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

# Skills (non-combat progression)

Design for **non-combat skills** only. **Shared vocabulary**, **why we use gigs + skills**, and the **hybrid overview** are in **[progression.md](progression.md)**. **Combat gigs** (roster, hub swap, sub-gig, etc.) are **[gigs.md](gigs.md)**.

**This file also owns the [Seams (gigs ↔ skills)](#seams-gigs-skills)** section—rules where **gigs** and **skills** meet (gear, crafting, consumables, rep, alts). **Brainstorm-only** ideas: [`brainstorm/`](brainstorm/README.md).

## Classless skills

Everything **outside combat role resolution** trains on **skills**. That includes gathering, refining, crafting, non-combat tech work, and other **world interactions** we choose to track as progression.

### Pillars

- **Any character can train any skill** over time (subject to **world gates**: discovery, rep, licenses—those **add** content, they are not “you picked the wrong class”).
- **Economy identity** is the **skill graph + reputation + gear**, not which **gig** you had equipped last night.
- **Specialist path:** it must be viable to **keep gigs low** (minimal combat-role investment) and still **meaningfully play** by pushing **gather / process / make / tech**—best supplier, best bench, best netsec in the hubs and instances that reward skills. Combat and story may still **touch** gigs; they must not **hard-require** high gig levels to participate in the **economy and skill loops** players care about for that lifestyle ([Seams](#seams-gigs-skills): e.g. **craft** without needing to **equip** what you make).
- **Long-term:** avoid dead-end grinds; slow or expensive is fine, “wrong choice forever” is not.

### What is (and isn’t) a skill

A **skill** is a **persistent, leveled** capability, **data-defined** (stable IDs, categories, optional prerequisites). Primary progression is **doing the activity** (gather, refine, assemble, hack a door in a skill-based encounter, etc.). **Books, trainers, or mission grants** can supplement XP—**optional** and should not replace “play the loop” as the main fantasy.

**Not skills:** **gig** combat progression, **raw item stats** with no trained gate, and **one-off** quest flags (unless we explicitly model them as skills—**open**).

### Skill domains (examples)

**Domains** are a **design vocabulary**: when we brainstorm content, what *kind* of real-world activity is this skill about? They help writers and designers stay consistent (“is this **extraction** or **fabrication**?”) and stay separate from **gigs**. Domains are **not** required to match data tags 1:1.

Domains are **content-shaped**, not a locked taxonomy. Early vision includes:

| Domain | Examples (illustrative) |
|--------|-------------------------|
| **Extraction** | Pulling value from the world: **earth/subsurface** (mining, drilling), **consumer salvage & biology** (**Salvage**, **Harvest**), and **urban infrastructure materials** (**Quarry**) vs geological **Extraction** skill |
| **Processing** | **Refine** (ores, glass, steel, scrap → material grades); **Fab tech** (physical PCBs, chips, solenoids); **Data scrub** (abstract data—datasets, firmware, logical unlock); **Synth-chem prep** (bio/chem); other conversion |
| **Fabrication** | Gunsmith, armtech, **cybernetics** (implants, augmentation), synth-chem products, medtech fab, cooking if we track it |
| **Tech / intrusion** | Hacking, netsec, counter-intrusion, bypass, diagnostics—**combat-facing** net actions stay **gig** |
| **Support craft** | Medtech fabrication, field repair kits; **implant install / tune** fiction may split **Cybernetics** **Make** vs bench maintenance (**open**) |

New skills land here as **design + data** demand; a skill can sit in **multiple domains** in conversation before we assign its **primary category**.

### Categories (families)

**Categories** are **registry / UI tags**—what we put in data (e.g. E2.M1 `SkillCategory`) for **filters, sorting, and balance** knobs. Expect **one primary category per skill**; optional **secondary** tags for UI only if we need them.

**Domains vs categories:** **domains** = “what is this skill *about* in the fiction/pipeline?” (design). **categories** = “which bucket does the **system** put it in for players and tuning?” (product). Today’s tables **overlap** on purpose while the roster is unsettled (e.g. extraction work often maps to **Gather**); when we lock a skill list, we either **merge** domain language into categories or keep domains as a **writer’s appendix** only. Categories are **not** gigs, **not** professions, and **not** caps on how many skills you can train.

