Target lock

Three questions for the mechanic

• Can the player read the complete rule?

  Use a persistent marker and a clear lock moment that distinguishes tracking before commitment from the fixed target after commitment.

• Is the intended response reachable?

  The marked player moves the attack away, shares or transfers responsibility if supported, or waits for commitment before leaving the area.

• Does recovery create a useful outcome?

  The marker is consumed at the committed location and cannot follow the player after lock; a short reset separates that resolution from the next selection.

Design mistakes

• Continuing to retarget after the lock cue teaches players that the marker has no dependable meaning

  Continuing to retarget after the lock cue teaches players that the marker has no dependable meaning.

• The cue and active geometry disagree

  If the visible target lock 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 selection range, tracking duration, lock delay, attack delay, and multiplayer priority rules so responsibility remains legible.

• Escalate one variable at a time

  Lock several targets, attach different outcomes to markers, or shorten the placement window while keeping commitment explicit.

• Prove the recovery

  The marker is consumed at the committed location and cannot follow the player after lock; a short reset separates that resolution from the next selection.

Arena

• What the mechanic communicates

  The boss selects a player or position, communicates that selection, and commits a later attack to it, creating a window for deliberate placement. 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

  The marked player moves the attack away, shares or transfers responsibility if supported, or waits for commitment before leaving the area. Tune selection range, tracking duration, lock delay, attack delay, and multiplayer priority rules so responsibility remains legible.

Do not confuse this with

• Keep the mechanic distinct

  Continuing to retarget after the lock cue teaches players that the marker has no dependable meaning. Do not hide that distinction behind extra effects or tracking that the announced rule does not contain.