Crafting Technique System

Crafting techniques are the primary actions used during the crafting process to transform materials into finished items. Each technique serves a specific purpose and consumes resources while advancing the craft toward completion.

Basic Structure

Every crafting technique is defined by the CraftingTechnique interface:

interface CraftingTechnique {
  name: string; // Stable, non-localized identifier (matches KnownCraftingTechnique.technique and modAPI.gameData.craftingTechniques)
  displayName?: Translatable; // Optional translated display name
  icon: string; // Visual representation
  type: CraftingTechniqueType; // fusion, refine, stabilize, or support
  realm: Realm; // Minimum cultivation level
  tooltip?: string; // Custom description

  // Resource costs
  poolCost: number; // Qi pool cost
  noQiCost?: boolean; // If true, Qi cost is always 0 regardless of active modifiers
  stabilityCost: number; // Stability cost
  noMaxStabilityLoss?: boolean; // If true, max stability is not reduced when used
  maxStabilityLossTooltip?: string; // Custom tooltip text explaining the stability behaviour
  toxicityCost?: number; // Optional toxicity gain
  buffCost?: { buff: CraftingBuff; amount: number };

  // Requirements and restrictions
  successChance: number; // Base success rate (0.0–1.0; 1.0 = always succeeds)
  cooldown: number; // Turns before reuse
  conditionRequirement?: CraftingCondition;
  buffRequirement?: { buff: CraftingBuff; amount: number };

  // Effects
  effects: CraftingTechniqueEffect[];

  // Display
  showCreatesBuff?: boolean; // If true, the UI shows a buff indicator on the technique card

  // Mastery system
  masteryKindPools?: CraftingTechniqueEffectKind[]; // Override which effect kinds are used for mastery selection
  upgradeMasteries?: { [key: string]: CraftingTechniqueMasteryRarityMap };

  // Runtime state — always initialise to 0 / undefined in data definitions
  currentCooldown: number; // Must be set to 0 in every technique definition
}

Important: currentCooldown is a required field. Always set it to 0 in your technique definition. The engine updates it at runtime.

Technique Types

There are four core technique types, each serving a distinct purpose:

Fusion

• Purpose: Increases completion progress toward finishing the item
• Scaling: Progress scales with Qi Intensity stat
• Visual: Green-tinted techniques
• Strategic use: Focus on these to complete crafts quickly

Refine

• Purpose: Increases perfection progress for higher quality
• Scaling: Progress scales with Qi Control stat
• Visual: Cyan-tinted techniques
• Strategic use: Balance with fusion for quality items

Stabilize

• Purpose: Restores stability or creates stability buffs
• Scaling: Often fixed amounts or based on current stability
• Visual: Orange-tinted techniques
• Strategic use: Prevent craft failure from stability loss

Support

• Purpose: Creates buffs and utility effects
• Scaling: Varies by specific buff created
• Visual: Purple-tinted techniques
• Strategic use: Set up powerful combinations

Resource Costs

Qi Pool Cost

The primary resource consumed by all techniques:

poolCost: 20; // Base cost in qi

• Modified by Qi Pool Cost Multiplier stat
• Can be reduced through mastery upgrades
• Running out prevents technique use
• Set noQiCost: true to force the technique to always cost 0 Qi, bypassing all cost modifiers

Stability Cost

Risk factor for each technique:

stabilityCost: 5; // Stability lost on use

Current Stability vs Max Stability:

• Current Stability: The active stability pool that decreases with technique use
• Max Stability: The upper limit for current stability
• When current stability reaches 0, the craft fails
• When using a technique, max stability usually decreases by 1
• The noMaxStabilityLoss flag prevents max stability reduction (only current decreases)

Modifiers:

• Modified by Stability Cost Multiplier stat
• Some buffs restore current stability without affecting max
• Other effects specifically target max stability

Toxicity Cost

Accumulation from certain techniques:

toxicityCost: 10; // Toxicity gained

• Primarily from pill-related techniques
• Accumulates over multiple crafts
• High toxicity causes negative effects

Buff Cost

Some techniques consume buff stacks:

buffCost: {
  buff: focusBuff,
  amount: 3
}

Success Mechanics

Base Success Chance

Each technique has a success rate:

successChance: 0.8; // 80% base success rate (0.0 to 1.0)

• Value ranges from 0.0 (always fails) to 1.0 (always succeeds)
• Modified by Action Success Chance stat bonus
• Failed techniques still consume resources
• Some risky techniques have rates as low as 0.4 (40%)

Cooldown System

Prevents technique spam:

cooldown: 3; // Cannot use for 3 turns

• Tracked per technique
• Some buffs can reduce cooldowns
• Strategic planning required for technique rotation

Requirements

Condition Requirements

Techniques may require specific recipe conditions:

conditionRequirement: 'positive'; // Only usable when Harmonious

Condition states:

• neutral - Balanced
• positive - Harmonious
• negative - Resistant
• veryPositive - Brilliant
• veryNegative - Corrupted

Buff Requirements

Need specific buffs active:

buffRequirement: {
  buff: concentrationBuff,
  amount: 5
}

Effect Types

Techniques produce various effects on the crafting process. Effects can also carry an optional condition field (a CraftingTechniqueCondition) to make the effect conditional.