**Draft families** (can merge or rename):

| Category | Rough scope |
|----------|-------------|
| **Gather** | Nodes, yields, field extraction |
| **Process** | **Refine**; **Fab tech** (physical fab); **Data scrub** (data/firmware); **Synth-chem prep** (bio/chem); batch; intermediate goods |
| **Make** | Finished goods, recipes, bench work—**Gunsmith**, **Armtech**, **Cybernetics**, **Medtech fab**, etc. |
| **Tech** | Intrusion, netsec, counter-intrusion, electronics, signal—**not** combat gig kit |

Optional **secondary category** for UI sorting only—**primary** category in data drives balance defaults.

### Skill roster (draft ideas by category)

**v0 — for examination, not a commit list.** Each row is a **candidate skill** (or tight cluster we might merge). The tables below are a **solid opening roster**—on the order of **~18–24** names depending on how we **merge or split** clusters—and we **expect to add more** as we approach launch. A **wide** skill set is intentional: it gives design and live ops room to grow **loops**, **biomes**, and **specialist fantasies** without collapsing everything into a tiny tree.

Final roster needs **stable IDs**, **XP sources**, and **gig/skill boundary** checks (especially **Tech** vs combat netrunning).

Layout mirrors **[gigs.md](gigs.md) gig roster**: one **table per category**, **Skill** name plus **what it covers** and **open / merge** notes.

**Production chains (Gather → Process → Make):** Recipes can **branch** (same inputs, different outputs) and run **deep** (several **Process** steps in a row before **Make**). **Any** row in **Process**—not one named skill—may sit mid-pipeline, mixing **raw** gatherables with **earlier** intermediates from **Refine**, **Fab tech**, **Data scrub**, **Synth-chem prep**, **Bioprocess**, **Composite work**, etc. Detail in **Overlapping chains** and **Multi-stage processing** under the **Process** heading below (after **Gather**).

#### Gather — pull raw value from the world

| Skill | What it covers | Open / merge |
|-------|----------------|--------------|
| **Salvage** | **Consumer goods and vehicles:** cars, ships, computers, other wrecked or discarded **products**; e-waste, stripped chrome—**not** structural building stock (that’s **Quarry**). | — |
| **Extraction** | **From the earth:** mined or drilled feedstock—synth ores, rare earths, geological substrate for industry (subsurface and natural seams, not the city stack). | — |
| **Harvest (bio)** | **Organic feedstock** for chem, medtech, or food chains: cultured tissue and fungal mats **and** deliberately **grim** sourcing—e.g. **morgue** break-ins, **blood** and **tissue** theft, black-market organics. | Grim **concepts** in scope; **how we show it** and **target rating** are **vision-level**—see [overview.md](overview.md) |
| **Quarry / bulk** | **Urban infrastructure** and **built-environment mass:** bricks, concrete, wooden building supplies, aggregate, fill, demo recoverables from **structures**—**not** consumer goods or vehicle wrecks (**Salvage**). | Intentionally **not** **Extraction** (earth seam vs **city stack**) |

#### Process — turn raw into workable intermediate

**Overlapping chains:** **Process** and **Make** are not isolated trees. **Different** skills (or different recipes under one skill) can consume the **same** items and yield **different** intermediates or products—e.g. side streams where one batch of scrap or ore can route through **Refine**, **Synth-chem prep**, or **Bioprocess** with **different outputs** where content allows. Data-defined recipes carry the truth; overlap is **intentional** for a dense, interconnected economy. **Refine** vs **Synth-chem prep** stay **separate fantasies** (physical materials vs bio/chem)—see table.

