Dialogue design
Sylwen / Pact — Branching dialogue map
The full structure of one decision-heavy scene. Nodes, edges, fail states, recoveries.
About this scene
Adapted from Chapter 32 of The Vaelron Saga, Book 2: Shar's Revenge. One confrontation, twenty-four paths, four endings — gated by skill checks where failure locks downstream branches, not just single lines.
Read the prose chapter on AO3 ↗.
What it demonstrates
- — Gated progression: failed checks remove entire outcome branches.
- — Escalation through constraint: as options lock, remaining choices carry more weight.
- — Asymmetric endings: only 2 of 24 paths reach the best outcome.
- — Tone consistency: 24 paths maintain voice and pacing without repetition.
Play the scene this map describes in The interactive scene. Back to Design Docs → Branching dialogue map.