Sword
Free of resource cost: sword strikes cost no stamina or magic. Parrying with L1 (a timed tap) is also free and interrupts a successfully parried attack while filling the enemy's stagger meter — it works on any physical attack, melee or projectile. Holding L1 instead raises a physical shield block, which does cost stamina.
Progression line: Starter Blade → Elemental-Infused Sword (imbues the currently selected element for on-hit effects) → Twin Blades (speed) → Greatsword (late-game, heavy and slow).
Shield
Carried at the hero's left hip and thigh, hanging between his body and his cloak — visible from the front, hidden from behind when not drawn.
Progression line: Wood/Iron Shield → later physical upgrades, potentially a Tower Shield.
Still in development — details may change
A magical version of the shield was considered, but Aegis already covers magical defence, so the shield stays purely physical.
Bow
Identity: prepared precision. The question it answers that nothing else does: I need to hit one exact thing, hard, and I planned for this. It is the only attack that targets a single point rather than a lock-on target or an area — spells lock on or cover ground, the sword hits whatever stands in front of the hero, but only the bow chooses a head, a weak point, or a distant object.
- Runs on a prepared resource, not a regenerating one. Stamina and magic refill mid-fight; arrows do not. The hero stocks them beforehand and runs dry if careless.
- Hits hard. Its damage is comparable to a committed spell, not a chip attack — the limiter is supply, not weakness.
- Arrows are finite, crafted from Wood and Ore, carried up to a cap, and partly recoverable after a fight so normal play never turns into a farming chore.
Progression line: Standard Bow → Longbow (greater range and draw weight) → Hunter's Bow (faster draw, higher weak-point damage).
Still in development — details may change
Elemental arrows aren't part of the plan: infusing arrows with an element would blur the bow's precision identity with the spells'. If fire arrows appear, it would only be as a puzzle tool — lighting braziers, burning obstacles at range — never as a damage path competing with the Fire Spear.
Armour
Still in development. Whether armour will carry flat defence, elemental resistances, special effects, or all three hasn't been decided yet.
Resource rules, at a glance
| Resource | Spent by | Regenerates |
|---|---|---|
| Stamina | Sprint, dodge, shield block, climbing | Quickly, shortly after the last spend; not while sprinting or blocking |
| Magic | Spells, Aegis | Steadily, a little after the last cast; not while Aegis is raised |
| Arrows | The bow only | Crafted; partly recovered after a fight |
Full combat rules, parry timing and Aegis are on the Spells page.