Tribe Mechanics Differentiation Ideas

This page mirrors the planning notes for thematic mechanics for each existing MadROM tribe so they feel distinct while staying balance-safe.

Existing tribes covered

  • Xplor — The Royal Midgaard Explorers' Society
  • Night — The Midnight Dance
  • Vamps — The Dark Gathering
  • Etrnl — The Eternal Alliance
  • Orddr — The Order of the Dragons
  • Druid — Druids of the Misty Vale
  • Pirat — Pirates of the Dragon Sea
  • Beast — The Beasts of Thera
  • Fate — Pantheon of the Savants of Fate
  • Illum — The Illuminati
  • Shadw — Shadows of the Evil of Thera

Balance guardrails

  • Keep baseline passives in modest ranges (roughly 5–12%).
  • Prefer conditional power over unconditional always-on boosts.
  • Add internal cooldowns to proc-style effects.
  • Avoid giving multiple tribes the same top-tier axis (for example, raw damage).
  • Distribute identity lanes: sustain, stealth, economy, control, support, scouting.

Tribe-by-tribe mechanics

Vamps (The Dark Gathering)

Identity lane: Sustain and blood magic.

  • Flagship passive: Increased effectiveness for vampiric drains/leech effects.
  • Situational bonus: At night or in dark rooms, chance for minor life steal on hit.
  • Utility flavor: Blood-sense pulse that helps detect wounded targets.

Shadw (Shadows of the Evil of Thera)

Identity lane: Stealth, ambush, disengage.

  • Flagship passive: Stronger invisibility tier (aggressive actions break it).
  • Situational bonus: First strike from stealth gains accuracy bonus.
  • Utility flavor: Reduced movement detection/aggro profile while sneaking.

Fate (Pantheon of the Savants of Fate)

Identity lane: Prediction and variance control.

  • Flagship passive: Foretell effect that softens the next harmful event.
  • Situational bonus: Limited reroll mechanic once per encounter.
  • Utility flavor: Create food produces omen meals with small random short buffs.

Pirat (Pirates of the Dragon Sea)

Identity lane: Economy and opportunistic combat.

  • Flagship passive: Better haggle/sell values with price cap controls.
  • Situational bonus: Small plunder bonus from NPC kills/chests with anti-farm caps.
  • Utility flavor: Better movement economy across water sectors.

Xplor (Royal Midgaard Explorers' Society)

Identity lane: Exploration and navigation.

  • Flagship passive: Bonus rewards for first-time area/room exploration milestones.
  • Situational bonus: Reduced movement costs in already explored rooms.
  • Utility flavor: Better survey/scan output and path hints.

Night (The Midnight Dance)

Identity lane: Nocturnal tempo and social trickery.

  • Flagship passive: At night, modest haste/evasion boost.
  • Situational bonus: Night-themed charm/confuse effects gain duration versus NPCs.
  • Utility flavor: Better after-hours vendor interactions or inventory windows.

Etrnl (The Eternal Alliance)

Identity lane: Endurance and anti-death reliability.

  • Flagship passive: Long-cooldown “refuse death” trigger (survive fatal hit at 1 HP).
  • Situational bonus: Slight reduction to death penalties.
  • Utility flavor: Improved out-of-combat regeneration aura for nearby allies.

Orddr (The Order of the Dragons)

Identity lane: Discipline and command.

  • Flagship passive: Resistance boost against fear/charm disruptions.
  • Situational bonus: Mark/challenge target for modest group hit chance bonus.
  • Utility flavor: Lore-style weakness readout on enemies.

Druid (Druids of the Misty Vale)

Identity lane: Nature attunement and terrain mastery.

  • Flagship passive: Outdoors-only healing/regen efficiency bonus.
  • Situational bonus: Nature spell bonuses in natural biomes, slightly weaker indoors.
  • Utility flavor: Improved forage/reagent find quality.

Beast (The Beasts of Thera)

Identity lane: Hunting and pursuit.

  • Flagship passive: Increased damage versus wounded targets.
  • Situational bonus: Stronger tracking/scent mechanics.
  • Utility flavor: Trophy turn-ins grant temporary instinct buffs.

Illum (The Illuminati)

Identity lane: Revelation and anti-stealth control.

  • Flagship passive: Better detection against hidden/invisible/illusion states.
  • Situational bonus: Expose debuff that lowers stealth/evasion temporarily.
  • Utility flavor: Better appraisal and identification efficiency.

Suggested implementation sequence

  1. Implement low-risk utility/economy features first.
  2. Add one modest combat passive per tribe with conservative numbers.
  3. Add one active/cooldown tribe ability per tribe after telemetry and tuning.

Hard safety rule

No tribe should hold top-tier offense and top-tier defense at the same time.