Perks system

Star ranks give a hero a fleet. Perks give them a personality. Two ★★★ Argon admirals with identical Kowalski-lineage fleets can play very differently if one has Lucky (-10% KIA chance) + Master Logistic (+100% RP accrual) and the other has Dedicated Hunter (+100% XP from combat) + Capital Ship Expert (+2 L escorts).

Perks are the “meta-layer” of hero differentiation. They never touch combat stats (attack, defence, speed — that’s vanilla X4’s domain). They modify mod-side parameters only: XP rates, RP rates, escort counts, buff potency, decision thresholds, cooldowns, spawn multipliers.

Tiers

Perks are categorized into three tiers with different LEARN costs:

Tier	Perks (count)	LEARN cost	Character
Common	15	20 M cr	Small quality-of-life bumps: +50% XP, +50% RP, +1 escort slot, +200 spawn bonus
Rare	11	50 M cr	Meaningful power upgrades: +100% XP, +100% RP, doubled escort tier, -10% KIA
Epic	2	100 M cr	Career-defining: Legendary Veteran (+1000 XP at spawn, instant ★3), Tactical Genius (-50% XP threshold)

The tier determines cost and prio order for the LEARN system. Higher-tier perks are learned first once eligible. Prio also breaks ties within a tier (each perk in the catalog has a $prio field).

What perks look like

Each perk in the catalog has:

id — internal slug ($veteran, $logistic, $lucky)
name — display text (Veteran, Logistic, Lucky)
description — one-line rule (+200 XP at spawn, +50% Recovery Points accrual)
tier — common / rare / epic
prio — priority number for LEARN ordering (higher = learned first)
applies_to — archetype filter (admiral, raider, engineer, coordinator, hive_lord, etc. — some perks are universal, some archetype-specific)
effects — a table of named modifiers, not a string list: $effects = table[$kia_chance_bonus = -10]

There are 18 distinct effect keys across the 28 perks, and each is read at the one place it applies:

Effect key	Read by
`$xp_gain_modifier`, `$spawn_xp_bonus`, `$promotion_threshold_modifier`	the XP and promotion math
`$rp_rate_modifier`, `$spawn_rp_bonus`, `$escort_rebuild_cost_modifier`	the RP tick and the rebuild
`$kia_chance_bonus`	the death roll
`$expected_s_bonus`, `$expected_m_bonus`, `$expected_l_bonus`	the expected fleet composition
`$buff_pct_modifier`, `$buff_duration_modifier`, `$service_cost_modifier`, `$service_cd_modifier`	the engineer’s station service
`$faction_cap_bonus`	the faction’s hero-slot arithmetic
`$spawn_weight_modifier`, `$spawn_min_active`	whether and when the hero spawns at all
`$khaak_grief_recipient`	the Kha’ak RP-on-loss path

A perk never reaches into combat. Every key above lands on a mod-side number.

How a hero gets a perk

There are three ways a perk becomes active on a hero:

1. Authored on the pool template

Every pool template author-declares a list of perks that are specific to this lineage:

$arg_admiral_001 (Sarah Kowalski lineage) = table[
  $founder_name = 'Captain Sarah Kowalski',
  $perks = [
    table[$id='logistic',        $initially_active=true],
    table[$id='lucky',           $initially_active=false],
    table[$id='master_logistic', $initially_active=false],
  ],
  ...
]

At spawn, the mod copies this list into the bearer’s $perks_state. Perks with $initially_active=true apply from turn 1. Perks with false sit locked — visible on the hero detail page but their effects are suppressed until they activate.

2. Auto-unlock at cash milestone

When a hero’s $money register reaches 10 M cr (through gifts, faction favours, mission rewards), all locked perks on the template automatically become active. This is the primary “grind” path — the player can raise a hero’s cash through gifts and see the whole authored list unlock at once.

