CLI RPGIn Development

The Beggars Sect

Li Wei's Ascension

From confused stranger to martial arts master.

A CLI RPG with 3 paths, 3 endings, and AI-powered enemies.
Your choices shape the story.

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15,000+
lines
3
unique
3
distinct
15
masterable
5-6
hours
12-15
hours

The Story

You are Li Wei. You wake up in a world you don't recognize, with no memory of how you got here. The Aptitude Array—the great machine that measures every person's worth—reads you as F-grade. Worthless.

But something is wrong with that reading. Your chi doesn't flow like everyone else's. It flows backward. Through meridians the Array can't see. Through channels that shouldn't exist.

The Beggars Sect finds you. A brotherhood of outcasts who have turned weakness into strength. Here, among the forgotten, you'll learn the palm techniques that could make you the most powerful cultivator in the Martial Arts Haven.

Or the most dangerous.

The Central Question

“If your worth was never what they measured, who decides what you're worth?”

Three Paths

Every choice shapes who you become

Blade

Power changes the world

Direct confrontation. When words fail, fists speak. The Blade path is for those who believe the system must be broken before it can be rebuilt.

Gameplay: Combat-focused, aggressive techniques, straightforward solutions
Ending
The Destroyer

Stream

Adaptation overcomes all

Diplomacy and flexibility. Water finds a way around any obstacle. The Stream path is for those who believe change comes through understanding.

Gameplay: Dialogue options, alliance building, flexible approaches
Ending
The Reformer

Shadow

Truth hides in darkness

Stealth and investigation. See what others miss. The Shadow path is for those who believe knowledge is the ultimate power.

Gameplay: Hidden routes, secret discoveries, puzzle-solving
Ending
The Wanderer

7+ points in a path = committed · Final choice can override · No path is “wrong”

The Eight Aspects

Chi flows through eight aspects—but only the Beggars Sect knows the eighth

Force
Raw power amplification
Flow
Speed and fluidity
Precision
Accuracy and critical hits
Burst
Explosive damage
Armor
Defense enhancement
Sense
Perception and evasion
Will
Mental fortitude
Inverse
The forbidden eighth—chi that flows backward
Inverse Chi · 逆气

Chi that flows backward through “garbage meridians” that standard testing can't detect. The Aptitude Array reads Li Wei as worthless because it can't see what flows in reverse. What they call defects, the Beggars Sect calls doors.

Inspired by Nen from Hunter x Hunter

Combat

ATB turn-based combat inspired by Final Fantasy X

Three Stances

Flowing Stance

+20% evasion, fluid counters. The water that bends.

Weathered Stance

+30% defense, steady endurance. The mountain that waits.

Hungry Stance

+25% damage, life steal. The beast that devours.

Combat Features

  • +
    Visible Turn Queue

    See the next 5-7 turns. Plan your strategy.

  • +
    Combo System

    Chain techniques for bonus damage and chi refunds.

  • +
    Mastery Progression

    Use techniques to level them up. Discover hidden bonuses.

  • +
    AI-Powered Enemies

    Claude AI generates unique variations. No two fights alike.

The Journey

Prologue + 3 chapters of branching narrative

Tutorial

Prologue: The Awakening

~20-25 min

Wake in the void. Learn to survive. Find the Beggars Sect. Discover your chi flows backward.

Chapter 1

Streets of the Forgotten

~90-120 min

Survive the Lower Streets. Face the thug leader Razor. Choose your first path.

2 choice points3 routesBoss: Razor
Chapter 2

The Law's Long Reach

~120-150 min

The Calibration Initiative hunts you. Confront Commander Vex. Memories begin to return.

2 choice pointsMemory flashbackBoss: Commander Vex
Chapter 3

The Hollow at the Summit

~90-120 min

Journey to the Forgotten Temple. Face The Hollow One. Choose your ending.

3 journey paths3-phase boss3 endings

Built With

TS
TypeScript
Type-safe code
ink
Ink
React for CLI
Claude API
AI-powered enemies
node
Node.js
Runtime

Design-First Development

15,000+ lines of documentation crafted before a single line of game code