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.

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.
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.
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 |
| Icon | [icons.basic_attack] | bundled UI/item masks and attribution |
| Combat kind | [combat.kinds.fire] | damage bonuses and reductions |
The current bundled ruleset is assembled from split TOML files under the
eldiron.official id.
Ruleset timing values are measured in seconds. Cooldowns, spell durations, FX
durations, resource respawns, corpse lifetimes, and NPC respawn delays all use
seconds so combat and abilities remain easy to tune. Script scheduling commands
such as notify_in and block_events are different: they use in-game minutes
because they schedule world-clock events.
| Field | Current value |
|---|---|
| Ruleset id | eldiron.official |
| Name | Eldiron Official Ruleset |
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| Schema version | 1 |
| Engine minimum | 0.91.0 |
| Status | draft |
Dice
Eldiron uses dice notation for readable random values.
Roll one six-sided die. Result: 1 to 6.
Roll one eight-sided die. Result: 1 to 8.
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:
- Roll
1d6. - Add the flat
bonus. - Add one more bonus for every 4 points in
STR. - Treat the result as
physicaldamage.
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; MP regenerates over time |
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.
Mana regeneration is configured by [resource_regen.MP] in the official
ruleset. The default restores 1 MP every 3 real-time seconds while the
character is active, capped by MAX_MP.
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.

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
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
Ranger
Mobile hunter. Establishes ranged weapon range, bow damage, ammunition, and DEX scaling.
- Primary: DEX, VIT
- HP 14 / 14
- Hunting Bow
- Wooden Arrows
Citizen
Settlement baseline for vendors, crafters, trainers, and other non-adventuring NPCs.
- Primary: VIT
- HP 10 / 10
- No combat abilities
- Profession services
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 money | 5s |
| Starter weapon | training_sword |
| Starter armor | padded_armor |
| Starter clothing | wool_trousers, leather_shoes |
| Starter inventory | none |
| 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 money | 5s |
| Starter weapon | novice_mace |
| Starter armor | cleric_vestments, round_shield |
| Starter clothing | wool_trousers, leather_shoes |
| Starter inventory | blessed_herb |
| Level 1 abilities | basic_attack, guard |
| Level 1 spells | minor_heal |
| Level 2 unlock | holy_light |
Ranger
| Area | Rule |
|---|---|
| Role | ranged |
| Primary attributes | DEX, VIT |
| Weapons | bow, sword, axe |
| Armor | cloth, leather |
| Starting health | HP 14, MAX_HP 14 |
| Starter money | 5s |
| Starter weapon | hunting_bow |
| Starter armor | leather_vest |
| Starter clothing | wool_trousers, leather_shoes |
| Starter inventory | wooden_arrows |
| Level 1 abilities | basic_attack |
Citizen
| Area | Rule |
|---|---|
| Role | civilian |
| Primary attributes | VIT |
| Weapons | none by default |
| Armor | cloth, leather |
| Starting health | HP 10, MAX_HP 10 |
| Starter clothing | linen_shirt, wool_trousers, leather_shoes |
| Combat abilities | none |
| Professions | separate from class |
Citizens are the default class for settlement NPCs. A blacksmith, merchant, or herbalist does not need to be a Warrior just to exist in the world. Use class for the character's combat baseline and profession for their economic or social role:
race = "Human"
class = "Citizen"
profession = "Blacksmith"
An armed town guard can still be a Warrior with profession = "Guard" or a
future guard service role. The important split is that class answers "how does
this character survive conflict?" while profession answers "what do they do in
the settlement economy?"
Professions
Professions define services and future crafting families. They are not combat classes.
| Profession | Role |
|---|---|
Merchant | buys and sells goods |
Blacksmith | metal weapons, armor, repairs, forge recipes |
Tailor | cloth clothing, light armor, dyes, patterns |
Herbalist | wild herbs, gathering, herb trade |
Fletcher | arrows, bows, shafts, and ranged supplies |
Innkeeper | rest, food, rooms, rumors |
Trainer | ability, recipe, and skill unlocks |
Professions do not cap what a player can learn. They describe social and economic identity: who teaches, trades, repairs, or specializes in a settlement. Crafting power comes from skills and recipe gates, so a Ranger with high Fletching can naturally become better at bows and arrows without being locked into a hard profession slot.
