settled-reach/docs/design/character-build-smuggler.md

title, description, type, status, ticket, decision_refs, author, created, updated

title	description	type	status	ticket	decision_refs	author	created	updated
Character Build: The Smuggler	Full character definition for the smuggler playable character including knowledge, relationships, and voice	design	draft	#180	D-005 D-016 D-027 D-028 D-032 D-034 D-035 D-037 D-041 D-053 D-065		2026-02-19	2026-02-19

Character Build: The Smuggler

Ticket: #180 | Priority: Critical | Sprint: 12 Status: v0.1 Draft Blocked by: #179 (Character definition schema) Blocks: #182 (Divergent starting knowledge), #183 (Divergent relationships) Decisions referenced: D-005, D-016, D-027, D-028, D-032, D-034, D-035, D-037, D-041, D-053, D-065

---

identity

identity:
  canonical_id: "pc:smuggler"
  display_name: "[Player-set name]"
  archetype: "smuggler"
  occupation: "Freight Logistics Operator, Sova Transit District"
  posting_duration: "~3 years (settled resident of Sova)"
  faction: null                      # No institutional affiliation. Informal: ring member.
  lattice_tier: "civilian"
  description: >
    Logistics worker at Sova Terminal Freight Hub. Three years on the station.
    This is home in the way a place becomes home when you've stopped thinking
    about leaving — comfortable enough to feel permanent, not comfortable enough
    to feel easy. The ring started as extra income. It stayed because the people
    in it became the people worth protecting.

    Manages cargo routing. Knows the shift schedules, the corridor access windows,
    the containers that move in ways they shouldn't. Has lived inside the operation
    long enough that the criminal mechanics and the legitimate mechanics feel
    the same — two halves of a single job. The distinction between "dock worker"
    and "ring operative" dissolved somewhere around the 18-month mark.

    Stands to lose: freedom (Commission arrest), the people (Kael, Lera, the
    whole network), and the only version of stability they've built.

---

starting_knowledge

starting_knowledge:
  confidence_floor: "KnowsOf"

  known_facts:
    # Ring operational knowledge
    - key: "contraband.ring_exists"
      confidence: "KnowsEverything"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Member. Not a surprise. Not abstract. The daily operational reality."

    - key: "contraband.lattice_components"
      confidence: "KnowsDetails"
      source: "direct"
      notes: >
        Handles the containers. Knows the cargo is unlicensed lattice components
        and medical-grade neural replacements. Doesn't look too closely at the
        sealed containers — enough to know, not enough to be haunted by specifics.

    - key: "contraband.supply_chain_partial"
      confidence: "KnowsOf"
      source: "secondhand"
      notes: >
        Knows cargo comes from off-station contact (Sabel). Does not know the
        full upstream supply chain or Syndic connections. Deliberately incurious.

    - key: "contraband.ring_members"
      confidence: "KnowsDetails"
      source: "direct"
      notes: >
        Nils (coordinator), Kael (closest colleague), Voss (shift supervisor, takes
        a cut), Renn (courier), Devra (handler, mostly off-station). Resha and other
        minor members known by face if not always by name.

    - key: "contraband.operation_schedule"
      confidence: "KnowsEverything"
      source: "direct"
      notes: >
        Shift transitions create 20-minute oversight gaps. Runs know during these
        windows. Freight bay → service corridor → temp storage → bar back room.
        Has run this route dozens of times.

    # Location knowledge
    - key: "location.corridor_b7_access"
      confidence: "KnowsEverything"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Knows B-7 is restricted. Knows how to enter without triggering flags."

    - key: "location.smuggling_route"
      confidence: "KnowsEverything"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Full route map. Knows which corridors have surveillance gaps."

    - key: "location.dead_drop_location"
      confidence: "KnowsDetails"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Temp storage bay 4 is the handoff point. Container 4471 is a recurring flag."

    - key: "location.sova_district_full"
      confidence: "KnowsEverything"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Three years here. Knows every social site, shortcut, and NPC face."

    # Relationship knowledge
    - key: "relationship.ring_membership_full"
      confidence: "KnowsEverything"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Knows who's in. Knows who knows. The map of the network is second nature."

