Worthbound Archetype Stat Schema

Worthbound Archetype Stat Schema

Status

Canonical System File
Version: 0.1
Authority Level: System
Depends On:

• 03-Archetypes/00-Archetype-Overview.md
• 03-Archetypes/01-Archetype-Design-Law.md
• 09-Production/01-MVP-Scope.md

---

1. Purpose

This file defines the official stat schema for all Worthbound archetypes.

The archetype stat schema exists to:

• create a consistent structure for all archetype files
• make archetypes comparable during balancing
• ensure each archetype expresses a real financial life pattern
• reduce ambiguity in future canon generation
• give UG and future implementation work a stable template

This schema applies to all six canonical archetypes, even though only four are MVP-playable.

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2. Design Intent

An archetype is not just a list of numbers.

An archetype stat sheet must communicate:

• who this path is
• how this path earns
• what this path owes
• what this path fears
• what this path notices
• what this path protects
• how this path wins

The stat block is therefore both:

• a balance structure
• a design identity structure

---

3. Archetype File Structure

Every archetype file should follow this high-level order:

1. Identity Block
2. Fantasy Block
3. Economic Profile
4. Pressure Profile
5. Protection Profile
6. Strategic Identity
7. Teaching Identity
8. Stat Block
9. Balance Notes
10. MVP Status Notes

This order is the recommended canonical structure for all archetype markdown files.

---

4. Identity Block

The Identity Block defines the archetype at a glance.

Required Fields

• Archetype Name
• MVP Status
• Role Fantasy
• One-Sentence Win Story
• One-Sentence Money Truth
• Example Jobs
• Playstyle Tags

Field Intent

Archetype Name

The canonical name of the archetype.

MVP Status

One of:

• Playable
• Reserve

Role Fantasy

The aspirational fantasy of the archetype.

One-Sentence Win Story

A one-line explanation of how this archetype most often reaches freedom.

One-Sentence Money Truth

A one-line explanation of the financial truth this archetype teaches.

Example Jobs

A short list of representative jobs or life lanes.

Playstyle Tags

A concise set of 3–6 tags that summarize the archetype’s style.

Example Tag Types

• Stable
• Volatile
• High-Upside
• Slow-Burn
• Status-Pressured
• Protection-Reliant
• Practical
• Skill-Monetized
• Benefit-Anchored
• Expense-Heavy
• Opportunity-Rich
• Discipline-Based

---

5. Fantasy Block

The Fantasy Block defines the emotional identity of the archetype.

Required Fields

• Core Fantasy
• Why It Feels Good to Play
• Primary Pressure Feeling
• Primary Reward Feeling

Field Intent

Core Fantasy

The identity fantasy of playing this life path.

Why It Feels Good to Play

What emotional payoff the player receives from mastering this archetype.

Primary Pressure Feeling

What kind of tension most defines the run.

Primary Reward Feeling

What kind of success most defines the run.

This section helps ensure that archetypes differ in emotional texture, not just economy.

---

6. Economic Profile

The Economic Profile defines the archetype’s financial structure.

Required Fields

• Salary per Cycle
• Base Expenses per Cycle
• Dependents
• Starting Cash
• Starting Debt
• Starting Net Cushion

Field Intent

Salary per Cycle

The baseline active-income inflow.

Base Expenses per Cycle

The recurring financial burden before events and optional spending.

Dependents

The number of people or household obligations affecting expense pressure.

Starting Cash

The starting liquid buffer.

Starting Debt

The starting obligation burden.

Starting Net Cushion

A derived reference value:

Starting Net Cushion = Starting Cash - Starting Debt

This is not the full measure of strength, but it helps quickly compare opening posture.

Design Rule

These numbers must create meaningful contrast between archetypes without making one start obviously dominant.

---

7. Pressure Profile

The Pressure Profile defines how the archetype experiences instability and friction.

