RaRa_UpgradeSystem Upgrade Cards Designer Guide - robblofield/Tomebound-Docs GitHub Wiki

🛠️ RaRa Upgrade Card Design Guide

This guide explains how to build, balance, and score upgrade cards using the Buff/Nerf Matrix system.
It ensures consistency and fairness across the upgrade ecosystem while supporting creative, theme-driven card design.

🎴 Card Composition Rules

Each card can have up to 3 Buffs and up to 3 Nerfs
Buffs and Nerfs do not have to be equal in number
Cards with only nerfs are allowed, but should be ** very rare** with solid design justification
Final card score is calculated as:
🟢 Total Buff Score – 🔴 Total Nerf Score = 🧮 Final Score

🧮 Rarity Matrix

Final Score	Rarity Tier	Color
1–8	Common	⚪ Grey
9–15	Rare	🟨 Gold
16+	Epic	🟪 Purple

📏 Stat Scoring System

Each buff or nerf is assigned a point value based on:

Delivery Type – how the stat applies
Magnitude – how much the stat changes

📦 Valid Delivery Types

Delivery Type	Description
`flat ++/--`	A direct increase or decrease to a stat (e.g. +5 Attack, -3 Health)
`multiplier`	A % boost or penalty to a stat (e.g. 1.5× Crit Damage, 0.8× Speed)
`level x (of x)`	Tiered stat levels (e.g. +2 Parry Assist, +1 Dodge Count)
`++/-- x/second`	A stat that applies over time (e.g. +4 Health/second, -3 Defense/second)

🔢 Score Chart by Delivery Type

Delivery Type	Tier 1 (Score 3)	Tier 2 (Score 5)	Tier 3 (Score 7)
`flat ++/--`	1–3	4–7	8–12
`multiplier`	1.1–1.3×	1.4–1.7×	1.8–2.2×
`level x (of x)`	+1 level	+2 levels	+3 levels
`++/-- x/second`	1–3 per sec	4–7 per sec	8–12 per sec

🔁 Nerfs use the same scoring tiers, but their value is subtracted from the total score.

💥 Overcapped Stats

If a stat exceeds the top tier, treat it as multiple stacked boosts:

Example:

Crit Damage +4x
- First 2.2x = 7 points
- Remaining 1.8x = 7 points
  → Total = 14 points

🧪 Sample Card: Dirty Parry

"Do you feel lucky, punk?"

When used the Perfect Parry window becomes significantly smaller, but your damage on Critical Hits becomes WILD!

✅ Buffs

Stat	Delivery	Value	Score
Crit Damage	multiplier	x4	14

❌ Nerfs

Stat	Delivery	Value	Score
Parry Assist	level x (of x)	-2 levels	5

Final Score: 14 – 5 = 9
🟨 Rarity: Rare (Gold)

Design tip: Think in tradeoffs, synergies, and archetypes — not just numbers!