Cash flow into a hero:

Its own kills. Every kill pays the hero personally, from 10 000 cr for a fighter up to 1 000 000 for a station — see XP and stars. This is the path that runs without the player.
Gift buttons on the hero detail page: +100 k / +500 k / +1 M / +5 M cr per click, which also raise faction favours by +1 / +5 / +10 / +50.
Task rewards. A hero is paid an advance when it takes an order-board task and the balance on completion.

⚠ Older versions of this page listed Faction Missions as a cash source. Those missions are not in the release, so they contribute nothing today.

Once cash ≥ 10 M cr, the template’s locked perks auto-unlock in one batch. This is the design “milestone” moment — a lineage the player has invested in unlocks its full initial capability.

3. LEARN system — buy new perks

Once all authored template perks are active, the hero can LEARN new eligible perks that aren’t in the template list. This is the endgame progression — a hero the player has invested in can grow beyond their original lineage design.

LEARN cost by tier:

Tier	Cost per perk learned
Common	20 M cr
Rare	50 M cr
Epic	100 M cr

The highest-prio perk (from the pool of $applies_to matches not yet in the hero’s $perks_state) is learned first. Then the next highest-prio, and so on.

Example progression for Sarah Kowalski (Argon admiral, admiral archetype):

Spawn — Logistic active (from template, $initially_active=true), Lucky and Master Logistic locked
Gift +5 M cr → hero cash now ~5 M. Nothing changes yet.
Gift +5 M cr again → hero cash now ~10 M. Auto-unlock fires: Lucky + Master Logistic activate. All 3 authored perks now active.
Gift +20 M cr → hero cash ~30 M. LEARN eligible at the common tier’s 20 M. Attentive — the highest common-tier prio matching admiral — is learned and 20 M is deducted, leaving ~10 M.
Gift +20 M cr → hero cash ~30 M again. Capital Ship Commander learned, 20 M deducted, ~10 M left.
… and so on, upward through rare and epic.

Note: LEARN spends the hero’s cash ($money), not the player’s. Gifts and the hero’s own kill earnings both feed that same balance, and the cost is deducted from it — which is why each purchase needs the balance topped back up above the tier price.

Preservation across clone respawns

LEARNed + unlocked perks are preserved across clone respawns. When a bearer is KIA’d and the lineage’s clone spawns 120 game-minutes later, the clone’s $perks_state inherits the previous bearer’s perks_state exactly.

This is the important part. Sarah Kowalski (original) accumulates 30 M cr through player gifts + kills → auto-unlocks + LEARNs Attentive + Capital Ship Commander. Sarah Kowalski dies in a Xenon incursion. 120 game-minutes later, Sarah Kowalski (Clone #1) spawns:

★1, 0 XP, 0 RP, empty kill count (fresh combat record)
BUT $perks_state inherited: Logistic + Lucky + Master Logistic + Attentive + Capital Ship Commander all active from turn 1
Full starting fleet immediately (RP-bypass grant, see Recovery Points)

The lineage’s institutional weight — the accumulated perks — survives the individual clone’s death. This is the mechanical reason to care about a specific lineage across multiple bearers. See Lineage succession for the full clone model.

Full catalog

28 perks ship: 15 common, 11 rare, 2 epic. The in-game Perks page prints the same list with each perk’s priority, LEARN cost and applies_to filter.

Tier: common (20 M cr to LEARN)

