Dev Log #4: The Engine Under the Hood – Stats, Tiers, and Mortality

Jan 14

Written By P. J.

Hello, adventurers!

In our last update, we talked about the eternal struggle between "The Narrator" and "The Calculator." We promised you we were searching for the Holy Grail: a ruleset that offers deep character progression and tactical crunch, but remains invisible enough to keep the story flowing naturally.

Today, we want to show you what we’ve found.

Important Note: Everything you are about to read is a Work In Progress (WIP). We are currently playtesting these mechanics manually—rolling physical dice and shouting at each other—to see what translates best to an AI environment.

The Core Philosophy: Probability vs. Possibility

To create a truly immersive story, actions need to fit the narrative context. Rather than letting the dice decide everything—even the impossible—we are building a system that respects the laws of the world. This brings us to the distinction between Stats and Tiers.

Stats (GRIT, FLOW, PRESENCE, INSIGHT): These represent your Probability. They determine if you succeed at an action you are capable of performing.
Tiers (0–5): These represent your Possibility. They determine what you are allowed to attempt.

This is what we call The Narrative Check.

Before the dice (or the ) decides if you succeed, it decides if the story allows you to even try. A Novice swordsman (Tier 1) and a Legendary Blademaster (Tier 5) might both have a +2 in Flow. But if a Giant swings a tree trunk at them:

The Legend passes The Narrative Check. They have the narrative weight to parry it. They roll their stat to see if they succeed.
The Novice fails The Narrative Check. The physics of the world simply won't allow a novice to block a tree trunk. The AI won't ask for a roll; it will tell you that you need to dodge or be crushed.

The Four Pillars of You

We wanted stats that were broad, flexible, and applicable to any setting.

GRIT: Raw power, endurance, and force.

Examples: Smashing armor, holding a heavy gate open, or even blacksmithing (enduring the heat and labor).
FLOW: Speed, finesse, and precision.

Examples: Picking a pocket, acrobatics, or striking a precise blow through a gap in armor.
PRESENCE: Charisma, will, and authority.
Examples: Commanding troops, inspiring a crowd, or terrifying an enemy into surrender.
INSIGHT: Knowledge, perception, and understanding the hidden laws of reality.

Examples: In a fantasy setting, this is casting magic spells or deciphering runes. In a cyberpunk setting, this is your "Decker" stat—hacking systems and analyzing data.

Defining Your Hero (and their flaws)

We use a "Standard Array" for starting stats [+2, +1, 0, -1]. This ensures that every character is good at something, but crucially, bad at something else.

Take the example of "The Disgraced Noble"16:

You might build them with Presence +2 and Insight +1. You can walk into any room and command respect; you are educated and sharp. But, you assign Grit -1.

This tells the AI a story: You have never done a hard day's labor in your life. If you try to intimidate a bandit with words? You’ll likely succeed. If you try to intimidate him by bending an iron bar? The AI knows you will likely fail -and potentially hurt yourself in the process18.

Progression: Learning by Doing

You aren't just stuck with your starting stats. We are working on a Perk System based on practice. If your character spends enough downtime forging weapons, you might earn a "Smith" perk, granting you a bonus or perhaps even a higher effective Tier when dealing with metalwork.

Flesh, Blood, and Vitality

One of our main goals is to keep the narrative moving. Nothing kills the mood faster than chipping away at a monster with 200 HP for 45 minutes.

In Living Echoes, life is fragile.

Your Vitality (HP) is calculated simply: 3 + GRIT.

This means an average character has about 4 HP. A weak character might have 2 HP.

Minor Harm (a graze, a bruise) deals 1 Damage.
Major Harm (a sword through the gut) deals 2 Damage.

Combat is dangerous, fast, and visceral. The AI handles the math in the background, describing the combat based on how you fight. You can attack using Grit (heavy, brutal strikes) or Flow (targeting weak points). But be careful if you run out of Vitality, you are Broken. One more hit, and your story ends.

Equipment with Consequence

Items also follow this narrative logic. We believe trade-offs (you gain some, you lose some) are more fun than "stat sticks" (+1 sword).

The Ember-Dance Blade: A light weapon that requires Flow to use effectively. If you try to use Grit (swinging it wildly), you take a penalty because the blade is too light for brute force.
Iron-Wall Plate: This armor makes you immune to small attacks (Tier 0-1 threats like rats), but it penalizes your Flow, making it impossible to sneak or dodge.

We Want Your Feedback!

We are building this engine to power your stories.

Does The Narrative Check (Tier vs. Stat) make sense to you?
Is the idea of "low HP, high lethality" exciting, or too punishing?

Let us know what do You think about this approach!

P. J.