Darkness Falls — Class Playstyle, Subclasses, and Build Ladders

Status: DESIGN LOCKED 2026-07-27 (owner: automatic combat + subclass ladder + skill-tree direction) Parents: combat.md, act-1-class-signatures.md, progression.md, class-identity.md, star-map.md Alignment plan: design-code-alignment.md

0. Non-negotiable combat law

1. Default power is automatic. Players do not run a cast bar for class identity.
2. Player job in combat = movement, positioning, dodge, potions, flee. Not "use ability 3".
3. Build job outside combat = class, promotion (subclass), paragon path, gear, Star Map, skill gems.
4. At most zero required cast verbs for class signatures. Leftover cast NLU soft-redirects.
5. Ignore-path: walk-and-auto-attack alone must remain viable.

Violating this law is a design bug, not a feature.

1. Automatic power layers (how power fires)

Layer	When it fires	Tuned by
Basic Attack	Every combat attack	Weapon, stats, Star Map
Rotation specials	Every N attacks (howOftenSwings)	Class signature, promotion, paragon, gems
Stationary specials	Every N consecutive combat rounds without moving	Class (Guard/Mend), gear MEGA_*, promotion
Mobile momentum	Attacks on a turn where the player moved	Class defaults, promotion, gear
Skill gems / Star Map attacks	Existing cadence tables in combat.md	Gear slots, Star Map nodes

Act I base signatures (L1)

Class	Signature	Kind	Default cadence
Fighter	Guard	Stationary	Every 4 hold rounds, brace next hit (40% reduce)
Cleric	Mend	Stationary	Every 3 hold rounds while hurt, heal
Rogue	Strike	Rotation	Every 3 attacks
Sorcerer	Blast	Rotation	Every 4 attacks
Barbarian	Rage	Rotation	Every 4 attacks (damage amp pulse)
Ranger	Mark	Rotation	Every 3 attacks (bonus damage proc)
Necromancer	Drain	Rotation	Every 4 attacks (damage + small self heal)
Paladin	Smite	Rotation	Every 3 attacks (hybrid hit)
All	Mobile momentum	Mobile	+15% damage if moved this combat turn (promotion can raise)

2. Subclass ladder (LOCKED mapping — do not invent a third system)

Use the existing progression milestones. Do not add parallel pick UIs.

Tier	Level	Existing system	Player-facing name	What it customizes	Code status
T0 Base	1	Base class	Class	Signature kind + default cadence	HAVE — auto signatures + profile
T1 Subclass	40	Promotion class (DarknessFallsParagonClass)	Promotion / subclass	Mutates signature cadence + flavor; grants existing promotion abilities	HAVE — profile mutations
T2 Branch	50	Paragon path (DarknessFallsParagonPath)	Paragon path	Further mutates signature + grants path augment	HAVE — profile mutations
T3 (future)	70+	Class skill trees	Class tree nodes	Optional picks that stack onto the same signature profile	NOT IMPLEMENTED — design direction only

Archetype classes (Barbarian, Ranger, Necromancer, Paladin) skip T1 promotions today and go T0 to T2 at 50. That remains true; their T1 flavor is baked into the base twin signature until a future design reopens mid-tier forks for them.

T1 examples (signature mutation, not new cast verbs)

Base	Promotion	Signature mutation
Rogue	Assassin	Strike every 2 attacks; higher Strike crit
Rogue	Bandit	Strike every 3; mobile momentum +25%
Rogue	Swashbuckler	Strike every 4; mobile momentum +15%
Fighter	Champion	Guard every 3 hold rounds
Fighter	Mercenary	Guard every 5; mobile momentum +20%
Fighter	Demon Slayer	Guard every 4; guard reduction 50%
Cleric	High Priest	Mend every 2 hold rounds
Cleric	Rune Master	Mend every 3; larger heal
Cleric	Avenger	Mend every 4; mobile momentum +20%
Sorcerer	Firestarter	Blast every 3
Sorcerer	Ice Maven	Blast every 4
Sorcerer	Lightning Thief	Blast every 4; mobile momentum +20%

(Typo guard: Demon Slayer not Spayer — correct in code.)

