# Skills & combat gigs (hybrid progression)

Vision-level design for how characters grow. **Combat** leans **gig-style** (swap roles for grouping clarity). **Non-combat** stays **classless skilling** (gathering, crafting, and similar loops). [Epic 2 — Classless progression](../decomposition/epics/epic_02_classless_progression.md) (E2.M1–M4) still describes the **skill/XP machinery**; a **combat job layer** may sit beside or above it in data—decomposition should be revisited when this split hardens.

## Why hybrid

- **Gig-style combat** gives parties a readable answer to “what are you on this run?” without forcing alts. It matches **contracts, loadouts, and corporate muscle** as fantasy.
- **RuneScape-style non-combat** keeps the **economy and crafting** surface wide: anyone can work the world’s jobs over time, and “street doc” can mean high medic craft + rep, not only a combat button pick.

## Combat gigs (roles)

**Gig** (job / role—final name TBD) is the **combat identity** you bring to a fight: ability access, baseline tuning band, and party expectations (tank, support, control, damage, etc.). Gigs are **swapped** under rules TBD—not necessarily mid-fight.

- **Swap constraints** (out of combat only, hub-only, cooldown, consumable, story gate) are a major feel knob: permissive = FF flexibility; strict = sharper commitment per outing.
- **Progression per gig:** separate level/track vs. shared “combat rank” with gig-specific unlocks—**open**; separate tracks support “I main tank but leveled medic for backup” at the cost of more balancing.
- **Mastery/perks** can attach to **gigs** (combat expression) while **non-combat skills** use the same *idea* for craft depth (E2.M3-style), or stay separate—**open**.

## Non-combat skills (classless)

Everything **outside combat role resolution**—gathering, refining, crafting lines, hacking that isn’t the combat gig, etc.—uses **classless skills**:

- **Any character can train any non-combat skill** over time (subject to world gates: discovery, rep, licenses—those expand content, they are not “you picked the wrong class”).
- **Identity** for “what you do in the economy” is the **non-combat skill graph + reputation + gear**, not the combat gig you wore last night.
- **Long-term:** avoid dead-end grinds; slow or expensive is fine, “wrong choice forever” is not.

### What counts as a non-combat skill

A **skill** here is a persistent, leveled capability improved primarily by **doing the activity** (chop, refine, assemble, etc.). Supplementary sources (books, training) stay optional. Skills stay **data-defined** (stable IDs, categories, prerequisites).

### Categories (families)

Categories group skills for **UI and balance** (e.g. *Gathering*, *Craft*, *Tech*, *Social*). They are **not** combat gigs and do not replace them.

### XP, failure, caps, pacing (non-combat)

Same principles as before, scoped to **non-combat** awards:

- **Server-authoritative** grants with structured sources (node, recipe, mission payout, …).
- **Failure XP** per activity where it helps fun and not exploits.
- **Runaway mitigation** via diminishing returns, context, soft caps.
- **Gates** (recipes, rep, licenses) should **add** paths, not fake classes.
- **Pacing/catch-up** (E2.M4) applies across non-combat skills; combat gigs may use the same engine or a parallel one—**open**.

## Seams (where the two halves meet)

These need crisp answers so players and designers do not argue from different assumptions:

| Topic | Question |
|--------|----------|
| **Gear** | Can any gig use any weapon, or do gigs restrict weapon classes? |
| **Crafted combat gear** | Gated by non-combat skill, by gig level, or both? |
| **Consumables** | Usually shared; gig might gate *deployment* (e.g. only medic gig applies this stim at full power). |
| **Rep / story** | Almost always **character-wide**; gigs change how you *express* it in combat. |
| **Alts** | Hybrid should reduce alt pressure; if gig swap is too free, maining “everything” becomes the new problem—tune swap cost or ramp. |

## Player-facing readability

- **Combat:** UI shows **active gig**, gig level/track, and combat abilities for that gig.
- **Non-combat:** skill list, XP sources, categories—as today.
- Avoid two different words meaning the same thing (“job” for both gig and trade skill) unless intentional in fiction.

## Decisions log

| Topic | Direction | Status |
|-------|-----------|--------|
| Combat vs. non-combat | **Gigs** for combat roles; **classless skills** for gather/craft/etc. | Proposed |
| Classless vs. professions (economy) | No separate profession system; economy identity from skills + rep | Agreed ([overview](overview.md)) |
| Primary non-combat XP | Do the activity | Proposed |
| Failure XP | Per-activity; watch exploits | Open |
| Non-combat caps | Prefer soft; hard only if economy/PvP needs | Proposed |
| Gig swap rules | — | Open |
| Shared vs. per-gig combat progression | — | Open |
| Epic 2 doc split | Align modules when gig data model is chosen | TBD |

## Next artifacts

- **Combat gigs** — deeper pass: roster size, swap UX, party finder tags, PvP implications ([overview](overview.md)).
- **Abilities** — which abilities are **gig-locked** vs. **item-locked** vs. **skill-gated** (non-combat).
- **Items** — requirements that reference gig level vs. craft skill.