**Multi-stage processing (depth):** Same idea as **Overlapping chains**, but **serial**: **several** **Process** steps before **Make**—e.g. **Gather → Process → Process → Make** (or longer). **Any** **Process** skill’s recipes can require **Gather**-fresh inputs **and** outputs from **prior** **Process** steps in one pass, or consume only intermediates from an earlier hop—**intermediates feeding intermediates**, not always a single hop from node to bench.

| Skill | What it covers | Open / merge |
|-------|----------------|--------------|
| **Refine** | **Physical material** feedstock: raw **ore**, **salvaged glass** and **steel**, scrap metals, bulk mineral inputs—**smelt, purify, grade** toward **usable material forms** (ingots, sheet, cullet, structural grades). **Not** bio/chem (**Synth-chem prep**) or component fab (**Fab tech**). | Separate from **Synth-chem prep** & **Fab tech** — **agreed** |
| **Fab tech** | **Electronics and electromechanical fab:** **chips**, **PCBs**, **solenoids**, micro-actuators, substrate and assembly steps—**built components**, not **Refine**’s job of turning raw ore/glass/steel into graded **bulk** material. Uses **Refine** outputs (and other inputs) as **feed**, but the skill fantasy is **manufacture**, not smelt/purify. | Separate from **Refine** & **Data scrub** — **agreed** (physical vs **data** layer) |
| **Synth-chem prep** | **Bio- and chemistry** streams: precursors, reagents, stable compounds, polymer feeds—inputs and outputs are **chem / organic / lab** oriented; feeds **Synth-chem (product)** and related **Make**. **Not** primary home for ore/glass/metal refinement (**Refine**). | Separate from **Refine** — **agreed** |
| **Bioprocess** | Ferment, culture, grow feedstock for medtech or consumables. | — |
| **Composite work** | Laminate layers, weave fibers, prep armtech “blanks” before final assembly. | — |
| **Data scrub** | **Abstract data** work—not **Fab tech**’s physical manufacture. Clean, normalize, decrypt, or repackage **datasets** as craft inputs; **firmware wipes** and logical unlocks that make **salvaged** parts **usable** again without milling a new board. **Information and software** layer on devices and loot, not **PCBs/chips** fab. | Separate from **Fab tech** — **agreed**; **Tech** skills (e.g. **Intrusion**) for **live** hacks—**open** boundary |

#### Make — recipes, benches, finished goods

| Skill | What it covers | Open / merge |
|-------|----------------|--------------|
| **Gunsmith** | Barrels, receivers, ballistics fab. | [Seams](#seams-gigs-skills): craft without gig to *use* |
| **Armtech** | Armor plates, suits, hardshell integration. | — |
| **Synth-chem (product)** | Finish stims, chems, consumables from **Synth-chem prep** (and related **Process**) outputs. | — |
| **Medtech fab** | Field kits, injectors, trauma foam—**craft** lane. | **Gig** Sawbones = *combat use* |
| **Cybernetics** | **Implants, augmentation, chrome:** neural hooks, sensory suites, limb lines, organ-adjacent systems—**finished** installable augments from **Process** inputs (e.g. **Fab tech**, **Bioprocess**, **Harvest**, **Synth-chem**). **Semi-permanent** **body** integration (e.g. an **ocular** suite)—**not** swapped like daily loadout; stays **active** across **gig** changes. | **Not gig-gated** — **agreed** ([Seams](#seams-gigs-skills)); strip/replace cost, clinic fiction, vs removable **Armtech** — **open** |
| **Rigging (gear)** | Drones, harnesses, tool mods—**non-combat** rigging. | Combat deployables **gig**-gated — **open** |
| **Food synth** | Ration fab, street kitchens. | Skill at all? **open** |

#### Tech — systems, hacking, and cyber security (non-gig)

**Skill** tech covers **prep**, **world interaction**, and **instance / downtime** work. **Combat** net attacks, debuffs, and **today’s gig kit** **ICE-breaking in a fight** stay **gig**-gated unless we deliberately duplicate (**open**).

| Skill | What it covers | Open / merge |
|-------|----------------|--------------|
| **Intrusion** | Bypass locks and access control, pivot non-combat systems, **hack timers** / objectives. | e.g. [brainstorm/hack-bodyguard](brainstorm/hack-bodyguard-missions.md) |
| **Netsec / hardening** | Patch holes, segment networks, raise **defense** for sites, convoys, ally systems (downtime / prep). | — |
| **Counter-intrusion** | Trace hostile processes, sever sessions, quarantine malware—defensive counterpart to **Intrusion**. | — |
| **Exploit dev** | Build or tune **payloads** and tools for **Intrusion** (pen-tests, heists, corps). | Fold into **Intrusion** mastery? **open** |
| **Crypto & identity** | Break weak schemes; spoof or forge **credentials** where content allows. | Rep / legality hooks — **open** |
| **Electronics** | Repair boards, swap modules, bench diagnostics—physical layer next to netsec. | — |
| **Signal** | Scan, trace, tap—RF and traffic **out of combat** or in objectives. | **Combat** jamming: gig vs skill — **open** |

