Halls of Ruin — Game Design Document

Section IDesign Pillars

💀 Meaningful Death

Every run ends. Every run matters. Permadeath resets dungeon state, but the player always extracts something — gold, knowledge, unlocks, reputation. The question is never if you die, but how much you got out of it.

⏳ Idle Tension

The game runs while you're away, but active play is always more efficient. Idle income funds upgrades; active play pushes depth. Neither path alone is optimal — the interplay is the core loop.

🎲 Emergent Builds

No two runs play the same. Randomized loot, event chains, shrine blessings, curse stacking, and class synergies create combinatorial depth without requiring manual deckbuilding.

♾️ Vertical Infinity

There is no final floor. Scaling is asymptotic — the player can always push one floor deeper with better meta-progression, but the difficulty curve ensures there's always a wall.

Section IICore Loop

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ META LAYER (persistent) │ │ Gold → Upgrades → Unlocks → Prestige → Ascension │ └──────────────────────────┬──────────────────────────────────┘ │ feeds into ┌──────────────────────────▼──────────────────────────────────┐ │ RUN LAYER (ephemeral) │ │ Enter Dungeon → Floor Events → Combat → Loot → Death │ │ ↑ │ │ │ └──────────── gold/XP extracted ────────────┘ │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ while away ┌──────────────────────────▼──────────────────────────────────┐ │ IDLE LAYER (passive) │ │ Tavern Income · Minion Expeditions · Crafting Queues │ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Run Structure

A "run" is a single dungeon delve — a procedurally generated infinite vertical descent with branching paths at decision points.

Floor types: Combat, Event, Shop, Rest, Elite, Boss (every 10th), Mystery
Floor weighting: Weighted random with pity timers. Guaranteed shop within every 5-floor window. Rest sites rarer past floor 30.
Branching: Choose between 2–3 paths with partial info. Clarity improves with the Scout upgrade line.
Termination: Death (HP ≤ 0), Flee (keep partial gold), or Extraction Portal (rare event, keep everything + bonus).

Idle Systems

System	Unlocked At	Produces	Active Bonus
Tax Collector	Start	Gold/sec	—
Tavern	Prestige 1	Gold/sec, rumors	Hire better staff
Minion Expeditions	Floor 15 reached	Materials, minor loot	Choose expedition targets
Crafting Queue	Prestige 2	Equipment from blueprints	Manual crafting is faster
Training Grounds	Floor 30 reached	Passive hero XP	Spar for bonus XP
Black Market	Prestige 3	Rare item rotation	Negotiate prices

Offline calculation: On reconnect, compute min(elapsed, 8h) of idle ticks. Cap prevents overnight-equals-weeks exploits. Premium "Eternal Flame" upgrade raises cap to 24h.

Section IIIHero System

Classes

Four base classes, each unlocking a subclass tree at Prestige 1. Subclass selection is per-run, chosen at floor 5 via a "Shrine of Calling" event.

⚔️

Knight

Tank

Block — chance to negate damage entirely

Paladin · Warlord

🗡️

Rogue

Burst

Combo — sequential hits deal escalating damage

Assassin · Shadow

🔮

Mage

Nuke

Mana — builds per floor, spent on spells

Archmage · Chronomancer

✝️

Cleric

Sustain

Faith — heals scale with consecutive floors

Inquisitor · Saint

Stats

Stat	Source	Notes
HP	Base + upgrades + equipment	No natural regen in combat
ATK	Base + upgrades + equipment + buffs	Flat + % scaling
DEF	Base + upgrades + equipment	Diminishing returns: reduction = DEF / (DEF + 50 + floor×2)
SPD	Base + equipment	Determines turn order
CRIT%	Base (5%) + upgrades + equipment	Crit multiplier separate (default 2×)
LUCK	Equipment + events	Affects loot rarity, event quality, shop inventory

Per-Run Leveling

Heroes gain XP from kills. Level-ups grant stat boosts and skill points spent in a 3-deep subclass skill tree. All per-run progress resets on death. This creates the "one more floor" tension — you're always one level from a power spike that might carry you past the current wall.