Required Fields

• Income Stability
• Risk Exposure
• Lifestyle Inflation Pressure
• Opportunity Access
• Insurance Need
• Recovery Difficulty

Rating Scale

All Pressure Profile stats use a 1–5 rating scale.

Scale Meaning

• 1 = very low
• 2 = low
• 3 = medium
• 4 = high
• 5 = very high

Field Intent

Income Stability

How predictable the archetype’s income is.

Risk Exposure

How vulnerable the archetype is to disruption or setbacks.

Lifestyle Inflation Pressure

How strongly the archetype is pulled toward rising fixed costs and status spending.

Opportunity Access

How likely the archetype is to see or effectively use valuable opportunities.

Insurance Need

How much this archetype depends on protection to avoid severe setbacks.

Recovery Difficulty

How hard it is for this archetype to recover after a serious mistake or event.

Design Rule

These ratings are not flavor labels.
They must reflect actual strategic pressure in the game.

---

8. Protection Profile

The Protection Profile defines what type of protection matters most for the archetype.

Required Fields

• Primary Protection Need
• Secondary Protection Need
• Protection Sensitivity
• Unprotected Failure Pattern

Field Intent

Primary Protection Need

The most important protection category for the archetype.

Examples:

• Health Protection
• Income Protection
• Asset Protection

Secondary Protection Need

The second-most important protection layer.

Protection Sensitivity

A short explanation of why protection matters strongly for this archetype.

Unprotected Failure Pattern

A short explanation of what usually happens when the archetype remains underprotected.

This section translates abstract insurance need into real gameplay logic.

---

9. Strategic Identity

The Strategic Identity section defines how the archetype tends to play.

Required Fields

• Preferred Opportunity Types
• Most Dangerous Trap
• Primary Escape Route
• Secondary Escape Route
• Best Early-Game Habit
• Best Mid-Game Pivot

Field Intent

Preferred Opportunity Types

What kinds of opportunities fit this archetype’s strengths.

Most Dangerous Trap

The behavior or pattern that most often causes failure.

Primary Escape Route

The most reliable path to passive-income escape.

Secondary Escape Route

An alternate but still viable route.

Best Early-Game Habit

What the player should focus on first.

Best Mid-Game Pivot

What the player should transition into once stable.

This section is where the archetype begins to feel like a strategy guide rather than a résumé.

---

10. Teaching Identity

The Teaching Identity section defines what the archetype is meant to teach the player.

Required Fields

• Core Lesson
• What This Archetype Punishes
• What This Archetype Rewards
• What the Player Learns by Winning
• What the Player Learns by Failing

Field Intent

Core Lesson

The primary money lesson embedded in the archetype.

What This Archetype Punishes

The mistake pattern this path exposes.

What This Archetype Rewards

The behavior this path most strongly reinforces.

What the Player Learns by Winning

The truth revealed through successful mastery.

What the Player Learns by Failing

The truth revealed through collapse or repeated failure.

This section protects the educational-through-consequence identity of Worthbound.

---

11. Core Stat Block

The Core Stat Block is the minimum structured block used for balancing and implementation.

Required Fields

• Salary per Cycle
• Base Expenses per Cycle
• Dependents
• Income Stability
• Risk Exposure
• Lifestyle Inflation Pressure
• Opportunity Access
• Insurance Need
• Starting Cash
• Starting Debt
• Unique Trait

Notes

This block is the smallest archetype representation that still preserves identity.

It should be reusable in:

• summary tables
• balance comparison sheets
• implementation data
• internal testing sheets

---

12. Unique Trait Rule

Every archetype must have one clearly named Unique Trait.

Purpose of the Unique Trait

The Unique Trait exists to:

• make the archetype feel mechanically distinct
• bias the player toward its intended play pattern
• support early identity clarity

Trait Design Rules

A Unique Trait should be:

• easy to understand
• visible in early play
• strategically meaningful
• narrow enough not to become a giant sub-system

Good Trait Examples

• Side Hustle Bonus
• Stability Bonus
• Premium Deals Access
• Volatility Upside
• Benefit Cushion
• Practical Asset Discount

Bad Trait Patterns

• huge perk trees
• passive text that never matters
• overcomplicated exception systems
• lore-only flavor with no gameplay effect

---

13. Recommended Rating Interpretation Guide

To reduce ambiguity, use this interpretation guide when assigning 1–5 ratings.