    - key: "relationship.voss_compromised"
      confidence: "KnowsDetails"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Voss takes a cut. The scheduling cover is explicit. Not a theory."

    - key: "relationship.drin_compromised"
      confidence: "KnowsDetails"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Dock inspector who looks the other way. Known through operational familiarity."

    - key: "relationship.naia_connection"
      confidence: "KnowsOf"
      source: "secondhand"
      notes: >
        Knows Naia as Kael's partner. Occasional bar encounters. Likes her.
        Doesn't know Naia suspects something is wrong with Kael.

    # World knowledge
    - key: "world.shift_schedule"
      confidence: "KnowsEverything"
      source: "direct"
      notes: "Knows the schedule the way you know your own heartbeat."

    - key: "world.commission_presence_minimal"
      confidence: "KnowsDetails"
      source: "direct"
      notes: >
        Commission presence on Sova is Sera Venn (field tech) plus occasional
        compliance visits. Not a heavy institutional presence. The ring has operated
        in this environment comfortably.

    - key: "world.torek_spending"
      confidence: "KnowsOf"
      source: "observation"
      notes: >
        Torek's visible spending has caught the smuggler's attention as a
        potential security risk. Not confirmed dangerous. A worry.

  unknown_facts:
    - key: "investigation.detective_identity"
      notes: >
        Does not know the detective exists as an investigator. A Commission liaison
        was mentioned (ring warning from Kael or Voss), but not yet identified
        as a specific investigative threat.

    - key: "person.kael_exit_attempt"
      notes: >
        CRITICAL unknown. Kael is trying to exit the ring via an unauthorized
        external contact. The smuggler trusts Kael completely. This gap is the
        structural basis for THE FRIEND arc.

    - key: "person.sera_unreported_evidence"
      notes: >
        Sera Venn has run an unofficial compliance check on Kael's work patterns
        and found manifest discrepancies. She has not reported them. The smuggler
        knows Sera only as "Commission field tech — stay away."

    - key: "person.naia_confided_in_sera"
      notes: >
        Naia has shared her worries about Kael with Sera. This connection — Naia
        to Sera to suppressed evidence — is entirely invisible to the smuggler.

    - key: "contraband.supply_chain_full"
      notes: >
        The full Syndic connection and upstream supply chain beyond Sabel.
        Deliberately kept out of operational knowledge by Nils.

    - key: "investigation.manifest_discrepancies_flagged"
      notes: >
        The detective's case file includes specific manifest discrepancy data.
        The smuggler doesn't know the investigation is that far along.

---

starting_relationships

starting_relationships:
  - target: "npc:kael-davan"
    relationship_state: "Friendly"
    access_tier: [insider, peer]
    trust_level: "trusted"
    relationship_type: "friend"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Kael Davan"
      role: "dock worker, ring member"
      faction: "ring"
      notes: >
        Closest colleague. Two years of shared risk. Works together on both
        legitimate shifts and ring operations. Lunch every shift, drinks after.
        Greet by first name. The smuggler knows Kael's personal tell
        (looks left when lying) — this detail is critical for Phase 4.

  - target: "npc:voss"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [insider, peer]
    trust_level: "reliable"
    relationship_type: "superior"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Voss"
      role: "shift supervisor, ring-aware"
      faction: "ring (passive)"
      notes: >
        Professional relationship. Low warmth. Voss takes a cut — the smuggler
        knows this. Trusts Voss to provide scheduling cover. Would not trust
        Voss with anything personal.

  - target: "npc:nils-davan"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [insider]
    trust_level: "reliable"
    relationship_type: "superior"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Nils Davan"
      role: "ring coordinator"
      faction: "ring"
      notes: >
        Kael's brother. Ring coordinator. The smuggler receives instructions via
        Devra, rarely directly. Respects Nils's authority, wary of his escalating
        appetite for volume. Knows Nils is Kael's sibling — personal dimension.

