Five Martial Arts mapped to Five Elements
The first playable class is the Martial Artist — a character who masters five distinct martial styles, each aligned with an elemental attribute.
Taiji → Earth: Balance, defense-to-damage conversion, stance & sustain
Bajiquan → Metal: Armor break, penetration, decisive finishing
Drunken Fist → Water: Flow, chaining, adaptive rhythm
Seven-Injuries Fist → Fire: Internal Injury stacking, delayed burst
White Bone Claw → Wood: Leeching, growth, buff-oriented pressure
The game features an unrestricted card upgrade model: except for Status cards, any combat card that satisfies its style/attribute requirements can branch into different upgrade paths. No rigid tier ladders — your build is authored by your choices.
This philosophy encourages experimentation across runs, letting Taiji turn defense into offense in multiple ways, Bajiquan punch through armored foes with distinct routes, and Fire-aligned Seven-Injuries Fist chase different Internal-Injury rhythms.
We’ve completed most Fire-style (Seven-Injuries) upgrade routes first, since its Internal Injury theme anchors the high-risk, high-reward identity of the Martial Artist.
Other styles (Taiji/Earth, Bajiquan/Metal, Drunken/Water, White Bone/Wood) are being designed and implemented in parallel.