Hypevosa

Sounds good to me - a kind of automatic intimidation check based on level relative to enemy level and including players' power stat for that class (so a very intelligent mage could intimidate through spell display as much as a strong fighter flexes his muscles or a thief plays with a dagger, etc.)

If they make clerics fully capable combatants, but just less so than fighters, there's no need for paladins. My first D&D character is a paladin, my name is actually the one I gave him - but I don't need to see them here if clerics basically fill that role.

As I understood it in D&D it went like this: The world is infused with magical energies. Much like we have gravity as something that just is, and is everywhere, the magical energies for all spells exist in the world or can be ripped into it from one of the many planes. Mages learn through study and intelligence exactly how to manipulate these energies to gain the desired effects. Sorcerers are innately magical, and through force of will alone the energies bend for them. Psions ignore these energies and instead bring about effects through the strength of their own power. That's why I always liked psions a little more than mages and sorcerers. Here it sounds similar, where souls are all the source of power, and psions apparently manipulate others' souls?

I still think a suitibly high level cleric spell should be available at high tithe to the temple, or a suitably high cleric in the party as well. Permanent loss of limbs or features that was handled in some acceptable manner I could get behind as it adds that much more depth to the universe. If an enemy can actually take your eye in combat and you can get a clockwork/magical replacement that gave some minor advantage, but perhaps take a charisma hit or something, that would be cool. Randomly hand the player a disability and an advantage. Having a permanently blinded character develop blind fight ability and tremorsense or some similar thing. Permanent disability that can be handled by a means other than magic could be a very, very interesting addition.

AWWWWwwww nerd love <3 I'm trying to get baldur's gate trilogy working for me and my lass - I'm right there with ya.

That should be a choice by the player - if they have the magical means to reattach it, they should, if they need a soul animated prosthetic, whatever. I don't see any reason to force a player to play without a hand when it's inconvenient and not necessary - no one will, they'll just load an old save if they can.

They said mages, as they are used to being targeted, are physically fit often enough in this game.

Well, the way it works in D&D you have standard healing for general small wounds, but actually regenerating a whole limb or something else where it's massive damage, means you need to at least use the regenerate spell a 7th level cleric spell (doesn't come soon at all). That would be incredibly expensive to get cast on you, so it better be worth it if you'll pay instead of letting it actually heal over a week or something.

I love psions in D&D, seeing the cipher makes me happy :D

Inability to unequip armor during combat could mean going into battle either planning to cast or not. Limiting certain spells that have somatic components (the more powerful arcane spells) because you cannot move in the armor could work too. There are ways of making a wizard using armor not as uber, while still leaving the potential for them to be uber.

Of course there is... I'm all for wielding awesome arcane power without having to run around around in some silly colourful dress =P I feel the silly colorful dress wearing mage should somehow be more effective though. "I am so badass you will die before you can lay a hand on me... I don't need armor"

If there are high level spells like regeneration that allow long term wounds to be healed, I don't mind, otherwise you're just going to end up with players ditching their loyal warrior for the next one to come along (or one they hire from the adventurer's place at the 2.6m mark) since the other warrior has been gimped.

if spears could actually be useful somehow as reach weapons, I think it would work. Maybe if a spear could be used to shove an enemy away, stealing their attack action, and maybe leaving them prone, before every stab - it might be useful. Otherwise what's the point of wielding a long, heavy, slow, if damaging weapon, when I can have better defense and attack speed with a sword? They need something unique.

an NPC yelling "My sword!" or something of the sort would be a good indicator ;D

I've meddled enough to know about the dialog.tlk - you'd need to have some new entries where the giant being the party would change the reference to them instead.

chaos adds to the fun, I'm all for critical hits and misses as long as they're interesting and fun. I don't want anyone's +5 bow snapping in half or anything, but it would be cool to maybe have it fly across the room as they accidentally let go of the bow as they fire it or something else interesting.

I think in standard D&D the rule is you critically fail a saving throw and your gear risks damage - I'd prefer that system to saying fireball would leave an armorless party naked, ya know?

