"Ice whip. Frozen enemies can be used as platforms."
Effect
This will decrease Nathan's STR by 29% and lessen the whip's range, but in return, his attack speed is noticeably increased. The whip deals Ice damage while this combo is in effect. Once a monster takes a hit that would otherwise kill it, it becomes frozen, and it can be stood upon as a platform if desired. Otherwise, Nathan simply needs to hit the monster one more time to kill it. This affliction is not permanent, however, and the monster will break after a few seconds. 2 MP per use.
"Stone Whip. Enemies turned to stone can be used as platforms."
Effect
Increases Nathan's STR by 10% and deals Stone damage, but slightly slows his attack speed. Once a monster takes a hit that would otherwise kill it, it becomes petrified, and it can be stood upon as a platform if desired. Otherwise, Nathan simply needs to hit the monster one more time to kill it. Whatever the situation calls for, however, it must be done quickly; if Nathan is not quick enough, the monster will break free of its affliction. 6 MP per use.
Decreases Nathan's STR by 11% and deals Poison damage. The whip is swung upward, and the ensuing clouds of poison deal minor damage for a few seconds. 6 MP per use.
"Electric whip. Will electrocute while attack is held."
Effect
When the whip is held out, it deals constant Electricity damage instead of being spun. The damage dealt from keeping the whip out weakens the longer it is held out, however. 10 MP per use. In addition, the Hunter's Whip is slightly faster and has a slightly longer reach.
"Darkness whip to attack and envelop enemies in darkness."
Effect
Increases Nathan's STR by 41% and deals Darkness damage. Clouds of darkness will continue to deal damage a few seconds after being struck. Nathan's whip is somewhat slower (but not as slow as the Earth Whip). 40 MP per use.
Turns Nathan to living stone, making him immune to status effects but greatly reducing his mobility. Contrary to the description, however, Nathan does not receive reduced damage. 8 MP per second.
"You will be sent flying when damaged, but take 1/2 damage."
Effect
Every attack sends Nathan flying, but all damage taken is reduced by half. As an overwhelming number of attacks in the game already send Nathan flying anyways, this combination is perhaps the easiest way to double his Defense. 4 MP per second.
A circular shield surrounds Nathan and protects him from every side (albeit to a limited extent from below), dealing Holy damage to anything it comes in contact with. 8 MP per second.
"A black hole barrier will surround you, but HP is drained."
Effect
A black hole will protect Nathan from every side, dealing Darkness damage to anything it comes in contact with, but he takes 1% damage every second. Actually gives him the Poison status (it goes away as soon as the card combo is deactivated, but will simply return immediately upon returning to gameplay if cured with an Antidote). 8 MP per second.
All of the Mars effects change the Hunter Whip into a different element-infused weapon. Note that while any of the following card combinations are in effect, Nathan may not brandish his whip if the attack button is held down.
Increases Nathan's STR by 12% and deals Plant damage. The attack itself flings petals, which deal 20% of the damage that the strike would have done, at the benefit of slightly increasing range. The sword's arc can attack overhead. 10 MP per use.
"Attack with a massive hammer. Causes earthquakes."
Effect
Swung overhead, it causes minor damage to any enemy on the ground where you strike. The hammerhead can deal direct damage equivalent to the whip during any part of the swing, though the distance required is extremely precise; hitting an enemy with the shaft of the hammer does nothing. Rather slow attack speed. 4 MP per use.
"Attack with tonfers. Can turn some enemies into stone."
Effect
Increases Nathan's STR by 22% and deals Stone damage. Swung straight forward, with a hitbox similar to the whip but a slightly faster attack speed. Can petrify enemies. 12 MP per use.
Decreases Nathan's STR by 11% and deals Poison damage. Strikes twice, but slightly lacking in terms of range. 8 MP per use (both strikes count as a single use).
"Sword Draw. Holding attack longer will inflict more damage."
Effect
Statwise, it increases Nathan's STR by 41%. However, the longer the button is held, the more damage it deals (and the further its range extends). After roughly three seconds, it is fully charged and deals roughly 2 times Nathan's whip damage. 16 MP per use.
"Martial Arts. Hold attack to perform combinations."
Effect
Consists of two jabs, a punch from the other hand, then a kick. The two initial punches deal half Nathan's normal whip damage, the offhand punch deals normal, then the kick deals twice the normal whip damage. Extremely fast attack speed (though there is some cooldown between combos,) but lacking in range. 16 MP per use (each part of the combo counts as a separate use).
Increases Nathan's STR by 73%, and deals Holy damage. An extremely long sword that strikes straight ahead with no arc and a very fast attack speed. The sword is positioned behind Nathan during the attack's start-up time, doing damage to enemies in the way just as if they were hit by the main attack. 32 MP per use.
Increases Nathan's STR by 100%. Nathan draws a pistol and fires straight ahead. The opening and ending delay are very significant, however. 32 MP per use.
Each swing of the whip produces a fireball that travels at Nathan's dash speed. It has 400 base power and is not affected by any of Nathan's stats. 32 MP per use.
Each swing of the whip produces three slivers of ice. It has short range, but can freeze enemies. The center one has 550 base power and the others 500. They are not affected by any of Nathan's stats. 64 MP per use.
"3 plumes of petals are released with each attack."
Effect
Throws three roses with each swing of the whip. They travel in a cone shape. The center one has 660 base power and the others 600. They are not affected by any of Nathan's stats. 96 MP per use.
