Erik-Dirk

I'm not sure what a 'base class Paladin' would be? All Paladins belong to one of five (?) specific Orders. Each with bonuses and penalties. Except soon the penalties will be removed. New players may be put of by the idea of selecting a penalty at character creation which is probably the reason the devs are making this change. A base class paladin could be done two ways: Create another option where alignment is selected and a more generic pool of talents are available. Probably a more preferable option would be to take the 5 orders and split them into followers and zealots (I know better terms can probably be found) Zealots would be the current paladins with full bonus/penalties. Followers would take a lesser version of the orders bonus without any penalty

Raenvan you can't simplify combat mechanics to this degree, you also need to consider: High accuracy: With proc on hit ability (stun). Faster attack: Again stun Set healing: I.e. +20 health (Much more useful to low HP characters) Items that increase health by a set amount: Resistance to afflictions: Hopefully you get the idea.

Rather than remove the penalties why not add in the base class paladin? You can also choose your role playing disposition in this case. In regards to potential lack of synergy between priest/paladin perhaps one classes devotion could scale with level as happened with companions in POE1 A Priest and Skaen/Kind Wayfarer would work pretty well RP wise as well: Your an ex-slave miner that has been used as a Vessle of Skaen, you have wiped out the overlords family and joined a caravan in order to hunt down a cousin who financed the mines. Your get caught in a biawak weakening the possession then exorcised when your sole is awakened...

I think your pushing the "every build and character concept is viable" train a little too far. Having +1 stealth for a rogue simply lets you play a character who thought they could become a thief when they stole a pie from their deaf and rheumy eyed grandmother. Likewise a i can't see that many players creating a hunter, who hasn't learn't that putting poison ivy down their pants is a really bad idea. A few skill points in the wrong area isn't going to ruin a play through and will still likely have some use.

Why does the potential of summoned weapons being too powerful for multi-class keep coming up? If summons do not scale with level then they will not be too powerful, as a multiclass will get the spell two whole levels later when you presumably have better regular weapons. If they do scale then this will most likely be with power level meaning a multiclass will get a weaker variation. Pure casters can have a slight more powerful summon weapon, without being a gamebreaker.

I don't see why 5 forms would be too much, they could be considered a very versatile modal. I would definitely expect a shifter to be able to fill most battle roles depending on form. The player then gets to choose between buffs/abilities for individual forms. Either focusing on one to properly fill a role or focusing on a couple for slightly weaker versatility. I really like the idea for this class but it does seem like it would be too much work for the devs. Maybe a DLC or a talented modder could properly implement this class.

Caster classes could get a summoned weapon proficiency which adds +2 power levels. This proficiency can be taken twice for Druid/Priest Multi-classes (Treat these classes as a pure caster for this spell)

Since spells scale with power level a multi-class spell caster is, and should be, less powerful than a single class spell caster. However this does produce a pretty poor Wizard/Priest, Druid/Wizard, etc. Solution: Add a passive +1 power level to all caster classes which stacks (Double casters will get this twice) Pure caster = +3 power Two Caster Class = +2 power Melee/caster = +1 Power This may be a problem with subclass wizards. The subclass penalty could also apply to druid/priest spells?

At the moment the current system is really brutal in that a character not built around Armour penetration (AP) could be stuck doing 30% damage for entire battle. However this is only because currently Armour and AP are fixed values once buffs and afflictions are in effect. If AP became a range then the effects of armour would still feel very different than accuracy and give a sense of realism. (A stiletto could have AP 1-12, mace 6-9) This should also make it easier to balance AP talents. (If +1 AP proves to strong to pass up then the devs can make the variable wider and increase all armour values) This could also mean that every increase or decrease in AP will always effect a battle without becoming the main concern. I imagine some effects should be calculated once to prevent lag from calculations (Damage over time, AOE etc.)