MortyTheGobbo

I think the keywords are used for special interactions, not bonus damage. Or not just bonus damage. An example I've seen used was using a [Fire] ability on gunpowder, to make them explode. And then a [Water] or [Frost] ability can put it out.

Overbearing Guard does give him some stickiness, yeah. I'll think about what sort of weapon to give him. Maybe something with marking.

Honestly, the fighter in IE games wasn't meaningfully different from rangers or barbarians. They all get up close and deal damage. All that changes is where they get numbers from. Paladins actually differ in that they get magic. "Fighter" as D&D defines it is a lousy class concept, basically. It means the generic class that doesn't have anything too special about it. Defining it as the durable defender might not be ideal, but it's a much better starting point. Particularly in Deadfire, where multiclassing will hopefully let you strike a balance between tankiness and damage by multiclassing a fighter with barbarian and/or rogue. Emphasis on hopefully, since it's a very ambitious plan.

Hmm. The reason I want to spec Grieving Mother for melee is that I've always had her in the back, so it'd be a change. But maybe that's forcing her into a role she's not suited for. I'll put some scale or chain mail on Durance and give him a sword with small shield in his other set. That should keep him on his feet more. As for Eder... dual-wielding sabres sounds like an idea. I've been building him up from level one, so I haven't picked the weapon focus talent for him yet. Besides, I've been having him use Gaun's Share, since I haven't found any good sabres yet. I'm not sure if Defender is worthwhile.

Also, spamming FoD repeatedly will restrict your use of more powerful abilities. At least that's the tradeoff it's supposed to create.

Hm, I see. Two questions, then. What weapon would Hiravras use while in the back row? An implement? Also, like I asked in the OP - do I just give Durance an arquebus, and leave his robe on, if I leave him in the back? He always gets a beating from ranged enemies focusing on him.

I have already settled on a ranged paladin; that's not going to change. I know it's not the usual way of playing the class, but that's basically why I'm doing it. Also, I'm not playing on Path of the Damned.

Class variety is going to be unchanged. Those five classes already share a resource in Pillars 1 - they all use a mixture of individual per-encounter, per-rest and passive abilities. This puts them in a different category than the three casting classes, and the three classes that build up their resource.

Seeing as my attempts to pick up Pillars again keep running into analysis paralysis, I'm going to see if I can run some of my options by you fine folks. I've finished the game twice by now, but this time I feel like I'd like to actually know what I'm doing, rather than just wing it. The first character I might play is a ranged paladin. So, she'll be staying in the back, shooting her war bow to stun people. I decided I'd be speccing Kana Rua as a tank, with Dragon Trashed. So far, so good. I was thinking about making Grieving Mother a frontliner in this run as well, but this runs into a problem, since I was thinking of doing the same to Durance. So I feel like my front line is getting a bit crowded. With Kana Rua, Eder, Durance, Hiravras, Pallegina and Grieving Mother specced for melee, it leaves me, Sagani and Aloth in the back row. Particularly since the three White March companions are also melee-focused. I guess I can have Hiravras focus on ranged attacks and spells, rather than spiritshift, this time around. But I'm not sure if it's feasible. Also, I'm not sure what to do with Eder. In past games, I've always made him a passive tank with a shield, but now I'm not so sure. With Kana standing around and burning enemies, maybe Eder can be shifted to something more active. Don't people give him the Blade of the Endless Paths? My other option is replay my light-armoured fighter with a greatsword. Which is another frontline character, so Grieving Mother, Durance, or both, would have to go to the back. I have a good plan for GM here, but I'm not sure if I should do more with Durance than just give him an arquebus, leave his robe on and CC the ranged enemies who always focus fire him.

Double post, but we have a clarification on how it works now.

Another Fighter ability that should be a fixture is Overbearing Guard, I think. Or something similar, at least. Knocking down enemies who try to get past you gets you some actual stickiness. Of course, it comes at level 7, which is fairly early.

You can change your PCs' stats, yeah. It's only spells and talents for your NPC companions. And I also don't recommend min-maxing your stats if you don't know the game inside and out yet. One attribute (that you feel you won't need much) at 8 is fine, though.

The major difference is that when you run out of empower points, it just means you can't go all out. Meanwhile, when you run out of health, you either rest or die. And when you run out of daily spells, the caster's usefulness drops sharply.

Well, hopefully it won't annihilate certain enemies in one hit in Deadfire.

