DiceBound

Summary

• DiceBound is a dark fantasy roguelike deckbuilder where every roll will change your decision. Roll Aspect dice and Ability dice, harnessing the power of the 6 Aspects. Bind their power into powerful combinations, turning uncertain outcomes into devastating actions.

• Build your strategy around what you are given. Shape (and reshape) your dice over the course of a run, and decide how much of your soul you are willing to risk to overcome the trials placed in front of you.
  Each journey unfolds across a path, branching Trials, bargains, sanctuaries, and dangerous opportunities. Every choice you make changes the build you carry into the next Trial.

• Wager soul onto Aspect Bindings, turning your life into overwhelming power, creating powerful combinations, unlocking the power of each Aspect and amplifying their damage. 

• Power always comes with a set of conditions. Accept contracts to rewrite the rules of the run. Swear Oaths that reward commitment or misfortune. The strongest build is rarely be the safest one

• Enemies do more than deal more damage. Their Burden and Threat dice interfere with your plans, locking away options that once seemed so apparent, forcing you to adapt before you life slips away. Overcome Trials to prepare you for a Grand Trial that imposes Laws on your battle.

  Gameplay

  DiceBound is a dark fantasy, dice-building roguelike where your soul is your main source of damage. Wager your soul, binding it to one of 6 Aspects, unlocking abilities to overcome the trials placed in front of you. Uncover the mystery behind why you must face these trials. Who are these "people"? Why am I even here?

  Mechanics

  The 6 Aspects: 

  In DiceBound, there are 6 Aspects: Anchor (Gold), Offer (Purple), Ruin (Red), Ward (Blue), Flux (Green), and Surge (Silver). Everything in the game revolves around them. There are also ASPECT totals (seen on the left in the image). Aspect totals indicate the number of dice showing a certain Aspect. 

  Aspect and Ability Dice: 

  This brings us to the first type of dice you as the player can roll, Aspect dice. As you may have guessed, Aspect dice increase the ASPECT totals. These dice are the key overcoming each Trial. The second type of dice you can roll is Ability dice. These dice are special and can trigger guaranteed effects like attacking the enemy or defending your own soul (Shown in the image above). All dice have 6 faces, pay attention to them. Only Aspect dice have Base Damage.

  

   

  Wagering:

  The second most important thing in this game is...  your SOUL. You as the player can wager your Soul on one of 6 Aspects. Each Aspect has a list of dice needed to unlock its ability. Each Aspect also has a Soul requirement needed to gain an edge over the enemy. More on this later. For now, careful how much you wager. Your Soul is your lifeline after all. Each Aspect you can wager on comes with its own ability after rolling the needed dice.

  Anchor: Remove "X" random enemy dice.

  Offer: Gain "X"-1 Soul Actions.

  Ruin: "X" random Aspect dice gain 1 Base Damage.

  Ward: Restore "X" Soul.

  Flux: Change "X" Aspect dice to any face.

  Surge: Trigger "X" random effects.

   

  Resonance (AKA - "X"):

  

  Resonance is your Soul's attunement with the board. It is the THIRD most important thing in this game. For it to increase, you must do 2 things. First, wager on an Aspect, meeting the Soul requirement. Second, roll all of the dice listed for the Aspect wagered. 

  Not only does Resonance (X) determine how much you can do with your abilities, it also determines how strong your Ability dice are. An Ability die showing "Sword 2" or "Shield 1" will multiplied by X. "Sword 2" multiplied by 3 (X = 3) is now "Sword 6".

  Actions:

  There are 2 types of actions. Soul Actions and Aspect Actions. Aspect Actions are the ABILITIES you get when rolling all of the dice needed for an Aspect that has wagered  Soul attached to it.

  The second type of action is Soul Action. These are actions you can take to manipulate dice on the board.

  

  Dealing Damage:

  There are 2 ways to deal damage. One way is using your ability dice. The second way is attached to your wager. When a wager unlocks, all Aspect dice needed for the wager can deal damage. 

  If you choose not to use your wager to deal damage, or fail to roll the needed dice, all soul wagered will turn into Soul Fragments (Money) at the end of the round.

  

  The Enemy:

  Just like you, the enemy can also roll 2 types of dice. The enemy rolls something called Burden dice, which are a counter to your Aspect dice. They DECREASE from the ASPECT totals. It also has Threat dice, which are just like your Ability dice.

  Enemies have one more thing... RELICS. Relics are a core part of the enemy. Every enemy has its own unique relic, which comes with a special ability that will hinder you.

  Locations: 

  There are currently 7 location types (12 planned for the full game). Trials, Contract, Oath, Sanctuary, Engraver, Shop, and Grand Trial (Boss)

  Trials:

  Choose which trial you wish to face. Regardless of your decision, they all come with a special twist.

  

  Grand Trial:

  Face a boss with multiple twists.

  

  Sanctuary:

  Recover lost Soul and Increase your Maximum Soul.

  

  Shop:

  Spend Soul Fragments to gain temporary or permanent items.

  

  Engraver:

  Upgrade your dice or Soul Actions.

  

  Oath:

  Gain a permanent upgrade to your Aspect wagers.

  

  Contract:

  Rewrite the rules of the game.