Scanning beam

Three questions for the mechanic

• Can the player read the complete rule?

  Reveal the pivot, sweep direction, start angle, and movement speed before activation so the player can plan where to cross.

• Is the intended response reachable?

  Players can move ahead of the sweep, cross through a permitted gap, use cover, or rotate around the pivot at a safer radius.

• Does recovery create a useful outcome?

  The sweep pauses at its final angle and powers down before the pivot resets, avoiding an invisible damaging snap back to the start.

Design mistakes

• Changing sweep speed mid-attack without a cue invalidates the timing learned from the beam’s earlier movement

  Changing sweep speed mid-attack without a cue invalidates the timing learned from the beam’s earlier movement.

• The cue and active geometry disagree

  If the visible scanning beam cue promises a different area or timing, the player cannot carry the learned rule into the next cycle.

Tune the attack

• Tune the complete rule

  Tune angular speed, beam width, pivot position, sweep range, and arena obstructions; test inner and outer routes separately.

• Escalate one variable at a time

  Reverse after a pause, move the pivot, or pair two scanners with offset timing while maintaining visible paths.

• Prove the recovery

  The sweep pauses at its final angle and powers down before the pivot resets, avoiding an invisible damaging snap back to the start.

Arena

• What the mechanic communicates

  A sustained beam sweeps across space from one side to another, turning a line hazard into a timed crossing or pacing challenge. The encounter uses that rule as a short promise: a visible signal, a committed action, and a result the player can verify.

Player upgrades

• Adapt it to the player verbs

  Players can move ahead of the sweep, cross through a permitted gap, use cover, or rotate around the pivot at a safer radius. Tune angular speed, beam width, pivot position, sweep range, and arena obstructions; test inner and outer routes separately.

Do not confuse this with

• Keep the mechanic distinct

  Changing sweep speed mid-attack without a cue invalidates the timing learned from the beam’s earlier movement. Do not hide that distinction behind extra effects or tracking that the announced rule does not contain.