Official Rules

The Eldiron Official Ruleset is the default fantasy RPG ruleset bundled with Eldiron. It gives characters, races, classes, weapons, armor, spells, progression, visuals, and world simulation one shared meaning.

Work In Progress

This is a preview of the official ruleset direction for the next release line. It is not the final v1 scope. Version 1 is expected to grow beyond the current draft with more classes, races, spells, equipment, crafting, conditions, loot, encounter tools, localization, and balancing support.

Official Ruleset

One Rulebook For The World

A Warrior, an Orc, a training sword, a healing spell, and a leather vest should all mean something before a project author writes custom scripts. The official ruleset is that shared meaning.

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Level 1 WarriorHumanHP 16 / 16STR 12Training Sword

Design Goal

Eldiron should feel easier to author because the ordinary RPG rules are already there. A project should not need custom attributes for every weapon cooldown, every spell range, every starter loadout, every faction decision, or every item preview.

When a project says:

• this character is a Warrior
• this enemy is an Orc
• this item is a training_sword
• this spell is minor_heal

the official ruleset should answer the obvious questions: What are its stats? What can it equip? How far can it attack? What does it roll? How long is the cooldown? What does it look like? Who is it hostile toward?

Projects can still customize the answers. The official ruleset is the default layer; Game / Rules is the project override layer.

How To Read The Rules

The official ruleset is a tabletop-style rulebook backed by TOML. The guide explains how the rules play. The TOML is the source of truth that Creator, clients, runtime systems, and tools read.

Rulebook term	In Eldiron TOML	Used by
Race	[races.Human], [races.Orc]	identity, relations, visual defaults
Class	[classes.Warrior]	stats, equipment, abilities, loadouts
Weapon	[items.weapons.training_sword]	damage, cooldown, range, visuals
Spell	[spells.minor_heal]	cost, range, cast time, effect
Intent	[intents.attack]	allowed actions and distances
Combat kind	[combat.kinds.fire]	damage bonuses and reductions

The current bundled ruleset is assembled from split TOML files under the eldiron.official id.

Field	Current value
Ruleset id	eldiron.official
Name	Eldiron Official Ruleset
Version	1.0.0
Schema version	1
Engine minimum	0.9.12
Status	draft

Dice

Eldiron uses dice notation for readable random values.

1d6

Roll one six-sided die. Result: 1 to 6.

1d8

Roll one eight-sided die. Result: 1 to 8.

d20

Used for critical checks and future resolution rules.

A ruleset damage entry is intentionally readable:

[items.weapons.training_sword.damage]
roll = "1d6"
bonus = 1
bonus_attribute = "STR"
bonus_every = 4
damage_kind = "physical"

Read it as:

1. Roll 1d6.
2. Add the flat bonus.
3. Add one more bonus for every 4 points in STR.
4. Treat the result as physical damage.

So a Warrior with STR = 12 using a training sword rolls 1d6, adds 1, and then gains 3 more from Strength.

The TOML stays explicit. Tools can explain it, calculate it, and test it without requiring hidden formulas in character data.

Character Sheet

Every character starts from shared attributes. Race and class then shape those attributes into a playable role.

Group	Attributes
Primary	STR, DEX, INT, WIS, VIT
Resources	HP, MAX_HP, MP, MAX_MP
Combat	DMG, POWER, ARMOR, RESIST, FIRE_RESIST, INIT, SPEED
Progression	LEVEL, EXP

Attribute	Meaning
STR	physical force, melee scaling, carrying future heavy actions
DEX	agility, initiative, future ranged and avoidance hooks
INT	arcane spell scaling and knowledge hooks
WIS	divine spell scaling, resolve, and perception hooks
VIT	toughness and health scaling
HP / MAX_HP	current and maximum health
MP / MAX_MP	current and maximum mana
ARMOR	physical protection
RESIST	general magical protection
FIRE_RESIST	fire-specific protection
POWER	general spell power

Derived stats are table-driven. For example MAX_HP, DMG, POWER, INIT, and SPEED can be calculated from level and primary attributes without asking authors to write formulas on each character.

Races

Races provide identity, language, visual defaults, attribute defaults, and base relations.

Race	Role	Avatar	Languages	Key defaults
Human	balanced default people	humanoid	common	HP 10, all primary attributes 10
Orc	strong hostile test race	humanoid	orcish	HP 14, STR 12, DEX 9, INT 8, WIS 8, VIT 12

Race names are not hardcoded factions. They are identity defaults that feed relations and reputation.