Crafting Skills
Official v1 starts with open sandbox crafting: there is no fixed two-profession limit. Recipes name a skill, a recommended skill value, a difficulty, and the attribute that naturally supports that work.
| Skill | Attribute | Range | Early use |
|---|---|---|---|
fletching | DEX | 0-100 | arrows, bows, shafts |
herbalism | WIS | 0-100 | wild herbs and preparation |
restoration | WIS | 0-100 | blessings, restoration reagents |
weaponsmithing | STR | 0-100 | metal weapons |
armorsmithing | STR | 0-100 | armor and repairs |
tailoring | DEX | 0-100 | cloth, leather, dyes, patterns |
woodworking | DEX | 0-100 | wooden handles, shields, furniture |
Simple recipes are available immediately. Better skill values create better
outputs instead of blocking the attempt. A character can expose skill points as
attributes such as skill_fletching = 25.
Crafted items use two numeric percentages:
quality:1..100, how well the item was madecondition:1..100, current wear or damage
Crafted items start with condition = 100. Their quality is calculated from
recipe difficulty, recommended skill, the crafter's matching skill, and the
supporting attribute. Weapon damage scales by both quality and condition.
Recipes
Recipes transform inventory stacks into item outputs. They use the same item templates as loot, shops, class loadouts, spell reagents, and text look paths.
| Recipe | Skill | Recommended | Difficulty | Consumes | Produces |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
wooden_arrows | fletching | 10 | 10 | green_wood x1, feather x2 | wooden_arrows x10 |
blessed_herb | restoration | 8 | 8 | wild_herb x1 | blessed_herb x1 |
hunting_bow | fletching | 25 | 35 | green_wood x3 | hunting_bow x1 |
profession_hint marks who usually teaches, sells, or performs the work, and
class_hint can mark a class-flavored recipe such as Cleric blessing. The
recipe gate itself is still the actual requirement: blessed_herb requires the
minor_heal spell, so Herbalism supplies the wild_herb and Cleric restoration
turns it into a reagent. This leaves room for Ultima Online-style character
growth while still giving towns useful roles such as Fletcher, Herbalist,
Tailor, and Blacksmith.
Setting LEVEL on an authored character applies class progression during
spawn/load. For example, a level 2 Cleric receives the Cleric level gains and
level 2 spell unlocks from the ruleset. Explicit character overrides, such as a
custom wounded HP = 1, are preserved.
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 are fed by actions. For example, the attack intent resolves to
the basic_attack action, and take resolves to the take action. This keeps
buttons, scripts, and later sandbox tools on the same rules path.
| 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 |
Official action distances are resolved before per-character
[intent_distance] values. A single Attack button can therefore serve melee
and ranged weapons: swords and maces use melee range, bows use the bow category
range. In 2D directional play, choosing Attack and pressing a direction scans
that lane out to the equipped weapon range, so a bow can target an enemy several
tiles away without needing a separate ranged-attack intent.
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 the basic_attack action cooldown.
When damage resolves, the target receives the damaged event with the final
amount, attacker_id, damage kind, and source_item_id payload fields.
Ruleset spell damage uses this same damaged event path, so NPC reactions do
not need separate weapon and spell handlers.
Combat
Combat is meant to be easy to explain and easy to test.

| 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 | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
training_sword | sword | main_hand | 1.0 | 1d6, bonus 1, STR every 4 | wooden diagonal sword mask |
hand_axe | axe | main_hand | 1.2 | 1d8, bonus 1, STR every 4 | diagonal axe mask |
novice_mace | mace | main_hand | 1.15 | 1d6, bonus 0, STR every 4 | diagonal mace mask |
hunting_bow | bow | main_hand | 1.5 | 1d6, bonus 0, DEX every 4 | diagonal bow mask |
training_spear | spear | main_hand | 1.25 | 1d6, bonus 1, STR every 4 | diagonal spear mask |
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 |
cleric_vestments | cloth | torso | 1 | torso, arms |
leather_vest | leather | torso | 2 | torso |
chain_shirt | chain | torso | 3 | torso, arms |
round_shield | shield | shield | 1 | round shield mask |
| Clothing | Family | Slot | Worth | Avatar channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
linen_shirt | cloth | torso | 5c | torso, arms |
wool_trousers | cloth | legs | 6c | legs |
leather_shoes | leather | feet | 8c | feet |
| Container | Family | Slots | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|
small_bag | bag | 6 | pouch mask |
loot_corpse | corpse | 8+ | tombstone mask |
Containers open as floating UI panels. They use procedural UI templates by default; a template defines columns, slot size, padding, gap, title, and palette colors. Projects can later skin the same template with tile ids for frame corners, edges, center fill, and slots without turning every bag into a custom screen.