"When the whip is swung upward, there is a poison shower."
Effect
The whip is swung upwards, producing a ball of poison. It dissipates on contact with a surface or enemy, causing damage for a few seconds after. 16 MP per use.
When the whip is swung, it throws a wave of energy that moves in a straight line, passing through everything in its way, and deals extreme damage. It has 700 base power and is not affected by any of Nathan's stats. 128 MP per use.
"Electricity fills the air when the whip is spun."
Effect
When the whip is spun, it deals more damage than a usual whip spin. The whip is charged with electricity. 12 MP per use (beginning to spin the whip is considered a use, but continuing to spin the whip does not drain further MP).
"A comet is dropped on the enemy. [↓ ←(→) ↑ + Attack]"
Effect
Drops three comets from the sky. If they strike an enemy, they disperse into several pieces that deal reduced damage. Nathan is invincible for a moment while the attack is activating. 60 MP per use.
Throws a ball of static that binds itself to an enemy and causes damage constantly until it vanishes, which happens a few seconds later. 80 MP per use.
"An arrow of light is hurled down. [↓ ←(→) ↑ + Attack]"
Effect
Eight spears fall from the sky consecutively, starting from the left and moving across. Nathan is invincible for a moment while the attack is activating. 80 MP per use.
All of Neptune's abilities involve taking a specific kind of elemental damage. It will restore health, but drain MP. For the description to appear in the DSS menu, you must be struck with the corresponding elemental damage. If you run out of MP, the spell's effect ends.
Fire attacks, such as the Skeleton Bomber's explosions, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. In general, attacks that make Nathan glow red and appear to be on fire while they knock him back have the Fire element. 3 MP per second.
Ice attacks, such as the Ice Armor's javelins, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. In general, attacks that can freeze Nathan, or that make him take on an ice-blue coloration while being knocked back, have the Ice element. 3 MP per second.
Plant attacks, such as the tendrils of the Alraune, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. Plant attacks lack a clear visual cue to identify them. 3 MP per second.
Earth attacks, such as the touch of the Golem enemy, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. Earth attacks lack a clear visual cue to identify them. 3 MP per second.
Stone attacks, such as the projectiles of the Evil Pillar, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. In general, attacks that can petrify Nathan, or in which Nathan takes on a stone-grey hue while being knocked back, have the Stone element. 3 MP per second.
"Poison attacks heal character while reducing MP."
Effect
Poison attacks, such as the powder of the Giant Moth, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. In general, attacks that can poison Nathan, or that make Nathan take on a purple coloration while being knocked back, have the Poison element. 3 MP per second.
Wind attacks, such as the blades of the Wind Demon, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. The Wind element lacks a clear visual cue to identify it. 3 MP per second.
"Electric attacks heal character while reducing MP."
Effect
Electricity attacks, such as the bolts of the Lightning Skeleton, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. In general, attacks that make Nathan glow bright blue (as though electrified) as they knock him back have the Electric element. 3 MP per second.
Holy attacks, like the beams of the White Armor, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. The Holy element lacks a clear visual cue to identify it. 3 MP per second.
Dark attacks, like the rings of the Nightmare, heal Nathan while reducing his MP. This particular element is very common. In general, attacks that can curse Nathan, or that make him take on a greenish hue while knocking him back, have the Darkness element (though, there are a few exceptions to this rule). 3 MP per second.
"A ghost familiar appears. Will head toward enemies."
Effect
Summons a ghost that follows enemies around. It causes minor damage very quickly, but requires MP per hit, causing very quick MP drain. 4 MP per attack.
"A ghast familiar appears and will attack enemies."
Effect
Summons a sentient cloud of gas. While it does not attack on its own, it will cause damage to anything that passes through it, excluding Nathan. 8 MP per attack.
"An imp familiar that has power up attacks when attack is held."
Effect
Summons an imp that charges its attack while the attack button is held. When it is released, the imp unleashes a huge blast of energy. By jumping before attacking, Nathan can cause it to charge without having to sit still. 4 MP per shot.
Uranus combinations call the avatars of the elements themselves, usually causing damage to all enemies onscreen then disappearing. They are summoned by pressing ↓ ←(→) ↑ + [Attack]. Nathan is invincible during the summoning.
"Item Crush attack is unleashed. [↓ ←(→) ↑ + Attack]"
Effect
By using the ↓ ←(→) ↑ + [Attack] combination, Nathan unleashes his current sub-weapon's Item Crush, a special attack. Each costs 4 MP and a number of hearts.
Transforms Nathan into a skeleton. Any damage he takes is instant death and his attack is only 45% of his original STR, but he has 12.5% chance of throwing a large bone that deals amazing damage (as strong as 3,000 STR). By equipping an accessory earned from a hidden enemy (the Skeleton Medalist), he can instead transform into a bear. 5 MP per second.
Trivia
The STR bonus or penalty from the DSS system will not affect Nathan's sub-weapon damage.
Due to its activation process, changing DSS before complete activation will allow Nathan to use the new combination without disabling its effect. Therefore, Nathan will be able to use all DSS combinations once he get one Action Card and one Attribute Card.
Since DSS cannot be deactivated during summoning, changing the combination into the one with STR bonus such as "Mars + Black Dog" can be used to increase the power of the summon. Using this method will deactivate the DSS once the summoning is finished.
