4.9 KiB
Skills (classless progression)
Vision-level design for how characters grow without classes or chosen professions. Implementation hooks live in Epic 2 — Classless progression (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).
- 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) |
| 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: Abilities (skill gates, scaling), Items (requirements, crafted vs. dropped).