T2 examples

Paragon paths (3 per class) further adjust the same SignaturePlaystyleProfile (cadence clamp, momentum, heal/guard strength) and set paragonAugment. Never introduces cast verbs.

3. Code contract

• Single resolver: DarknessFallsSignaturePlaystyleProfile built from base class + promotion + paragon path.
• Applied at stat rebuild after addClassAbilities so signature rows match the profile.
• Stationary/mobile runtime uses one streak tracker (consecutiveStationaryCombatRounds, movedThisCombatTurn).
• View abilities describes automatic playstyle; cast soft-redirects.
• Scenarios + JUnit prove profile math and ignore-path.

4. Gear hooks (stationary / mobile)

Gems designed "while stationary" (MEGA_*, ARCANE_*) MUST use the same playstyle flags. Do not invent a second stationary tracker.

HAVE today: mild +15% armor/evasion while holding ground (stationary stance). MEGA_* skill-gem defense bonuses exist as equip-time stats; full "only while stationary" gating for every MEGA_* row is partial — extend when gear content needs it.

5. Star Map vs class skill trees (do not confuse)

Today (locked and shipped)

• Star Map (star-map.md) is the live shared four-path (N/S/E/W) skill-point spend. Not class-locked.
• Class identity lives in signature profile + promotion + paragon + gear gems.
• That is the complete build surface agents may implement against right now.

T3 class skill trees — FUTURE ONLY

CAVEAT (binding): Class skill trees do not exist in code, content, NLU, or UI. There is no tree table, no spend handler, no respec, no voice flow. until the owner runs a design pass and flips this status out of FUTURE. Until then, this section is direction for later design, not a build backlog item.

If / when designed, T3 would:

1. Spend points into a class-scoped node set (or a class lens on Star Map).
2. Only mutate the automatic profile (cadence, elemental flavor, stationary/mobile bias).
3. Never require cast commands.
4. Enable replayability via multiple trees per class and a respec cost.

Open questions before any code (owner design pass required):

Question	Why it blocks
Point economy vs Star Map	Double spend or shared pool?
Voice UX for tree pick	Chip lists vs free text; depth budget
Respec / season interaction	Current Season fairness contract
Twin-class uniqueness	Barb vs Fighter trees must not collapse
Level gate (70+ vs earlier)	Interaction with Mastery

Forbidden until that pass:

• New tables / handlers named skill_tree / class_tree
• Pulling promotion skills to L1
• Parallel pick UIs outside promotion / paragon / Star Map

6. Phase order (implementation truth)

#	Work	Status
1	Playstyle auto signatures (T0) — pilot 4 + twins	local_proved (ship pending USER /deploy)
2	Profile mutations from T1/T2 — promotion + path	HAVE in code (JUnit); more scenario claims optional
3	Stationary/mobile gear hooks — MEGA_* / ARCANE_*	PARTIAL (stance buff live; full gem gating later)
4	Class skill trees (T3)	FUTURE — design only; not a coding task

7. Success tests

• Walk-and-fight without class verbs still works (ignore-path).
• Holding ground as Fighter braces; as Cleric mends when hurt.
• Moving in a fight increases damage (momentum).
• Promotion changes cadence or momentum vs base (JUnit profile table).
• No combat cast chips for class signatures.
• Cast NLU never starts a second mini-game; soft-redirect only.

Refs

• combat.md — Class playstyle signatures
• act-1-class-signatures.md — Hard rule + Capability Contracts
• progression.md — Promotion / Paragon
• class-identity.md — Lever toolbox
• star-map.md — Live skill-point tree (not T3)
• design-code-alignment.md — Full HAVE vs SHOULD inventory + close-the-gap plan