Completion Effect

Advances craft progress:

{
  kind: 'completion',
  amount: { value: 15, stat: 'intensity', upgradeKey: 'completion' },
}

Perfection Effect

Improves item quality:

{
  kind: 'perfection',
  amount: { value: 10, stat: 'control', upgradeKey: 'perfection' },
}

Stability Effect

Restores or reduces current stability (not max):

{
  kind: 'stability',
  amount: { value: 8, stat: undefined } // Positive = restore, negative = reduce
}

Note: This only affects current stability. Your max stability remains unchanged.

Max Stability Effect

Modifies the maximum stability cap:

{
  kind: 'maxStability',
  amount: { value: 2, stat: undefined } // Positive = increase cap, negative = reduce cap
}

Note: This changes your stability ceiling. If max decreases below current, current is reduced to match.

Pool Effect

Restores qi pool:

{
  kind: 'pool',
  amount: { value: 10, stat: undefined, upgradeKey: 'pool' },
}

Create Buff Effect

Grants crafting buffs:

{
  kind: 'createBuff',
  buff: empowerIntensityBuff,
  stacks: { value: 3, stat: undefined }
}

Consume Buff Effect

Removes buff stacks:

{
  kind: 'consumeBuff',
  buff: targetBuff,
  stacks: { value: 2, stat: undefined }
}

Cleanse Toxicity Effect

Reduces accumulated toxicity:

{
  kind: 'cleanseToxicity',
  amount: { value: 5, stat: undefined }
}

The upgradeKey on Scaling

To make an effect upgradeable through the mastery system, set upgradeKey on the effect’s Scaling amount. The key must match the corresponding entry in upgradeMasteries:

const myTechnique: CraftingTechnique = {
  name: 'Focused Fusion',
  // ...
  effects: [
    {
      kind: 'completion',
      amount: { value: 2.0, stat: 'intensity', upgradeKey: 'completion' }, // links to upgradeMasteries['completion']
    },
  ],
  currentCooldown: 0,
  upgradeMasteries: {
    completion: createCompletionUpgradeMap('completion', 'empowered'), // first arg must match upgradeKey
  },
};

Mastery System

Techniques improve through mastery tiers:

Mastery Tiers

Tier value	Display name	Roman numeral
mundane	Mundane	I
qitouched	Qi Touched	II
empowered	Empowered	III
resplendent	Resplendent	IV
incandescent	Incandescent	V
transcendent	Transcendent	VI

Use the tier value (left column) when specifying startRarity arguments in helper functions.

Upgrade Types

The upgradeMasteries field maps upgrade keys to a CraftingTechniqueMasteryRarityMap, defining how the technique improves at each mastery tier. Use the helper functions from the mastery system:

Effect Upgrades

Increase completion/perfection/pool/stability amounts multiplicatively:

upgradeMasteries: {
  completion: createCompletionUpgradeMap('completion', 'empowered'),
  perfection: createPerfectionUpgradeMap('perfection', 'empowered'),
  pool: createPoolUpgradeMap('pool', 'empowered'),
  stability: createStabilityUpgradeMap('stability', 'empowered'),
}

Each function takes (upgradeKey: string, startRarity: Rarity). The upgradeKey must match the upgradeKey on the Scaling object of the effect you want upgraded.

There is also createPowerUpgradeMap(key, rarity, tooltip) for custom effect scaling — it applies the same multiplicative upgrade percentages but accepts a custom tooltip string.

Buff Stack Upgrades

Increase the number of buff stacks granted:

upgradeMasteries: {
  stacks: createStacksUpgradeMap('stacks', 'resplendent', 'Empower Intensity', 2),
}

createStacksUpgradeMap(key, startRarity, buffName, maxChange) — maxChange is the maximum stack change at Transcendent tier.

Cost Reductions

Lower resource consumption (pool cost, stability cost):

upgradeMasteries: {
  poolCost: createCostUpgradeMap('poolCost', 'empowered', 'Qi Pool', -5),
}

createCostUpgradeMap(key, startRarity, costName, maxChange) — costName appears in the mastery tooltip. Use negative maxChange to reduce costs.

Max Amount Increases

Increase the maximum amount of a stepped value:

upgradeMasteries: {
  maxStacks: createMaxIncreaseUpgradeMap('maxStacks', 'resplendent', 3),
}

createMaxIncreaseUpgradeMap(key, startRarity, maxChange) — useful for techniques that cap at a certain amount.

Success Improvements

Success chance is automatically added by the game as a mastery bonus for any technique with successChance < 1. You do not need to define it in upgradeMasteries.

masteryKindPools

By default, the game determines which mastery upgrades are available based on a technique’s effect kinds (completion, perfection, pool, stability, etc.). Setting masteryKindPools overrides this list:

masteryKindPools: ['completion', 'pool'], // Only offer completion and pool mastery upgrades

This is useful when a technique has multiple effect kinds but you only want mastery selection to draw from a subset.