Disposition And Reputation

Disposition answers a practical AI question: should this character treat that character as friendly, neutral, or hostile?

From / Toward	Human	Orc
Human	friendly	hostile
Orc	hostile	friendly

Reputation starts at 0, which means the race relation is used as-is.

Reputation	Disposition
-50 or lower	hostile
0	normal relation
50 or higher	friendly

Scripts should use is_hostile(entity_id) or disposition_of(entity_id) when they need an AI decision. They should not inspect custom alignment numbers.

Classes

Classes are the main playable role definitions. A class controls attributes, equipment permissions, abilities, spells, progression hooks, and starting loadout.

Martial

Warrior

Durable weapon user. Strong opening class for melee, armor, shields, and basic combat tests.

• Primary: STR, VIT
• HP 16 / 16
• Training Sword
• Padded Armor

Divine

Cleric

Armored support caster. Establishes mana, healing, spell unlocks, and divine scaling.

• Primary: WIS, VIT
• HP 14 / 14, MP 8 / 8
• Novice Mace
• Minor Heal

Warrior

Area	Rule
Role	martial
Primary attributes	STR, VIT
Weapons	sword, axe, mace, spear, bow
Armor	cloth, leather, chain, shield
Starting health	HP 16, MAX_HP 16
Starter weapon	training_sword
Starter armor	padded_armor
Starter clothing	wool_trousers, leather_shoes
Starter inventory	linen_shirt
Level 1 abilities	basic_attack, guard
Level 2 unlock	power_strike

Cleric

Area	Rule
Role	divine
Primary attributes	WIS, VIT
Weapons	mace
Armor	cloth, leather, chain, shield
Starting health	HP 14, MAX_HP 14
Starting mana	MP 8, MAX_MP 8
Starter weapon	novice_mace
Starter armor	padded_armor, round_shield
Starter clothing	wool_trousers, leather_shoes
Starter inventory	linen_shirt
Level 1 abilities	basic_attack, guard
Level 1 spells	minor_heal
Level 2 unlock	holy_light

Class starting loadouts are applied only when a character does not define its own startup item attributes. This keeps the official defaults useful while still allowing special templates.

Intents

Intent rules define common player actions.

Intent	Rule
attack	target must resolve to a hostile disposition
attack distance	comes from equipped weapon range, fallback 1.5 tiles
take	target must be an item, distance 1.5 tiles
use	distance 2 tiles

Attack cooldown is rules-owned. A character script should call attack() for a normal weapon or unarmed attack. The runtime uses the equipped weapon cooldown and falls back to [combat].default_attack_cooldown.

Combat

Combat is meant to be easy to explain and easy to test.

1Choose target

2Call attack()

3Roll weapon dice

4Apply damage kind

5Reduce by armor

6Apply final damage

Combat default	Value
Damage kind	physical
Unarmed damage	1d3, plus STR bonus every 4 points
Attack cooldown	1.0 seconds
Cast cooldown	1.5 seconds
Global cooldown	0.5 seconds
Critical roll	20
Critical multiplier	1.5

Example Attack

A level 1 Human Warrior attacks an Orc with a training sword.

Step	Result
Weapon	training_sword
Damage roll	1d6
Flat bonus	+1
Strength bonus	STR 12, so +3 from bonus_every = 4
Damage kind	physical
Cooldown	1.0 seconds

If the die rolls 4, the attack starts at 4 + 1 + 3 = 8 physical damage. The Orc's physical reduction then comes from ARMOR and equipped armor before the final amount is applied.

Damage Kinds

Kind	Meaning	Reduction
physical	mundane weapon and body damage	ARMOR plus equipped armor ARMOR
arcane	unshaped magical force	RESIST plus equipped armor RESIST
spell	compatibility name for arcane force	RESIST plus equipped armor RESIST
fire	heat, flame, and burning magic	FIRE_RESIST plus equipped armor FIRE_RESIST

Weapons

Weapons define category, slot, cooldown, damage kind, visual data, and dice damage.

Weapon	Category	Slot	Cooldown	Damage
training_sword	sword	main_hand	1.0	1d6, bonus 1, STR every 4
hand_axe	axe	main_hand	1.2	1d8, bonus 1, STR every 4
novice_mace	mace	main_hand	1.15	1d6, bonus 0, STR every 4

Weapon categories add shared behavior.