As far as I know, the per-rest "power points" and these per-encounter resource points are two different things. One is a resource cost for using abilities, the other is a resource for boosting their power. Although if this per-encounter resource concept is a new thing, it wouldn't surprise me if the per-rest power point concept gets cancelled or folded in to it somehow. Maybe. If I'd seen that post on its own, I'd assume that Zeal, Discipline etc. are different names for the power points that can be used to empower per-encounter abilities. But on the screenshot, we can see that abilities seem to have Zeal costs just to use. Something doesn't add up. There's a name for those per-rest power points. They're explicitly called "Empower", and they were described as causing an ability to function as if the user's Power Source (such as Zeal or Discipline) was N points higher. It would therefore be unusual if Empower was the same thing as those Power Source-derived points. More importantly, going from the screenshot it would seem to imply that the game had backtracked on making almost all of its abilities per-encounter and not per-rest, as there's no mention of the ability's Zeal cost being optional. So my assumption until shown otherwise is that it's not the same thing. That does make sense, in light of what we know. Thanks for clarification. Could you link the source, please?I have a feeling that you are confusing power source points with empower charges. The latter are indeed restored on rest. I've seen that post and was aware of cost refunds. I suppose it's quite simple:1. there are power source points (and we know how they are calculated, thanks to update #7) 2. they are used to compute related power level 3. power level determines spell progression for ex-vancian classes (wizard, druid and priest). (i.e. to what spells they have access to, and how many of each rank can they cast per-encounter). Also it determines the size of per-encounter resource pool for paladins. 4. while empower is per-rest stuff. I.e. there is a limited amount of charges, which can be used to augment some of your spells or abilities. Likewise. The Empower points might be the new pacing mechanic, to force resting - since they're apparently removing the endurance/health split.

As far as I know, the per-rest "power points" and these per-encounter resource points are two different things. One is a resource cost for using abilities, the other is a resource for boosting their power. Although if this per-encounter resource concept is a new thing, it wouldn't surprise me if the per-rest power point concept gets cancelled or folded in to it somehow. Maybe. If I'd seen that post on its own, I'd assume that Zeal, Discipline etc. are different names for the power points that can be used to empower per-encounter abilities. But on the screenshot, we can see that abilities seem to have Zeal costs just to use. Something doesn't add up.

Hm, so how does it fit into the idea of per-rest power points that empower per-encounter abilities? That doesn't seem to be it, since abilities simply cost Zeal in this example. Maybe they're exclusive to the formerly-Vancian casters, while other classes get their own resources.

Well, upgrading Sworn Enemy with five fiery projectiles was something Pallegina could already do in Pillars. What's more interesting is that the ability has two possible upgrades - are they exclusive? But it might not have anything to do with subclasses.

That is interesting. Last I knew, classes that had per-encounter abilities in Pillars 1 (Fighters, Rangers, Paladins, Barbarians, Rogues) would continue to use them, just with more variety. I wasn't sure if they'd get the per-rest "empower" resource like wizards, clerics and druids. This is new.

Fighters are in an awkward spot due to the classes' D&D legacy, I think. They had to be the "generic" fighting class that didn't have anything too special about it, except for "reliability". Hopefully Deadfire will change that. I don't think making them the designated tank class is the way to go, but then again, there's always multiclassing. Or just playing a rogue. In Pillars they have very little of the "thief" baggage that usually plagues the class. I feel like control effects are a fighter niche that could set them apart. Knockdowns, pushing, pulling, redirecting attacks to themselves, etc. We'll see if Deadfire goes that route.

That's a fine mountain some of y'all have made out of this molehill. Or more of a mouse's burrow, really.

Durance's place in the party, and equipment, is something I could never figure out, myself. Maybe this time I'll try packing him in some heavier stuff and putting him up the front. I usually leave his robes and give him an arquebus. But he gets his ass kicked more than Aloth if any ranged attackers focus on him.

I plan to run a multiclass Fighter/Rogue in Deadfire. I was waffling between the two classes when I planned my lightly-armoured greatsword character in PoE 1, and now I don't have to.

That's exactly what Cragholdt felt like to me, you know? More or less. Although that wasn't the worst part. That would be the skeletal mages that resist everything. I ended up putting Eder in a doorway to hold them off, and dropping corrosive/raw damage clouds on their heads. That's more or less it, yes. Engagement as it was only worked if disengaging actually hurt. If the tank can only lightly poke you, it's not much of a threat.

Thinking about a bit more, I guess the archetype of a person-shaped brick wall no offensive capabilities isn't something I'm going to miss. But a free-for-all where enemies are free to make a beeline for the squishies isn't particularly ideal either.