# Advanced rules
## **Item Usage and Cooldowns** Items play a crucial role in combat, providing offensive, defensive, or support capabilities. However, once an item is used, it enters a cooldown period and cannot be reused until the cooldown expires. The cooldown status of each item, as well as the pilot's stamina and health points (HP), are visible to both pilots throughout the match, adding a layer of strategic planning. ## **Skills and Stats** Most actions or item use are tied to a specific [**skill**](#skills-and-stats), which affects its effectiveness. Pilots must manage their **Stamina** carefully as each action consumes some of it, while certain items or actions require more than others. Additionally, buffs and de-buffs can temporarily alter these stats, impacting the outcome of the actions. ## Basic Actions Pilots must choose when to rely on [*Basic Actions*](/getting-started/your-first-battles.md#basic-actions) (Attack, Shield, Charm, Recover or Run) or when to use their limited [items](/cosmic-rules/items.md), balancing immediate needs against long-term strategy in their quest for victory. ## **Items and Consumables** ### **Weapons and Defenses** Weapons and defensive systems have specific interactions, with certain defenses being more or less effective against different types of attacks.
{% hint style="info" %} **Example**\ \&#xNAN;*Armor* is highly effective against lasers, reducing damage by 90%, while *Afterburner* is less effective, reducing laser damage by only 10%. The effectiveness of each defense against each weapon type varies, adding depth to the tactical decisions. {% endhint %} ### **Consumables (Food, Drugs, Amulets)** These items can be either green (benefiting the player) or red (affecting the opponent). * **Food:** Affects the player's stats (stamina, HP, intelligence) up to their maximum values. Edible food will heal the user while Rotten food will damage the opponent. * **Drugs:** Provide temporary stat boosts that can exceed maximum values but have side effects that reduce the boosted stat after a set number of turns. The effects are temporary, and side effects ensure that no stat drops below 1. Stimulants will boost the user's Stats, while Sedatives will damage the opponent Stats temporarily. * **Amulets:** Amulets can modify actions by providing buffs or de-buffs to subsequent attacks or defenses, their effects laying dormant until the right conditions arise. ## **Strategic Elements** ### **Predictive Play** The core element of battles is strategic interplay between attack and defense. Pilots must anticipate their opponent's actions, choosing when to strike, defend, or use a consumable for maximum effect. **For example:** attacking when the opponent's defenses are on cooldown or weak can lead to significant damage, while defending at the right moment can mitigate an opponent's powerful attack. ### **Visibility and Information** Both players can see each other's equipped [**items**](/cosmic-rules/items.md), their current cooldowns, and their battle stats - including Stamina, Intelligence and HP. This encourages players to think ahead and try to predict their opponent's next move, creating a dynamic battle experience. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://guide.degens.space/cosmic-rules/combat-advanced.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.