Engineer Ladder (short-ladder example)
Part of The design hub; follows the template in Blacksmith Ladder (building template). Drafted 2026-08-30. Unlocks in Era 3, so it climbs 3 tiers across eras 3–5 — the worked example of a late-unlocked building.
Short-ladder NPC rule: top tier requires a Master, the tier below a Journeyman — the gates anchor to the top of the ladder, not to absolute tier numbers.
Role: the raid profession — supplies BOTH sides of every wall: defense emplacements for your city, siege gear for brute-force raids, and stealth gadgets for the sneak path. Brute-force vs sneak is partly an economic choice about which engineer goods you spend.
Prototype (v0.1.31, 2026-09-04): "Engineer's Workshop" (era 3; 6 timber, 4 cut stone, 4 copper), Tovik (Journeyman Marshal, 2 quests). Shell = MAKE fittings (2 ore + 1 timber). Modules pulled from t1/t2 into one tier for the prototype: Trap Shop → spike traps (1 fittings + 2 timber) set at the gate via the workshop dialog, max 5, 6 dmg per bite every 1.5 s to each raider besieging the gate, a trap spent after 4 bites; Ballista Platform → an automatic emplacement on the palisade (10 dmg / 2.5 s at the nearest raider outside the gate, drawn as a bolt); Gadget Bench → smoke bomb (taught by Eyes on the Road): nearby enemies drop aggro, concealment ×0.3 for 5 s. Answers: emplacements are automatic; traps have per-bite durability. Not yet: demolition / siege goods (no rival cities), glass cross-goods.
Tier 1 — Workshop (Era 3 / Steel)
Construction: steel components, cut stone, logs. Shell function: glassworks + fittings — the cross-goods other buildings' upgrades need (Blacksmith t3 glass, etc.). NPC: any recruit.
| Module | Effect |
|---|---|
| Trap shop | Defensive traps for your walls (spikes, snares) |
| Demolition bench | Breaching charges — the brute-force raid consumable |
| Scaffold yard | Siege ladders — cheap wall access, loud |
Tier 2 — Siegeworks (Era 4 / Mithril) — Journeyman required
Upgrade cost: mithril fittings, blacksmith instruments, time. Category unlocks: emplacements + player gadgets.
| Module | Effect |
|---|---|
| Ballista platform | Wall-mounted defense emplacements (your raids get harder to survive) |
| Siege workshop | Rams + heavy charges — breach higher-tier enemy walls |
| Gadget bench | Stealth line: grappling hooks, smoke bombs, lockpicks — the sneak path's consumables |
Tier 3 — Aetherworks (Era 5 / Aetherite) — Master required
Upgrade cost: aetherite, capstone goods, time.
| Module | Effect |
|---|---|
| Aether cannon | Top defense emplacement (capstone for Walls t5) |
| Infiltrator's atelier | Top stealth kit (silent breach of tier-5 walls) |
Inputs / outputs summary
- Inputs: quartz sand + metal (Miner), logs (Lumberjack), mithril instruments (Blacksmith t4).
- Outputs to others: glass + fittings (Blacksmith t3/t4 upgrades), emplacements + traps (Walls), capstone goods (t5 upgrades elsewhere).
- Outputs to player: breach consumables (siege path), stealth gadgets (sneak path).
Open questions
- Are emplacements manned (militia NPCs?) or automatic?
- Do stealth gadgets have per-raid charges or durability?
- Does the engineer also maintain/repair walls, or is that Stone Worker?