Section IVCombat System

Turn Structure

Semi-auto with meaningful decisions. Combat is round-based:

Turn order resolved by SPD.
Hero turn: Auto-attack by default. Player can intervene to use a skill, item, or flee. If idle/AFK, hero auto-attacks.
Enemy turn: AI acts based on behavior pattern.
Repeat until one side is dead.

Design Intent

Skills are strictly better than auto-attacks but require player input. Idle combat is viable but suboptimal — this is the core idle/active tension.

Example Skills — Knight

Skill	Cost	Effect
Shield Bash	2 CD	Deal 80% ATK + stun 1 turn
Fortify	3 CD	+50% DEF for 3 turns
Rallying Cry	5 CD	Heal 15% max HP + cleanse 1 debuff
Last Stand	Passive	Below 25% HP: +30% ATK, +20% DEF

Enemy Behavior Patterns

Aggressive: Always attacks. Simple scaling.
Defensive: Alternates attack/defend. Higher effective HP.
Berserk: Gains ATK as HP drops. Punishes slow fights.
Healer: Heals every 3 turns. Must burst down.
Summoner: Spawns adds. Requires target prioritization.
Cursed: Applies debuffs on hit. Demands cleanse or avoidance.

Elite Modifiers

Applied to any enemy on elite floors: Vampiric, Shielded, Thorns, Splitting, Enraged, Time-Bomb.

Boss Design

Bosses have 3 phases with mechanic changes at 66% and 33% HP. Each boss has a telegraph system — upcoming attacks are previewed 1 turn in advance, rewarding attentive players.

Section VLoot & Equipment

Rarity Tiers

Tier	Drop %	Stat Mul	Special
■ Common	60%	1.0×	—
■ Uncommon	25%	1.3×	1 minor affix
■ Rare	10%	1.6×	2 affixes
■ Epic	4%	2.0×	3 affixes + set potential
■ Legendary	1%	2.5×	Unique effect + 3 affixes
■ Mythic	0.1%	3.5×	Build-defining unique

Equipment Slots

Helmet, Armor, Weapon, Shield/Offhand, Ring ×2, Amulet, Boots. Each slot has a dedicated affix pool.

Key Tension — Equipment Persistence

Equipment found during a run is lost on death unless: the player reaches a Vault event and banks 1 item (rare), or has the "Salvager" meta-upgrade (extracts 1 random item as blueprint), or extracts via portal (keeps everything). This creates high-stakes decisions: equip the legendary sword now for power, or bank it for future runs?

Affix System

Prefixes (2 max) and suffixes (2 max) rolled from per-slot pools.

Prefixes: Brutal (+ATK%), Fortified (+DEF%), Vampiric (lifesteal), Blazing (+fire damage)
Suffixes: of the Bear (+HP), of Haste (+SPD), of Fortune (+LUCK), of Thorns (reflect)

Set Items

4-piece sets with 2pc and 4pc bonuses, class-agnostic but synergy-targeted:

Ironbound — 2pc: +20% DEF. 4pc: Block chance applies to all damage types.
Shadowweave — 2pc: +15% CRIT. 4pc: Crits reset skill cooldowns.
Flamecaller — 2pc: +25% spell damage. 4pc: Spells apply burn DoT.

Section VIDungeon Events

Events are the primary source of run variance. Each has 2–3 choices with different risk/reward profiles.

Resource Events

Healing Spring: Full heal vs. partial heal + permanent HP buff.
Treasure Vault: Take gold now vs. solve riddle for 3× gold.
Abandoned Cart: Random equipment vs. guaranteed consumables.

Risk Events

Cursed Altar: Accept a curse (permanent debuff) for a powerful blessing.
Gambler's Den: Bet gold on dice. Odds improve with LUCK.
Trapped Chest: Disarm (SPD check) for loot, or trigger trap for damage.

