Luckmann

Alright, so, not too long ago, I got Reviving Exhortation for Pallegina. I had decided that, since I'm a Paladin too, and mine suck, she should suck a bit with me, and be the support muppet. Said and done, she was the one sentenced to pick up Reviving Exhortation, because we ran out of cool stuff to pick - thank god we're not Rangers, so we still have a little bit to pick from. I haven't had much use for it at all, really, until quite recently. I often resurrect my party members, even when I don't need to - which is a bit counter-intuitive, I know, given that the smart thing is to just keep them lying down; you know how the proverb goes - "passed-out people lose no health" - and so on. Anyway, Durance has gone down a few times lately, and I've taken to reviving him, for no sensible reason. But then he.. uhm.. passes out. Mysteriously. At first I thought it was something with Engagement - because when you get mysteriously slapped for no reason and die, it's usually Engagement's fault. But then it happened again, and I started to take a look at the cause. And.. What the hell? Seriously, what genius thought of this?

I have the same problem with mystics, actually, because they aren't nessecerily shamanistic types with visions, there is also a theologist option. I don't see why theologist is restricted to being a mystic from the White that Wends, just as highwayman and burglar are restricted to Deadfire. Wouldn't this background make more sence within scholar branch? Yes. Scholar's "I took an interest in all matters arcane." and the Mystic's "I spend my days studying theology." should be switched. It's not a perfect fit, but it fits far better than Theology does for Mystics, imo.

Keys are consumed when used, but it is possible to open doors without ever using the keys. It is normal. I open most doors before I get the key, because opening them with Lockpicking gives you experience. Using the key doesn't. I currently have 8 keys in my Stash that no longer serve a function.

There is little difference between that, and adding other content to the base game. By improving upon the base game in a meaningful way, you're essentially creating new content to be experiences by replays - no different than if an expansion would add content on to the sides. Pillars of Eternity (and CRPG:s in general) are finite experiences with a beginning and an end. Whether the "one-shot players" play on the sides of the game or at the end of the game, or play content added to the core game, doesn't matter in that context. The reason it would be a good practice - from a developer point of view - is the same reason "a delayed game will eventually be good, but a bad game will be bad forever" exists as a proverb. If the interest is to make a great game, release should not be a reason to stop making it one. If a developer keeps working on core aspects of the game as well as adding new content, it has the potential to be remembered for decades as the best of the best, instead of "that rough start", or "the core game is meh, but the expansions were better": A game is judge by the merits or lack thereof of it's core, and everything around it will only ever be judged by comparison. There are many things in PoE that could be better, and I think PoE deserves the chance to be all it can be as a game in it's own right. And yet nobody remembers MotB for what it added to the base game, only what it added after the base game. Storm over Zehir, which was basicly what you described as side-content (note that it wasn't supplementary content for the NWN2 main campaign, but rather a second campaign) wasn't even close as popular as MotB. For all intents and purposes, MotB and SoZ were both standalone, though. Completely different campaigns, or modules, as it worked in NWN2. We know that they're going for a TotSC-approach to PoE (thank heavens).

I can't help but to think that the blindness should be easier to resist, but it should've been a Hazard AoE (and so should Slicken).

Because while I'm manning them, I'm not doing a very good job. My work ethic is questionable.

Art style? Are you saying you don't like ridiculous-looking helmets and shields, and brightly-coloured leather? Well I've never! Seriously though, the loss of those beautiful helmets was the biggest loss between BG1 and 2. I have no idea what they were thinking.

There is little difference between that, and adding other content to the base game. By improving upon the base game in a meaningful way, you're essentially creating new content to be experiences by replays - no different than if an expansion would add content on to the sides. Pillars of Eternity (and CRPG:s in general) are finite experiences with a beginning and an end. Whether the "one-shot players" play on the sides of the game or at the end of the game, or play content added to the core game, doesn't matter in that context. The reason it would be a good practice - from a developer point of view - is the same reason "a delayed game will eventually be good, but a bad game will be bad forever" exists as a proverb. If the interest is to make a great game, release should not be a reason to stop making it one. If a developer keeps working on core aspects of the game as well as adding new content, it has the potential to be remembered for decades as the best of the best, instead of "that rough start", or "the core game is meh, but the expansions were better": A game is judge by the merits or lack thereof of it's core, and everything around it will only ever be judged by comparison. There are many things in PoE that could be better, and I think PoE deserves the chance to be all it can be as a game in it's own right.

Finally, statistics! Much love.

It's weird, because I have no problems making it stick, or maybe I'm just doing something wrong. Are you people sure that you are adding the correct number of Skill Points? So, 3 for Rank 2, 6 for Rank 3, etc?