  - target: "npc:lera-sessik"
    relationship_state: "Friendly"
    access_tier: [insider, peer]
    trust_level: "trusted"
    relationship_type: "friend"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Lera Sessik"
      role: "bar owner, ring-aware"
      faction: "ring (peripheral)"
      notes: >
        Regular at The Last Shift for two years. Lera saves the smuggler's usual
        seat. Warm, uncomplicated relationship within bar context. Knows Lera is
        ring-aware but doesn't press her into operational details.

  - target: "npc:renn"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [insider]
    trust_level: "reliable"
    relationship_type: "colleague"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Renn"
      role: "courier, ring member"
      faction: "ring"
      notes: "Operational relationship. Knows Renn's routes. Professional, not warm."

  - target: "npc:devra"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [insider]
    trust_level: "reliable"
    relationship_type: "colleague"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Devra"
      role: "external contacts manager"
      faction: "ring"
      notes: "Channel for instructions from Nils. Operational distance maintained."

  - target: "npc:maret-korr"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [peer, insider]
    trust_level: "reliable"
    relationship_type: "colleague"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Maret Korr"
      role: "freight scheduler"
      faction: "ring (aware)"
      notes: >
        Hub colleague. Handles scheduling. The smuggler knows Maret is aware of the
        operation through her scheduling access — part of the cover structure.

  - target: "npc:drin"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [insider]
    trust_level: "reliable"
    relationship_type: "colleague"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Drin Rosta"
      role: "dock inspector, compromised"
      faction: "ring (passive)"
      notes: "Looks the other way during container inspections. Known asset."

  - target: "npc:naia-tamm"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [peer]
    trust_level: "reliable"
    relationship_type: "colleague"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Naia Tamm"
      role: "Kael's partner, teacher"
      faction: null
      notes: >
        Known through Kael. Occasional bar encounters. Genuinely likes her. Would
        not want Naia to know about the ring — protective instinct.

  - target: "npc:torek-lintar"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [peer]
    trust_level: "uncertain"
    relationship_type: "colleague"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Torek Lintar"
      role: "bar regular, ring-adjacent"
      faction: "ring (peripheral)"
      notes: >
        Known from bar. Spending is conspicuous — new clothes, rounds for
        strangers, better food than his salary explains. The smuggler keeps
        distance. A security concern without being a confirmed problem.

  - target: "npc:sera-venn"
    relationship_state: "Known"
    access_tier: [public]
    trust_level: "uncertain"
    relationship_type: "colleague"
    known_attributes:
      name: "Sera Venn"
      role: "Commission field technician"
      faction: "Commission"
      notes: >
        Recognized as Commission. Keeps distance reflexively. No personal
        knowledge, no social interaction. Categorized as institutional risk,
        not personal threat.

  - target: "npc:pc-detective"
    relationship_state: "Unknown"
    access_tier: [public]
    trust_level: "uncertain"
    relationship_type: null
    known_attributes:
      name: null
      role: "Commission liaison (warned by ring)"
      faction: "Commission"
      notes: >
        May have been warned about a new Commission presence (via Kael or Voss).
        Does not know name, face, or specific investigative mandate. Risk
        assessment: moderate. Protocol: keep head down, act normal.

---

access_permissions

access_permissions:
  can_unlock:
    - tier: "public"
      condition: "Always available"
      max_npcs: "unlimited"

    - tier: "peer"
      condition: "RelationshipState reaches Known or Friendly"
      max_npcs: "unlimited"

    - tier: "insider"
      condition: "Ring membership (pre-existing) or explicit trust invitation"
      max_npcs: "ring network NPCs from session start; others via play"

  structurally_locked:
    - tier: "authority"
      reason: >
        The smuggler has no institutional credentials. Cannot flash a badge.
        Cannot invoke institutional leverage. Even if the smuggler confronted
        an NPC with physical proof, the confrontation operates in the peer/
        insider register, not the authority register. This is the architectural
        asymmetry with the detective.

    - tier: "insider (non-ring)"
      reason: >
        Insider access is specific to the ring network. The smuggler cannot
        unlock insider access with NPCs outside the ring's trust structure —
        Lera's inner-circle, the Commission's internal channels, institutional
        back-channels. The smuggler's world is bounded by the ring's social web.

