Tall bamboo, upon which the tree frog likes to hang onto.
Pools of water.
Flat ground.
Wooden grates near some of the bamboo that lets air in that will push the tree frog off it if a switch (found on flat ground) is pushed.
Some platforms with ladders which let you reach bamboo. Some also let you dive into pools easily depending on their proximity.
Tree Frog Movement
The tree frog gets exactly one action, which can be a movement or an attack.
Bamboos are connected to each other with some kind of procgen system. The frog likes to hop between them if you get too close.
If you're not close, the frog will hop between bamboos and shoot a sticky mass down at you, which restricts your movement. This doesn't work if you're in water.
If you're in water, the frog will also jump down into the water and swim with its hind legs while attacking you with its foreclaws.
If it's in water and you're not, the frog will dive down and then leap out onto the flat surface. It'll prefer surfaces where you aren't. This will take two tree frog actions, with the tree frog being inaccessible when it's dived down, but it does effectively give you 4 actions.
If the frog is on a flat surface, it'll jump onto the nearest bamboo.
Tree frog attacks
As mentioned, if it's on a bamboo and you're not close, it'll jump between bamboos, shooting a sticky substance at you. This doesn't work if you're in water.
Its main attack is hitting you with its spiked tongue, which can reach vast distances at top speed. If it's on flat land and you're on a platform it can't reach you, and similarly if it's in water and you're not, it can't reach you.
If it's in the water, it'll lunge at you with its claws outstretched. This is particularly damaging.
If it's on a bamboo and you're close (on a platform), it'll swipe at you with its claws, however it's only one set of claws so it's a weak attack. In this environment it's much more likely to switch bamboos.
Player movement
You get two action slots -- you can move twice, move and attack, attack and move or attack twice. When the enemy is attacking, you can do environmental movements if they allow for action at instant speed, otherwise you can dodge or attack, which have different splays of potentially working.
You can move between flat surfaces pretty easily.
On a flat surface, you can dive into water, however not at instant speed.
On a platform near water, you can dive into water at instant speed.
In water, you can clamber out however it takes both action slots. You can also do it as the second action, in which case you can't do anything during the enemy attack.
Climbing a ladder takes two actions.
Descending a platform is free.
If you have the Pawgloves and are anywhere but in water, you can dodge any attack at instant speed. This gives a huge advantage.
If you're near it (or with the Nut Slingshot or Web Grapple at range), you can trigger the Airswitch -- if a vent is near the bamboo the tree frog is on, it'll get blown off onto flat ground and its turn will be skipped.
Similarly, the Spikeswitch will line a random pool with spikes, damaging anything that enters it and dealing a lot of damage to a dived frog. Luring the frog to a certain pool is therefore a good strategy.
The Caneswitch will randomly change all the bamboo locations. However it can only be accessed at range or if a platform is close to it.
The Stagecrank will randomly change the locations of platforms, however this takes two action slots.
Switches and Cranks can appear on any accesible subarea, except the Stagecrank won't appear on a platform.
Player attacks
You can swing your sword at the frog. This does half damage in water.
You can swing your sword at a bamboo. This has a 50% chance of cutting it, which will make the frog instantly jump to something else at random. Cut bamboo will regenerate after a few turns.
If you've already swung your sword, you can combo it with a stab, which will do 1.5x damage.
You can hit the frog with the pommel of your sword. This has a 50% chance of working and will keep it from getting its next turn.
If you're both in water, you can boot the frog. This will deal it standard damage, however there's a 50% chance you'll get a single claw worth of damage in the process.
If you're on a platform and it's on flat ground nearby, you can leap onto it. This will move you down to that level and also deal 2x normal damage.
If you're on a platform and it's in nearby water, your leap will deal 3x damage, however it'll instantly dive.
Shooting the Web Grapple at the frog while it's on a bamboo will keep it from moving for a turn (though it can still attack). If you cut the bamboo it's on, it'll fall and get dealt 2x standard damage. Either way this kinda breaks this whole fight provided you figure out the mechanic.
Player dodges
Slashing at the sticky substance has a 50% chance of making it only use up one action slot rather than two. Dodging is ineffectual unless you have the Pawgloves. You can still dive into water at instant speed. If you're in water, you can duck down at instant speed and the sticky substance will be ineffectual. If you're near a platform you can duck under it at instant speed, however getting out from under it will take an action.
