Select Relationship Path Step

The Select Relationship Path Step locks a character’s relationship onto a named branch defined in relationshipPaths. Once a path is selected, all future progressRelationship steps follow that branch’s CharacterRelationshipDefinition[] instead of the default relationship array. Selecting a path also resets the character’s relationship index and approval to 0, so the player starts the new path from its first tier.

Use this step when a player makes a story choice that should lead to a fundamentally different relationship trajectory with a companion — for example, choosing between a martial rivalry path and a scholarly friendship path.

Interface

interface SelectRelationshipPathStep {
  kind: 'selectRelationshipPath';
  condition?: string;
  character: string;
  path: string;
}

Properties

kind - Always 'selectRelationshipPath'

character - Character name (case-sensitive string). Must reference a character that has a relationshipPaths field containing the named path.

path - The key into the character’s relationshipPaths record. Must exactly match a key defined in relationshipPaths on the character; if the key does not exist the step is a no-op.

condition (optional) - Flag expression for conditional execution. The step is skipped if the condition evaluates to false.

Defining Relationship Paths on a Character

To use this step, the target character must define relationshipPaths alongside (or instead of) relationship:

const myCompanion: Character = {
  name: 'Mei Xing',
  // ...
  relationshipPaths: {
    rival: rivalRelationshipProgression,
    friend: friendRelationshipProgression,
  },
};

Each value is a CharacterRelationshipDefinition[] — the same structure as the standard relationship array. The character may also keep a default relationship array for players who never reach a selectRelationshipPath step.

Examples

Branching at a Story Choice

[
  {
    kind: 'text',
    text: 'She offers her hand. The choice will shape everything between you.',
  },
  {
    kind: 'choice',
    choices: [
      {
        text: 'Take her hand — you would be allies',
        children: [
          {
            kind: 'selectRelationshipPath',
            character: 'Mei Xing',
            path: 'friend',
          },
          {
            kind: 'speech',
            character: 'Mei Xing',
            text: 'Good. Then we are agreed.',
          },
        ],
      },
      {
        text: 'Step back — rivals make each other stronger',
        children: [
          {
            kind: 'selectRelationshipPath',
            character: 'Mei Xing',
            path: 'rival',
          },
          {
            kind: 'speech',
            character: 'Mei Xing',
            text: 'So be it. Prove yourself worthy of being my rival.',
          },
        ],
      },
    ],
  },
]

Conditional Path Selection

[
  {
    kind: 'selectRelationshipPath',
    condition: 'playerChoseRivalry == 1',
    character: 'Mei Xing',
    path: 'rival',
  },
  {
    kind: 'selectRelationshipPath',
    condition: 'playerChoseRivalry == 0',
    character: 'Mei Xing',
    path: 'friend',
  },
]

Important Notes

• Approval and index reset: Selecting a path resets both approval and relationshipIndex to 0 for that character. The player earns their way up through the new path from the beginning.
• No-op on unknown path: If path does not match any key in relationshipPaths, the step does nothing. No error is thrown.
• One path at a time: There is no way to switch back to the default relationship array once a path is selected. Design paths to be permanent story branches.
• Use with progressRelationship: After selecting a path, all subsequent progressRelationship steps for that character will use the chosen path’s tier list.