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)**. **What counts as a combat vs non-combat action** (kits, interactions, items): **[abilities.md](abilities.md)**. **Item buckets and acquisition** (loot, craft, equip): **[items.md](items.md)**. **Gathering & resource nodes** (competition, ecology, gig vs skill): **[gathering.md](gathering.md)**. **Crafting & recipes** (pipeline, benches, failure/quality): **[crafting.md](crafting.md)**. **Economy** (faucets, sinks, trade, policy): **[economy.md](economy.md)**. **Death, loss & recovery** (durability, PvP loss, recovery): **[death-loss-recovery.md](death-loss-recovery.md)**. **Risk & security bands** (tiers, PvP eligibility): **[risk-security-bands.md](risk-security-bands.md)**. **Zones** (place identity, faction/econ hooks): **[zones.md](zones.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).

## Skills outside combat roles

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**; **Edgesmith**; **Hardshell** / **Softshell** (rigid vs flexible armor); **Rigging** (powered/systems shells); **Cybernetics**; synth-chem, medtech fab, **Food synth** |
| **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**, **Edgesmith**, **Hardshell**, **Softshell**, **Rigging (gear)**, **Cybernetics**, **Medtech fab**, **Food synth**, etc. |
| **Tech** | Intrusion, netsec, counter-intrusion, exploit dev, crypto & identity, electronics, signal—**not** combat gig kit |

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

<a id="skill-roster-draft-ideas-by-category"></a>

### 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 **~20–26** 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). **Implementation:** [`content/schemas/skill-def.schema.json`](../../content/schemas/skill-def.schema.json) (`id`, `allowedXpSourceKinds`) + [E2.M1 — SkillDefinitionRegistry](../decomposition/modules/E2_M1_SkillDefinitionRegistry.md) acceptance criteria; prototype sample [`content/skills/prototype_skills.json`](../../content/skills/prototype_skills.json).

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 **Hardshell** / **Softshell** “blanks” before final **Make** 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

**Swap-friendly armor** splits **rigid** vs **flexible** (**Hardshell** / **Softshell**). **Powered** / **systems** armor—exo frames, actuator-linked shells, mechatronic tactical rigs—is **made** with **Rigging (gear)** (not a third plate/weave skill); **equip** still follows **Combat gear** (**gig-restricted**). **Open:** hybrid pieces (e.g. powered softshell) pick **primary** skill per recipe.

| Skill | What it covers | Open / merge |
|-------|----------------|--------------|
| **Gunsmith** | Barrels, receivers, ballistics fab. | [Seams](#seams-gigs-skills): craft without gig to *use* |
| **Edgesmith** | **Non-gun** weaponry: blades, clubs and impact tools, stun batons, monofilament / vibro **melee**, **thrown** weapons that are **not** firearms—**not** **Gunsmith** (ballistics, receivers, barrels). | Same [Seams](#seams-gigs-skills) as **Gunsmith**: **craft** with skill; **combat equip** **gig-restricted** |
| **Hardshell** | **Rigid** swap-friendly armor: plates, inserts, helmets, **non-powered** hardshell, ceramic or composite face—**not** **Softshell** flexible suits; **not** **powered** frames (**Rigging (gear)**). **Gig-restricted** when equipped ([Seams](#seams-gigs-skills)). | **No** overlap with **Cybernetics** — **agreed** |
| **Softshell** | **Flexible** swap-friendly armor: kinetic-weave suits, underlayers, padded rigs, textile-forward shells without the **Rigging** mechatronics lane—**not** rigid **Hardshell**; **not** powered exo (**Rigging (gear)**). **Gig-restricted** when equipped ([Seams](#seams-gigs-skills)). | **No** overlap with **Cybernetics** — **agreed**; vs **Hardshell** on hybrid garments — **open** |
| **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** | **Body-integrated** implants and augmentation: neural hooks, sensory suites, limb lines, organ-adjacent systems—**finished** installs from **Process** inputs (e.g. **Fab tech**, **Bioprocess**, **Harvest**, **Synth-chem**). **Semi-permanent** (e.g. **ocular** suite)—**not** swap-friendly **Hardshell** / **Softshell** / **Rigging** armor. Stays **active** across **gig** changes. | **Not gig-gated** — **agreed** ([Seams](#seams-gigs-skills)); **no** overlap with external armor skills — **agreed**; **replace** has **cost**—removed unit **likely** becomes **scrap** (salvage / recovery loop) — **agreed** direction; fees, clinic fiction, exact yields — **open** |
| **Rigging (gear)** | Drones, harnesses, carry systems, tool mods, and **powered / systems** armor **Manufacture**: exo-style frames, actuator-linked hardshell, tactical mechatronic rigs—**Fab tech**-heavy lane for **wearable** systems that are **not** plain **Hardshell** / **Softshell** fab. | **Craft** with skill—**no** gig; **combat deploy** / **combat activation** **gig-restricted** — **agreed** ([Seams](#seams-gigs-skills)); **non-combat** **use** gated by **intended specialty skill** when applicable ([Seams](#seams-gigs-skills)); **hybrid** armor (rigid plate + powered frame—**Hardshell** × **Rigging**): **primary** skill per recipe / multi-step splits — **open** (see Make intro) |
| **Food synth** | Ration fab, street kitchens, synth-food **Make** from **Harvest** / **Bioprocess** / **Synth-chem** inputs where recipes need them. | **Kept** in roster — **agreed** |

