Potion chains, trigger order and what counts as an activation
Each potion is drunk by its own trigger, once per battle. A potion that is drunk also fires the effect of the potion on its star square, without emptying it, and that chain stops after one step. When several items react to the same event, the item with the higher trigger priority goes first, and items with equal priority go in an order the game shuffles at the start of every battle.
What counts as an activation
Goobert, Goobling, Twine and similar items count the activations of the items under their stars. The game counts one activation each time an item fires its own effect:
- Every weapon attack, hit or miss. A weapon that lacks the stamina for its attack does not attack and does not activate.
- Falcon Blade activates twice per attack and pays stamina once; it also activates once more at the start of battle.
- Every block of a Shield, Moon Shield included. Moon Shield's Mana gain from Block is not an activation.
- A potion being drunk. Lightning in a Bottle is the exception: it is drunk on its timer without an activation.
- Cthulhu activates once per cooldown. The Food it triggers then runs its own effect, which is an activation of that Food, so a Goobling touching both counts two.
- A Goobert or Goobling activates when its count is full, so its activation counts for every other counter whose star reaches it.
Bags never count. An effect that only replays a potion, from the potion below it, Amulet of Alchemy, Heavy Drinking or Rainbow Potion, is not an activation either.
One item activates at most three times at the same instant. A fourth activation in that instant is dropped, so a burst of triggers cannot count without limit.
Which item reacts first
At the start of every battle the game shuffles your items, then sorts them by trigger priority. Every item reacts to an event in that order. Most items share the normal priority, so their order changes from battle to battle and cannot be set by placement. These items react to your health dropping, in this order:
| Item | Reacts when |
|---|---|
| Wolf Badge | Health drops below 50% |
| Leather Boots, Winged Boots | Health drops below 70% |
| Strong Health Potion | Health drops below 50% |
| Health Potion | Health drops below 50% |
| Mana Potion | Mana used or health drops below 50%, in shuffled order with other items |
Each potion checks your health again when its turn comes. If one hit takes you below half with a Strong Health Potion and a Health Potion on the board, the Strong Health Potion is drunk first and heals 24. When that heal lifts you back to half or more, the Health Potion stays full for a later hit. The same check keeps a Mana Potion full after a Health Potion heals you past half.
A chain goes one step
A potion's star is the square directly above the bottle on the board. Turning the bottle does not turn the star: it keeps pointing up. It only reaches another potion. When the lower potion is drunk, the potion on that square fires its effect at once. It is not emptied, it does not fire the potion above it, and it can still be drunk later by its own trigger. The effect also fires when the upper potion is already empty.
In this board the Health Potion sits under a Mana Potion in a Potion Belt. When your health drops below half, the Health Potion heals 12 and cleanses 4 Poison, and the Mana Potion above it gives 4 Mana and 18 maximum health on the same instant. Maximum health gained in battle also raises your current health, so the pair can lift you back over half. The Mana Potion is still full and is drunk the next time you spend Mana. The Goobling counts the Health Potion's drink as one activation and does not count the Mana Potion's free effect. Open this board to move items and read each star.
Move the Mana Potion into the Leather Bag and the Health Potion's star lands on an empty square, so the drink gives only its own heal. The Goobling now reaches both bottles and counts each drink. Open the changed board.
Effects that repeat a potion
These items fire a potion's effect again without drinking it. None of them is an activation of the potion.
- Amulet of Alchemy: when a potion under its stars is drunk, a 70% chance to repeat its effect after 2.5s.
- Heavy Drinking: every 10s, the effect of a random potion on your board, full or already drunk. It triggers 90% faster for each distinct potion under its stars.
- Rainbow Potion: after 20 buffs used, it is drunk and fires the effects of 2 distinct potions.
Boiling Pot heals 10, plus 3 per Food under its stars, every time a potion under its stars fires its effect, so it also heals on a chained effect and on each repeat. Potion Belt counts drinks only: the first potion drunk inside gives a random buff, and the fourth cleanses 10 debuffs.
Gooblings and Gooberts count each other
A Goobling heals 4 after 3 activations under its stars, and a Rainbow Goobert Omegaooze Primeslime fires after 9. Each Goobling activation counts for the Rainbow Goobert, and each Rainbow Goobert activation counts for every Goobling its stars reach. In this board each Wooden Sword attack counts for the two Gooblings beside it, each Goobling activates on its third count from swords and Goobert together, and the Goobling activations fill the Rainbow Goobert. The loop does not run by itself: three Rainbow Goobert activations return four counts to it through the Gooblings, fewer than the nine it needs, so the swords keep it going. Open this board.
Twine works the same way with a chance: each activation under its star has a 20% chance, raised by 20% for each Neutral item behind it, to give 2 maximum health and activate the Twine, which then counts for any Goobling or second Twine that reaches it.