So, in the Python modding suite for Starcraft / Brood War, there is a damage setting labeled "Chronal (Hydra)"

Yet the actual hydralisk attack deals explosive damage and not whatever this is.

Now I know about the three basic damage types:

https://tl.net/forum/brood-war/52153-brood-war-unit-damage-class-types

* Concussive (deals full to small less to large)
* Explosive (deals full to large less to small)
* Normal (deals full damage, subject to armor)
https://liquipedia.net/starcraft/Damage
As well as size unaffected damage types such as ignore armor, independent or ability

But nowhere is this "Chronal" damage described.

Has anyone tested it, or has info?

Google doesn't get anything.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Jan 27 2026, 12:42 am by NimoStar.

Where is that listed under? Or can you show a screenshot of it? I've never seen this label before.

I feel like it could be some custom labels from a mod or something in that vein.

Its not a custom anything,

its coded in PYDAT and can be chosen by default

See here the screenshot:



This is just downloaded from the official repository, I think anyone can check

It took me a few minutes to find it. We're looking at the "PyMS Cosmonarchy" version of the tool, not the original one. This is something specific to the Cosmonarchy mod, and doesn't exist in unmodded StarCraft.

I see. Thanks for answering. I did use a pronogo link for this, so that might be the thing

Perhaps it beckons trying to download a cleaner version. So asking was the right move

Though such is very strange; I didn't find much different other than that (and that my modded game doesn't save, isn't that a common issue? )

Have been testing this, "Chronal" damage does work in regular unmodded game. it just appears as a black space in the regular python editor, it's not described, but it can be selected AFAIK

As for damage values, have no idea. But seems to be pretty damaging (?)

Unlike the other damage types, it's as if it had a positive multiplier. With Explosive, I was only dealing 36 damage to a building; with Chronal, I was dealing (over?) 100

I'm not sure, but I would suspect that 'Chronal' damage uses the unused 'Independent' damage type. I'm not sure all the rules for independent damage, but I do know it can be customized to make an entirely new damage type. There's also an unused independent armor type that can be customized as well.

Edit: just saw the screenshot you posted, looks like Independent is listed there as well as Chronal, so I guess that's not it.

Its not it. I think that Chronal/"unlabeled damage type" (in the non-Veeq PYMS version) deals extra damage with specific conditions, and less in others

I have tried it in my Marine Gauss Rifle (that normally deals 5 normal damage in my mod), just changing the damage mode...

The Chronal Marine Gauss Rifle:

* Deals around 24 damage to large targets and buildings {with 1 armor, so I would guess it's (5x5)-1=25-1=24 }
* Deals 1 damage to medium targets
* Instantly kills small ground units such as Marines, SCVs and Firebats (so I guess the multiplier against small is much larger since they have more than 24/25 health)
** Even 175 health Ghost hero got killed as soon as unshielded, and a 200 health Jim Raynor (still Small unit size, this matters as this deals more damage to Small)
* Against a shielded unit: It deals the normal 5 damage vs the shields and the multiplied damage otherwise

So yeah, there is a real unresearched damage type (which Cosmonarchy probably overwrote/renamed as Chronal, but which existed before in another form), and it exists in vanilla Starcraft Brood War (although probably never used?)

The multiplier against Large units is just x5, but against Small is higher than x40 (and seems to have multiple hits since the decrease isn't frame-instant)...

Anyhow, the algorithm of how this works seems pretty complicated, different from other damage types (several different cases: Shielded vs unshielded, and small vs large)

In conclusion, this is how "chronal" works by default:

• Shield damage = unmultiplied (in this case this means generally lower, except for Medium)
  
  
• Large target = x5 multiplier (before armor)
  
  
• Medium target = 1 damage per attack only
  
  
• Small target = HUGE multiplier, over x40

Post has been edited 7 time(s), last time on Feb 13 2026, 5:10 am by NimoStar.

It's not a real damage type. You are getting bogus damage multipliers from out-of-bounds array access (similar to EUDs).

With this damage type index, you are using data for the "Play" replay button as damage multipliers. The button's function addresses (0x4DEAC0 and 0x4DF2C0) gives you the very large multipliers against "independent" and "small" targets, 0 against "medium" targets, and string index 1542 gives the x6.02 multiplier against "large" targets. Normally with the real damage types, they have 128, 192, and 256 as multiplier values for 50%, 75%, and 100% respectively, with 256 being 1 point of health/damage.

Well, that's a better discovery if that's true!

In any weapon in weapons.dat, for the damage type of the weapon, you can put in any number and will apparently not crash, treating it as a working damage type

Then the damage array will make it coincide with a part of the .exe data ;

given the variety, you will have thousands of possible damage types to suit your needs

(even this one for example can be used for a low-damage weapon that only kills small and independents)