Narrative Events

Wandering Merchant: Unique shop with rotating rare inventory.
Lost Soul: Escort for 3 floors for reward, or ignore.
Rival Adventurer: Fight for loot, trade items, or temporary alliance.

Mystery Events

Dimensional Rift: Teleport 3–5 floors deeper (skip content + loot).
Memory Fragment: Lore unlock + permanent stat bonus (collectible).
Shrine of Calling: Subclass selection (floor 5, guaranteed).

Event Chains

Some events have follow-ups. Saving the Lost Soul on floor 12 triggers "Grateful Ghost" on floor 20 with a unique reward. Chains are tracked per-run and create emergent narratives.

Section VIIMeta-Progression

Persistent Upgrades (Gold)

Category	Examples
Economy	Idle gold rate, gold multiplier, shop discounts, death gold retention %
Combat	Base ATK/DEF/HP bonuses, starting crit%, starting skill unlocks
Exploration	Floor preview range, event quality, vault frequency, portal spawn rate
Idle	Minion expedition slots, crafting speed, tavern capacity, offline cap

Prestige System

Trigger: Reach floor 50+ and choose to "Ascend" at any rest site.
Cost: Resets ALL gold, upgrades, and unlocked content (except achievements and lore).
Reward: Prestige Points (PP) based on deepest floor. PP buys permanent prestige upgrades.

Tier 1 — 1 PP each

Subclass Unlocks Minion Expeditions +1 Starting Potion Tavern System

Tier 2 — 3 PP each

Crafting System Set Item Drops Elite Resistance +1 Vault Slot

Tier 3 — 8 PP each

Mythic Drops Black Market Ascension Challenges Hero Legacy

Tier 4 — 20 PP each

Multiclass Infinite Scaling Custom Modifiers The Abyss

Ascension Challenges

Optional run modifiers that multiply PP gain. Stack multiplicatively.

Challenge	Effect	PP Multiplier
Frail	-50% HP	1.5×
Pacifist	Can't attack on odd turns	2×
Cursed Blood	Start with 3 random curses	2.5×
Ironman	No healing from any source	3×
Speedrun	30-second timer per floor	2×

Hero Legacy

After Prestige 3, dead heroes leave behind a "Legacy" — a permanent passive buff based on deepest floor and class. The player accumulates a graveyard of legacies. Each is small (+1% ATK, +5 HP) but they stack infinitely, creating permanent growth even through death.

Section VIIIEndgame — The Abyss

Unlocked at Prestige Tier 4. A separate infinite dungeon with modified rules:

No floor events. Pure combat gauntlet.
Daily mutators. "Today: all enemies have Thorns + double gold." Creates daily leaderboard competition.
Leaderboard floors as the primary competitive metric.
Abyss-exclusive loot with unique affixes not found in the main dungeon.
Weekly boss: Hand-designed encounter, rotates weekly. Grants cosmetic + Abyss currency.

Section IXEconomy & Currencies

Currency	Source	Sink	Persistence
Gold	Combat, events, idle	Upgrades, shops	Survives death, reset on prestige
Prestige Points	Ascension	Prestige upgrades	Permanent
Materials	Expeditions, salvage	Crafting	Survives death, reset on prestige
Abyss Tokens	Abyss runs	Cosmetics, QoL	Permanent
Soul Fragments	Legacy system	Legacy enhancement	Permanent
Dungeon Keys	Rare drops, daily	Special dungeon variants	Permanent

Anti-inflation: Upgrade costs are exponential. Shop prices scale with floor depth. Crafting permanently consumes materials.

