chore: add game-design skills vision doc

docs/game-design/overview.md

@@ -10,13 +10,14 @@ Neon Sprawl’s design work here starts from **concrete visions** of progression
 
 | Document | Focus | Notes |
 |----------|--------|--------|
+| [skills.md](skills.md) | Classless skills, XP, caps, mastery, gates | First vision artifact |
 | *(add rows as files land)* | | |
 
 ### Planned topics (stubs)
 
 Link new files here when they exist; remove or rewrite this subsection once the table is populated.
 
-- **Skills** — the core classless progression: training, caps, synergies, failure modes, skill families in UI/content. *Professions* are optional only if they mean something skills do not (e.g. diegetic titles, faction job routing, starter focus)—otherwise fold “what you are” into the skill graph and reputation, not a separate system.
+- **Skills** — [skills.md](skills.md): classless progression, training, caps, mastery, gates. *Professions* stay folded into skill graph + reputation unless a future doc defines a non-skill meaning.
 - **Zones** — tone, danger, faction or economic role of a place.
 - **Travel & connections** — how places link (gates, costs, downtime, danger en route); complements zone identity.
 - **Mechanics** — loops, constraints, what the server vs. client must honor.

docs/game-design/skills.md

@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+# Skills (classless progression)
+
+Vision-level design for how characters grow without classes or chosen professions. Implementation hooks live in [Epic 2 — Classless progression](../decomposition/epics/epic_02_classless_progression.md) (E2.M1–M4).
+
+## Design pillar
+
+- **Any character can train any skill** over time. There is no character-creation lock that forbids a path.
+- **Identity is the skill graph**, plus reputation and gear—not a label picked at the start. Optional diegetic titles (NPC reactions, faction jobs) are flavor or routing, not a second progression system (see [overview](overview.md)).
+- **Long-term progression should avoid dead-end grinds**: a skill might be slow or costly, but not “mistaken” in the sense of irreversible failure to participate.
+
+## What counts as a skill
+
+A **skill** is a persistent, leveled capability that improves through **doing the thing** in the world (gathering, crafting steps, combat with a weapon class, etc.). Abstract “read a book → +XP” can exist later as a *supplement*, not the default fantasy—primary gains should be visible in play.
+
+Skills are **data-defined** (stable IDs, categories, prerequisites) so content and balance can evolve without redefining the pillar.
+
+## Categories (families)
+
+Categories group skills for **UI, tooling, and content** (e.g. *Combat*, *Gathering*, *Craft*, *Social*, *Movement*). They are not classes: they do not restrict what you can raise, only how players browse and how designers tag balance.
+
+**Open:** initial category list and whether some skills sit in multiple tags.
+
+## XP and leveling
+
+- **Server-authoritative** awards (who leveled is not client-decidable).
+- **Structured grants**: skill id, amount, source (gather node, recipe, hit/kill, quest payout, etc.) so telemetry and tuning stay honest.
+- **Curves are data-driven** per skill or policy; expect iteration on time-to-first meaningful level vs. long tail.
+
+### Failure and risk
+
+- **Default bias:** failed attempts can still teach—small XP on failure is acceptable where it reduces feel-bad and matches “practice” fantasy; **no XP** on failure is acceptable where exploits (spam fail) would dominate. Per-activity policy is fine.
+- **AFK / automation resistance:** XP sources should tie to validated actions, not passive timers, unless explicitly designed (rest, training dummies with caps, etc.).
+
+### Runaway mitigation
+
+- Watch for **one faucet** leveling a skill far ahead of others. Prefer **diminishing returns**, **context modifiers** (harder content pays more), or **soft caps** before hard caps—not a single global solution until live data exists.
+
+**Open:** whether global daily/weekly XP bands exist for launch, or only per-skill tuning.
+
+## Prerequisites and gates
+
+Some skills or tiers may require **UnlockRequirement**-style gates: discovered recipe, faction standing, mentor NPC, item consumed, etc. Gates should **expand the game**, not replicate classes (“only smiths get this” without diegetic reason).
+
+**Open:** ratio of “open from level 1” vs. “gated by world discovery.”
+
+## Caps
+
+- Prefer **soft caps** (slowing gains) over **hard caps** (cannot raise further) unless a hard cap protects PvP or economy integrity.
+- If a **maximum skill level** exists per skill, it should be understandable (“master tier”) and leave room for horizontal options (other skills, mastery, gear).
+
+**Open:** global character-wide cap on “total levels” vs. uncapped breadth with per-skill curves only.
+
+## Mastery and perks (build expression)
+
+Raw levels answer **breadth and baseline power**. **Mastery tracks** (later: E2.M3) answer **how** you specialize within a skill: branches, perk unlocks, optional tradeoffs. Perks should **differentiate** without **locking out** the rest of the skill tree for other players—other builds, other branches.
+
+**Open:** how respec works (cost, time, partial).
+
+## Pacing and live balance
+
+Long-term: **pacing policies** and **catch-up** rules (E2.M4) adjust velocity by cohort or season without invalidating skill IDs. Design should assume **tuning will move**; avoid promises like “always 40 hours to max” in player-facing text.
+
+## Player-facing readability
+
+- Clear **sources of XP** in feedback (what action moved the bar).
+- Skill sheet shows **level, next threshold, and category**; mastery UI can layer on when that system ships.
+
+## Decisions log
+
+| Topic | Direction | Status |
+|-------|-----------|--------|
+| Classless vs. professions | Skills + rep; no separate profession system | Agreed ([overview](overview.md)) |
+| Primary XP fantasy | Do the activity | Proposed |
+| Failure XP | Per-activity; watch exploits | Open |
+| Caps | Prefer soft; hard only if needed | Proposed |
+| Mastery | Perks for identity, not class locks | Aligned with E2.M3 |
+
+## Next artifacts
+
+When you draft them, link from [overview.md](overview.md): **Abilities** (skill gates, scaling), **Items** (requirements, crafted vs. dropped).