**Make → gigs (combat):** **Vast majority** of **non-consumable** **Make** products are **gig-gated** when brought into **combat** (**equip**, **wear**, **deploy**). **Crafting** stays **skill**/recipe-only—e.g. anyone with **Rigging** can **build** a drone; **deploying** it in a fight needs a **gig** whose kit supports that **deploy** (**data-defined**). See [Seams](#seams-gigs-skills) **Combat gear** and **Make → combat (non-consumables)**.

#### 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.
- **Next pass:** pick **prototype trio** (one Gather, one Process/Make, one Tech) for Epic 2/3 slices—written anchors for gather/craft legs: [gathering.md](gathering.md), [crafting.md](crafting.md); lock **`SkillDef` ids** in data with [E2.M1](../decomposition/modules/E2_M1_SkillDefinitionRegistry.md) when Slice 1 freezes.

### 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**): **not** deciding defaults here—stays **open** for **late-stage tuning** once activity mechanics and the wider progression picture exist ([Decisions log](#decisions-log), [Open questions](#open-questions-skills-only)).

**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—**not** locking rules (cost, partial reset, cadence) at this vision stage; **open** for **late-stage tuning** ([Decisions log](#decisions-log)).

### Cross-skill synergies

Explicit **bonuses** when skill A + B cross a threshold vs **pure fiction** (“you’re known as a rigger-smith”) with no math—**not** deciding formulas or mandatory links here; **open** until the **system** is better understood; avoid mandatory cross-grinds unless the loop proves fun ([Decisions log](#decisions-log)).

### Where skills meet the rest of the game

| Area | Tie-in |
|------|--------|
| [Epic 2 — Skills and Progression Framework](../decomposition/epics/epic_02_skills_and_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) |

<a id="open-questions-skills-only"></a>

### Open questions (skills-only)

**Late-stage tuning (intentionally open):** **Failure XP**, **skill mastery respec**, and **cross-skill synergy** math are **not** commitments at this stage. They stay **open** until we understand **skills**, **gigs**, economy, and combat together—then we **fine-tune** in a later balance pass, not as immediate design blockers. See [Decisions log](#decisions-log) **Late-stage tuning**.

| Topic | Status |
|-------|--------|
| Full launch **skill list** and names | **Draft** roster by category in [Skill roster](#skill-roster-draft-ideas-by-category) |
| **Failure XP**; **mastery respec**; **cross-skill synergy** | **Open**—deferred; **late-stage tuning** (paragraph above) |
| Combat **deploy** / **equip** for **Make** outputs vs **gig** | **Agreed**—see [Seams](#seams-gigs-skills) **Combat gear** and **Make → combat (non-consumables)** |