Income Stability

• 1 = highly volatile
• 2 = often unstable
• 3 = mixed / moderate
• 4 = mostly reliable
• 5 = highly reliable

Risk Exposure

• 1 = rarely disrupted
• 2 = lower-than-average disruption risk
• 3 = moderate disruption risk
• 4 = high disruption risk
• 5 = severe disruption sensitivity

Lifestyle Inflation Pressure

• 1 = minimal pressure to upscale spending
• 2 = low pressure
• 3 = moderate pressure
• 4 = strong pressure
• 5 = extreme pressure / status bleed risk

Opportunity Access

• 1 = very limited
• 2 = narrow access
• 3 = average access
• 4 = strong access
• 5 = unusually strong access and upside

Insurance Need

• 1 = low structural dependence on protection
• 2 = modest value from protection
• 3 = meaningful value from protection
• 4 = strong need for protection
• 5 = protection is nearly essential to stable success

Recovery Difficulty

• 1 = recovers easily from mistakes
• 2 = generally recoverable
• 3 = mixed recovery difficulty
• 4 = hard to recover from major setbacks
• 5 = very hard to recover once damaged

---

14. Canonical Archetype Template

Use this exact structure when authoring archetype files.

# [Archetype Name]

## Status
Canonical Archetype File
Version: 0.1
Authority Level: Content/System
Depends On:
- `03-Archetypes/00-Archetype-Overview.md`
- `03-Archetypes/01-Archetype-Design-Law.md`
- `03-Archetypes/02-Archetype-Stat-Schema.md`

---

## Identity
- **Archetype Name:**
- **MVP Status:**
- **Role Fantasy:**
- **One-Sentence Win Story:**
- **One-Sentence Money Truth:**
- **Example Jobs:**
- **Playstyle Tags:**

## Fantasy
- **Core Fantasy:**
- **Why It Feels Good to Play:**
- **Primary Pressure Feeling:**
- **Primary Reward Feeling:**

## Economic Profile
- **Salary per Cycle:**
- **Base Expenses per Cycle:**
- **Dependents:**
- **Starting Cash:**
- **Starting Debt:**
- **Starting Net Cushion:**

## Pressure Profile
- **Income Stability:**
- **Risk Exposure:**
- **Lifestyle Inflation Pressure:**
- **Opportunity Access:**
- **Insurance Need:**
- **Recovery Difficulty:**

## Protection Profile
- **Primary Protection Need:**
- **Secondary Protection Need:**
- **Protection Sensitivity:**
- **Unprotected Failure Pattern:**

## Strategic Identity
- **Preferred Opportunity Types:**
- **Most Dangerous Trap:**
- **Primary Escape Route:**
- **Secondary Escape Route:**
- **Best Early-Game Habit:**
- **Best Mid-Game Pivot:**

## Teaching Identity
- **Core Lesson:**
- **What This Archetype Punishes:**
- **What This Archetype Rewards:**
- **What the Player Learns by Winning:**
- **What the Player Learns by Failing:**

## Core Stat Block
- **Salary per Cycle:**
- **Base Expenses per Cycle:**
- **Dependents:**
- **Income Stability:**
- **Risk Exposure:**
- **Lifestyle Inflation Pressure:**
- **Opportunity Access:**
- **Insurance Need:**
- **Starting Cash:**
- **Starting Debt:**
- **Unique Trait:**

## Balance Notes
- **Strengths:**
- **Weaknesses:**
- **Counterweights:**
- **Designer Notes:**

## MVP Status Notes
- **Why It Is In or Out of MVP:**
- **Implementation Priority:**