Karranthain

That was rather amusing.

Flagellants were mentioned in Shadenauts' post in the Monk topic; I think they're an interesting concept - what if they were one of the classes of PE? Here's a few ideas : 1) Overview So, who are we dealing with exactly? Using Warhammer as a point of reference : In other words, flagellants in Warhammer are usually simple people who have, figuratively speaking, gazed into the abyss, but the abyss gazed into them - and their minds simply snapped. It could've been a supernatural event, or a personal loss. Sanity was then replaced with fanaticism - this renders them utterly fearless and nigh unstoppable. They have little regard for themselves. 2) Combat role and ability proposals - Flagellants would fight in a frenzy, making them equally dangerous to foes and friends alike. - Their conviction grants them supernatural strength and makes them immune to psychological effects (there's simply nothing left in the world that could scare them anymore). - Highly resistant to magic, especially psionics. - Through practice of self-mutilation they can empower themselves even further, but at the cost of their health (think blood magic). - Martyrdom - protecting their companions with their own bodies. 3) Implementation - Having one as a companion seems feasible - with a flagellant being a subset of a priest or monk class. - New class (or a subset of a priest or monk class), available to the player - unlikely, but possible with some changes. 4) Companion Interacting with those crazed individuals opens up some interesting opportunities. First - having them fight by your side is a big gamble - the risk is certainly high, but so is the reward. Perhaps the player will help them exorcise their horrors once and for all (which would allow them to control their frenzy) ? Or maybe send them even further down the spiral of insanity (that'd increase their combat prowess but render them even more dangerous to their friends) ? Also, who wouldn't want to have a Malkavian in their party? 5) Concept art example What are your thoughts?

One more thing I'd like to add, it's fairly obvious, but cannot be overstated : Combat themes, even if they're masterfully composed usually get old really quick; I thought MotB handled this issue just about perfect, with a new combat theme for every major area. While that might prove to be impossible for a game of this scope, it's worth a try. On that note, I love this battle theme : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvlXWSZyODg

Please don't. I'd like to actully see a functional UI, more than three responses in a dialogue, etc.

While I enjoy plots full of political intrue greatly, I, too, remember fondly the classic : a band of adventurers exploring ancient forests, or delving into long-forgotten dungeons. Either can become monotonous, so, as the OP suggested, Obsidian should try to find balance.

I like it too, was just being facetious Do you think those two new characters (the monk and the wizard) are actually companions?

Balance in All Things.

The arm and footwraps that the monk is wearing have a visible Asian influence, to be fair. But yeah, no one is forcing us to take them as companions if we don't particularly enjoy the class, so not that big of a problem.

She shot it, player hit spacebar, and ordered her to cast a spell :3 By the way, the artist who created this painting noticed that the draped cloth she has could be a liability

Absolutely, I just used Warhammer's design as a point of reference. I might actually create a new topic to discuss the flagellants as a possible class or maybe subclass for the monk/priest. And yeah, I can imagine they'd make for really interesting companions.

I was commencting on the sound of it. Cipher sounds less modern than psionic. I guess they could have gone with something like "Mentalist" or what not. But cipher sounds good to me. Cipher sounds like something that could fit right in the Cyberpunk setting, for an instance. Well, at least to me It's just a name though.

Fair enough, though that's a strange comment to make if you consider I was discussing flagellants; they're not exactly sane individuals. Doesn't your first post reference them as a good suggestion?

Read the rest of my post, please

That's simply great, excellent design decision. Adventure halls are a great addition as well. Best update yet, the pledges have really soared again. Also, dare I say it - RAPIERS! Excellent. The only thing I didn't like were the monks, but that's personal preference.

Ah, it's a shame; as you can guess, one of my favourite characters. But if Chris created Dak'kon, I'm hoping for some companion of similar quality

I'll just add this to the topic : I'd also add a Skald class - a warrior poet; a bard who can fight well. Various songs - of course, summoning mythical creatures, using war horns and greatswords. At least that's how I'd picture them.

Colin McComb wrote Dak'kon? STRETCH GOAL!

Incantations were cool in IE games; yes please!

A multitude of effects for both hits and misses is a very nice way to spice combat up. As for the critical hits, here's one idea (from this topic : http://forums.obsidi...ost__p__1190501) : 2) Critical hit effects are different for each weapon type. E.g. : a) Greatswords would deal 200% more damage on critical hits and have a 5% chance to dismember the foe, resulting in an instant death. b) Rapiers would deal 100% more damage on critical hits and apply a bleeding effect. c) Hammers would deal 150% more more damage on critical hits and stun the target. I'm also very much in favour of implementing critical misses, just think of the interesting opportunities to be had with it, some examples : 1) Training could reduce the likelihood of a critical miss, or remove the most severe effects of scoring one (e.g. stun). 2) Conversely, trained fighters could increase their opponents' chance to critically miss. Mages/priests/ciphers could have spells that do just that. 3) Various weapons could have different effects for critical misses as well : e.g. firearms would misfire. 4) Should a morale system be implemented, high spirits in the team would increase the likelihood of a critical hit (or reduce the likelihood of a critical miss). Low morale would result in the opposite.

Pretty much. And a second game as a kickstarter goal? That's a genuinely puzzling decision. That said, I'm glad we're seeing a resurgence of classic cRPGs, I just hope we won't see an implosion.

I was commencting on the sound of it.

I like the class concept, but I'm not particularly fond of the name. I don't know, maybe it sounds too modern?

You mean these fine genlemen? I'd be very much in support of this. Personally, I find Kung-Fu monks rather boring and cliché, and I admit I'm not particularly fond of the Jade Empire style monk in the concept art. But that's an opinion, Shadenauts concern is more valid - even if fighters or rangers etc. are very much in the realm of cliché, there's at least a large degree of what they can do - for an instance, a greatsword wielding fighter in plate is very much different than his lightly armoured spear and shield equivalent. As for the flagellants themselves : I think they'd really make for an interesting class, it's not something you see in every cRPG. Here's the Warhammer's rendition : Basically, they're utterly fearless zealots, somewhat similar to berserkers, only much, much more dangerous In combat terms, they could be immune to psychlogical effects and somewhat resistant to magic; and while their frenzy is very powerful, you'd better not be standing anywhere close to them...Flagellants could also fill the role of a martyr - protecting others with their bodies etc. I'd also think that a flagellant could make for a very, very interesting companion. Containing these living weapons - and perhaps helping them overcome their horrors could be provide some very interesting story opportunities. This would probably warrant a new topic in itself, even if the monks are (most likely) very much set in stone.

And with another piece of art released, we have new things to discuss : 1280x1024 | 1650x1050 | 1920x1080 | 1920x1200 | 2048x1536 Looks like Cadegund, Edair and the Boreal Dwarf are all included. The monk and the mage are in all likelyhood another potential companions. So, as for the designs (if we're to assume that this painting is indeed an accurate representation of the game's aesthetic; but it seems the case with all three previously shown characters present) - it would appear that Wizards' weapon of choice is indeed a rapier and that they prefer practical garments. I must say that I really like this direction. The Boreal Dwarf (sorry, that's the best I could come up with right now) is one we've seen before, but it looks really good in greater detail; I like the tracker look, with the fur armour. The only design I'm not particularly fond of is the Kung-Fu monk, looks like a character from Jade Empire. I'd personally prefer something else, like flagellants, for an instance : But that's a topic for another discussion. P.S. What's Cadegund doing with that musket?

PE : The Drinking Game. Whenever soul is mentioned, down an entire fifth of vodka.