Dice Archetypes — Design Spec
Dice Archetypes — Design Spec
Date: 2026-04-06 Status: Approved, implementing
6 Archetypes
Each archetype has: starting relic (unique, not from pool), modified stats, and a special mechanic.
1. The Gambler (risk/reward)
- HP: 70 | Rerolls: 3 | Dice: 5
- Starting Relic: "Loaded Dice" — Pairs give +12 chips, but each unmatched die costs -2 chips
- Starting Consumable: "Double or Nothing" — double this turn's damage, then lose 10 HP
- Play feel: High rerolls let you chase pairs aggressively. The -2 per unmatched die punishes settling for bad hands.
2. The Strategist (sequence planning)
- HP: 85 | Rerolls: 1 | Dice: 6
- Starting Relic: "Sequence Master" — +3 chips per die in your longest consecutive run (3=+9, 4=+12, 5=+15, 6=+18)
- Special: Once per combat, can lock one die value before rolling
- Play feel: 6 dice + sequence scaling rewards straights. Only 1 reroll forces careful planning.
3. The Bruiser (brute force)
- HP: 100 | Rerolls: 2 | Dice: 5
- Starting Relic: "Go Big" — Each 6 gives +8 chips, each 5 gives +4 chips. Three or more 6s doubles all chip damage this turn.
- Starting Consumable: "Titan's Roar" — next roll's 6s count as two 6s for scoring
- Play feel: Chase 5s and 6s. Triple-6 turns are explosive. High HP means you can take hits while building.
4. The Trickster (manipulation)
- HP: 65 | Rerolls: 3 | Dice: 5
- Starting Relic: "Penny Pincher" — Each 1 or 2 gives +5 chips AND generates 1 gold
- Starting Consumable: "Flip" — turn one die to opposite face (1↔6, 2↔5, 3↔4). Reusable once per combat at cost of 3 HP.
- Play feel: Low values become valuable. Flip lets you convert between high and low. Gold generation funds shops.
5. The Elementalist (elemental combos)
- HP: 75 | Rerolls: 2 | Dice: 5
- Starting Relic: "Elemental Lens" — +5% elemental dice chance. Elemental combo damage +20%.
- Special: Elemental dice always appear in pairs. Elemental system unlocked from start.
- Play feel: More elemental dice, stronger combos. Pairs guarantee combo triggers when elements appear.
- Note: Full face-based element system (1=Poison etc.) deferred to future pass. Uses existing elemental system.
6. The Wanderer (economy/adaptation)
- HP: 80 | Rerolls: 2 | Dice: 5
- Starting Relic: "Adaptable" — Each unique number in roll gives +3 chips AND +2 gold. At combat start, gain +1 reroll per different relic owned (max +3).
- Special: +15 starting gold. Shops always have a relic.
- Play feel: Variety scoring + gold gen + relic scaling. Gets stronger the more relics you collect. Economy routing matters.
Implementation Approach
New files
src/gameplay/archetype_data.gd— static archetype definitions (class_name ArchetypeData)src/ui/archetype_select_screen.gd+assets/scenes/ArchetypeSelect.tscn— character selection screen
Modified files
src/core/solo_game_manager.gd— apply archetype on run startsrc/gameplay/hand_scorer.gd— archetype relic scoring effectssrc/gameplay/dice_combat_manager.gd— archetype passives (lock die, overkill carry, etc.)src/gameplay/dice_pool.gd— 6th die for Strategist, elemental pairs for Elementalistsrc/ui/shop_screen.gd— Wanderer guaranteed relicsrc/core/scene_manager.gd— register archetype select scene
Archetype-specific starting relics
These are NOT in RelicDatabase — they're unique to each archetype, created in ArchetypeData, and applied at run start. They can't be found in shops or rewards.
