Overview

Quick Start

Darkness Falls is an open-world dungeon RPG you play by voice on Amazon Alexa. Say "Alexa, open Darkness Falls" on any Alexa device to begin.

What Is Darkness Falls?

Darkness Falls puts you in a dangerous fantasy world of interconnected dungeons, haunted ruins, and monster-filled wilderness. You explore on foot — one move at a time — discovering hidden areas, looting fallen enemies, and growing powerful enough to tackle the world's deadliest zones.

The game is entirely voice-driven: navigate by saying directions, issue commands to attack or use items, and interact with the world through natural language.

The Basic Loop

1. Explore — Move through grid-based zones with direction commands ("go north", "east", "southwest"). Each zone is a grid of squares with enemies, items, and secrets scattered throughout.
2. Fight — Moving near an enemy triggers combat automatically. You can also issue manual commands like "attack", "dodge", or "drink potion" for tactical control during a fight.
3. Collect loot — Enemies drop items and gold when defeated. Step onto a loot square to pick it up automatically as you move through.
4. Level up — Killing enemies earns XP. Each level makes you stronger and opens up harder zones with better rewards.
5. Push deeper — Zones connect in chains of increasing difficulty. The world spans from level 1 starter areas to level 100+ endgame content.

How to Start Playing

• Alexa invocation: "Alexa, open Darkness Falls"
• Create a character: Choose a name and one of 8 classes (Fighter, Rogue, Sorcerer, Cleric, Barbarian, Ranger, Necromancer, or Paladin)
• Your first steps: You start in a safe Starter Zone. Find and equip a weapon, then head through the portal to begin your adventure
• Home base: Say "teleport hideout" anytime to return to your safe Hideout — a personal base where you can craft items, manage gear, and plan your next adventure
• Return to action: From the hideout, say "teleport" to jump back to where you left off in the world

New Player Tips

• Moving into an enemy's space triggers auto-attack — you don't need to say "attack" every single turn
• Your inventory holds 20 items, and you can pay gold at your hideout to expand it. Say "inventory" to see and manage your gear, or "upgrade backpack" at the hideout to add slots
• The Star Map (accessible from your hideout) is your character upgrade system — each level earns you a skill point to spend on permanent stat bonuses
• At level 40, choose a Promotion Class that specializes your build. At level 50, choose a Paragon Path for a deep identity
• Defeat bosses to earn Trophies — permanent collection and Standard-character bonuses; Current Season characters may display them but receive no stat benefit
• Use "scan" or "look" to see what's around you without moving

Design Pillars

1. Exploration-driven progression — The world is a network of zones with increasing difficulty. Players push into harder zones as they level up.
2. Moment-to-moment combat — Combat happens on the grid as players move through zones. Movement into enemy range triggers auto-attack; manual commands give tactical control.
3. Loot-driven itemization — Items drop with random properties and rarity tiers. Crafting, upgrading, and enchanting provide long-term gear goals.
4. Character depth — 8 base classes, 12 promotion classes, 24 paragon paths, and 14 skills create meaningful build diversity.

Core Game Loop

Create Character (name + class)
  → Explore Zones (grid movement, discover new areas)
    → Fight Enemies (auto-attack on contact, manual combat commands)
      → Collect Loot (rarity-based drops, gold, materials)
        → Level Up (stat growth, unlock abilities)
          → Push Deeper (harder zones, zone chain progression)
            → Paragon System (level 40+ promotion, level 50+ specialization)
              → Endgame (level 100 cap, gear scales beyond via zone modifiers)

Between sessions: Players return to their Hideout (safe zone) to manage inventory, craft items, recharge potions, navigate the Star Map, and visit their Trophy Room.

Class System

8 Base Classes

Class	Primary Stat	Resource	Playstyle
Fighter	STR	Stamina	Frontline melee, high durability
Rogue	AGI	Energy	Agile offense, critical strikes
Sorcerer	INT	Mana	Ranged magic damage
Cleric	INT	Mana	Support, healing
Barbarian	STR	Stamina	STR-based like Fighter (archetype variant)
Ranger	AGI	Energy	AGI-based like Rogue (archetype variant)
Necromancer	INT	Mana	INT-based offense like Sorcerer (archetype variant)
Paladin	INT	Mana	INT-based support like Cleric (archetype variant)

The 4 archetype classes are intentional flavor variants of the original 4, sharing the same stat growth and resource type. Their differentiation comes from having unique paragon paths (e.g., Barbarian gets Warchief/Bloodrager/Titan instead of Fighter's Champion/Berserker/Warlord).

