Devlog #9 – Building your Fighter : Character Creation Preview

Hello, everyone!

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been working hard on the character creation screen for Chains on Sand, and I’m excited to share some progress with you. This is the first real look at how you’ll build your fighter before heading into the arena. 

 A Look at the Screen (WIP)

This screen is where your journey begins. You’ll name your gladiator, choose their race and face, and spend a pool of XP on stats, skills, traits, and magic. Every point you spend shapes how your fighter will behave — both in battle and in the eyes of the crowd.

Point-Buy XP System

Instead of randomized rolls, you get XP to spend on:

• Primary stats (STR, DEX, CON)

• Secondary stats (HP, SP, Move Speed, Initiative)

• Combat skills (e.g., Sword, Shield, Dagger)

• Traits that change gameplay (e.g., Ambidextrous, Born to Fight)

• Magic schools (if you want to dabble in sorcery)

Everything costs XP. You can even lower stats to gain more XP if you're feeling bold.

Traits: Pick Your Perks

Traits are passive bonuses or unique abilities. Some cost more XP, but they can change your entire playstyle.

Each trait has a tooltip explaining its effect and XP cost. Visually, we wanted them to feel like parchment choices on a leather panel — clean, readable, and a little brutal.

 Skills with Icons

We’ve added custom icons to all combat skills! Each weapon or combat technique has its own unique symbol, making the UI more intuitive and visual.

XP cost scales with each level, encouraging focused specialization rather than generalist builds.

Magic: Choose a School

You can invest XP into one (or more) of four magic schools:

• Body

• Heal

• Protection

• Elemental

Each level unlocks a new spell and increases casting success. Magic costs stamina, not health.

The layout is simple: a big icon, level indicators, and +/– buttons to adjust your investment. Tooltips explain everything.

What’s Next?

The Preparation screen (where you equip items before battle) is next on the list, followed by finishing the Opponent Selection phase to complete the full loop from creation to combat.

If you want to follow development, you can also check the main page — I’ve updated the screenshots there as well!

Thanks for reading — and if you like what you see, give the project a follow. I’ll have more updates soon as the arena gets bloodier.

— Chains on Sand dev 🩸