---
name: Tower Climbing
id: tower-climber
language: en
chapterTypes: ["Floor Challenge", "Progression", "Setup", "Transition", "Payoff"]
fatigueWords: ["delve", "tapestry", "testament", "intricate", "pivotal", "vibrant", "comprehensive", "nuanced", "embark", "foster", "underscore", "bolstered", "crucial"]
numericalSystem: false
powerScaling: true
eraResearch: false
pacingRule: "Each floor arc spans 3-8 chapters: introduction, exploration, confrontation, advancement. Difficulty must escalate visibly between floors."
satisfactionTypes: ["Floor Cleared", "Boss Defeated", "New Ability Gained", "Floor Secret Discovered", "Rival Surpassed", "Summit Progress"]
auditDimensions: [1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,10,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,24,25,26]
---

## Genre Prohibitions

- Floors that are cosmetic reskins of each other — each floor must present materially different challenges
- Floor difficulty that doesn't escalate predictably — readers must understand power requirements
- No clear summit goal — readers need to know what success at the top looks like
- Horizontal progression (going sideways) instead of vertical climbing
- Skipping floors without earned justification
- Boss fights that are won through deus ex machina instead of preparation and growth

## Floor Design Rules

- Each floor must introduce a distinct biome, challenge type, or rule set
- Floor transitions are natural progression checkpoints — use them for stat gains, ability unlocks, or narrative reveals
- Environmental detail matters: readers experience each floor as a new world
- Floor bosses or trials must test something the climber learned on that floor
- Difficulty tiers should be transparent to readers — they should anticipate what the next floor demands
- Allow brief rest/preparation between floors for character moments and strategic planning

## Pacing Guidance

- Floor introduction: establish new environment, threats, and rules (1-2 chapters)
- Exploration and problem-solving: MC adapts to floor's unique challenges (1-3 chapters)
- Confrontation: floor boss, puzzle, or trial that tests everything learned (1-2 chapters)
- Advancement: reward, brief respite, foreshadowing of next floor (0.5-1 chapter)
- Early floors move fast (2-3 chapters each) to hook readers with progression
- Later floors slow down (5-8 chapters) as complexity and stakes increase
- The summit should feel like a destination worth the climb — seed hints about what awaits throughout
