SKILL BIBLE — Nail-Rites (all cost Essence)

Magic in Starborne is ritual, not flashy: every spell is a nail-rite paid in Essence

(flavored as counted breath / blood-bias, per BOOK-CANON.md). Costs are real; big rites can be

paid partly in HP (blood-bias) for more power — the signature risk/reward. Reason raises spell

power, Arcana raises Essence pool, Resilience softens blood-bias cost.

Resource: Essence (ESS) regenerates slowly out of combat; blood-bias = optionally spend HP

to cast when ESS is short (1 HP ≈ small ESS, scaled down by Resilience). Counting motif: many rites

"tick" in 3s and 12s (cast windows, stacks).

Format: Name — type · ESS cost · effect · ritual flavor (components/counting) · unlock.

A. LYRA — the Starborn (caster; grows from helpless to powerhouse)

Lyra's 5 finale spells (the turn-based moveset vs Alex) are marked ★. Others are overworld/real-time.

Tier 1 — Sparks (early)

1. ★ Emberbolt — attack · 6 ESS · single-target fire bolt, scales with Reason · one nail, one spark, counted to three. · start.
2. Hearthward — buff · 8 ESS · small shield (absorbs N dmg) for self/Gideon · salt circle, breath held. · Hearthvale.
3. Kindle — utility · 4 ESS · light a brazier/torch from range; reveals hidden marks · struck flint, named flame. · Lantern (R1).
4. Mendthread — heal · 10 ESS · restore HP over 3 ticks · heartwood thread, counted stitches. · Brakktun.

Tier 2 — Rites (mid)

1. ★ Frostnail — control · 12 ESS · freeze a foe/flow briefly (synergy: Frost regions) · iron nail in ice water. · Frostmere.
2. Tidecall — utility · 9 ESS · raise/lower marked water; douse fire hazards · whistle, three drops. · Harmony.
3. Mirrorlight — attack/util · 11 ESS · beam that reflects off Mirror Shards; blinds Watchers · lens, lit thread. · Duskreach.
4. Sapwrithe — control · 13 ESS · entangling roots root a foe (counting tick) · root, salt, blood-bias optional. · Thornwall.

Tier 3 — Greater Rites (late)

1. ★ Veilrend — attack · 18 ESS (or HP) · pierces shadow armor; bonus vs Veil-Horrors · square unmade, line drawn through. · Sablefen.
2. ★ Hush — control · 16 ESS · silence an area: stops summons/heals/hymns for 3 ticks · censer, held breath. · Gloamspire.
3. Namerestore — utility/moral · 14 ESS · re-light an erased name-stone (ties to ending) · chalk undone, name spoken. · Frostmere+.
4. ★ Eclipse — ultimate · 30 ESS + blood-bias · the Starborn rite: mend/strike the Veil itself; finale-defining · twelve nails, three drops, one true name. · Concordia.

Finale 5 (turn-based vs Alex): ★ Emberbolt · ★ Frostnail · ★ Veilrend · ★ Hush · ★ Eclipse.

Phases of Alex are countered respectively: summons (Hush), glass-storm (Frostnail/Veilrend),

fusion (Eclipse). Blood-bias lets Lyra over-cast at HP risk — the moral/mechanical knife-edge.

B. GIDEON — the Smith (fixed-power; "forged sparks", holds the line early)

Gideon doesn't level like Lyra; he wields forged rites — practical, melee-adjacent, cheap.

1. Hammerfall — attack · 5 ESS · heavy overhead smash, stun chance · the mantra: a hammer and a nail. · start.
2. Spark Burst — attack · 6 ESS · short radial spark (crowd clear) · start.
3. Anvil Stance — buff · 4 ESS · brace: heavy damage reduction, can't move (3 ticks) · Cinderhold.
4. Nail-Brand — debuff · 7 ESS · pin a foe with a thrown nail (slow + mark) · Cinderhold.
5. Quench — utility · 5 ESS · douse fire / cool lava channels (puzzle + defense) · Cinderhold.
6. Last Ember — clutch · 10 ESS · once per fight, survive a lethal blow at 1 HP + spark nova · Stormhall.

C. SHARED PASSIVES (from Veil Medals & leveling)

• Counted Cadence — every 3rd cast costs 0 ESS (rewards rhythm).
• Blood-Wise (Resilience) — reduces blood-bias HP cost.
• Wellspring (Arcana) — larger ESS pool + faster regen out of combat.
• Keen Rite (Reason) — +spell power, +crit on tells (hit a foe mid-tell for bonus).

Implementation notes (for the autobuild task)

• Add one skill per run: id, ESS cost, optional blood-bias path, effect hook into existing

castSpell (dmg uses arcana+reason), a small VFX in the dark-warm style, cooldown, unlock gate.

• Wire unlocks to Veil Medals / region reach (see REGIONS.md), not stat thresholds.
• ESS bar lives near the survival meters; blood-bias shows as a brief HP→ESS flash.
• The finale 5 must be selectable in the turn-based Observatory scene (Backlog item).
• All new rites pass both mastermind gates (mood ≥86, AAA director) before check-off.