Beyond Battle Stations, the player can issue immediate direct orders:

Fire Broadside (Port/Starboard): Fires all loaded cannons on the specified side. Can be issued from any view; the crew executes.
Emergency Repair: Double all Damage Control crew on a specific section. Reduces effectiveness in other areas.
Concentrate Fire: All gunnery crew focuses on a single enemy section (higher accuracy, slower reload per cannon as crew double-up).
Board: Initiate boarding (grapple + crossing) regardless of current Battle Station.
Abandon Ship: In the most extreme circumstances, order crew to abandon the ship (life-saving measure in a sinking scenario). The captain is the last to leave.

4.3 First Mate Commands

The First Mate crew member (named, with unique abilities) has a special command capability: they can independently execute one direct order per naval combat round that the captain did not give. This is the AI first mate taking initiative.

First Mate Initiative Triggers:

Detects incoming fire and orders Hard About (reduces incoming broadside hit chance)
Detects below-waterline flooding and reassigns crew to Damage Control
Detects enemy grapeshot range and moves crew away from exposed rails

The First Mate's initiative quality scales with their Leadership skill (3d6 ≤ Leadership to make the correct call; higher skill means they make correct calls more consistently). A First Mate with Leadership-14 is a genuine tactical asset. A green First Mate with Leadership-9 will sometimes make the wrong call at the wrong moment.

5. Camera System

5.1 Isometric View (Primary On-Foot)

Angle: Fixed 35° from horizontal (true isometric). Matches PoE's primary camera angle.
Follow: Camera follows the player character at a fixed distance. The character is always centered.
Rotation: Right-click drag to rotate the camera around the character (free rotation). Release to snap back to the default angle, or hold V to lock the rotated view.
Zoom: Scroll wheel adjusts zoom within limits (closer for tight spaces; further for open terrain).

Why Fixed Angle: The isometric view is the best angle for ARPG combat that requires awareness of multiple enemies simultaneously. It provides consistent sight lines, predictable depth perception, and a view that shows both the character and the enemies clearly. Allowing full 3D camera rotation in combat creates opportunity for camera-induced unfairness (enemies attacking from angles the camera obscures). The fixed-with-rotation-unlock approach gives exploration flexibility while keeping combat fair.

5.2 Ship Helm View (Naval Combat)

Angle: Pulled back significantly from the ship — the camera sits approximately 80 meters above and 40 meters behind the ship's stern. The full ship is visible.
Field of View: Wide — the camera shows the ship, the immediate surrounding sea, and the nearest enemy ship simultaneously.
Follow: Camera follows the player's ship at the fixed relative position. As the ship turns, the camera rotates with it, maintaining the behind-and-above perspective.
Zoom: Scroll wheel allows modest zoom adjustment (closer to see hull damage detail; wider to see more sea).

Mini-Map (Helm View): A tactical mini-map in the lower-right corner shows:

The player's ship position and heading
All known enemy ship positions and headings
Wind direction indicator
Sea features (reefs, shallows, islands within radar range)
The mini-map range scales with crow's nest investment

Why This Angle: The helm view must show enough sea to read wind angles and enemy positioning while keeping the player's ship visible for damage state awareness. The 80m/40m position achieves this. Ships look powerful from this angle — the view communicates the ship as a weapon system, not a vehicle.

5.3 Transition Camera

During boarding, landing, and dive transitions, the camera is actively directed (it moves with purpose):

Boarding: Camera pulls from wide-helm view toward the railing as the grapples land, then follows the captain across to the enemy deck at increasing proximity until settling into the isometric view as feet touch the deck.

Landing from Ship: Camera follows the dinghy from the ship's side toward shore, slowly transitioning from the wide helm view to the isometric on-foot view as the keel touches sand.

Diving: Camera drops into the water with the character, transitioning from the aerial deck perspective to the underwater third-person follow view in a continuous movement.

Design Goal: Every camera transition is continuous — no cuts, no loading screens within the transitions themselves. The player should feel like a camera operator following a character through their world, not like a menu system changing modes.

5.4 Special Camera Moments

First Arrival at a Major Location: The first time the player arrives at a story-significant location (a legendary port, a discovered ruin, the first glimpse of a Sea Serpent), the camera briefly takes an aesthetic establishing shot before returning to the standard view. These moments are authored — not random — and are designed to create a specific first impression of the location. They are skippable after 2 seconds.

Ship Sinking: When the player's ship sinks (catastrophic HP loss), the camera pulls wide to show the full sinking sequence before the respawn/recovery mechanics trigger. This is Salt & Steel's equivalent of a death screen — it communicates consequence and allows the player to absorb what happened.

Boarding Success: When the enemy crew is fully defeated during a boarding action and the enemy captain strikes their colors, the camera pulls to an overhead view of both ships locked together, then zooms in on the captain standing on the claimed enemy deck. Brief. Earned.

