A deliberate RPG fighting game expressed through cards.
The game combines real-time fighting-game tension, RPG identity and progression, equipment, classes, Wizardry, party formation, and multiple objectives. Cards are the language through which characters know, equip, learn, summon, discover, and perform actions.
Design pillars
Deliberate combat
Observe, decide, commit, react, resolve, and reposition. Combat should reward reading the situation rather than button mashing.
One hero, three supports
A primary character and up to three party members preserve tag-team and formation possibilities.
RPG identity
Classes, attributes, XP, Mana, Gold, equipment, and career paths create meaningful character development.
Player development
Generic archetypes provide the foundation. Players develop them through choices, cards, training, and play.
Document status
Locked A decision intended to remain part of the core.
Working proposal A strong idea that still needs testing.
Future Reserved for later development.
Core Rules & Laws
Law 1
Self, singular identity, and the main character.
Law 2
Duality, opposition, relationships, attack and reaction.
Law 3
Choice and variety; reveal three and choose one.
Rule 4
Fourfold structure: party, classes, supports, and bounded permanent attachments.
Rule 5
Quintessence emerges from a complete fourfold structure rather than occupying a fifth slot.
Rule 6
Abundance and productivity. Day six provides double Mana.
Rule 7
Completion and reckoning. Day seven provides rest and no Mana; seven-day cycles shape play.
Time cycle
- One turn represents one day.
- Day 6: double Mana.
- Day 7: no Mana; rest, reckoning, and recovery themes.
- Possible formats: 7, 14, 28 turns, or unlimited.
Combat System
Combat is deliberate and reactive. It should feel like a fighting game interpreted through an RPG command and card system, not like a conventional slow card battler.
Possible action timing
Quick
Fast actions with limited impact.
Standard
Normal commitment and recovery.
Committed
Stronger action with greater exposure.
Delayed
Powerful or complex action with a readable setup.
Victory is not always defeat
Scenarios may ask the party to protect an NPC, hold a position, escape, stop a ritual, retrieve an object, force a retreat, or survive for a set number of turns.
Seven Commands
Fight
The default attack. Reliable and broadly available.
Spell
Special moves and Wizardry: attacks, defense, movement, summons, manipulation, and unusual effects.
Parry
Timing-sensitive defense with offensive potential. Success may create a riposte; failure carries risk.
Guard
Dependable defense that can reduce damage, protect allies, preserve formation, and resist displacement.
Item
Open inventory and use equipment or consumables.
Save
A catchall response to extraordinary threats. Especially powerful for Priests through prayer, dispel, and Divine Intervention.
Run
Evade, reposition, retreat, pursue, or flee. Run is control over distance, not simply cowardice.
Save: Prayer & Divine Intervention
Save may resist curses, possession, fear, poison, corruption, hostile Wizardry, collapsing terrain, or catastrophic outcomes. Other classes can attempt specialized Saves, but the Priest is the natural specialist.
- Ordinary Save: A character uses their own capabilities.
- Prayer: A Priest invokes focused divine assistance, often with Mana, a card, Law, or cost.
- Divine Intervention: A desperate appeal that can produce a major result but should not be a routine guaranteed button.
Attributes & Progression
Core attributes
Power
Physical force, impact, and strength of action.
Toughness
Durability, endurance, and resistance to physical harm.
Spirit
Inner vitality, resilience against fear and curses, and connection to Wizardry or meaning.
Discipline
Control, focus, training, technique, and resistance to disruption.
Level advancement
Working proposal: characters receive four attribute points per level to distribute gradually.
| Level | Total points earned |
|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 8 |
| 3 | 12 |
| 4 | 16 |
| 5 | 20 |
| 6 | 24 |
| 7 | 28 |
These numbers are a starting hypothesis and require playtesting. Early specialization, awkward builds, and card-based compensation are intentional possibilities.
Classes
The four base classes are foundational identities, not permanent destinies. Hybrid and prestige paths may be developed through cards, training, and progression.
| Class | Primary identity |
|---|---|
| Fighter | Weapons, armor, endurance, melee control, Guard, smithing, hunting, defense. |
| Mage | Wizardry, Mana, knowledge, research, and unusual solutions. |
| Priest | Healing, protection, support, cleansing, prayer, and Divine Intervention. |
| Thief | Mobility, stealth, information, commerce, salvage, and unconventional solutions. |
Class development
A Fighter may learn Samurai through a katana card, XP, and a tutor. A character can pursue hybrid paths without being forced into a rigid class box.
Cards & Permanent Attachments
- Temporary effects do not occupy permanent attachment slots.
- Adding a fifth permanent attachment requires replacing one of the existing four.
- Replacing a permanent item detaches it rather than automatically discarding it.
- Spell-related temporary effects generally go to the discard pile.
Card language
Attach
Occupies one permanent attachment slot.
Grant
Provides a temporary benefit.
Enchant
Modifies an existing permanent item.
Detach
Removes a permanent attachment.
Discard
Sends a spell or expendable effect away.
Generic archetypes such as The Knight, The Wizard, The Alchemist, The Thief, The Priest, The Sword, The Shield, The Tower, The Forest, The Law, and The Proverb teach the system. Later named cards can express developed lore-specific interpretations.
Formation & Range
The party uses one Primary position, two Wings, and a protected Pocket.
1 · Primary
Front position; most exposed to ordinary melee.
2 & 4 · Wings
Closer and more exposed rear positions; reachable by polearms and some short-range attacks.
3 · Pocket
Deep protected position. Usually requires a legitimate bow, precise throwing weapon, unusual threat, or deep-access Wizardry.
Range architecture
Most threats must pass through melee range before reaching short, medium, or long range. Attacks with deep access are uncommon and should be valuable, readable, and balanced.
A character behind the Primary may drop back like a quarterback in shotgun formation. Formation is both a defensive structure and a way to control engagement distance.
Characters & Lore
Generic and named cards
Generic characters begin as foundations and develop through play. Named characters enter with an established level, identity, and lore-specific abilities.
A generic Knight represents the possibility of becoming a Knight. A named character such as Sir Godric, the Knight of Green Gales, represents a developed interpretation with history, relationships, and a defined power package.
Future Wizardry League
Future concept: an organized professional wizardry sports league. Core formation and range rules should remain flexible enough to support this later without designing the league now.
Playtesting & Open Questions
This page is intentionally for unresolved issues, experiments, and contributor notes.
Questions to test
- Does four attribute points per level create meaningful choices?
- How often should Save succeed for Priests versus other classes?
- What costs make Divine Intervention powerful without becoming routine?
- Are four permanent attachments enough across different builds?
- How much access should deep-range attacks have?
- How do temporary effects remain exciting without overwhelming the permanent system?
Contributor notes
Add new ideas here, label them as proposals, and move them into the main rules only after testing and agreement.