Fight a Battle
Combat in PoetryMonsters is turn-based. Each turn you pick one of four ability categories, then choose a specific action. The AI resolves both players' actions simultaneously and narrates the outcome. This tutorial walks through a single battle from start to finish.
Find or start a battle
Open Active Combats from the main menu to resume an ongoing fight, or jump to Fight Setup to begin a new one. Pick one of your monsters, choose an AI opponent, and the server drops you straight into combat.
Read the battle screen
The battlefield is a 5×5 grid. Your monster starts on the west side, your opponent on the east. HP bars sit above each fighter; the narration panel below shows what happened on the previous turn, including any status effects that were applied.
Status effects — short-lived flinches and burns, long-lived wounds and growths — appear as small tags next to the HP bar. Tap one to read its full description.
Pick an ability category
When it is your turn to choose, four tabs appear: Attack, Defense, Move, and Utility. Pick the category that matches the move you want to make this turn.
Each of your monster's twelve abilities falls into one of these categories, so every tab has something for you. If your monster is stunned or otherwise incapacitated, you will see only a single forced action instead.
Choose your action
Inside the category, the AI offers one action per ability, written specifically for the current state of the fight. Hover or tap an action to see a short description of what your monster would attempt; tap Confirm to lock it in.
Watch the turn resolve
Once both fighters have locked in, the turn resolves simultaneously. The narration panel tells the story: who moved, who hit, who dodged, what effects were applied, and how much HP each monster lost. Damage numbers typically range from 0 to 40 per turn.
New effects appear as tags next to the HP bars. Short effects last a few turns; wounds and growths stick until a monster spends a turn resolving them.
Win (or lose) the battle
A battle ends when one monster's HP drops to zero. The winner is announced, both monsters return to full HP for next time, and any wounds or growths carry over. Use the narration history to replay any moment of the fight.
Troubleshooting
Why can't I pick an action this turn?
Your monster is incapacitated by an effect — stunned, confused, or pinned in place. Incapacitated monsters are given a single forced action instead of a normal menu; confirm it to continue.
The page seems stuck — nothing updates.
Battles use a WebSocket connection. A flaky network can drop the socket mid-turn. Refresh the page — the server will send you the latest state and you can resume. No progress is lost.
My monster lost a limb — what happens?
That's a wound effect: a long-term stat change. Wounds typically reduce a stat, which weakens the abilities that lean on it. Resolving a wound usually requires a dedicated action in a later turn (for example, a utility action to heal or stabilize).
Can I play multiple battles at once?
Yes — each battle is independent. The Active Combats list shows every ongoing fight; switch between them freely.
Challenge a Player
Generate an invite, share it with a friend, and start a head-to-head match.