**Cross-cutting notes**

- **Production chain shape:** **Agreed**—(1) **Overlapping** paths: shared **inputs**, divergent **outputs** across **Process** / **Make**; (2) **Multi-stage** depth: **Gather → Process → Process → Make** (or longer), with **any** **Process** skill able to participate. Recipe UX and balance **open** (roster intro + **Process** subsection in [Skill roster](#skill-roster-draft-ideas-by-category)).
- **Agreed Process boundaries:** **Salvage** vs **Quarry**; **Refine** vs **Synth-chem prep** (physical materials vs bio/chem); **Refine** vs **Fab tech** (base material grades vs physical electromechanical fab); **Fab tech** vs **Data scrub** (physical components vs **data/firmware** on salvage). Further merge/split ideas — **open** as the roster evolves.
- **Cut / defer:** **Food synth** if not a loop.
- **Next pass:** pick **prototype trio** (one Gather, one Process/Make, one Tech) for Epic 2/3 slices—align with decomposition when ready.

### XP, levels, curves

- **Server-authoritative** XP and level resolution ([E2.M2](../decomposition/modules/E2_M2_XpAwardAndLevelEngine.md)).
- **Primary source (agreed):** **do the activity**—gather, craft steps, skill-based mission objectives, etc.
- **Secondary sources (open):** quests, dailies, books, training dummies—tuned so they **assist** without **replacing** loops.
- **Structured grants:** skill id, amount, **source** (node id, recipe, quest key…) for telemetry and anti-exploit review.

**Failure XP** (failed craft, failed hack attempt—not **death**): **per skill / per mechanic**; **open** until each activity’s rules exist ([Decisions log](#decisions-log)).

**Caps (agreed):** **soft** curve only—**each level needs more XP** than the last; **data-driven** per skill or policy. **Runaway** mitigation: steeper curves, context modifiers, diminishing returns on repeat actions—**open** per skill.

**Pacing / catch-up** ([E2.M4](../decomposition/modules/E2_M4_ProgressionPacingControls.md)): global or cohort knobs for ops; **gig** pacing stays separate ([gigs.md](gigs.md)).

### Gates, discovery, prerequisites

**UnlockRequirement**-style gates ([E2.M1](../decomposition/modules/E2_M1_SkillDefinitionRegistry.md)) should **widen** what you can do, not mimic a class pick:

- **Recipes** and **facilities** tied to skill tier or world state.
- **Faction rep** or **licenses** for restricted goods or zones.
- **Discovery:** find a schematic, rescue a teacher, complete a gig-agnostic storyline.

**Open:** how much is **available at level 1** vs **gated**; how **alt-friendly** discovery is.

### Mastery and perks (skills)

Beyond raw level, **mastery tracks** and **perks** ([E2.M3](../decomposition/modules/E2_M3_MasteryAndPerkUnlocks.md)) give **build texture** inside one skill (branch picks, efficiency, side effects). Same *idea* as gig expression, **different** system—no shared perk tree between gig and skill unless we deliberately link them (**open**).

**Respec** for skill mastery—**open** (cost, partial reset).

### Cross-skill synergies

**Open:** explicit **bonuses** when skill A + B cross a threshold vs **pure fiction** (“you’re known as a rigger-smith”) with no math. Avoid mandatory cross-grinds unless the loop is fun.

