neon-sprawl/docs/game-design/abilities.md

Abilities (player actions)

Vision for what the player triggers in play: combat kits, non-combat skill interactions, and item-carried actions—and how those map to gigs, SkillDef, and Seams. This is not a full ability list or data schema; it steers combat design, UX, and implementation boundaries.

Framing: progression.md (gig vs skill). Combat roles: gigs.md. Gear, craft, consumables: skills.md Seams (anchor). Item buckets & acquisition: items.md. Gather → craft economy spine: gathering.md, crafting.md. Combat pillar pointers: overview.md — Combat pillars.

Vocabulary

Term	Means
Combat ability	An action resolved in the combat loop (damage, heal, control, buff, movement trick, etc.) that is authorized by the player’s gig kit—not by a non-combat SkillDef line. Unlocks and tuning track gig level (and sub-gig rules below).
Skill interaction	A non-combat action gated by skills and content: gather, craft, hack a door, use a bench, run a skill-based encounter slice. Uses world / economy systems; not the same contract as tab-target combat abilities unless we deliberately unify UX later (open).
Item channel	An effect delivered through an item: use a consumable, trigger a weapon or gear special, combat-deploy a Rigging drone, etc. Whether it counts as a “combat ability” for the engine is data-defined per item and gig match—see Seams and Consumables in skills.md.

Gig abilities (combat kit)

• Source of truth: the player’s main gig defines the primary combat kit: which abilities exist, their unlock rungs on that gig’s level track, and baseline party readability (tank, heal, control, damage, etc.—gigs.md).
• Sub-gig: adds a limited set of cross-gig abilities at effective sub level (capped vs main—gigs.md Main gig + sub-gig). Sub supports expression; it does not earn gig XP while equipped as sub.
• Progression: gig XP and gig level unlock kit rows; SkillDef XP does not replace gig unlocks for combat buttons (progression.md, Epic 2 — Skills and Progression Framework Slice 3).
• Input / UX: client hotbar and targeting feed combat cast intent into the authoritative combat rules (E1.M4 — AbilityInputScaffold → E5.M1 — CombatRulesEngine).

Skill interactions (non-combat)

• No combat SkillDef: raising Salvage or Intrusion does not by itself add buttons to the combat hotbar; it opens non-combat loops and gates (skills.md).
• Exception carve-out (design space): Tech that looks like “hacking in a fight” may be implemented as gig kit (netrunner gig) or as skill-gated world/object interactions around combat—split is documented in skills.md Tech / gig kit notes; avoid silent double-stacking the same fantasy (open until kits are authored).
• Mission / instance design: same run can mix skill objectives and gig combat (brainstorm/hack-bodyguard-missions.md).

Item-linked actions and Seams

• Combat gear (weapons, armor, Rigging combat deployables) can enable, modify, or channel abilities according to gig allow lists—craft stays skill/recipe; field use stays gig-gated where skills.md Seams say so.
• Consumables: baseline use is not gig-gated; passive amps may scale with main or sub gig match; active consumable abilities—open per item (skills.md Consumables row).
• Cybernetics: not gig-gated for having chrome; whether an implant adds a combat button is content—must still respect server authority and gig readability (open catalog).

Readability (PvE baseline)

• Party scan: players should infer role from gig + visible ability bar / cast patterns, not from hidden skill grinds.
• Telegraphs and tab-target: combat abilities favor clear enemy-facing signals and readable timing—detail lives in future combat pillars (overview.md stub) and Epic 5 — PvE combat.

Decisions log

Topic	Direction	Status
Combat ability ownership	Gig kit + item channels per data; not unlocked by SkillDef XP	Agreed
Sub-gig combat abilities	Limited kit at effective sub level; no sub gig XP from combat	Agreed (gigs.md)
Non-combat actions	SkillDef / world gates; separate from combat hotbar by default	Agreed
Consumable actives	Per-item rules; passive gig amp from main or sub where designed	Agreed direction (skills.md)
Same fantasy, two systems (e.g. netrun)	Gig vs skill split explicit in content; avoid duplicate open	Open

Open questions

• Combat pillars doc: TTK bands, interrupt rules, friendly-fire posture—stub in overview.md.
• Ability count per gig, resource types (energy, ammo, heat), and ground-target vs single-target mix for isometric presentation.
• Pets / summons / persistent deployables as ability carriers vs pure item deploy—Rigging + gig kit intersection.

Where to read next

Topic	Document
Gig roster, hub swap, XP	gigs.md
Item categories, craft vs loot	items.md
Gathering (skill XP, nodes—not gig)	gathering.md
Crafting (bench skill vs gig combat use)	crafting.md
Economy (trade, sinks—gig does not gate craft)	economy.md
Death / loss (combat death, gear stakes)	death-loss-recovery.md
Risk tiers & PvP eligibility	risk-security-bands.md
Zones (where fights live)	zones.md
Seams (gear, craft, consumables)	skills.md
Hybrid vocabulary	progression.md
Encounter rewards + combat hooks	Epic 5, Epic 7
Input → combat	E1.M4, E5.M1