Dead characters that call drop_items("") create a lootable corpse container
under the official rules. The corpse expands to fit the carried loot and uses
the same open, click-to-take, drag, and text transfer paths as bags. Empty
corpses despawn by default so cleaned-out tombstones do not remain on the map.
Non-empty corpses also have a lifetime. For respawning NPCs, the corpse
disappears shortly before the NPC returns, using
despawn_before_respawn_seconds; other corpses use despawn_seconds.
NPCs respawn by default. [respawn.npc] defines the delay, restores health to
full, restores the NPC's startup loadout and behavior state, and removes that
NPC's corpse when it returns. Player death remains script-controlled so games
can decide whether the player wakes at a shrine, returns to town, loses money,
keeps a tombstone, or follows another custom death loop. Individual NPCs can
override the timer with respawn_seconds or disable automatic respawn with
respawn = false.
| Ammunition | Family | Quantity | Used by | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
wooden_arrows | arrow | 20 | bow, 1 per attack | diagonal arrow mask |
| Reagent | Family | Quantity | Used by | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
blessed_herb | herb | 3 | Cleric restoration reagent | herb sprig mask |
| Material | Family | Quantity | Used by | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
green_wood | wood | 5 | shafts, handles, woodworking | wood shaft mask |
feather | feather | 5 | arrow fletching | feather mask |
wild_herb | herb | 5 | gathered herbalism material | herb sprig mask |
Economy
Eldiron uses a classic copper, silver, and gold economy. All prices and rewards are stored as integer base units, where copper is the base:
| Currency | Symbol | Base value |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | c | 1 |
| Silver | s | 10 |
| Gold | g | 100 |
The UI formats base values compactly. 125 copper is shown as 1g 2s 5c.
This keeps the rules and tools simple while still presenting familiar RPG
money to players.
New player characters start with 50 copper, displayed as 5s, unless the
character explicitly defines another wealth value.
| Money item | Adds |
|---|---|
copper_coin | 1c |
silver_coin | 1s |
gold_coin | 1g |
Money items are marked monetary = true. Taking one adds its value directly to
the actor's wallet instead of placing the coin item in inventory. Normal item
worth, shop prices, loot rewards, and character wealth are all measured in
base copper units.
Money loot can use the same item template with a different value. For example,
a dropped purse can set monetary = true, currency = "silver", and
amount = 5 to add 5s when taken. worth = 50 is the equivalent raw base
value and is useful for tools and display.
Resource nodes are the world objects that produce materials. They are distinct from inventory items.
| Resource node | Action | Produces | Respawn | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
wild_herb_node | gather_herbs | wild_herb x2 | 300 seconds | herb sprig mask |
green_wood_node | gather_wood | green_wood x3 | 300 seconds | wood shaft mask |
bird_nest_node | gather_feathers | feather x2 | 300 seconds | feather/nest mask |
| Tool | Worth | Interaction | State | Visual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
torch | 1s | use toggles it on/off | swaps light, tile, and look text; while lit it loses condition over game minutes and destroys itself at 0% | one bundled unlit tile, one bundled four-frame lit tile |
Bows consume one matching ammunition item from the attacker's inventory when a
weapon attack resolves. hunting_bow declares ammunition = "wooden_arrows"
and ammunition_quantity = 1, so the ruleset owns both which item is needed
and how many are spent. Stackable ammunition decrements its quantity; when the
stack reaches zero the inventory slot is emptied. wooden_arrows therefore
means one inventory stack of arrows, not one single arrow item per slot.