6. Controls Reference

6.1 On-Foot Controls

Input	Action
WASD	Move in direction
Shift + WASD	Sprint (costs FP)
Space	Dodge roll (directional input modifies direction; costs FP)
Left Mouse Button	Attack (context-sensitive to equipped weapon)
Right Mouse Button	Hold to rotate camera
E	Interact / Climb initiation / Grapple point
Q	Toggle Combat Stance (cycle: Normal → Committed → All-Out Attack → Defensive → All-Out Defense)
Right-Click (hold) + Left-Click	Aim / targeted attack (opens targeting mode for hit location)
1–6	Active ability slots (magical abilities, consumable quickslots)
Tab	Crew Command Panel
F	Map / Nautical Chart
Escape	Pause menu
Middle Mouse Scroll	Zoom
V	Lock camera rotation

6.2 Ship Helm Controls

Input	Action
A	Turn port (left)
D	Turn starboard (right)
W	Order more sail (increase speed)
S	Order less sail (decrease speed)
Shift + W	Full Sail Sprint (emergency speed)
Shift + S	All Sail In (emergency stop / rapid decelerate)
Left Mouse Button	Fire broadside (port if targeting left arc; starboard if targeting right)
E (near helm)	Take the helm / release the helm
Tab	Crew Command Panel
1–4	Battle Station presets
Q	Broadside targeting mode (cycle: Hull → Rigging → Crew → Waterline)
R	Fire Bow Chasers (forward cannons)
F	Drop Anchor / Raise Anchor
B	Order Boarding Action (if within range)
Escape	Release helm (return to on-deck on-foot control)

6.3 Underwater Controls

Input	Action
WASD	Forward/back/strafe (relative to camera facing)
Space	Kick upward (rise)
Ctrl	Dive deeper
Left Mouse Button	Attack (limited weapon options)
E	Interact with underwater objects
Scroll	Zoom (closer range underwater)

6.4 Controller Layout (Full Controller Support)

Salt & Steel is designed with controller support from launch.

Control	Action
Left Stick	Move / Helm steering
Right Stick	Camera rotation
A (Bottom face)	Dodge roll / Interact
B (Right face)	Active defense (context: dodge/parry/block based on equipped)
X (Left face)	Attack
Y (Top face)	Toggle combat stance
Right Trigger	Sprint / More sail
Left Trigger	Aim / Targeted attack mode
Right Bumper	Broadside port / Cycle ability right
Left Bumper	Broadside starboard / Cycle ability left
D-Pad Up/Down	Zoom
D-Pad Left/Right	Battle Station presets (helm) / Consumable cycle (foot)
Start	Crew Command Panel
Select	Pause / Map

7. Movement as Character Expression

Movement is not a neutral background system. It expresses who the character is.

The Sprint-to-Dodge Combo: A character with high Basic Speed (the product of DX + HT) can sprint between enemies and instantly dodge incoming attacks with minimal FP expenditure. High DX characters feel different from high ST characters — they move differently, defend differently, and their rhythm in combat feels distinct.

The Sea Legs Sway: A character with the Sea Legs keystone (Perfect Balance) moves across ship decks with zero sway animation. Other characters have a subtle pitch-and-roll in their walk cycle on moving ships. It is a small visual tell — you can see who has Sea Legs by how they move.

The Brawler's Advance: Characters with Brawling as their primary combat skill have a different movement style in combat — they always move forward, toward the enemy. The forward-pressure of a wrestling-focused character whose movement animations lean into close range communicates their fighting philosophy.

Magical Traditions and Movement:

Tide Magic users have a faint water-ripple effect around their feet when sprinting (the sea follows them)
Shadow Weaving users leave shorter, darker shadows and have slightly reduced footstep audio
Blood Binding users in Blood Surge have a heat distortion around their body that affects their movement silhouette
Star Readers in Favorable Wind have a faint starlight trail when they change direction

These are visual effects, not mechanical modifiers. But they make movement expressive — the character communicates what they are through how they move through the world.

8. Accessibility Options

8.1 Dodge Assistance

An optional dodge assistance mode that automatically triggers a dodge roll when the player's input is close to the optimal dodge timing window. This reduces the reaction-time demand without eliminating the FP cost or the directional decision. Players who want the full experience leave it off. Players who find the timing difficult get assist.

8.2 Steering Sensitivity

Ship helm steering sensitivity is adjustable on a 1–10 scale. Low sensitivity creates a more gradual turning response (easier for players who struggle with precise heading control). High sensitivity creates immediate response (preferred by experienced sailors). Default: 5.

8.3 Camera Inversion

Standard on both axes; independent horizontal/vertical inversion toggles.

8.4 Sprint Toggle

Hold Shift (default) or Toggle Shift (single press starts sprint; single press stops). Toggle sprint is preferable for players with hand fatigue concerns.

8.5 One-Hand Controller Mode

A simplified controller layout that consolidates common actions onto fewer inputs for players with single-hand play requirements.

See Also:
Combat System — How movement interacts with attack and defense
Skill System — Climbing, Swimming, and Acrobatics skills that enhance movement
Naval Combat — Ship movement and helm mechanics in detail
Pillars: Dual-Layer Combat — Design philosophy for the two-combat-system commitment
The Living Sea — Environmental factors that affect movement