Thorns

Thorns is a buff that causes the afflicted unit to deal retaliatory damage to any enemy that attacks it with a melee hit. Each time a melee attacker strikes a unit with Thorns, the attacker takes a fixed amount of damage in return. Thorns damage is applied automatically and does not consume the unit's turn or actions.

Thorns is strongest on tanks and front-line units that draw a lot of melee attacks, as each hit against them becomes a free damage source. The Broken Limb disorder grants passive Thorns, turning a mobility handicap into a defensive asset. Thorns pairs well with Taunting effects that force enemies to attack the thorned unit, and with Brace that reduces the incoming damage while the Thorns chip away at attackers. Thorns does not trigger on ranged attacks, so it is less effective against enemy compositions that primarily use ranged or spell-based damage.