Delayed activation

Three questions for the mechanic

• Does the warning define the real footprint?

  Show the complete disc, not a tiny rune at its center. Lock the location at placement and keep the warning harmless until the stated ignition beat.

• Can a walking player clear the radius in time?

  Measure from the starting point through the full disc radius plus the player's body radius. Tavi's ordinary walk reaches clear ground before activation; the countdown must cover that route.

• Is the dangerous interval unmistakable?

  Switch from outline to solid glow precisely at activation, maintain a constant hitbox while lit, and visibly extinguish it before signaling recovery.

Design mistakes

• Damage begins with the warning

  If the outline already hurts, the promised delay is false. Keep the preview non-damaging and test the precise activation frame.

• The marked area follows the player

  Moving the disc after placement steals the announced route. Lock the coordinate, and introduce tracking as a separate, clearly signaled rule.

Tune the attack

• Separate three clocks

  Placement ends at 1.6 s, ignition begins at 2.9 s, and danger expires at 4.0 s in this diagram. Expose these times independently instead of stretching every phase with one speed multiplier.

• Reserve full-body clearance

  An 82-unit hazard radius with a 24-unit player body needs a center distance greater than 106 units. The illustrated target is 135 units from the rune's center.

• Keep the center stable

  The eight satellite marks and shrinking ring stay centered on one planted rune. They communicate remaining time without changing the actual collision radius.

• Escalate by changing one promise

  Later phases may shorten the countdown or alter the active lifetime, but announce the new cadence before relying on it. Adding multiple sites creates a different spatial problem.

Arena

• Make the rune a clock

  Kern presses a stone seal into the arena. Its eight glyphs brighten while the outer ring contracts, so the delayed detonation reads as a rule of the world rather than an invisible timer.

Player upgrades

• Keep the baseline response

  The demonstration needs only ordinary walking. A dash can add a faster answer, but it must not be the sole way to leave the announced circle before ignition.

Do not confuse this with

• Separate timing from other area rules

  A timed rune activates after a fixed interval regardless of player proximity. A mine waits for a trigger; a marked-area strike is a brief impact; a lingering hazard emphasizes duration after an initial hit. Here the main question is whether the player can use the visible delay to leave a committed area.