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

## Seams (gigs ↔ skills)

| Topic | Direction |
|--------|-----------|
| **Combat gear** | **Gig-restricted.** Weapons, armor (including **Hardshell**, **Softshell**, and **Rigging**-built powered frames when **worn** as loadout), **combat deployables** **Manufactured** by **Rigging** (e.g. drones **deployed** in a fight), and other **swap-friendly** or **field-deployed** combat pieces declare which **gig(s)** may **equip**, **wear**, **fully activate**, or **combat-deploy** 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 for **use**, not gig-gated, unless a piece is explicitly hybrid; **Rigging** **non-combat** outputs follow **Non-combat Rigging / utility Make**. **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. **Changing** an installed augment has **cost** (credits, clinic, downtime—**open**); the **replaced** piece **likely** comes out as **scrap** or salvage-grade material (feeds **Gather**/**Salvage**/**Refine** loops) rather than a clean reusable item—**agreed** direction, exact tables **open**. **Not** the same rhythm as re-banking a rifle. **External** armor (**Hardshell**, **Softshell**, **Rigging**-built powered shells) and **Cybernetics** **do not overlap**: external armor is **swap-friendly** **Combat gear** (**gig-restricted**); **Cybernetics** is **not** that bucket. |
| **Crafting combat gear** | **No gig or gig level requirement.** Who can *build* it depends on **skills** (e.g. **Gunsmith**, **Edgesmith**, **Hardshell**, **Softshell**, **Rigging (gear)** for powered frames and **deployables**), recipes, rep, facilities—never on owning a gig or its level. A character can **craft combat gear they cannot equip or combat-deploy** (wrong gig, low gig level, etc.): valid for **trade**, **stock**, or **group play**. **Equip / wear / combat deploy / activation** stays **gig-restricted** as **Combat gear** above. |
| **Make → combat (non-consumables)** | **Agreed default:** **Most** **non-consumable** **Make** outputs are **gig-gated** when used in **combat**—weapons, armor, **Rigging** **combat deployables**, and similar—via **equip**, **wear**, or **combat deployment**. **Craft** is **always** **skill**/recipe/rep (plus world gates); **gig** gates **field use**, not the bench. **Exceptions:** **Cybernetics** (**not** gig-gated); **Consumables** (see row below—**carry/use** baseline not gig-gated); **purely non-combat** **Make** (e.g. **Food synth**, civilian tools)—**data-tagged** per item (**open** catalog); **utility** items with **no** combat role and **no** specialty **use** hook (e.g. **backpacks**)—see **Non-combat Rigging / utility Make** row. |
| **Non-combat Rigging / utility Make** | **Non-combat** outputs from **Rigging** (and similar **Make**)—survey drones, harnesses, carry frames—**craft** on **Rigging** (or recipe skill). **Operating** them or getting **full benefit** is **skill-gated** when the item has an **intended specialty**: tie **use** to the relevant skill (**Signal**, **Electronics**, **Intrusion** kit, **Gather** tools, etc.)—**data-defined** per item. **General** items **outside** any specialty or gig (e.g. **backpacks**, simple webbing) may have **no** skill **use** requirement—anyone can **wear** or **use** them; **craft** still follows the recipe (**Rigging** or another **Make** skill as designed). |
| **Consumables** | Unlike most **non-consumable** **Make** products, **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). **Deployables** (**Rigging**-built, etc.): show whether this gig may **combat-deploy** the item even if you **crafted** it with skills. Consumable tooltips for **passive** amps can show **baseline vs. boosted** when **main or sub** matches the item’s gig hook.
- **Cybernetics vs external armor:** **Hardshell**, **Softshell**, and **Rigging**-built powered pieces show on the **combat loadout** strip when equipped (swap-friendly, **gig-matched**). **Cybernetics** shows as **character** chrome—always relevant, **not** gig-disabled—**separate** UI lane ([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-facing **Make** uses **skill**/recipe gates only—not gigs (optional hint if you can’t **equip** or **combat-deploy** the product on your current gig). **Rigging** civ gear: tooltip **intended skill** for **full** operation when the item has a specialty; **utility** pieces (e.g. **backpacks**) may show **no** skill **use** gate.
- **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.