With the tongue attack, water will stop it effectively. Dodging only has a 25% chance of working. Slashing it only has a 25% chance of working, however this will keep the frog from being able to attack you with its tongue for several turns and will also do 1/2 standard damage.
The single claw can be dodged with 50% accuracy. Slashing it is 25% effective but will deal standard damage. You can also roll, which is 100% effective, however you then have to spend an action getting back up.
With the underwater lunge, dodging has a 25% chance of working, however if it works the frog will be confused and won't get its next action. Parrying it is 50% effective.
The Pawgloves allow you to dodge any attack with 100% accuracy, unless you're in water in which case it's completely ineffectual.
Three 3-spoke "wheels" that have 3 floors each. This is where most of your movement (and the owl's) is going to happen.
In the center of each wheel is a very thin platform which supports a single torch lit by an ever-burning coal. This is too hot to climb on.
A pool of oil down at the bottom, which has a pipe that cycles it back out into a thin flow over each of the wheels along the outside.
A central platform in the middle of all three spokes, containing a gigantic owl's nest made of sticks. The surface (and resources) here allow you to get a running start and vault back onto one of the wheels.
One spoke of each wheel (on both floors) will always have oil dripping onto it.
Player movement
If you're on a spoke, you can jump up to the next spoke above you and hang onto it.
You can switch to hanging mode on a spoke. If it's covered in oil, you have a 50% chance of dropping down a level. You can do this at instant speed.
If you're hanging onto a spoke because of this (or for any other reason), you can use an action to climb on top of it.
You can swing onto the next spoke around the wheel or (if you're in the center) to another wheel. This will make you go down a level, unless the branch is covered in oil, in which case you have a 50% chance of going down into hanging mode on that spoke.
If you're hanging, you can drop down. This decreases a spoke level, however at the bottom level you instead land in the oil pool without taking damage. If the spoke below you is covered in oil, you have a 50% chance of going down into hanging mode instead. You can do this at instant speed.
On the nest platform, you can pick up a stick.
On the nest platform, you can vault to the second level of a wheel.
Sticks can be covered in oil.
Sticks that are covered in oil can be lit by the central torch of a wheel, provided you're on the top level.
Sticks (in any condition) can be thrown to any platform. They'll land on it in whatever condition they were in. If a stick is on fire and the platform (or something on it) is covered in oil, it'll get set on fire. This will damage the owl if it's there, or damage it a lot if it's covered in oil. Sticks that are on fire will also make any sticks covered in oil on that platform be set on fire.
You can drop into the oil pool. This will deal you damage according to your spoke level. You can however do this at instant speed and dodge any attack this way.
In the oil pool you can swim into the pipe and drop down wherever the oil lands. This does however consume two full actions.
If you have the Wwebboots, you can go up a full level or go to another spoke at the same level.
The Wwebboots also prevent you from taking damage via any fall whatsoever into the oil pool.
Owl Movement
The owl can move from a spoke to another spoke along the wheel. When it does so, the wheel turns. This preserves its upside-down orientation if that is in place.
It can move from a spoke to the air. When it does so, the wheel turns.
It will always do one of these when it shares a spoke with you. Additionally, it will always do one of these if it senses that you're right below it and it's hanging upside-down.
In the air, it can dive into the oil pool and come back up all in one movement.
In the air, it can move to a spoke.
On a spoke, it can swap between perching on the top of it and hanging below it.
It can also do a flip and hang on the spoke above it. Hanging is its preferred position here or the above when it's on your level, as it has better attacks.
At any state, it can flap its wings hard. This will do several things depending on the owl's state -- if it's on fire, it'll put the fire out. If it's covered in oil, it'll sling oil on all of the spokes in that direction, and remove the oil from the owl. By itself, it'll put out fires if there are any, or remove oil if there are none.
If the owl is on fire, it'll flap its wings hard to put the fire out.
Player attacks
This battle is a bit different because there's no space to attack the owl, and it has too much speed for you to be able to attack it while you're in the oil pool. It's therefore more a tactical game with the sticks/oil/fire and also attacking it as part of dodging maneuvers (which are more lenient around offensive stuff).