Section XProgression Pacing

Milestone	Expected Time	What Opens
First death	2 min	Understanding of loop
Floor 10 (first boss)	15–30 min	Boss mechanics, rare loot
Floor 25	1–2 hours	Mid-tier upgrades, expeditions
Floor 50 (first prestige)	4–8 hours	Prestige system, subclasses
Prestige 3	20–40 hours	Ascension challenges, legacy
Floor 100	50+ hours	The Abyss, endgame
Abyss floor 50	100+ hours	Competitive leaderboards

Section XITechnical Architecture

State Model

GameState { meta: { prestiges, prestigePoints, prestigeUpgrades, legacies[], achievements, loreUnlocks, abyssTokens, soulFragments } persistent: { gold, upgrades, materials, blueprints[], expeditions[], craftingQueue[], tavernStaff[] } run: { active, heroClass, subclass, hero { hp, maxHp, atk, def, spd, critChance }, floor, floorHistory[], equipment{}, inventory[], activeBuffs[], activeCurses[], eventChains{}, enemy, currentEvent, runStats } idle: { lastTick, idleGoldRate, expeditionTimers{}, craftingTimers{} } }

Tick System

Fast tick (600ms): Combat resolution, active gameplay.
Slow tick (1s): Idle income, expedition progress, crafting, UI updates.
Offline reconnect: slowTicks = min(elapsed_seconds, offline_cap). Bulk-apply idle income and expedition completions. No combat sim while offline.

Scaling Math

Balance Formulas

Enemy HP: base_hp × template_mul × (1 + floor × 0.15) × (1 + prestige × 0.05)

Enemy ATK: Same formula, steeper per-floor coefficient (0.18).

Gold scaling: base_gold × template_mul × (1 + floor × 0.12) × (1 + gold_upgrade × 0.1)

DEF diminishing returns: reduction = DEF / (DEF + 50 + floor × 2) — ensures value without immunity.

All tunable constants exposed in balance.json for rapid iteration.

RNG Architecture

Seeded PRNG per run (seed shown to player, shareable for challenge runs).
Pity counters for loot rarity, event types, and shop inventory.
Weighted tables with configurable weights per floor bracket.

Persistence

LocalStorage for single-device (with base64 export/import save string).
Cloud save (optional) via lightweight backend: save on death, prestige, and every 60s.
Save versioning with migration on load.

Section XIIContent Roadmap

Phase 1 — Core Loop (MVP)

4 classes, no subclasses
Combat + basic events + boss every 10 floors
Gold + persistent upgrades
Common/Uncommon/Rare loot (no sets)
Idle gold generation
Mobile-responsive web UI

Phase 2 — Depth

Subclass system + Shrine of Calling
Full event chain system
Equipment affixes + set items
Minion expeditions + crafting
Prestige system (Tier 1–2)

Phase 3 — Endgame

Prestige Tier 3–4 + Ascension Challenges
The Abyss + daily mutators + leaderboards
Hero Legacy system
Mythic items + lore completion

Phase 4 — Social

Shared seed challenge runs
Guild system (shared idle bonuses)
Weekly boss rankings + trading post
Seasonal content + cosmetics

Section XIIIMonetization

If monetized, strictly cosmetic + convenience:

Cosmetic skins for heroes, UI themes, death animations, loot particles.
Offline cap extension (8h → 24h).
Additional save slots.
Cosmetic gravestones for the Legacy graveyard.
Season pass with cosmetic reward track + minor QoL.

Hard Rule

No stat boosts, no exclusive gameplay content, no gold purchases. Paying players look cooler but don't go deeper.

Section XIVOpen Design Questions

Party System?

Should the player eventually recruit companions (1 → 3-hero party)? Adds tactical depth but massively increases combat complexity and balance surface area. Possibly Phase 4+.

PvP?

Async PvP (attack other players' "ghost runs") could work without real-time infrastructure. Risk of balance distortion.

Narrative Weight?

How much lore vs. pure mechanics? Memory Fragments suggest light narrative. Could expand into a full story mode or stay ambient.

Difficulty Modes?

Or is the Ascension Challenge system sufficient for self-imposed difficulty?

Seasonal Resets?

Ladder-style seasons with fresh starts, or purely additive forever? Seasons drive engagement but punish casual players.