Warformed: Stormweaver
Bryce O'Connor & Luke Chmilenko
350 years in the future, humanity has evolved taller and stronger through genetic adaptation and combat has become the premier entertainment. Reidon Ward was born weak, sickly and small — afflicted with a painful disease and abandoned by his parents — forced to fight tooth and nail for every minor advantage. When he is unexpectedly accepted to the Galens Institute, the galaxy's premier combat academy for those who wield CADs (Combat Assistance Devices), he is the weakest cadet by far. With his unique Device Shido, which evolves in unprecedented ways, Reidon must rise through sheer will and relentless training. Warformed: Stormweaver is a progression sci-fi epic where personal power, Device evolution, and institutional rank are intertwined, spanning Iron Prince and Fire and Song as Reidon ascends from the bottom-ranked F-Rank cadet toward godhood.
Progression: Explicit quantified CAD User ranking ladder central to the plot: F → E → D → C → B → A → S-Rank, each with sub-tiers and measurable combat ratings. Every CAD (e.g., Shido) has numeric Attributes (Strength, Endurance, etc.), Abilities, and Evolution stages that upgrade through combat data and training milestones. Progression is tracked via Galens Institute semester evaluations, Sectionals tournament brackets, and inter-college rankings. Device evolution is distinct per User type (A-Type, B-Type etc.) with deviation points and growth algorithms. In Iron Prince, Reidon starts as the weakest F-Rank and climbs to D/C thresholds; Fire and Song covers his first Sectionals and discovery of Shido's hidden Aspect. Unlike cultivation realms, advancement is sci-fi/military-academic but equally granular and laddered, with every fight and exam marking a quantified step.
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