<a id="decisions-log"></a>

## Decisions log

| Topic | Direction | Status |
|-------|-----------|--------|
| Vocabulary | **Gig** = combat role; **skill** = non-combat only | Agreed |
| Combat gear | **Gig-restricted** **equip** / **wear** / **combat deploy** / **activation**; includes **Rigging** **combat deployables**; non-combat tools **skill**-gated | Agreed |
| **Make** non-consumables + combat | **Default** **gig-gated** in combat; **craft** **skill**-only—**vast majority** of **Make** non-consumables | Agreed |
| **Rigging** deployables | **Anyone** with skill can **craft**; **combat deploy** **gig**-matched (e.g. drone gig kit) | Agreed |
| **Rigging** non-combat **use** | **Use** / **full benefit** gated by **intended specialty skill** when item defines one; **no** skill hook for general **utility** (e.g. **backpacks**) | Agreed |
| Cybernetics / implants | **Semi-permanent** augments—**character-wide**, **not gig-gated**; **replacement** costs and **likely** turns old unit into **scrap** / salvage feedstock | Agreed |
| **Hardshell** / **Softshell** / **Rigging** vs **Cybernetics** | **External** armor (**Hardshell**, **Softshell**, **Rigging** powered shells) = **swappable** **combat gear**, gig-restricted; **Cybernetics** = **body-integrated** implants—**no** overlap | Agreed |
| **Armor split + powered** | **Hardshell** = rigid; **Softshell** = flexible; **powered / systems** armor **Make** = **Rigging (gear)** | 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 |
| **Late-stage tuning** | **Failure XP**, **skill mastery respec**, **cross-skill synergy** formulas—**not** decided at vision stage; **open** until the **system** (skills, gigs, economy, combat) is understood; **fine-tuning** pass | Open (deferred) |
| 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 |
| **Tech** category roster | **Solid** for v0 (table under **Tech** in [Skill roster](#skill-roster-draft-ideas-by-category)); **skill** vs **gig kit** split as documented; per-row **open** notes stay until implementation | 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 |
| **Food synth** | **Make** skill **kept**—rations, street kitchens, food economy loops | Agreed |
| **Gunsmith** vs **Edgesmith** | **Gunsmith** = firearms / ballistics; **Edgesmith** = **non-gun** melee, thrown (non-ballistic), stun batons, monowire-style—same craft/equip **Seams** as other **combat gear** | Agreed |
| Gig XP award | **Main gig only**; **sub-gig** earns no XP—see [gigs.md](gigs.md) | Agreed |
| Mission reward skill XP | **Combat encounters** → **gig XP** only. **Skill XP** allowed when a **mission/contract** explicitly **rewards** it (hand-in, bonus)—**separate** payout from encounter **gig XP**, not “fighting levels a `SkillDef`” | 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.md](abilities.md)** — **gig** combat kits vs **skill** interactions vs **item** channels (written).
- **[items.md](items.md)** — buckets, craft vs drops, rarity/readability; detail still in [Seams](#seams-gigs-skills).
- **[gathering.md](gathering.md)** — nodes, yields, **skill** XP from gather; **E3.M1** / **E4.M2** hooks (written).
- **[crafting.md](crafting.md)** — **Process/Make** pipeline, **RecipeDef** vision, bench vs **gig**; **E3.M2** (written).
- **[economy.md](economy.md)** — faucets/sinks, trade, **E3.M5**; mission vs loot ([progression.md](progression.md)) (written).
- **[death-loss-recovery.md](death-loss-recovery.md)** — death stakes, **E3.M4** / **E6.M3**, recovery (written).
- **[risk-security-bands.md](risk-security-bands.md)** — **E4.M4** tiers, **E6.M1**/**M2** PvP + consent (written).
- **[zones.md](zones.md)** — district **identity**, **E4.M1** graph, **hooks** for gather/missions (written).
- [brainstorm/hack-bodyguard-missions.md](brainstorm/hack-bodyguard-missions.md) — group **skill** (hack) + **gig** (bodyguard) instances (brainstorm).