### Where skills meet the rest of the game

| Area | Tie-in |
|------|--------|
| [Epic 2](../decomposition/epics/epic_02_classless_progression.md) | Registry, XP engine, mastery, pacing |
| [Epic 3](../decomposition/epics/epic_03_crafting_economy.md) | Gather and craft **award** skill XP; items and recipes |
| [Epic 7](../decomposition/epics/epic_07_quest_faction.md) | Quest rewards, rep gates, optional skill payouts |
| [gigs.md](gigs.md) | **Craft** combat gear with **skills**; **equip** with **gigs**—[Seams](#seams-gigs-skills) |
| [brainstorm/hack-bodyguard-missions.md](brainstorm/hack-bodyguard-missions.md) | **Skill** lane in a group instance (idea only) |

### Open questions (skills-only)

| Topic | Status |
|-------|--------|
| Full launch **skill list** and names | **Draft** roster by category in [Skill roster](#skill-roster-draft-ideas-by-category) |
| Failure XP defaults per activity type | Open |
| Mastery respec rules | Open |
| Cross-skill synergy math | Open |
| Skill-based **combat-adjacent** actions (e.g. deployable) vs **gig** ability | Open |

<a id="seams-gigs-skills"></a>

## Seams (gigs ↔ skills)

| Topic | Direction |
|--------|-----------|
| **Combat gear** | **Gig-restricted.** Weapons, armor, and other **swap-friendly** combat-loadout pieces declare which **gig(s)** may equip or fully activate them. After a **hub-only** [gig swap](gigs.md#hub-swap), the player **re-banks or re-equips** combat gear for the new gig (automation vs. manual loadout UX **open**). Non-combat tools (pickaxe, scanner, craft bench) stay **skill**-gated, not gig-gated, unless a piece is explicitly hybrid. **Does not** apply to **semi-permanent** **Cybernetics** augments—see **Cybernetics / implants** row. |
| **Cybernetics / implants** | **Not gig-gated.** Augments from **Cybernetics** (**Make**) are **body-integrated** and **semi-permanent**: they remain **in play** when you change **main gig**, **sub-gig**, or combat loadout (e.g. an **ocular** implant does not come off at hub swap). **Crafting** stays **skill**/recipe/rep—never gig level. Removal, replacement, or tier-up may be **costly** and **fiction-heavy** (clinic, downtime)—**open**—but is **not** the same rhythm as re-banking a rifle. Contrast **Armtech** suits/plates and other **combat gear**, which stay **gig-restricted** above. |
| **Crafting combat gear** | **No gig or gig level requirement.** Who can *build* it depends on **skills** (e.g. gunsmith), recipes, rep, facilities—never on owning a gig or its level. A character can **craft combat gear they cannot equip** (wrong gig, low gig level, etc.): valid for **trade**, **stock**, or **group play**. **Equip/activation** stays **gig-restricted** as above. |
| **Consumables** | **Carry and use** are not gig-gated by default—anyone can pop a stim or patch. **Passive** potency can scale with **gig** match: e.g. a **medic**-tagged bonus applies if **main *or* sub-gig** matches (see [gigs.md](gigs.md)). Others use a **baseline**. **Active** abilities from consumables (if any) follow their own rules—**open**. Other items may have **no** gig hook—data-driven per item. |
| **Rep / story** | **Hybrid.** **Faction / world reputation** stays **character-wide** where it fits (one person, one web of grudges). **Narrative** also includes **gig storylines** and **main-quest-style arcs** tied to a **gig**—mentor paths, employer chains, identity stories that assume you *are* that role for a chapter. State for those arcs is **per gig** (or per gig branch) on the same character; switching gigs does not erase character rep, but **gig plot progress** is its own track. |
| **Alts / multi-gig mastery** | One avatar still reduces **alt** pressure for economy and story. **Maining every gig** is **not** a design problem for now: **gig leveling is intentionally slow**, so fully progressing (or “maxing”) every gig is a **long-term time investment**, not something handed out quickly. Players who put in that time **may** legitimately be strong in every gig on one character. **Revisit** only if pacing, live balance, or PvP show harm. |

## Player-facing readability

- **Combat:** UI shows **main gig**, **sub-gig**, levels/tracks, combat abilities, and **combat gear** the main gig can use (mismatched gear disabled or greyed). Consumable tooltips for **passive** amps can show **baseline vs. boosted** when **main or sub** matches the item’s gig hook.
- **Cybernetics:** **Implants** read as **character** chrome—always relevant, **not** hidden or disabled by gig mismatch; separate from the **combat loadout** strip ([Seams](#seams-gigs-skills) **Cybernetics / implants**).
- **Non-combat / crafting:** **skill** list, **category** filters, XP with **source** hints where helpful; **mastery** branches when E2.M3-style systems exist. Crafting combat gear uses **skill**/recipe gates only—not gigs (optional hint if you can’t equip the product on your current gig).
- **Story:** journal or quest UI can separate **character / faction** threads from **gig** threads so players see which arc belongs to which gig.
- Use **gig** / **skill** consistently in specs and tools; flavor text can vary.