The only issue with saying HP damage isn't lethal is when you look at spells - it's fairly clear they are being hurt. If I cast fireball at someone, they're taking damage - it's not "Oh I'm so tired, I'll just succumb to the heat now." so much as someone has been scorched alive and has gone into or is going through shock, or their blood has been boiled to where their brain has shut down, or something.

... I take it you never did scripting for BG or NWN, right? If you did, you'd know better. On another point is that the only reaction there will be? (unimportant) NPC fleeing? Surely that makes the companion tottaly balanced! Large creture cannot enter? How do you do quests taking palce indoors then? You'd have to switch companions constatnly. And I'm willing to bet that would case a lot of player rage. No, I didn't do scripting for BG or NWN, but it is possible to make the effects occur in a simple manner without having to edit every NPC's files. If NPCs turn and watch you, getting ready for you to talk to them, then there's clearly somewhere you could shove in a party check before dialogue actually initiates. Or you just have it be a line of sight thing with most NPCs, and only have disciplined/important NPCs be willing to stand their ground as the giant walks down the street. And really, that should likely be the response for any "normal" NPC, with guards likely having a different response, etc. Before initiating the dialogue, check if the NPC is unique or just your average peasant, if they're unique, they likely have their own response to the fact the monster is in the party, be that turning hostile, having a moment where they stutter in fear, or whatever you have. And large creatures not fitting through a door could be helped with a minimize spell (something useful for getting into tiny places for cool loot, and also makes you harder to hit and you more likely to hit) They'd obviously lose some of their awesomeness for a while, but you'd get to at least have them there... and if it wasn't worth your time to get or prepare said minimize spell then you can just tell them to wait for you until you get back. Or you can decide it's not worth your time to try and keep them and just let them go for another, less powerful/interesting NPC. The point is you're making the trade off - if they're worth the effort, you gain the benefit, but if they're not to you then it's at your discretion to do away with them in whatever manner your PC would see fit.

It's not a question of fun so much as the challenge the game presents. If you have unlimited ammo, you lose some of the challenge since you can just always have everyone fire arrows at the enemy before they get in melee range. Having limited arrows makes you manage how often you can do that, and for how long.

Having the game run it in the background while showing a fancy screen would make it so PCs with lower specs wouldn't have to worry about if their computer could handle the fast forward I guess, my want to see fast forward is more just preference because I find it funny/neat.

It's a simple check: On initiating dialogue with normal NPC If Monster in party = very yes Then NPC reaction = "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! NPC Flees. You don't need to modify every NPC in the game, just have it so that the game checks before you initiate dialogue what's going on. On doors for large creatures you just give it a value where it accepts a large creature or not, and, if that value is false, the game says you cannot enter since a member of your party cannot fit. It doesn't have to be a horrible amount of programming if you have an efficient system to begin with.

What's the difference between this and being able to rest anywhere with the limitation of min 8h between rests and with the possibility to be interrupted? There is absolutely none, both systems achieve the same thing yours just adds a little more in game time which is irrelevant. The difference is having things that patrol and move about between you and your proposed resting area. Interrupting rest with an ambush is different than having enemies actively moving around a map and you risking running into them when you attempt to get to a safe sleep area. It's also the difference between the player going "yes, we will sleep in the dragon's lair 500 feet from where he's currently resting" and the rest of the party going "Screw that noise, I'm not going to set up camp here". While the end result is the same, how you get there and what the implications are, are very different.

you don't have to build the whole game around it unless you make 40 of them I think having 3 genuinely unique monster companions would be workable. One for good guys, one for bad guys, and one for more neutral characters. The extra work put into them shouldn't be much more than the work you'd need to put into all the party interactions, dialogue, and NPC quests you put into other characters. Unique NPCs, be it for special abilities or being a monster race have always just added to the depth of a game for me - I'd love to see at least one.

simply selecting a spell slot to "sacrifice" to always have that buff on sounds reasonable to me instead of forcing it to be cast repeatedly.