HP Multiball

The +HP drop targets are responsible for helping you heal HP. But there is a bit of a "secret" feature that you can activate for more HP healing called the "HP Multiball".

To trigger HP multiball, you must soft-lock 3 balls via the left orbit.

Lighting a lock

Every completion of the +HP drop targets progresses you one step closer towards lighting a lock. Additionally, when the drop targets stay down for 10 seconds, each hit of the leaf switch will progress you another step closer to lighting a lock.

If you have not started an HP multiball yet, you need 2 progressions to light a lock. After each HP multiball, this requirement increases by 3 up to a maximum of 20.

Locking a ball 

Once you satisfied the number of completions of +HP drop targets / leaf switches, the left orbit lock light will flash red. Shoot the orbit to soft-lock a ball in the VUK. This can be done at any time so long as no other feature is occupying the left orbit lock (e.g. VIKING, CHASER). Once you soft-lock 3 balls, HP multiball begins, except under these conditions:

• ESCAPE multiball
  HP multiball is deferred either to one of the ESCAPE mini-wizards or to normal game play. HP multiball would make ESCAPE multiball harder to complete.
• SNIPER 2-ball
  HP multiball is deferred either to the SNIPER multiball or to normal game play. HP multiball would interfere with the 2-ball mechanic for SNIPER.
• FINAL BOSS / JUDGMENT
  Once you begin the FINAL BOSS, for the remainder of the game, you cannot progress or start HP multiball, and you cannot lock balls. This would make the FINAL BOSS battle too easy. And it would interfere with its mechanics. Additionally, once you achieve a Victory wizard from the JUDGMENT, the game is essentially finished. And the HP stat is useless.

HP Multiball Game Play

When you start HP Multiball, a ball shield equal to AC * 2 seconds is started (or added to existing shield time). There are exceptions / special rules to this:

• TRAIN sessions
  The remaining mode time is also added to the ball shield, and the mode clock is dropped; the training session continues for the duration of HP Multiball.
• During an infinite (green) ball shield
  Triggering HP Multiball will instead add 20 seconds to the active feature's mode time.
• During a rainbow ball shield
  No time is added anywhere in this case (because we do not need to ).

Additionally, if there are not at least 3 balls in play, the table will (usually) launch balls until 3 are in play. There are some special behaviors depending on what mode was active when you lock the 3rd ball:

• CASTLE mini-boss battles
  One ball is added regardless of the number of balls in play.
• BLACKSMITH boss battle mini-wizard
  No balls added, and HP Multiball simply runs for the remainder of the battle. There are specific rules in this battle as to how many balls need to be in play.
• POTION MOTION
  Potion Motion is intended to be a single ball feature. Therefore, no additional balls will be launched. But 20 seconds will be added to the mode time.

During HP Multiball, every completion of the +HP drop targets will award the following:

• 1,000,000 points
• The HP jackpot (starts at 3 HP and increases by 1 HP after every HP multiball)

Additionally, hitting the leaf switch behind the drop targets within 10 seconds of completing the drop targets will reduce your drain damage by 1 (the minimum drain damage is 5) and award another 1,000,000 points.

Bonuses in Normal Game Play 

Since stacking an HP multiball on top of another feature makes collecting HP jackpots easier, I added an additional mechanic to balance things out a little if you start HP multiball during normal game play. 

If you start HP multiball during normal game play, then the shots can also award an HP jackpot:

• At the start, one random shot is flashing red for an HP jackpot (and 1,000,000 points). And one random shot is flashing white to reduce your drain damage by 1 (and 1,000,000 points).
• Getting an HP jackpot at the +HP drop targets lights another shot red for another HP jackpot.
• Hitting the leaf switch to reduce your drain damage lights another shot white to reduce your drain damage again (and 1,000,000 points).
• Shots turn off once collected.

Stacking

HP Multiball will be stacked on top of any ongoing feature when started. However, it must be started after the other features; if you start HP multiball in normal game play, it locks out being able to progress other features until HP Multiball ends. Be strategic here; if you want HP multiball on top of another feature, start that feature first before locking your third ball for HP Multiball. To help with this, anything else that utilizes the left orbit lock will take priority over locking a ball for HP Multiball. That way, you can start those features first before starting HP Multiball.

While HP Multiball can be started on almost all features, it cannot be progressed nor started on FINAL BOSS nor any of the JUDGMENT victory wizards.