Your reasoning is still garbage. Skill checks are rare. Rarely needed even if checked. And tend to be quite high. +1 making a difference will thus also be insanely rare. Just because youd make a dumb choice doesnt mean the choice isnt obvious. The only time you should choose a +1 to mechanics over something like +4 int is because you know a check is coming up and what that check is and that +1 is going to be enough. You never know when a Mechanics check is coming up. Or hell, sometimes you do know it's coming up, and you're 1 point shy. But you don't know if it's 1 point, 2 points, or 3 points. God, that will be frustrating, because I know it'll happen. "I know it's here! I KNOW IT'S HERE! WHY CAN'T I SEE IT?!".

Yeah, experience being broken is a pretty well-known fact around the boards by now, especially after they decided to bump the bonus for absent party members up from 5% to 10% (when honestly, there shouldn't be a bonus at all). You cap out at 12 long, long, long before the end, if you are anything remotely resembling a completionist by any measure.

One way, or.. the otter?

My interpretation is that Scholar is fantasy-speak for Academician. And for that, you need, well, Academia.

I highly doubt that they would revisit old content in a possible expansion. That's not a good idea from a developer perspective, as it takes away production resources from making new content and - let's face it - the current content is functional. Any improvement would be a waste of effort. [...] I doubt it too, but I still hope they will. I don't agree that it's not a good idea or that improvements would be a waste of effort. It's not a waste of effort during core development any more than it's a wasted effort afterwards. It's really easy to do "functional" content. It's harder to do good content. Revisiting and revising old content, polishing broken questlines and fixing up narrative issues is what could move Pillars of Eternity from an OK game to an amazing game. 'sides, I would much rather see the Endless Paths expanded, that to see another mega-dungeon á la Watcher's Keep or Durlag's Tower, and see the Stronghold reach it's true potential. Neither is possible if you stick to adding new content, rather than expanding on and revisiting old content and adding to that. Which many of us are hoping for anyway, and it is confirmed that at least one of the expansions (probably both, but it's not clear) will be TotSC-like. So, supplement to the original game. A direct continuation is almost universally underwhelming and tacked on. If there's going to be sequel content, I'd prefer it to be in an actual sequel (even though I would also prefer any sequel to be stand-alone).

It's been discussed a little bit, yeah, and I definitely think that the Keep bonuses should stack. There's an inn in Defiance Bay that gives +4 Intellect, and the one in Dyrford can give +2 to three different Attributes. Even the one in Gilded Vale has a good bonus that gives +Mechanics. Making the keep resting bonuses stack wouldn't make it broken, just worthwile. Your reasoning is still garbage. Skill checks are rare. Rarely needed even if checked. And tend to be quite high. +1 making a difference will thus also be insanely rare. Just because youd make a dumb choice doesnt mean the choice isnt obvious. The only time you should choose a +1 to mechanics over something like +4 int is because you know a check is coming up and what that check is and that +1 is going to be enough. You never know when a Mechanics check is coming up.

It has nothing to do with the pacing or linearity. It's the fact that the scripted interactions are engaging and meaningful, with a sound and intensity you don't seem to see anywhere else, there's loads of various choices in the ending dialogue of the prologue; it even matters what weapons you have equipped, when it comes to the final scripted interaction. Nothing in the rest of the game even comes close to the prologue, and it paints a pretty false picture of things to come, unfortunately. It's hard to explain to the intellectually disinclined without spoilers. I was wondering: does anyone of you play with the developer commentary enabled? I did. Basicly, what the commentary says at this point is that the starting area of the game was developed at the very end of the game developement cycle, when all the systems were fully fleshed out and they could play with them to the fullest. This is basicly what makes me believe that a possible upcoming expansion will be a huge step upwards in RPing and complexity. You can definitely see the differences in area quality depending on when they were designed throughout the developement cycle. Nope, haven't played with dev commentary, but that's definitely interesting to know. Hopefully the expansions will actually review existing content, too, not just add new content, then. But I actually just said in another thread that I'll love to see what they can do in expansions and sequels, precisely *because* the nuts and bolts are now in place, and they should be getting content-making down to a science.

