in: Services, Apothecary services, Skills
Signal tuning
In the alpha Service · facts checked 2 November 2026
Signal tuning is the Apothecary's main service. Before an outing you tune one of the Ranger's own signals to a level from 0 to 3. Nothing is bottled: it is the Ranger's own signalling.
How it works#
| Signal | Level 1 (helps) | Level 2 (more help; start at 5 endurance) | Level 3 (overshoot; start at 5, and it reverses) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alert (surveillance) | See every telegraph two rounds ahead on each room's first round | + Survey radius +1 | Primed: each hit costs 2 Composure |
| Reach-out (process extension) | +1 movement on the first round | + reach +1 | Over-extended: reach +1, but recovery Care is unavailable |
| Settling (resolution) | Settle restores 1 more | + recovery Care fades two steps | Over-quiet: fast Care is half as strong |
- It costs 3 Supply at any level, once per outing. It is a separate shop line from provisions, and you can buy both.
- It stays fixed until you return home, like the rest of the loadout.
Numbers#
Claude B's MODEL (20,000 seeded outings per cell, real endurance rules; magnitudes are assumptions):
| Player | Level 0 | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steady | 100% | 100% | 100% | 94% |
| Typical | 98% | 99% | 93% | 84% |
| Struggling | 83% | 90% | 78% | 66% |
| Rough | 50% | 66% | 51% | 44% |
The inverted U holds for every player: level 1 always helps, and level 3 always costs more than it gives. Level 2 roughly breaks even on endurance, so it pays only for its in-room effect.
In the brain#
The idea follows research the user reviewed on 1 November: a signal's effect depends on dose and context. IL-1 shows an inverted U in memory (Goshen 2007), and the same signal can reverse with the receiving cell's state. "Primed" reflects stress priming. The levels and effects are game rules.
Development#
- 1 Nov: the user redesigned the Apothecary as "signalling, nothing bottled" and approved tuning in principle. Claude B built it (
tuneSignal). - 2 Nov: the user approved the redesign after fresh HUD shots: "Approved". The lead's reconciled integration connected tuning in the alpha, including its endurance cost.
See also#
Apothecary · Endurance · Rest · Calming visit · Services v3
Sources#
215bfbf88:docs/game-balance/31-turn-based-encounters.mdb89f778c2:src/main-game/alpha/public/encounter/src/skills/turns/catalog.jsb89f778c2:src/main-game/alpha/public/encounter/src/services/catalog.jsb89f778c2:docs/ops/agent-messages/2026-11-02-lead-reconciled-game-integration.md