## Decisions log

| Topic | Direction | Status |
|-------|-----------|--------|
| Vocabulary | **Gig** = combat role; **skill** = non-combat only | Agreed |
| Combat gear | **Gig-restricted** equip/activation for **swap-friendly** loadout; non-combat tools **skill**-gated | Agreed |
| Cybernetics / implants | **Semi-permanent** augments from **Cybernetics** **Make**—**character-wide**, **not gig-gated**; persist across gig swap | Agreed |
| Crafting combat gear | **Skill**/recipe/rep (etc.) only—**not** gig or gig level; craft-for-others OK | Agreed |
| Consumables | Baseline for all; **passive gig amp** from **main or sub** ([gigs.md](gigs.md)) | Agreed |
| Rep / story | Character-wide **rep**; **gig**-scoped **storylines** and **main quests** (per-gig progress on one avatar) | Agreed |
| Multi-gig mastery | **OK for now**; slow gig leveling makes “all gigs” a **time** goal, not a loophole | Agreed (revisit if balance/PvP needs) |
| Combat vs. non-combat | **Gigs** for combat; **skills** for gather/craft/etc. | Agreed |
| Professions (economy) | No separate profession system; economy identity from **skills** + rep | Agreed ([overview](overview.md)) |
| Primary skill XP | Do the activity | Agreed |
| Failure XP | **Open**; decided **per skill / activity** once mechanics exist (not the same as death penalty) | Open |
| Skill caps | **Soft**; **progressively more XP** per level (data-driven curves) | Agreed |
| Gig swap rules | **Hub-only** (city / home base / designated site)—**not** in the field or mid-fight | Agreed |
| Sub-gig | **FFXI-style** slot **agreed**; sub abilities up to **~½ main gig level** (formula TBD); wide build space | Agreed |
| Combat progression | **Per gig**—separate level/XP (and mastery) per gig; no shared combat rank | Agreed |
| Social skills category | **No** dedicated **Social** skill family or tracked negotiation/fixer/fence skills—outcomes live in **rep**, **quests**, **economy**, and other systems if we need them | Agreed |
| **Refine** vs **Synth-chem prep** | **Refine** = physical materials (ore, glass, steel, scrap metals → usable grades); **Synth-chem prep** = bio/chem streams (precursors, reagents, lab-oriented outputs) | Agreed |
| **Refine** vs **Fab tech** | **Refine** = smelt/purify/grade **base** materials; **Fab tech** = fabricate **chips, PCBs, solenoids**, and similar **components**—may **consume** refined materials, does not **overlap** the refine loop | Agreed |
| **Fab tech** vs **Data scrub** | **Fab tech** = **physical** fab; **Data scrub** = **abstract** data—datasets, **firmware wipes**, logical reuse of salvaged parts—not the same skill fantasy | Agreed |
| Low-gig specialist | **Viable** to focus progression on **skills** (gather/craft/tech) with **low gig levels**; economy loops must not **hard-gate** on high gig rank | Agreed |
| Skill roster size | **Opening** v0 list is strong; **add skills** pre-launch as needed—**breadth** is a feature | Agreed |
| Gig XP award | **Main gig only**; **sub-gig** earns no XP—see [gigs.md](gigs.md) | Agreed |
| Epic 2 doc split | Align modules when gig data model is chosen | TBD |

## Next artifacts

- **[gigs.md](gigs.md)** — gig roster, hub UX, recruitment **deferred**; **PvP** gig rules **open indefinite** (overall PvP scope TBD).
- **Abilities** — **gig-locked** vs. **item-locked** vs. **skill-gated**.
- **Items** — **equip:** gig rules for **combat gear**; **cybernetics** character-wide (**not** gig-gated); **craft:** **skills** (and recipe/rep), never gig level.
- [brainstorm/hack-bodyguard-missions.md](brainstorm/hack-bodyguard-missions.md) — group **skill** (hack) + **gig** (bodyguard) instances (brainstorm).