Imprints are passive keepsakes. Each one is a memory of a resident's side story, and it changes how the Ranger works for a whole outing. The user describes them as "Hades keepsakes" or "Cult of the Lamb fleeces", and nothing else.
How it works#
- Earned: once and permanently, by finishing one resident's side story. A replay never gives a second copy.
- Equipped: zero or one, at home, on the Hearth podium. It stays for the whole outing. Rest stops, the Tea House and town cannot change it.
- Effect: passive and conditional, with a trade-off. Owning an Imprint does nothing unless it is equipped. Every one is useful solo.
- Never: a button or cooldown, a lent class skill, a helper of any kind, a Coordinator unlock or a change to home staffing.
The seven Imprints#
| Imprint | From | Side story | Turn effect | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Within Reach | Stella | An Hour Without a Request | Care ×1.15 on supported ground | Care ×0.9 elsewhere |
| Shared Boundary | Aster and Vessa | The Border of an Agreement | Visible telegraphs show 1 round earlier | −1 move in round 1 |
| Clear Interval | Mote | The Uninteresting Ones | A lingering response shows its full fade timer, 1 round longer | −1 move in round 1 |
| Quiet Handoff | Pip | Someone Else's Shift | A paid Call is answered this round | Care ×0.9 |
| Known Turns | Fen | Who Takes the New Road? | +1 move when your turn starts on a tile you already stood on | Reach −1 in round 1 |
| Full Length | Wick | The Five Stretches | Your Support counts twice in tract preparation | Care ×0.9 |
| The Space Between | Nell | The Part Between | The "working again" sign stays 1 round longer | No Care on the same connection twice in a row |
The user approved the names on 31 October.
Numbers#
Claude B's pick-rate test (SIMULATION, 2 November, 51 rooms per class): Imprints changed the expert bot's result in half to two-thirds of rooms. The top tolerant picks were Within Reach (Warden, 19%) and Known Turns (Sentinel, 21%). No Imprint passed 35%. Shared Boundary and Clear Interval add only information, which the bots cannot value. Quiet Handoff shows only its cost, because no room uses Call yet.
History#
- Before 31 October: some Imprints were active, lent skills: a KEEPSAKE button for a small Ward, a short Survey or a guest helper ("Friend"). The user had "said it many times" that this was wrong, and on 31 October said "Remove whatever else".
- Migration: old ids map to the new set (
wardandsteady→ Within Reach,watch→ Shared Boundary,friend→ Quiet Handoff). Others are dropped. - 2 November: the Tea House no longer lends Imprints; the Hearth podium equips them.
Development#
The alpha engine applies the equipped Imprint in every run room, and the podium offers the choice. The lead's audit found old fixture quests granting three Imprints; the reconciled integration stopped old prototype claims from counting as story achievements. Earning each Imprint needs side-story scenes that are not all staged yet.
See also#
Recruitment · Upgrades · Workshop tools · Hearth podium
Sources#
b89f778c2:src/main-game/alpha/public/encounter/src/skills/kit/catalog.jsb89f778c2:src/main-game/alpha/public/encounter/src/skills/turns/catalog.jsb89f778c2:src/main-game/alpha/public/encounter/src/services/sidequests/catalog.js215bfbf88:docs/game-balance/28-recruits-rest-stops-economy.md215bfbf88:docs/game-balance/31-turn-based-encounters.md
What links here (58)
- Act III: What Stays After the Signal
- Act IV: The Interval
- Act V: The Break
- An Errand That Was Already Underway
- An Hour Without a Request
- Arborwake alpha
- Arborwake: The Long Wake
- Bram
- Calming visit
- Care
- Clear Interval
- Companion stress
- Controls
- Economy
- Endurance
- Ensemble scenes
- Field gear
- Full Length
- Hearth boards
- Hearth Grove
- Hearth podium
- Hearth strain
- Home duties
- Home VFX
- Inventory HUD
- Kit history
- Known Turns
- Live preview site
- Nell
- Quests VFX
- Quiet Handoff
- Ranger
- Recovery parcel
- Recruitment
- Rest
- Saving and save migration
- Science guardrails
- Services v3
- Shared Boundary
- Someone Else's Shift
- Stella
- Supply
- Survey ribbon
- Tea House
- The Border of an Agreement
- The Five Stretches
- The Names at the Edge
- The Part Between
- The Space Between
- The Stretch Between Neighbours
- The Uninteresting Ones
- Threats
- Upgrades
- Ward stake
- Who Takes the New Road?
- Withdrawn story directions
- Within Reach
- Workshop tools