The one exception is after successfully dodging the owl, you can attack by slashing at it with your sword. This is a rare time when you're both sharing the same spoke.
If the owl is hanging upside down and you're right below it, you can jump thrust into it.
If the owl is on a spoke and you have the suction bolas and you're close, you can throw them at it and clamp its wings together. This will prevent it from flapping its wings hard, which means that if it's on fire it continues to take fire damage until it dies.
Owl Attacks
If the owl is close enough to you, it can leap to your spoke with its claws outstretched.
If it's in the air, it can swoop towards you with its claws outstretched. This is similar to the above, however if you fail to dodge it, it'll pick you up and change your state to something pretty bad.
If it's hanging below a spoke it can shake its feathers at you -- these are projectiles that are quite hard to dodge.
The owl won't attack you if you're in its nest.
Owl dodging
Any time you successfully dodge the owl (hard to pull off), you have an opening to slash at it with your sword.
With leaps, if you're on a spoke you can sidestep it, but only with a 25% chance. You can also slash at it, which has a 50% chance of dealing 1/2 damage, and a 100% chance that you'll be hanging from the spoke afterwards.
If you're hanging from a spoke and it leaps at you, you can swing at it in passing. This has a 50% chance of dealing full damage and a 50% chance that you'll drop down a level. If you deal damage and/or you don't drop down a level, you won't take damage.
When it's swooping and you're on a spoke, you can sidestep. This has a 50% chance of preventing the attack.
When it's swooping and you're on a spoke, you can slash at it as it comes at you. This has a 50% chance of dealing 1/2 damage and a 50% chance of making you switch to hanging from the spoke. If you successfully hang from the spoke, you won't take damage and also won't get picked up.
When it's swooping and you're on a spoke, you can leap + thrust towards it. This has a 50% chance of dealing 2x damage, however it also has a 100% chance that you'll fall into the oil pool and take damage according to your level.
When it's swooping and you're on a spoke, you can alternately leap towards it without thrusting. This again has a 50% chance of working, making you hang onto the owl. If you fail, you fall into the oil pool and take damage according to your level.
If you're hanging below a spoke and it swoops at you, you can attempt to parry its claws -- there's only a 25% chance of this working, but if successful it'll deal no damage and not pick you up.
When feathers get shook at you, if you're hanging and drop down at instant speed, there's a 25% chance they miss. If you switch to hanging from standing at instant speed there's a 75% chance they miss.
Picked up by the owl
If the owl picks you up, it will deal you 2x squeeze damage every time it gets a turn (though not the first turn). This can't be dodged.
You can slash at the owl, which will deal it 1/2 damage. This is I guess a good way to deal it a lot of damage though it probably isn't recommended.
You can try to free yourself from the claws. This has a 50% chance of being successful but only consumes one action and switches your mode to hanging onto the owl. If you're covered in oil this has a 75% chance of being successful.
You can squirm out of the claws -- this takes 2 full actions and then drops you into the oil pool, where you take damage according to your level.
Hanging onto the owl
You can get here from a successful leap or a successful claw-freeing.
You can swing onto a spoke at your current level.
You can slash at the owl and deal full damage.
You can let go and fall into the oil pool, which deals you damage according to your level.
You can attempt to swing onto its back. This has a 25% chance of working. You won't have the option if either of you are covered in oil.
On the owl's turn, it can attempt to recapture you. You can try to avoid this but there's only a 25% chance of it working, unless you're covered in oil in which case it jumps up to 50%. If it successfully recaptures you, it deals immediate 2x squeeze damage.
On the owl's back
You can leap onto any spoke whatsoever.
You can stab the owl for 2x damage.
On the owl's turn it shakes you loose with a 100% success rate. You then fall into the oil pool and take damage according to your level.
This battle is pretty simple by these standards, however the gimmick is that it's real-time and moves from room to room. As such it should probably happen on a separate engine that probably won't be exported.
Basic Engine
You fight the Root Monster many many times -- each time you unlock a new pathway in the root structure for whatever reason you fight it another time.
The Root Monster will appear wherever the new place you fought him is, however if you don't defeat him within 60 seconds he'll reappear somewhere else you've fought him before. This process continues every 60 seconds.
Thus the fight gets progressively harder as you fight him more times, as he has multiple places he can go to.
