rjshae

Historically, Paladins where essentially knights, some of whom later became seekers of holy relics. They were lawful in the sense of being the champions of the king and were perceived as "good" because of their chivalric code. In this view they were not all that different from samurai. I don't think you need an alignment system in order to be able to model a character like this. But perhaps you need a system that modifies their soul-based powers depending on their ethical choices and loyalty.

Perhaps (evil?) rituals should be made available, which could be spells that involve drawing upon the souls of others. It takes longer to cast a soul ritual since the target is presumably at least somewhat resistant, but rituals can be much more powerful than a normal spell since they drain the entire soul rather than drawing upon a small amount of the caster's soul. The sacrificial soul would need to be helpless and it would require a special apparatus to drain the target's soul (such as a pentacle, unique materials, and a custom blade). Not normally for use by a kind-natured person, of course.

To me, during combat rogues are like spies, scouts, infiltrators, and fifth columnists in warfare. Their role is gather intel, disrupt the enemies logistics and lines of communication, and perform hit and run attacks. If the designers come up with a wounds system, then backstab could be done away with and, instead, attackers can be given a significantly increased chance of inflicting a wound during a sneak or rear attack. (If they have multiple attacks then they can inflict multiple wounds.) Rogues in particular should be able to treat a flank attack as a rear attack when an enemy is being melee attacked from another side (as they are experts in exploiting distraction). My $.02 worth.

An 'Engineer' was generally focused on building structures; I don't think they would necessarily be experts of firearms, bombs, alchemy. Maybe 'Tinker'? That would then include rogue-like specialities such as open lock and disable trap. Drakensang had a couple of profession classes that were adventure-focused: sapper and prospector.

Yes, they could do with fixing the first level vulnerability to house cats.

Broken souls must be like Limberger cheese; smells like stinky human feet.

Back in the BG series, experience growth was relatively slow and it felt like an accomplishment to reach a new level. Since then, D&D v3.5 rules came out and level up began to feel almost like a cheesy accomplishment that didn't require much effort. That has become the trend in modern games: leveling up after every few battles. I have to wonder how this will be handled in PE? It sounds like Obsidian wants to return to the style of the BG series, which would seems to entail a return to slower level progress. If they do allow a more rapid level up, I hope they tone down the power growth rate so that lower level monsters remain a challenge for longer periods. What do you think?

It wasn't just the Baldur's Gate series. In every party-based fantasy RPG I've played, I added the bard character for novelty but soon wanted to remove them. Bards just feel like a leaden weight. In Oblivion on the other hand, I really enjoyed playing a Bard because their versatility gave a lot of options for game play. To be worth picking up as a companion in PE, I think the designers need to do something to give them a little edge.

Ugh, please don't spend resources on bards. A class that is second best in just about everything.

To me the secret of balancing multi-class characters is that spell power increases geometrically while other abilities increase linearly. That means a multi-class spell-casting character needs extra bonuses, such as is provided by a prestige class in D&D v3.5. But I think the game could accomplish the same thing by providing multi-classing benefits that are unique for each combo. In the case of a Paladin, they could simulate that class with a fighter-priest multiclass plus extra abilities that simulate a Paladin (or whatever they call it).

Agree with LadyCrimson, but also what I really like to see is a lot of tactical variety that requires more thought than just running up and bashing foes. Those situations are usually easier to implement with mixed groups of enemies than with single foes, but a single, powerful enemy could always gate in some allies and complicate matters.

Wow, this forum sure does attract some diverse opinions.

A spear will kill you just as dead as a sword. But with a spear you would probably have to rely more on the shield for defense, whereas a sword is useful for turning an attack. Probably why the Romans eventually bested the Greeks (that and sheer numbers).

Bard? These are more like Psions in D&D. Yes we know; I should probably have said quasi-bard. If you think about it a little, a mind mage would still need a practical career. Since they understand people very well and are able to alter their moods, entertainment seems like a possible choice. That would also provide a useful cover; people who would be unnerved at the abilities of a psion cipher would be more open to an entertainer. Other likely choices would be orator, merchant, or spy.

Byzantine infantry also used both spear and long sword with shield.

Yes, a nice addition... assuming the goal is reached. Like an enchanter, though, they may not be that helpful in certain circumstances... such as with undead. I wonder if these guys (and gals) will roughly be this setting's bard class? I mean they're undoubtedly good with people, they have some bard-like magic skills; all they need is some instrument playing and lorecraft to cover up their true nature.

It's a different world, so different rules apply. The Greeks had martial arts -- pankration -- as early as 648 BC. Legend has it the art was practiced by Greek soldiers. There's no reason that couldn't have later developed into a creed of religious aestheticism during a dark age; particularly one in which peasants were not allowed to carry weapons used by a knight. Hence it is feasible for use with a Western-type fantasy setting. But some name changes, for both monkish weapons and powers, would perhaps be fitting.

Hurray, I'm in!

Right there with you pal... alas.

As long as armor and weapons have realistic weight effects and assuming that strength is not a priority for Wizards, I think things will work themselves out. Especially if they make the Wizard haul around that humongous tome as well.

Nice update! I'm just wondering if they will be using D&D-style NPC classes like commoner or expert?

Autoheal mixed with an injury system works decently enough. I particularly enjoyed the wound system in Drakensang that worked to debilitate the combatant. You could take up to four wounds before you dropped to the ground, with each wound causing cumulative damage.

It can actually be a pleasure to play a game where you are not having to constantly fiddle with the camera to get the best view.

Hello Guildmaster, Here's a few random notions on possible rewards: - A limited edition PE contributor's T-shirt would make a nice conversation point. - An insider CD video of designer comments following the release. - Collectable playing cards illustrated with concept art. - Custom table-top gaming miniature based on an in-game character or creature. The current trend of stretch goals seems fine to me. As was noted above, overreaching might not be beneficial.

I'd say that in-universe humor is welcome, as per the occasional example in the Lord of the Rings movies; humor that breaks the suspension of disbelief is better left for more whimsical games. But I'd fully expect that, in cities, there would be a market for magical trickery and practical jokes, for example, which could even take a nasty turn. Magical curses could be unintentionally humorous, such as a wealthy and obnoxious baron accidentally being turned into a flatulent pig.