The stats doctrine
Part of The design hub. Decision: HIGH-LEVEL stats, no attributes (no STR/AGI/STA). Rationale: the tuning workbook's two axes (damage out, effective HP) ARE the stat system; classes differentiate via schools + passives; loot diversifies via enchants/gems. Attributes would be an indirection layer with no decisions attached.
Primary stats (the tuning model's axes)
| Stat | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Damage per hit (heavy ×2.2, skills use own dmg) | Weapon × condition × buffs |
| Protection | Divides incoming damage (×1.05–×2+) | Armor × condition (× guard skills) |
| Health | The HP pool | Base 100; future: gear/food bonuses |
| Stamina | The ability/dodge budget | Base 100; recovers ONLY by resting |
Hunger is a pressure clock, not a stat.
Secondary stats (named modifiers → one code knob each)
| Stat | Mechanic knob (in code today) | Sources (planned) |
|---|---|---|
| Concealment | Enemy sneak-perception radii (70/25 base) | Armor weight (light quiet / heavy LOUD), Trickster passive, enchants |
| Backstab | Sneak-strike multiplier (×2.0 base) | Daggers, Subterfuge tomes, enchants |
| Endurance | Rest recovery (30 SP/s base) | Gear affixes, Inn food |
| Swiftness | Move speed (150 base) | Boots slot, roads, slows |
| Keen Edge | Gear wear rate (×1.0 base) | Warlord passive, oils/enchants |
| Hearty | Food restore potency (×1.0 base) | Cooking quality, gear affixes |
Rules:
- Secondaries are ALWAYS a single multiplier/offset on their knob — no chains, no derived stats.
- Enchant/gem lines roll secondaries; primaries come from the gear grid only (keeps the workbook's power curve authoritative).
- Class passives speak the same language (Trickster = innate Concealment, Warlord = innate Keen Edge, etc.).
- Armor weight class (light/medium/heavy) innately trades Protection against Concealment.
Energy-regen ruling (Eric asked 2026-09-01)
Endurance is the one and only regen dial, and it scales rest-speed ONLY. No secondary may grant passive stamina regen — "stamina recovers only by resting" is a pillar, not a number, and a rollable regen stat would get stacked until the pillar dies. If late-game content ever bends the rule, it does so as a NAMED unique effect on a single piece (e.g. "Second Wind: kills restore 5 stamina"), never as a stat line.
In-combat pacing ruling (Eric asked 2026-09-01)
Anti-spam is per-skill cooldowns, not a second energy bar. Stamina (rest-only) paces the POOL; cooldowns pace each SKILL — when the big one is down, the other three slots are the rotation. No fourth HUD bar, and the rest pillar stays intact. Prototype cds: Cleave 6s, War Cry 10s, Leap Slam 5s, Bash 4s, Hamstring 3s, Steadfast 8s. Future secondary candidate: Alacrity (cooldown rate) as an enchant line.
Stat page
The prototype's INVENTORY menu carries a STATS tab listing all ten with live values, so the doctrine is visible in-game from v0.1.7 on.