Stat Growth Per Level

Per-level stat allocation follows class primary stat weighting:

• Primary stat: +3 per level
• Secondary stat: +2 per level
• Tertiary stat: +1 per level

12 Promotion Classes (Level 40+)

Base Class	Promotions
Cleric	High Priest, Rune Master, Avenger
Rogue	Assassin, Bandit, Swashbuckler
Sorcerer	Firestarter, Ice Maven, Lightning Thief
Fighter	Champion, Mercenary, Demon Slayer

24 Paragon Paths (Level 50+)

Each class has 3 specialization paths:

Class	Path 1	Path 2	Path 3
Fighter	Champion (balanced)	Berserker (offense)	Warlord (control)
Rogue	Assassin (burst)	Shadow (utility)	Trickster (control)
Sorcerer	Archmage (pure magic)	Elementalist (elemental)	Battlemage (hybrid)
Cleric	Hierophant (healing)	Templar (combat)	Oracle (support)
Barbarian	Warchief (leadership)	Bloodrager (lifesteal)	Titan (tank)
Ranger	Marksman (sniper)	Beastmaster (summons)	Scout (utility)
Necromancer	Lich (magic)	Death Knight (melee/chaos)	Soulweaver (lifesteal)
Paladin	Crusader (offense)	Inquisitor (control)	Guardian (defense)

3 paragon paths per class, 24 total (8 classes × 3 paths each).

14 Skills

Skills are non-combat character attributes used in exploration, dialog, and skill checks:

Skill	Domain
Athletics	Physical prowess
Awareness	Perception
Coercion	Intimidation
Disable Traps	Trap disarming
Logic	Puzzle solving
Commerce	Trading
Luck	Fortune/chance
Insight	Reading people
Medicine	Healing/treatment
Stealth	Sneaking
Knowledge Animals	Beast lore
Warfare	Combat tactics
Religion	Holy knowledge
Persuasion	Diplomacy

Skills System

Skills are 14 non-combat character attributes that influence exploration, dialog, and skill checks throughout the game. Unlike combat stats (STR/AGI/INT), skills are used during world interactions and are not currently involved in combat calculations.

The 14 Skills

Skill	Domain	Mechanical Use
Athletics	Physical prowess	Movement speed bonuses during exploration
Awareness	Perception	Passive and active trap detection
Coercion	Intimidation	Dialog skill checks (NPC interactions)
Disable Traps	Trap disarming	Trap disarm chance
Logic	Puzzle solving	Dialog/puzzle skill checks
Commerce	Trading	Shop price discounts (buy cheaper, sell higher)
Luck	Fortune/chance	General chance-based skill checks
Insight	Reading people	Dialog skill checks
Medicine	Healing/treatment	Dialog/interaction skill checks
Stealth	Sneaking	Enemy avoidance chance during exploration
Knowledge Animals	Beast lore	Dialog/interaction skill checks
Warfare	Combat tactics	Dialog/interaction skill checks
Religion	Holy knowledge	Dialog/interaction skill checks
Persuasion	Diplomacy	Dialog skill checks

Skill Check Trigger Types

Skills can trigger in three ways:

Trigger	Behavior
AUTOMATIC	Checks happen passively (e.g., trap detection on entering a square)
ON_USER_CHOICE	Player chooses to use the skill (e.g., attempting to disarm a detected trap)
ON_SUCCESSFUL_SKILL_CHECK	Chained from another successful check

Skills With Implemented Mechanics

Five skills have concrete mechanical implementations through the Exploration Skills System (see exploration.md for full details). These map to equippable gear and class innate bonuses:

Exploration Skill	Gear Type	Mechanic	Cap
Trap Mastery	EXPLORATION_TRAP_MASTERY	+trap detection, +trap disarm	100% each
Stealth	EXPLORATION_STEALTH	+enemy avoidance chance	40%
Commerce	EXPLORATION_COMMERCE	+shop discount	30%
Athletics	EXPLORATION_ATHLETICS	+movement speed per move command	+3 squares
Dungeon Master	EXPLORATION_DUNGEON_MASTER	All bonuses at half rates	Varies

Gear Skill Power Formula

Exploration gear in the SKILL slot provides bonuses based on item level and rarity:

skillPower = floor(itemLevel x rarityMultiplier / 2)

Rarity	Multiplier
Normal	1.0
Magic	1.2
Rare	1.5
Legendary / Boss	2.0
Unique	2.5

Gear Bonus Formulas

Gear Type	Detection	Disarm	Avoidance	Discount	Movement
Trap Mastery	+skillPower	+skillPower	-	-	-
Stealth	-	-	+skillPower/2	-	-
Commerce	-	-	-	+skillPower/3	-
Athletics	-	-	-	-	+1 at 50, +2 at 100
Dungeon Master	+skillPower/2	+skillPower/2	+skillPower/4	+skillPower/6	+1 at 75

Class Innate Exploration Bonuses

Each class provides an innate bonus that scales with level (baseBonus + level/10):

Class	Innate Bonus
Rogue	+15 trap detection, +20 trap disarm (+ level/10)
Fighter	+1 movement speed (flat)
Barbarian	+1 movement speed (flat)
Sorcerer	+10 enemy avoidance (+ level/10)
Necromancer	+10 enemy avoidance (+ level/10)
Cleric	+10 shop discount (+ level/10)
Paladin	+10 shop discount (+ level/10)
Ranger	+10 trap detection, +5 enemy avoidance (+ level/10 each)

Skills Without Specific Mechanics

The remaining 9 skills (Coercion, Logic, Luck, Insight, Medicine, Knowledge Animals, Warfare, Religion, Persuasion) are defined in the DarknessFallsSkills enum but do NOT have dedicated mechanical implementations beyond the NPC dialog/skill check system. They are used as qualifiers in dialog trees and NPC interaction checks, where a skill check compares the player's skill value against a difficulty threshold.

