What are the skulls underneat my character portraits in the main game screen?

[FroBodine]

My characters have little white skulls underneath their character portraits in the upper left of the main gameplay window. There is a little orange box around the first skull.

What does this mean, please? I'm guessing it is number of kills each character has, but I don't know how it relates to anything.

Also - what is the orange box around the first skull? Does this represent anything?

[Exequiel]

Those skulls are a representation of the kills you need in order to have your skills ready to use. Some skills need 2, some need 3. The one in the left is the major mutation, the one in the right is the minor one. If the meter for either is full, you'll have the hex or square behind the skulls colored in orange and all skulls colored in white, meaning your powers are ready to be used.

[Ayar]

Your character has 3 kinds of abilities they can employ in the near-term. One is represented by a square (~medium ability), a hexagon (~powerful ability), and a circle (passive ability).

The skulls show you how many more kills the team needs to be involved in (i.e. need to be involved in some "tacticl action" to get enough oomph to use your abilities) before you can use the ability again.

The passive ability is always on. No need for adrenaline or combat or whatever.

The square and hexagon require 2 or 3 kills before you can use them again. Filled white skull is a kill. Not a kill by you, but by your team. Sympathetic discharge powered.

The reason there is an orange square around one of your skulls is that (a) it is the "medium" ability and (b) you have 1 kill--need 1 or 2 more most likely.

Note: your character is only ready to use 1 passive, 1 "medium", and 1 strong ability at a time. You choose which ones they are ready to employ via the inventory screen.

Note: team kils, not personal kills. Just need that sympathetic discharge to get your characters charged up. Hype-powered! hah.

[FroBodine]

Interesting. Thank you! That wasn't expained at all in the game. Or, maybe I just haven't gotten far enough yet for the game to explain it. I just got to Fallen Angel, and my dudes only have the first mutation, from the top level selections. So, I only have one mutation per dude so far.

[vindicator]

Actually you get help screen with skulls explanation after first power use but who read nowadays anyway.

[FroBodine]

Oh, I read all the time! I wish the tutorial explained more! I just haven't used my powers yet, so that explains that.