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✨ Health — Post Effects

This folder contains post-damage visual and feedback rules.

Post Effects are rule components that: - implement IPostDamageRule - run after damage has been fully resolved - react only to finalized results (DamageContext.FinalApplied)

They are purely reactive and never influence gameplay outcomes.

📦 What Post Effects Are (and Aren’t)

Post Effects are - Visual or feedback reactions to successful damage - Safe to layer with other POST rules (reflect, lifesteal, analytics) - Triggered only when damage actually applies

Post Effects are not - Gameplay modifiers - Damage mutators - Death handlers - Core Effects (see Effects folder)

If damage didn’t land, Post Effects do nothing.

🔄 Execution Context

Post Effects are invoked by DamageRuleHub:

PRE Damage Rules
→ Shields
→ HealthSystem.ApplyDamage
→ POST Damage Rules (including Post Effects)

Guarantees: - ctx.FinalApplied is known and stable - Health, shields, and death state are already resolved - Authority checks have already passed

💥 Components

DamageVFXPostRule

Spawns a visual effect when damage is successfully applied.

Fields

  • vfxPrefab — prefab to instantiate
  • worldOffset — world-space offset from the victim
  • vfxLifetime — optional auto-destroy time
  • scaleWithDamage — enable scaling by damage amount
  • scalePerPoint — scale added per damage point
  • maxScale — upper clamp for scaling
  • minInterval — spam guard between spawns

Behaviour

  • Runs only when:
  • component is active & enabled
  • ctx.FinalApplied > 0
  • vfxPrefab is assigned
  • spam guard allows execution
  • Instantiates the VFX at: 
    transform.position + worldOffset
  • Optionally scales the instance based on FinalApplied
  • Optionally destroys the instance after vfxLifetime

Typical Uses

  • Hit sparks
  • Blood puffs
  • Elemental impact effects
  • Stylised damage pulses

🧠 Design Notes

  • Post Effects must never mutate DamageContext
  • They should be treated as fire-and-forget
  • Ordering between Post Effects is rarely critical (Unity component order applies if needed)
  • For death-centric behaviour (camera shake, time slow, destroy), prefer HealthDeathEffectHandler

❌ What Post Effects Should Not Do

  • Do not modify damage or health
  • Do not assume authority or networking
  • Do not trigger gameplay logic
  • Do not replace Handlers or Effects

Post Effects exist purely to react visually.

🔗 See Also