Design intent: These skills exist to support the NPC conversation and quest system (see npcs-quests.md). A player also favors one of three gods and prays once a day for its blessing: gods.md. Their mechanical depth comes from the variety of dialog options they unlock rather than from exploration bonuses.

Party System

Parties allow multiple players to explore and fight together in the same zones. The party system is cross-game (shared with Blood Lineage, Dark Tower, and Flip Match) but has Darkness Falls-specific features for zone exploration.

Party Basics

Property	Value
Maximum party size	4 members (including leader)
Party storage	Redis cache (4-hour TTL) + MySQL persistence
Party data	chat.chat_parties table with JSON party_data column

Party Formation

1. Leader creates party via the chat system — a unique partyRef is generated
2. Leader invites other players — invitations expire after 5 minutes
3. Invitees accept/decline — accepted members are added to the members set
4. Invitation statuses: PENDING, ACCEPTED, DECLINED, CANCELLED, EXPIRED

Party Leadership

• The party creator is the leader (stored as chatRef in party data)
• If the leader leaves, leadership transfers to the next member in the set
• Party is deleted when the last member leaves
• Leader's zone position is tracked in DarknessFallsPartyDetails (leaderZoneRef, leaderX, leaderY)

Party Teleportation

Party members can teleport to the leader's position:

• Command: "teleport party"
• 3-minute cooldown between uses
• Leader's position updates automatically when the leader moves
• Teleports to leader's exact zone and coordinates

Party Resurrection

A party of two or more shares each combat zone (party-combat.md), so an ally can stand on a fallen member's square and revive them.

1. A death in a shared zone with a living ally present enters DOWNED at zero health, tells the party, and offers the yes or no choice: return to hideout now, or wait for an ally
2. Saying resurrect and the fallen member's name, on their square, queues the revive; the fallen member rises on their next turn with 35% of maximum health
3. A downed player can always recover with return to hideout / hideout teleport (chooseReturnToHideout / attemptHideoutTeleport), and every refused action says whether an ally can still revive them

Death Mechanics (Solo vs Party)

Scenario	Behavior
Solo death	Auto-return to hideout, an XP penalty of 10% of the current level's span (calculateXPPenalty, so never more than a tenth of one level), return teleport saved. The death reply carries no shop pitch
Party death, ally present in the shared zone	Downed, the party is told, and the member chooses to return or wait for a revive
Party death, no ally able to revive	Auto-return to hideout, the same as a solo death
Resurrection command	Revives a downed party member on the speaker's square, applied on the member's next turn
Leftover downed state	return to hideout / hideout teleport self-respawns

Party Member Finding

Resurrection and other party interactions use PartyMemberFinder to locate party members:

• Searches through the current zone's characterZoneLocations map
• Matches by character name (case-insensitive via StringUtils.equalsIgnoreCase)
• Both players must be in the same zone

Loot Distribution

Party members in a shared zone each get a full share of their own from a kill they are near: the killer is paid in its turn, and each present ally within ten squares is paid in its own next turn, with its own stats and entitlements, on its own square. A bigger party earns the party-size bonus on every shared kill. party-combat.md § Spoils and § Party-size bonus.

Ownership keys on loot squares are either "FREE" (anyone can pick up) or {characterRef} (specific character only). See exploration.md for details.

Shared Combat

Party members fight the same enemies in one shared instance of each combat zone; personal zones, towns and endgame zones stay private. Turns are never locked against each other: overlapping turns merge on save. party-combat.md.

What Is NOT Implemented

• Trading between party members — NOT IMPLEMENTED.
• Party-wide buffs beyond the party-size reward bonus — NOT IMPLEMENTED.
• Party formation via voice commands — parties are created through the chat system, not through in-game voice commands.

Equipment Slots (19)

Characters have 19 equipment slots. See items-economy.md § Equipment Slots for the full per-slot breakdown.

Category	Slots	Slot Names
Weapons	2	MAIN_HAND, OFF_HAND
Armor & Accessories	8	BODY, HEAD, HANDS, FEET, BELT, AMULET, DEFENSE_RING, ATTACK_RING
Skill Gems	5	ATTACK_SKILL, DEFENSE_SKILL, UTILITY_SKILL, AOE_SKILL, MAGIC_SKILL
Potions & Exploration	3	HEALTH_POTION, RESOURCE_POTION, EXPLORATION_SKILL
Special	1	TROPHY_FRAGMENT (consumable trophy unlock slot)

Source of truth: llitd.model.darknessfalls.enums.DarknessFallsSlot (19 enum values).

Inventory capacity: 20 items base, upgradeable for gold to 40 (45 for subscribers). See items-economy.md § Upgradeable Backpack Capacity.

Equip/unequip: Equip from inventory menu. No direct "unequip to empty" — swap by equipping a different item of the same slot type; old item returns to inventory.