Category	Hands	Base cooldown	Range
sword	one-handed	1.0	default melee
axe	one-handed	1.2	default melee
mace	one-handed	1.15	default melee
spear	two-handed	1.25	2
bow	two-handed	1.5	6

Armor And Clothing

The current armor model follows broad material families: cloth, leather, chain, and shield. This keeps equipment readable and gives crafting professions a natural future path.

Armor	Family	Slot	Armor	Avatar channels
padded_armor	cloth	torso	1	torso, arms
leather_vest	leather	torso	2	torso
chain_shirt	chain	torso	3	torso, arms
round_shield	shield	shield	1	item visual

Clothing	Family	Slot	Palette color	Avatar channels
linen_shirt	cloth	torso	2	torso, arms
wool_trousers	cloth	legs	28	legs
leather_shoes	leather	feet	7	feet

When an item defines avatar_channels and no explicit icon or tile source, Eldiron derives its preview from the bundled humanoid avatar. Inventory, equipment, and ground item visuals use the same generated shape.

Abilities And Spells

Abilities are class-owned actions. Spells add school, cost, cast time, range, visual, audio, and damage or healing data.

Ability	Kind	Cooldown	Range	Effect
basic_attack	attack	1.0	weapon	normal physical attack
guard	stance	3.0	self	ARMOR +2 for 2.0 seconds
power_strike	attack	4.0	weapon	1d8, bonus 2, STR every 4

Spell	School	Kind	Cost	Cooldown	Range	Roll
minor_heal	restoration	heal	3 MP	4.0	5	1d6, bonus 1, WIS every 4
holy_light	restoration	damage	4 MP	5.0	5	1d6, bonus 1, WIS every 4
fire_spark	fire	damage	2 MP	3.0	6	1d6, bonus 0, INT every 4

Progression

Progression uses explicit tables so balancing is visible.

Level	Required XP
2	100
3	250
4	450
5	700
10	2700
20	10450

Minor quests award 25 XP, major quests award 100 XP, and kill XP starts at 25 per defender level.

The current maximum level is 20. Level-up rewards and ability unlocks are class-owned.

Visual Defaults

Rules and visuals meet in play, so the ruleset provides a consistent default visual layer.

Visual rule	Value
Default avatar	humanoid
Avatar asset	assets/humanoid.eldiron_avatar
Palette	single 31-color mood palette based on Lospec's "31" palette
Explicit override	project tile_id, avatar, or empty visual fields win

On load, Eldiron copies the effective ruleset palette into the project palette. That keeps internal painting, item previews, avatar channels, and generated icons on one color source.

Tools And Testing

The official ruleset is structured so tools can answer practical authoring questions without guessing:

• Which items does a level 1 Warrior start with?
• Can a Cleric equip this weapon?
• What is the attack range of this weapon?
• How much XP is needed for the next level?
• What damage can this weapon or spell roll?
• Which race relation makes this target hostile?
• How long until this character can attack again?
• What happens if this Orc fights this Warrior 100 times?

The same TOML should serve gameplay, Creator UI, terminal tools, console tools, validation, and automated arena tests.

Work In Progress Roadmap

The current draft is a playable slice, not the final v1 promise.

Already present or underway:

• Human and Orc race baselines
• Warrior and Cleric class baselines
• default race relations and reputation thresholds
• attack, take, and use intent rules
• weapon and unarmed dice damage
• physical, arcane, spell, and fire damage kinds
• cloth, leather, chain, and shield armor families
• starter weapons, armor, clothing, abilities, and spells
• default humanoid avatar and rules-owned palette
• Creator integration and rules-aware tools

Expected v1 growth areas:

• more playable classes and enemy roles
• more races and creature templates
• a larger spell and ability catalogue
• crafting professions, reagents, recipes, stations, and item outputs
• loot tables and treasure rules
• conditions such as stunned, burning, poisoned, blessed, and guarded
• armor proficiency, weapon proficiency, and class restrictions
• encounter templates and automatic arena balance tests
• item quality, rarity, value, and repair rules
• richer AI intent rules and disposition changes
• localization-ready rule names, messages, and descriptions
• illustrated guide pages and deeper examples

The long-term goal is not a tiny ruleset. The goal is a real world simulation that starts simple, stays readable, and grows without returning to scattered per-character configuration.