Weapon Focus Knight: +6 Accuracy with Battle axe, Sword, Mace, Morning star, Crossbow. Weapon Focus Noble: +6 Accuracy with Stiletto, Rapier, Mace, Scepter, Rod. Weapon Focus Ruffian: +6 Accuracy with Sabre, Dagger, Club, Pistol, Blunderbuss. Weapon Focus Grenadier: +6 Accuracy with Spear, Pike, Pistol, Blunderbuss, Arquebus. Weapon Focus Mystic: +6 Accuracy with Dagger, Stiletto, Scepter, Rod, Wand. Weapon Focus Thug: +6 Accuracy with Club, Hatchet, Dagger, Unarmed, Pistol. I used to think that adding and changing weapon foci like this would necessitate making them not stack, but after some thinking, I've come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be. If you are willing to use a Talent for a +6 boost to Accuracy, I think that's perfectly reasonable, whether you do it once (like now) or twice. I added Mace to Knight, because Knight only had 4 weapons, for whatever reason, I switched Dagger and Stiletto on Ruffian and Noble, and I added the Grenadier, Mystic and Thug foci. Alacritous Charge (Paladin): Modifies Zealous Charge, +10 Reflex and +5 Defense when Disengaging. Primordial Endurance (Paladin): Modifies Zealous Endurance, +3 DR vs. Shock, Burn, Freeze, and Corrode; -5% to Armour Action Recovery Penalty. Why? Because currently, only Zealous Focus can be boosted with the Critical Focus Talent, never Zealous Charge nor Zealous Endurance.

Thank you for your constructive contribution to this discussion. my contribution to this thread has been significant, since it was this post http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/78239-abilities-various-other-damage-related-mechanics-revealed/?do=findComment&comment=1670860 that triggered this thread in the first place .. I don't think that the "contribution" was in question, but the "constructive". Weeellll..... I did post this thread before you posted that post... But your contributions to our understanding of the game mechanics are indisputable, for sure. I'm just being a bit of a pedantic ass. We've known how Lashes work since the beta, though. It's not the first time this is being brought up.

I hate to say it but.. you're mostly right. I'd add Edér to the list of CNPC:s that are good, and the note on publishers I can't read as anything other than frustration - because **** publishers - but.. I can't disagree with most of it, certainly. And that makes me sad, because as you say, had the game actually been god-awful, we could just quit and leave, but PoE still has that potential we really want it to have, and that's why we're sticking around. A lot of resources went into the development of all the bits and pieces that was necessary for making the game. I really look forward to seeing what we'll get in terms of expansions and sequel, because by then, they should have the actual development of areas and how everything fits together down to a science, and I want to see how things go when the factory is humming along. Am I the only one who love BG1 more than BG2？ BG1 is superior to BG2 in all ways except mechanically and, arguably, graphically. The storytelling especially. BG2 has terrible motivations and terrible literary pacing, and drops you in the middle of Athkatla, already knowing the main villain, and with an uninspiring goal. BG1 also has better areas, pacing in terms of relative power levels, better exploration, and, mostly, better quests. Stop making excuses. What you are offering are excuses and explanations as to why there are issues in PoE. You're not actually refuting anything. We all know that PoE is the first of it's kind. But knowing that does nothing to alleviate the issues that are there, nor is it an argument as to why we should refrain from exploring those issues. Also, he probably compared it to Icewind Dale 2 because Icewind Dale 2 is considered the weakest Infinity Engine game by most. Comparing PoE to IWD2 is doing it a service for the sake of argument. Hence the "at least" IWD2.

High Priest Durance 2825. #sainthood #DURANCE2825 #allhisstaffs #occupygodhammer

It's just a really odd discrepancy. If it was just a lore thing, like, raiders are always pirates or something, it would make sense, the same way Philosophers are from Ixamitl, Mystics are from the White that Wends, Scientists are from The Living Lands, but they all fill the same scholarly niche. But raiders are also Highwaymen. I think that it's an oversight, in the end. I think it was rationalized as a lore-thing at first, but was then changed and not updated, or kept because, as you say, "every culture has a unique background". Except Rauatai; I think that Rauatai was supposed to get Scholar, but for some reason that is also assigned to Ixamitl. Ixamitl gets both Scholar and Philosopher, for some reason. And "can't you just"? Don't be ridiiculous. Heironymous Fogglebottom is a renowned highwayman from The White That Wends. He's no mere mercenary and he's certainly not from the Deadfyre Archipelago.

Durance is the only truly good CNPC you can recruit, except arguably Edér, and I just like being a good in games, so I'll haul him with me.

And for the eighteenth time or whatever, the question isn't what Pallegina is or does, but what her order is. Remember Durance? Would you say that he's Clever? No? Well would you say that he's Passionate? Yes, of course. Priests of Magran Favours Aggressive/Clever, and Disfavours Passionate/Diplomatic. That's actually really awesome, although I can see people just using it as a straight-up cheat rather than a fix, but I'd suggest changing the wording to refer to her order. People already have an incredibly hard time separating between Pallegina and her order.

Well it still needs a new icon! I stand by my report! Also, this makes me paranoid as to what items actually look like what.. <_<