Abilities

Abilities

Edit tabs/abilities.json.

Required Fields

Conditional Fields

Never Include

Omit these fields (auto-set at runtime):

• lastUsedTick

requirements Format

Array of prerequisite checks. All must be met to unlock the ability.

{ type: 'skill', variable: 'skill name', amount: 3 }      // Skill level >= 3
{ type: 'attribute', variable: 'strength', amount: 14 }   // Attribute value >= 14
{ type: 'characterLevel', amount: 5 }                     // Character level >= 5 (no variable)
{ type: 'resource', variable: 'mana', amount: 50 }        // Resource max >= 50
{ type: 'trait', variable: 'fire affinity', amount: 1 }   // Has trait (amount ignored)

bonus Guidelines

Set bonus equal to the skill level requirement. If the ability requires skill level 5, set bonus: 5.

cooldown Guidelines

Default to 0 - abilities should be freely usable. Only add cooldown for abilities that would trivialize gameplay if spammed repeatedly.

Rare exceptions that might warrant cooldown:

• Instant full health restore
• Guaranteed escape/teleport
• Auto-win combat effects

Most abilities should have cooldown: 0.

Ability Design Rules

Each ability must be a unique tool — a distinct capability that no other ability replicates.

• No scaling duplicates. Never create a weaker version of a later ability (e.g., "minor ward" at Lv 3 and "greater ward" at Lv 8). Each ability must do something no other ability in the tree does.
• Permanent utility. A Lv 0 ability must remain useful at max level. If a higher-level ability makes a lower one obsolete, one of them is badly designed.
• Scoped, not vague. Each ability should have a specific, concrete function — not a broad category. Multiple use cases within that function are fine, but the function itself must be unique.
• No quantity escalation. "Summon one servant" → "summon seven servants" → "summon an army" is three abilities doing the same thing at different scales. Each should enable a fundamentally different action.

Schema

interface AbilityDefinition {
  name: string
  description: string
  requirements: AbilityRequirement[]
  bonus: number
  cooldown: number
}

type AbilityRequirement =
  | { type: 'resource' | 'attribute' | 'skill' | 'trait'; variable: string; amount: number }
  | { type: 'characterLevel'; amount: number }

Reference

For detailed documentation, see abilities-reference.md.