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.
Some official items are interactive templates rather than passive gear. A torch
contains its own script, authored state text, light definition, and lit/unlit
visual state. Its unlit tile and animated lit tile are bundled with the official
rules, so projects can place a complete working torch without rebuilding that
behavior by hand. Its burn time is rules-owned through [durability]: while
active, it drains condition by 10% per 60 game minutes, and on_empty = "destroy" removes the burned-out torch.
Abilities And Spells
Abilities and spells define what exists. Actions define how an actor performs a gameplay verb. This keeps the current RPG layer compatible with future sandbox verbs such as harvesting, crafting, lockpicking, stealing, or taming.
| Action | Kind | Target | Cost | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
basic_attack | attack | hostile or neutral entity | - | weapon damage |
power_strike | attack | hostile or neutral entity | - | power_strike damage |
minor_heal | spell | friendly or self | 3 MP, 1 blessed_herb | minor_heal healing |
holy_light | spell | hostile or neutral entity | 4 MP | holy_light damage |
take | interaction | ground item | - | move item to inventory |
gather_herbs | gather | resource node | - | resource output |
gather_wood | gather | resource node | - | resource output |
gather_feathers | gather | resource node | - | resource output |
craft_blessed_herb | craft | self | 1 wild_herb, minor_heal known | blessed_herb x1 |
craft_wooden_arrows | craft | self | 1 green_wood, 2 feather | wooden_arrows x10 |
craft_hunting_bow | craft | self | 3 green_wood, recommended fletching 25 | hunting_bow x1 |
Action definitions already include a generic consumes list, so spells,
crafting, and other sandbox actions can require reagents or materials without a
new hardcoded system. These costs use stack quantities too: consuming three
arrows, herbs, ore, or reagents subtracts three from a matching stack before it
removes an inventory slot.
Actions can also declare skill and required_skill. The first gather actions
are open at required_skill = 0, but the same mechanism is now available for
higher-tier ore, wood, herbs, locks, traps, and profession actions.
Class action bars expose five demo slots in Hideout2D. Warrior gets martial combat plus simple field gathering and arrow crafting. Cleric gets attack, healing, holy damage, herb gathering, and herb blessing. Ranger gets attack, wood and feather gathering, arrow fletching, and bow crafting.
Abilities are class-owned combat options. Spells add school, cast time, and damage or healing data. Actions connect those definitions to targets, costs, cooldowns, results, and FX.
Scripts use attack() for the normal weapon attack. Named action buttons or
text commands use use_action("<id>"); for example use_action("power_strike")
or use power strike orc in text play. Resource actions can also be typed by
name, such as gather herbs, gather wood, or gather feathers, which targets
the nearest matching visible resource node. Successful gathering sends a
localized result message such as You gather Wild Herb x2. Recipes can be
typed by name too, such as craft blessed herb, craft wooden arrows, or
craft hunting bow. Container transfers start with simple text commands such
as open small bag, put wild herb in bag, and take wild herb from bag.
| 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, 1 blessed_herb | 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 |
Spell FX use semantic presets from fx.toml. The ruleset describes the visual
intent, and the engine maps that to procedural particles and lighting.
| Spell | Cast FX | Travel FX | Impact FX |
|---|---|---|---|
minor_heal | rising_motes | - | rising_motes |
holy_light | holy_glow | holy_bolt | hit_burst |
fire_spark | - | ember_trail | fire_burst |
| FX Preset | Description |
|---|---|
hit_burst | short impact burst from the target center |
rising_motes | soft particles across the tile, moving upward |
holy_glow | warm divine aura around caster or target |
holy_bolt | focused holy projectile with trailing glow |
fire_burst | hot impact explosion with sparks and smoke |
flame_patch | small burning area on the tile |
ember_trail | embers behind a moving fire spell |
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
- stackable materials, reagents, ammunition, and first crafting recipes
- skill-gated crafting with open profession growth
- first item container,
small_bag, with text transfer commands - 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
- larger crafting professions, reagents, recipes, stations, and item outputs
- container popups, bags, chests, corpses, and loot transfer UI
- 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
- rarity, value, repair rules, and deeper quality/condition effects
- 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.