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CLI RPG
PHASES 1-2 COMPLETEIn Development

The Beggars Sect

Li Wei's Ascension

The world measures worth by what it can see. Your chi flows backward through meridians the great Aptitude Array cannot detect.

Among outcasts and forgotten masters, discover that the weakest become the strongest—when they stop playing by everyone else's rules. First game in the Martial Arts Haven multiverse.

55+
Techniques
ATB Combat System
8
Chi Aspects
7 Known + 1 Forbidden
3
Story Paths
Non-Linear Branching
12+
Hours Content
All Paths Combined
THE NARRATIVE

Three Paths. Three Philosophies.

Your choices shape Li Wei's journey. Every decision pushes you toward Blade, Stream, or Shadow—each leading to a different ending.

The Blade

"Power changes the world"

Direct confrontation. Overwhelming force. Break through obstacles rather than flow around them.

ENDING
Destroyer

Li Wei claims the Dog Beating Staff to tear down the Aptitude System entirely. Revolution has a name.

The Stream

"Adaptation overcomes all"

Diplomatic solutions. Flowing like water around obstacles. Find the path of least resistance.

ENDING
Reformer

Li Wei takes the Staff to change the system from within—proving worth cannot be measured.

The Shadow

"Truth hides in darkness"

Stealth and investigation. Perfect timing. Uncover secrets others overlook.

ENDING
Wanderer

Li Wei refuses the larger conflict. He walks his own path, asking no questions of the sky.

Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

The Dog Beating Staff awaits. 5-6 hours of content across all paths.

THE COMBAT

ATB Combat System

Active Time Battle with three stances, combo chains, mastery progression, and multi-phase bosses. Classic JRPG depth in a CLI interface.

ATB Combat System

DEX-based turn order with 7-turn preview

Active Time Battle inspired by classic JRPGs, tuned for CLI

Three Stances

Flowing, Weathered, Hungry—each with stat modifiers

Switch stances mid-combat to adapt to enemy patterns

Combo Chains

Starter → Followup → Finisher for up to 60% damage bonus

Master technique sequences for devastating combos

55+ Techniques

8 in prologue, 47 planned across chapters

Each with 5 mastery levels and power bonuses

12 Enemy Types

9 regular enemies + 3 multi-phase bosses

Pattern-based AI with phase transitions

4 Difficulty Modes

Easy → Medium → Hard → Hell

AI quality and stat scaling per mode

THE EIGHT CHI ASPECTS

Force
Blade
Flow
Stream
Precision
Shadow
Burst
Unlockable
Armor
Unlockable
Sense
Unlockable
Will
Unlockable
Inverse
Forbidden
THE SECT

The Masters of Nothing

Outcasts, deserters, survivors. Each Elder carries a stance, a story, and scars the world gave them.

PROTAGONIST

Li Wei

"The Inverted One" — Age 19

Woke with only a name and a jade pendant. Your chi flows backward through meridians no one can detect. 14 years of forgotten training. Now among beggars, you'll discover what 'nothing' can become.

Inverse Chi

"They called me nothing. I'll show them what nothing can become."

Elder Chen

The Flowing MasterFirst Elder

Age 67

Patient as water wearing stone. Waited 40 years for the prophecy. Sees potential where others see weakness. His soft exterior hides iron resolve.

Flowing Stance

"The river defeats the mountain not by strength—but by persistence."

Elder Wu

The Weathered MasterSecond Elder

Age 54

Former Spartan who refused to kill a beggar child. Her brand burned away, her family 'relocated.' Now she trains beggars to survive—harshly, because the Spartans aren't kind.

Weathered Stance

"Pain passes. Death doesn't. Choose."

Elder Mei

The Hungry MasterThird Elder

Age 38

Watched her family starve at 12 during a 'redistribution adjustment.' Survived by becoming hunger itself. Uses chaos as armor against a world that taught her nothing is reliable.

Hungry Stance

"Hunger is fuel. Pain is fuel. Everything is fuel."

Old Dao

The PathfinderElder Without Title

Age Unknown

Appeared 72 years ago. Hasn't aged. Arrives without doors opening. Knows things he shouldn't. Some say he was there before the founding—and will be there after.

Unknown

"Everything arrives precisely when it should. Even you."

THE SYSTEM

Three-Layer Progression

Path percentages for specialization. Aspect loadouts for customization. Mastery training for engagement. Inspired by LoL runes and Path of Exile.

LAYER 1

Path Percentages

Zero-Sum Specialization

100% total distributed across Blade, Stream, and Shadow. Investing in one path reduces others—forcing meaningful choices.

  • Pure specialist (90/5/5): Ultimate techniques, hard counters
  • Hybrid build (50/35/15): Tactical flexibility, no ultimates
  • Balanced (34/33/33): Try everything, master nothing
LAYER 2

Aspect Loadout

LoL-Style Rune System

1 primary slot (path-locked) + 3 secondary slots (customizable). Choose from 8 chi aspects to define your playstyle.

  • Primary aspect matches your dominant path
  • Secondary slots unlock at 50 mastery, Chapter 1, Chapter 2
  • Forbidden Inverse aspect: high risk, devastating power
LAYER 3

Training Mastery

Post-Prologue Engagement

Sparring matches earn mastery points. Unlock techniques, aspects, and slots. Prepare for what's ahead.

  • 5-10 points per win (scales with difficulty)
  • Bonuses for combos, speed, high damage
  • 50 mastery: first technique + Burst aspect
  • 250 mastery: Demo Master achievement
THE CRAFT

Built Different

20,000+ lines of design documentation before a single line of game code. AI collaboration from concept to completion.

BUILT WITH
TS
TypeScript
Type-safe code
ink
Ink
React for CLI
Claude API
AI-powered enemies
node
Node.js
Runtime
ARCHITECTURE
Zero Magic Numbers
All balance in GameBalance.ts
60-79% Code Reduction
Reusable utility system
4 Custom Hooks
useMenuNavigation, useCombatState...
100% Type-Safe
Strict TypeScript throughout
Container-Presentational
Clean separation of concerns
Centralized Design System
SEMANTIC_DIVIDERS, UI_CONFIG
01

Design-first. Documentation-first. Quality-first.

This isn't a game that was coded and then explained. This is 20,000+ lines of world-building, lore, combat systems, and story design that came before a single line of game code.

02

AI Collaboration

No tutorials copied. No templates used. Just requirements, thinking, and iteration with Claude AI as a development partner. Every system—from ATB combat to chi cultivation—designed from scratch.

03

AAA-Grade Architecture

Enterprise patterns. Zero magic numbers. Custom hooks. Centralized config. 60-79% code reduction through reusable utilities. Built like production software because it is.

15,000+
Lines of Documentation
Before any game code was written