History VideoGame / TheAgeOfDecadence

* TheCon: A well-spoken character has a number of opportunities to cheat people out of their money. The grifter background outright specializes in it.
** The loremaster start is one. Feng seems to indicate that this isn't uncommon for loremasters, although he's not the most honest source of information to begin with.
* ConcussionFrags: Averted with blackpowder bombs, as there are both regular bombs and a distinct schrapnel-filled variety.

* CutsceneIncompetence: There are a couple of points, such as when trying to kill your way through Antidas' house or fight through Gaelius' guards alone, where you'll be killed in combat regardless of your stats. In the latter case, you get an ending screen where this happens [[ThatBattleDidntCount right after you win the actual fight]].

* InadequateInheritor: Gaelius' nephew, Serenas, is his only heir. Unlike his uncle, Serenas is spoiled and very incompetant, having spent his time with prostitutes.

* NintendoHard: Loading screens for the game often say that “You will die. Save often.” They really do mean it.

* SelfImposedChallenge: You can go through the whole game without being on the combat screen even once. You can still kill a surprising number of people with sneak attacks or by turning anchient traps against them.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and the many others that are also spiritual successors to it (such as ''VideoGame/{{Arcanum}}'' and ''VideoGame/TheFallLastDaysOfGaia''). It's also quite similar to ''VideoGame/{{Darklands}}'' in several aspects, being based on a low-magic pseudo-historical setting with a brutal difficulty curve.
* ShoutOut: The achievements "300" and "Game of Thrones" can be acquired following the Imperial Guard and the Merchant Guild questlines. The achievement for getting an artificial eye is called "[[VideoGame/DeusEx My vision is augmented]]".

** DropTheHammer: Each hit has an additional chance to wear down armor and shields.
** Archer: Can attack from range, but not up close. Downsides include ammo issues (this game does not use MoneyForNothing), low skill characters will often miss, low armor penetration (or if using pierceing arrows, low damage). Like all ranged weapons, shield users have a bonus to their block rate against ranged attacks.

* BonusBoss: The "inn fight" in the combat demo.

** BladeOnAStick: Can push back enemies that try to advance, has "reach". (Un)suprisingly effective when combined with crippling legs and backing away from foes. Can impale foes.

** AnAxeToGrind: High damage for high AP. Also can access the whirlwind attack.

* WeaponOfChoice: Unusually for almost any video game, each performs widely different in combat in practice (even if how they do so is hard to describe). Also unusually is none of the weapons are "second tier" weapons for non-primary-combat characters, they are all roughly equal.

** ILoveNuclearPower: a few endings revolve around [[spoiler: a literal nuclear bomb. You can end up using it to wreck what little is left of the civilized world.]]

** KnifeNut: Has low AP cost and accurate, will bypass armor often, and can "flurry" to get in even more attacks.

* ViolenceReallyIsTheAnswer: Generally averted, unless the question to be answered was "How to get killed as soon as possible?" In the tutorial alone, some [=NPCs=] will wipe the floor with you in a fair fight, even if you pour all starting points into combat-related skills.

* ShoutOut: The achievements "300" and "Game of Thrones" can be acquired following the Imperial Guard and the Merchant Guild questlines.

* MultipleChoicePast: the eight backgrounds on offer. They don’t have any effect on your character’s main stats, but they do affect their standing with the game’s seven factions, as well as the dialogue options available for them. It is also possible to remain an unknown stranger with no background, and no associated strengths or weaknesses; however, the Drifter does still have its own opening that draws the character into the plot.

* EarnYourBadEnding: in order to get the worst ending you have to [[spoiler: kill all 3 lords, destroy Maadoran, and awaken Agatoth.]]

* {{Cthulhumanoid}}: [[spoiler:Agathoth's appearance in the body he inhabits is a blue variant, albeit with less tentacles on the face and mostly on the back of his head, giving it the appearance of dreadlocks.]]

* {{Gamebook}}: A lot of quests play out like this, with plenty of skill checks.

* TheMainCharactersDoEverything: Averted, as the things player can do depend on their skills and reputation alone, and so for every door that opens before the player, another is closed. I.e. playing non-violently increases your reputation with factions like the Commercium, but also means that the Assassins’ Guild will not even talk to you.

* ShadowDictator: [[spoiler:Once freed, this becomes Agathoth's objective, giving you the honor of picking one of the three lords, Dux Paullus, or Miltiades to kneel to him. The ending shows that the chosen ruler becomes very successful, with rumors that there is someone behind the scenes, which only stay at that.]]

** DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: several endings are reached by punching out [[spoiler: Agathoth.]] The game hints several times that such a feat is only possible due to very special circumstances and character's extreme martial prowess.

** [[spoiler: The gods, known as Tngri in Ordu and as Yazatas in the language of the Magi, are actually [[EldritchAbomination void-dwelling beings]] who were called into the world to possess the bodies of human volunteers. The volunteers had been warded so that they would control the beings in their bodies, but the wards were sabotaged and the volunteers were [[DemonicPossession possessed]] instead, and four of the gods allied with the Qantari and declared war on the Empire; the other three opposed these and sided with the Empire and the Magi. A god is not omnipotent, but is a match for a human army in battle. As of the time of the game, all of the gods are either slain, banished back to the Void or imprisoned somewhere, but several endgames revolve around their return.]]

* ShadowDictator: [[spoiler:Once freed, this becomes Agathoth's objective, giving you the honor of picking one of the three lords to kneel to him. The ending shows that the chosen lord becomes very successful, with rumors that there is someone behind the scenes, which only stay at that.]]

* ChooseYourOwnAdventure: A lot of quests play out like this, with plenty of skill checks.