Perk	Applies to	Effect
Attentive	admiral, raider, coordinator	+50% XP gain from combat
Capital Ship Commander	admiral, coordinator	+1 L-class destroyer escort (kicks in from ★3)
Heavy Squad Commander	admiral, coordinator	+2 M-class corvettes/frigates in escort (kicks in from ★2)
Leader	admiral, coordinator	+1 faction hero cap when this hero reaches ★4
Logistic	admiral, raider, coordinator, engineer	+50% Recovery Points accrual rate
Long Lasting Buff	engineer	Engineer station buff duration +50%
Lucky Leader	admiral, coordinator	+1 faction hero cap when this hero reaches ★3 (early Leader)
Khaak Seed	hive_lord, seeder	Each Kha’ak ship lost adds +1 RP, outpost +5, hive +10
Prepared	all	+200 Recovery Points at spawn — fleet-building reserve ready from day one
Quartermaster	admiral, raider, coordinator, hive_lord	-25% RP cost when rebuilding escorts
Second in Line	all	Cannot spawn until faction has ≥1 active hero (delayed spawn — better templates fill first)
Squad Commander	admiral, raider, coordinator	+2 S-class fighters in escort from ★1
Third in Line	all	Cannot spawn until faction has ≥2 active heroes
Veteran	all	+200 XP at spawn — promoted to ★2 immediately
Volunteer	all	Spawn weight ×10 (10× more likely to be picked when template is available)

Tier: rare (50 M cr to LEARN)

Perk	Applies to	Effect
Capital Ship Expert	admiral, coordinator	+2 L-class destroyer escorts from ★3 (rare upgrade of Capital Ship Commander)
Dedicated Hunter	admiral, raider, hive_lord	+100% XP gain from combat (rare upgrade of Attentive)
Efficient Service	engineer	Engineer service cooldown halved (30 min instead of 60 min)
Heavy Squad Expert	admiral, coordinator	+4 M-class corvettes/frigates in escort (rare upgrade of Heavy Squad Commander)
Lucky	all	-10% chance of KIA in death roll
Master Logistic	admiral, raider, coordinator, engineer	+100% Recovery Points accrual rate (rare upgrade of Logistic)
Master Quartermaster	admiral, raider, coordinator, hive_lord	-50% RP cost when rebuilding escorts (rare upgrade of Quartermaster)
Master Technician	engineer	Engineer station buff potency relative +20%
Quick Learner	admiral, raider, coordinator	-25% XP needed to reach next star
Reduced Cost	engineer	Engineer service costs 50 RP instead of 100
Squad Expert	admiral, raider, coordinator	+4 S-class fighters in escort from ★1 (rare upgrade of Squad Commander)

Tier: epic (100 M cr to LEARN)

Perk	Applies to	Effect
Legendary Veteran	all	+1000 XP at spawn — promoted to ★3 immediately
Tactical Genius	all	-50% XP needed to reach next star (epic upgrade — doubles Quick Learner)

Design intent

Personality without stat inflation. Perks give hero-vs-hero differentiation without touching combat stats. Two heroes with the same template + same star can still play very differently.
Player investment survives death. Cash + LEARN spending on a lineage is preserved across clone respawns — the player’s investment is protected against permadeath.
Cash is the currency of care. Gifts, mission rewards, and (later) kill-based favours all flow into hero cash. Cash → auto-unlock → LEARN. The whole progression is one economy.
Authored + generic mix. Each pool template authors a specific personality through its perk list. LEARN adds a generic power curve on top. Neither replaces the other — a well-designed template + LEARN progression makes a hero uniquely-shaped.

What’s next

Phase 2 unlock triggers (deferred) — kills:500, stars:3, age:24h, quest:argon_supply_chain style condition-based unlocks are spec’d in C-009 but not currently wired into runtime. Instead, the auto-unlock at 10 M cr + LEARN system covers the perk progression path in v0.1.
Perk removal / re-spec (design open) — currently perks are one-way. A future “clinic” or “meditation” mechanic may allow re-spec at a cash cost.
Faction-wide perk pools — currently the LEARN eligible pool is filtered by $applies_to archetype match. A future upgrade may add faction-flavour filters (e.g. only Teladi admirals can LEARN “Auditor Auditor” — a Teladi-specific rare perk).

XP and star progression — the star tier is what perks like Squad Commander, Leader, Capital Ship Expert are keyed off
Recovery Points — the RP tick that Logistic / Master Logistic modify
Lineage succession — the clone system — how LEARN investments survive clone respawns
Faction Missions — a cash path that was designed and then stripped from the release