spell progression

Guide for spell progression

Spell Progression System

Tier Structure

The magic system uses four tiers of combat spells, each with standardized costs and increasing power.

Tier 1: Pulse (Levels 1-13)

  • Catalyst: Chandra Bija (Mind)
  • Cost: 2 Elemental + 1 Chandra
  • Max Hits: 3-8
  • Theme: Basic focused strikes
Spells:
  • Air Pulse (Lv 1): 3 damage
  • Water Pulse (Lv 5): 5 damage
  • Earth Pulse (Lv 9): 6 damage
  • Fire Pulse (Lv 13): 8 damage

Tier 2: Volley (Levels 25-35)

  • Catalyst: Rahu Bija (Chaos)
  • Cost: 3 Elemental + 1 Rahu
  • Max Hits: 9-15
  • Theme: Chaotic multi-strike attacks
Spells:
  • Air Volley (Lv 25): 9 damage
  • Water Volley (Lv 29): 11 damage
  • Earth Volley (Lv 33): 13 damage
  • Fire Volley (Lv 35): 15 damage

Tier 3: Cascade (Levels 41-47)

  • Catalyst: Yama Bija (Death)
  • Cost: 4 Elemental + 1 Yama
  • Max Hits: 17-23
  • Theme: Death-dealing cascading power
Spells:
  • Air Cascade (Lv 41): 17 damage
  • Water Cascade (Lv 43): 19 damage
  • Earth Cascade (Lv 45): 21 damage
  • Fire Cascade (Lv 47): 23 damage

Tier 4: Cataclysm (Levels 55-70)

  • Catalyst: Rudra Bija (Wrath)
  • Cost: 5 Elemental + 1 Rudra
  • Max Hits: 25-34
  • Theme: Wrathful destruction
Spells:
  • Air Cataclysm (Lv 55): 25 damage
  • Water Cataclysm (Lv 60): 28 damage
  • Earth Cataclysm (Lv 65): 31 damage
  • Fire Cataclysm (Lv 70): 34 damage

Progression Formula

Cost Scaling

Tier 1: 2 elemental + 1 catalyst
Tier 2: 3 elemental + 1 catalyst
Tier 3: 4 elemental + 1 catalyst
Tier 4: 5 elemental + 1 catalyst

Damage Scaling

  • Within tier: +2 damage per element (Air < Water < Earth < Fire)
  • Between tiers: ~8-10 damage increase per tier
  • Fire spells always strongest in each tier

XP Scaling

  • Pulse: 5.5 - 11.5 XP
  • Volley: 15.0 - 24.0 XP
  • Cascade: 30.0 - 39.0 XP
  • Cataclysm: 45.0 - 60.0 XP

Design Rationale

Strict One-Catalyst-Per-Tier Rule

User Request: "Each tier will have only one catalytic, mind, chaos, death, blood, wrath"
Benefits:
  1. Clear Progression: Players know exactly what to collect for each tier
  2. Balanced Economy: Each catalytic bija has defined demand
  3. No Overpowered Combos: Can't mix high-tier catalysts with low costs
  4. Thematic Consistency: Each tier has distinct "feel"

Standardized Elemental Costs

User Request: "All pulse spells will require 2 air bijas" (generalized to all elements)
Before: Variable costs (e.g., Fire Pulse had 1 Fire + 2 Chandra) After: Uniform costs (e.g., Fire Pulse has 2 Fire + 1 Chandra)
Benefits:
  1. Predictability: Players can calculate costs mentally
  2. Fairness: No element is arbitrarily cheaper
  3. Simplicity: Easier to balance and maintain

Utility Spells (Non-Combat)

Utility spells use different catalytic combinations:

Life Restoration (Lv 20)

  • Cost: 2 Water + 1 Hanuman + 1 Kali
  • Effect: Heal 10 HP
  • XP: 12.0

Purification (Lv 35)

  • Cost: 3 Water + 1 Chandra + 1 Indra
  • Effect: Cure poison
  • XP: 20.0

Warrior's Blessing (Lv 40)

  • Cost: 2 Fire + 2 Hanuman
  • Effect: +10% Attack for 5 minutes
  • XP: 25.0

Scholar's Focus (Lv 45)

  • Cost: 2 Chandra + 2 Indra
  • Effect: +5% Magic Accuracy for 5 minutes
  • XP: 28.0

Evolution Notes

Initial Design Issues

  1. Mixed catalysts within tiers (e.g., Volley used Rudra, Hanuman, Vishnu)
  2. Variable elemental costs (inconsistent formula)
  3. Overlapping catalyst usage (Rudra in both Volley and Cataclysm)

Final Refinement

User clarified: "Pulse will use chandra bija, Volley will use rahu bija" This led to complete tier-catalyst standardization.