7a9a5a3e7b
Eight canon notes (Game Concept Overview, Mechanics Source Mapping, Combat System & Stat Scaling Design, Skill & Magic System, Medals & Honours System, Lore & World Building, Idle Fantasy Inspirations, Tech Stack & Architecture) as markdown, note title as H1, with source line citing the Joplin note ID. Joplin keeps status notes.
5.8 KiB
Skara Brae — Combat System & Stat Scaling Design
Source: Joplin note 0ef630db4e3e4d6dab18ccaefccaaa5a, migrated 2026-10-03
The Core Tension
RoleMaster approach: Open-ended d100 roll + critical tables. A level 1 can theoretically kill a level 60 with a lucky crit (roll 01-00 on the crit table → "Instant Death"). Thrilling unpredictability, terrible long-term retention — months of work undone by RNG.
Torn City approach: Stats grow into hundreds of millions over years. Combat outcomes are overwhelmingly deterministic — a level 60 will always beat a level 1. Safe long-term progression, no surprise.
Decision: Hybrid "Scaled Brutality" — Torn-scale numbers with RoleMaster-inspired crits that are capped by level difference but never reach zero.
Exponential Stat Growth (Torn-Style)
- Stats use
BIGINT(up to 9.2 quintillion) — room for years of growth - Training, equipment, education, and crafting all feed into stat progression
- Stats grow exponentially, not linearly — early levels feel meaningful, later levels require dedication
- No rebirth/prestige system for now — stats only ever go up. Can revisit with player base later.
Stat Display
| Raw Value | Display |
|---|---|
| 1,247 | 1.2K |
| 12,432 | 12.4K |
| 4,721,000 | 4.7M |
| 1,234,567,890 | 1.2B |
| 3,800,000,000,000 | 3.8T |
- Show effective power rating (composite of all stats) as a single number for quick comparison
- Show stat growth rate (e.g., "+2.3K/day") so players feel momentum
- Historical stat graphs (like Torn) for long-term engagement
RoleMaster-Inspired Critical System
Every attack rolls on a critical table (d100 open-ended: roll 96-100, roll again and add). But crit damage is capped by level difference.
Crit Damage Caps
| Level Difference (target above attacker) | Crit Damage Cap |
|---|---|
| Equal level | Full crit range (01-100) — no cap |
| +10 levels | 60% of target's max HP |
| +20 levels | 40% of target's max HP |
| +50 levels | 15% of target's max HP |
| +100 levels | 5% of target's max HP |
The cap never reaches zero — a level 1 can always chip away at a level 60.
Critical Effects
Crits don't just do damage. They apply status effects based on the crit roll and weapon type:
| Effect | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed | 3-5 ticks | Damage over time (scaling with weapon) |
| Stun | 1 turn | Target skips next action |
| Disarm | 1 turn | Target loses weapon bonuses |
| Cripple | 3-5 turns | Target agility/strength reduced |
| Blind | 2-3 turns | Target accuracy reduced |
Key insight: Status effects work regardless of level difference. A level 1 landing a lucky crit can disrupt a level 60 (stun them for a turn) even if the damage is negligible. This creates the RoleMaster feel of "anyone can affect anyone" without the frustration of instant death.
Armor and Crit Mitigation
- Heavy armor reduces crit roll by a flat amount (e.g., plate armor: -15 to crit roll)
- Crit Shield enchantments: High-end enchantments absorb X crit damage per day
- Constitution reduces bleed/cripple duration
Why This Works
- Long-term players keep their billions-scale progression and feel powerful — they will win 99% of encounters
- New players feel the thrill of landing a lucky crit (15% HP off a whale is still exciting)
- Guild wars become strategic: A swarm of low-level players can chip away at a high-level defender through coordinated crit effects
- Dueling has drama: Crits are always possible, but rarely fight-ending between equals
- No instant death: No months of work lost to a single bad roll
Combat Formula (Draft)
base_damage = weapon_damage * (1 + strength / 100)
mitigation = armor_rating * (1 + constitution / 200)
net_damage = max(1, base_damage - mitigation)
crit_roll = d100_open_ended() // 96-100: roll again and add
if crit_roll >= crit_threshold(attacker_agility, target_level_diff):
crit_multiplier = crit_table(crit_roll, weapon_type)
crit_damage = net_damage * crit_multiplier
crit_damage = min(crit_damage, target_max_hp * crit_cap(target_level_diff))
apply_critical_effect(crit_roll, target)
else:
apply_damage(net_damage, target)
Open-Ended d100
fn d100_open_ended() -> u32:
total = d100()
while total >= 96: // 96-100: roll again and add
total += d100()
return total
This means most rolls are 1-95, but occasionally you get 96+100+3 = 199, or even rarer chains. The open-ended mechanic creates the "anything can happen" feel without instant death.
Critical Tables (Structure)
Crit tables are weapon-type specific. Each entry maps a roll range to an effect:
# crit_tables/slash_unarmed.toml
[entries.01_20]
name = "Glancing blow"
damage_multiplier = 1.5
effect = "none"
[entries.21_50]
name = "Deep slash"
damage_multiplier = 2.0
effect = "bleed"
effect_duration = 3
[entries.51_75]
name = "Arterial strike"
damage_multiplier = 2.5
effect = "bleed"
effect_duration = 5
[entries.76_90]
name = "Debilitating wound"
damage_multiplier = 3.0
effect = "cripple"
effect_duration = 4
[entries.91_100]
name = "Devastating cleave"
damage_multiplier = 4.0
effect = "bleed"
effect_duration = 5
effect2 = "stun"
effect2_duration = 1
[entries.101_plus]
name = "Legendary strike"
damage_multiplier = 5.0
effect = "bleed"
effect_duration = 5
effect2 = "stun"
effect2_duration = 2
These tables live in skara-brae-common/crit-tables/ and are loaded by both server (for combat resolution) and client (for display).