---

skills

skills:
  lattice_tier: "civilian"
  movement_default: "walk"           # D-053 MovementProfile
  inventory_slots: 4                 # D-065 (3 specific items + 1 spare)
  evidence_display: "personal_notebook"

  capability_flags:
    - "ring_membership"              # Treated as insider by ring NPCs from session start
    - "ring_routes"                  # Knows smuggling corridors and timing windows
    - "cargo_handling_cert"          # Can interact with freight systems without security flags
    - "shift_schedule_mastery"       # Full knowledge of shift transition windows

  starting_items:
    - item_id: "smuggler_manifest_copy"
      description: "Copy of a falsified manifest showing cargo discrepancy. Proves the ring's operational method."
      leverage_type: "proof"
      notes: >
        Physical proof of cargo routing manipulation. Not useful as leverage
        against ring members (they know). Potentially useful if the smuggler
        needs to prove involvement to the detective — or use as leverage
        against someone outside the ring.

    - item_id: "smuggler_corridor_token"
      description: "Maintenance corridor access token (Corridor B-7). Standard-issue for ring members."
      leverage_type: "access"
      notes: >
        Physical proof of ring membership. If scanned by security, it reads as
        an irregularly issued access credential — not automatically incriminating,
        but suspicious. The detective finding this would be significant.

    - item_id: "smuggler_comm_log"
      description: "Personal comm log with coded operational messages (shift timing, container IDs)."
      leverage_type: "leverage"
      notes: >
        Recorded coded messages between the smuggler and Kael. If decrypted, it
        maps the operation. Carried because the smuggler hasn't thought to delete it.
        A liability they don't know is a liability.

---

presentation

presentation:
  monologue_pool: "smuggler"
  evidence_display: "personal_notebook"

  voice_register:
    sentence_length: "fragments"
    vocabulary: "concrete/sensory — trade jargon without explanation"
    emotional_mode: "feeling-first, analysis second"
    relationship_mode: "first-name/relational"

  emotional_baseline:
    state: "comfortable-tense"
    description: >
      Not happy, not miserable. The smuggler is managing a life with two faces
      and has gotten good at it. The money helps. The team is solid. The risk is
      real but felt manageable for two years. Comfort comes from knowing the
      people, the routes, the rhythms. Tension lives in the background — ambient,
      not acute. The day is better when everything goes as planned. The day turns
      when something doesn't.

      Protective by default. Thinks about people before systems. First instinct
      when something looks wrong: who does this affect, and what can be done for
      them? Institutions are backdrop. People are the world.

  opening_monologue:
    lines:
      - "Morning shift. Recycled air and cargo lubricant. Home sweet home."
      - "Kael's already at the dock. Good. The day's better when he's on shift."
      - "Transition window opens in fifty minutes. Standard run — nothing complicated."
      - "Just keep it clean. Keep it quiet. Another day."
    emotional_payload: >
      Comfort, routine, protectiveness. The smuggler is at home. The world is
      manageable. Operational awareness runs in the background like breathing.
      The player should feel settled before the first crack appears.

---

Authoring Notes

What makes the smuggler's experience distinct:

• The ring is HOME. Every NPC in the ring network is a person they eat lunch with, drink with, cover for. The investigation, when it comes, doesn't feel like "a crime is being exposed" — it feels like "my people are in danger."
• The monologue is TERSE and relational. Two-word assessments. "Kael's good." "Voss is tense." No analysis of systems. Feeling first, named in physical terms.
• The emotional journey of the vertical slice moves from settled comfort to specific, personal betrayal. Not "the ring is threatened." "KAEL is lying to me."

Voice anchors (mandatory reference for all smuggler monologue):

1. "Kael's already at the dock. Good. The day's better when he's on shift."
2. "Shift transition in thirty minutes. If Voss kept the schedule thin, the route's clear."
3. "Kael keeps checking his lattice. Waiting for a message? Not like him to be jumpy."
4. "He looked left. He always looks left when he's making something up. Two years I've known that tell. Kael is lying to me."
5. "Morning shift. Recycled air and cargo lubricant. Home sweet home."

---

Ticket #180 — Smuggler character build. v0.1 scope.