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Combat – Fluid Trinity

Document: Game Design – Gameplay – Combat – Fluid Trinity
Status: Exploratory
Last updated: 2026-01-10

1. Purpose of This Document

This document defines the Fluid Trinity combat model used in Atherion.

The goal of the Fluid Trinity is to:

  • preserve the clarity and teamwork of traditional Tank / Healer / DPS roles
  • avoid rigid class prisons and queue deadlocks
  • support action-based combat with dodging and positioning
  • reinforce fantasy adventurer party dynamics

This system is foundational to:

  • Everspire encounter design
  • party composition expectations
  • build flexibility and identity
  • social coordination and trust

2. Core Design Principle

Roles are intent, not identity.

In Atherion:

  • players declare their role focus
  • builds determine how that role is expressed
  • roles are meaningful but not mandatory everywhere

The trinity is soft but impactful.

3. The Four Role Focuses

Players may declare one of the following role focuses when entering group content or listing in LFG.

3.1. Vanguard (Tank / Controller)

Fantasy

  • Frontline protector
  • Shield bearer
  • Battle opener and space controller

Mechanical Identity

  • Controls enemy attention temporarily
  • Blocks or mitigates high-impact attacks
  • Repositions enemies and shapes the battlefield
  • Creates openings for team burst

Key Constraints

  • Taunts are limited-duration, high-impact tools
  • Cannot permanently hold enemy attention
  • Survivability is high, but not infinite
  • Damage output is secondary to control

Vanguards do not stand still. They are active, intentional, and exposed.

3.2. Warden (Healer / Support)

Fantasy

  • Protector
  • Tactical support
  • Lifeline in moments of danger

Mechanical Identity

  • Prevents damage through shields, mitigation, and timing
  • Stabilizes the team after unavoidable spikes
  • Enables aggressive play by reducing risk
  • Cleanses and counters mechanics when used correctly

Key Constraints

  • Sustained “heal spam” is intentionally limited
  • Cannot fully compensate for repeated mechanical failures
  • Strongest when anticipating damage, not reacting late

Wardens reward exceptional play, not negligence.

3.3. Striker (Damage / Breaker)

Fantasy

  • Burst damage dealer
  • Execution specialist
  • Finisher

Mechanical Identity

  • Exploits openings created by others
  • Breaks enemy defenses and priority targets
  • Delivers decisive damage during windows
  • Punishes exposed or controlled enemies

Key Constraints

  • Highest damage potential, lowest survivability
  • Poor positioning is heavily punished
  • Relies on team-created opportunities

Pure Strikers always outperform hybrids in raw damage.

3.4. Wildcard (Hybrid / Utility)

Fantasy

  • Specialist adventurer
  • Flexible problem-solver

Mechanical Identity

  • Mixes offense, defense, and support
  • Handles mechanics, CC, kiting, or off-roles
  • Adapts to party needs dynamically

Key Constraints

  • Does not exceed specialists in their domain
  • Power comes from versatility, not peak output

Wildcards shine in unpredictable or understaffed situations.

4. Soft Trinity Philosophy

Decision (hard):

  • Endgame content assumes role intent
  • It does not strictly require perfect trinity composition

Well-coordinated teams can:

  • clear content with unconventional setups
  • trade safety for execution difficulty

Proper trinity composition:

  • reduces risk
  • increases consistency
  • enables expressive “big plays”

4.2. Role Absence Has Consequences, Not Failure States

Examples:

  • No Vanguard → harder positioning, riskier spikes
  • No Warden → mistakes are more costly
  • No Striker → fights take longer, mechanics overlap

Content does not hard-fail teams for composition alone.

5. Threat and Attention Model

Atherion uses soft threat with attention mechanics.

Enemies choose targets based on:

  • proximity
  • recent damage
  • healing “noise”
  • scripted behaviors
  • forced overrides (taunts, debuffs, control effects)

Vanguard Interaction

  • Taunts force attention briefly
  • Guard and intercept mechanics redirect damage
  • Facing and positioning matter

Enemies are not permanently glued to one player.

6. Healing and Damage Prevention Model

6.1. Prevention First

Wardens specialize in:

  • shields
  • damage reduction
  • timed protection
  • controlled recovery after spikes

Healing is strongest when:

  • used proactively
  • aligned with encounter knowledge
  • combined with player skill (dodging, positioning)

6.2. Failure Is Educational

If players:

  • ignore mechanics
  • fail dodges repeatedly
  • stand in avoidable damage

The system does not guarantee survival.

This reinforces mastery over endurance.

7. Buff and Enhancement Philosophy

Decision (hard):

  • Few named buffs
  • Strong effects
  • Low stacking
  • Uptime is beneficial, not mandatory

Buffs represent:

  • battle techniques
  • tactical coordination
  • moment-based advantage

They are not maintenance chores.

8. Damage vs Support Tradeoffs

8.1. Role Coefficients (Conceptual)

Each role focus adjusts effectiveness:

Role Damage Survivability Support
Striker High Low Low
Vanguard Medium High Low
Warden Low–Medium Medium High
Wildcard Medium Medium Medium

Players may shift within these bounds via builds.

8.2. No Triple-Stacking

Hard rule:

No build may achieve peak damage, peak survivability, and peak support simultaneously.

This preserves:

  • role identity
  • encounter readability
  • long-term balance

9. Role Declaration and Expectations

Players explicitly declare role focus when:

  • listing in LFG
  • joining structured group content

Role declaration:

  • informs matchmaking
  • sets expectations
  • enables role-specific tuning

The system does not auto-detect roles.

10. Party Size Assumptions

Fluid Trinity is tuned primarily for:

  • 4-player parties (core Everspire, dungeons)
  • 8-player groups (strikes, deeper Everspire layers)

Larger groups emphasize:

  • redundancy
  • coordination
  • role overlap

Smaller groups emphasize:

  • execution
  • adaptability
  • individual responsibility

11. Encounter Design Implications

Endgame encounters should:

  • reward coordinated role execution
  • create burst windows for Strikers
  • require positioning and control from Vanguards
  • pressure Wardens with timing challenges
  • allow Wildcards to solve problems creatively

Encounters should not assume perfect uptime or infinite sustain.

12. Failure Modes to Avoid

The following outcomes are explicitly undesirable:

  • Tank + healer fused into one role
  • Mandatory buff uptime metas
  • Healers erasing all mistakes
  • Tanks holding bosses permanently without interaction
  • DPS being irrelevant outside burst windows

All future systems must be evaluated against these risks.

13. Open Questions

  • Should role focus be changeable mid-instance?
  • Should some encounters temporarily override role expectations?
  • How visible should role focus be in combat UI?
  • Should solo content allow temporary role amplification?

These will be refined through prototyping.

14. Relationship to Other Documents

  • gameplay/core-loop.md defines where combat fits into play
  • world/everspire.md defines encounter context
  • technical-design/backend/tick-rates.md defines responsiveness limits
  • gameplay/progression-adventurer-rank.md defines recognition and access

End of document.

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