Osvir

I'd like to see something that hasn't been done yet (afaik) and I think this will be the last time I will bother with posting it. Obsidian said they would handle Out of Combat Skills as a separate "Tree" than the Leveling Up feature, can't the Out of Combat Skill be attached to the Character Levels then? You could have Classes with specific Class abilities that level up with the Character levels as well in this fashion. What I am most curious about, and a new take on it, is to have an external Weapon Leveling (Like how Baldur's Gate handles it, you kill an enemy, you get 15 experience). This way you can define your class. How? You start off as a Fighter, but you want to be able to cast Magic with your Fighter so you Equip him with a Grimoire. You'll practically be your own take on what a Fighter/Wizard is, you defined the class progression. You'll be a Fighter with Fighter Class Abilities with weak Grimoire Magic Abilities. You start off as a Wizard, but you want to be up close and personal with your Wizard so you equip him with Sword & Board. You'll practically be your own take on what a Wizard/Fighter is, you defined the class progression. You'll be a Wizard with Wizard Class Abilities with weak Close-Combat Abilities. etc. etc. for all the rest of the classes.

^I meant real life. Which Indiana Jones draws inspiration from.

^Well, there could be a dispute as to who actually was first, coincidences happen in a somewhat magical way sometimes. Perhaps someone on the other side of the world came to the same conclusion through their mathematical magical calculations which course was the best to go, to learn this magical spell, so there becomes a dispute as to who was actually first, because to your knowledge, you were the first to create it, likewise was your rival also first to create it. So you have to duel about it.

^I'm with you. Pretty much what I'm going for, though instead if weapons are tied to classes, that'd be one way to do it. You'd never be a Ranger because you chose a Fighter, but you'd still be able to use some techniques and abilities of the Ranger if you wield a Bow. A Level 5 Ranger with Level 2 in Bows would have Ranger Abilities & Bow Abilities A Level 5 Fighter with Level 2 in Bows would have Fighter Abilities & Bow Abilities A Level 5 Wizard with Level 2 in Bows would have Wizard Abilities & Bow Abilities etc. etc. See what I'm getting at?

^I like that idea, but it springs to mind 2 questions: A, would they be able to copy the spell if I'm not teaching them? B, could someone copy the spell and pretend that they created it and then I can blast them in the face for pretending? C, when I've blasted some imitators in the face, perhaps I become recognized as the true master of it, even if others learn it?

I'd expect "animal" humanoids to be more humanoid, if we are looking at a new way of doing it. Their faces human but baring traits from animals (Think Tiefling, tail and horns, an elephant equivalent could very well simply be a human with a longer nose and facial structure, anatomy in a humanish way with Elephant anatomy taken into consideration, think bones with another skin. Kind of like Humans > Monkeys). Evolution took humanity one path, and evolution took Elephanity one path. How much would you care if the [Elephantoid] is killing monkeys and feasting on their roasted hands? (you can order it in parts of Africa, yes, really. You can get soup served in a real monkey skull too, if you want to) I see where you are coming from, and I agree to some extent. Too many variables spinning in my head about "What ifs" that could make it work and be appealing, it'd just require a lot of work.

Well, combat is combat. How are people going to play with the Rogue during combat? How do they want to play? I haven't followed this thread entirely but to a start it felt mostly like "What is a Rogue?" and then people argued what a Rogue was. Then there was debating on "What is the philosophy of backstab?" and it's still there...? Little have I seen on how people actually played in Baldur's Gate with the Rogue or what the purpose of the Rogue was in their group. Mine was a female named Akasha. Like a Mage, mostly staying out of combat altogether because she was focused the second she came up close, she almost never hit anything either which was weird in my opinion, so I equipped her with a sling. I used her as a scout, trap finder and lockpicker, never really did any pickpocketing. Did some pickpocketing in Baldur's Gate a long long time ago (got a cursed item I couldn't remove from my inventory or something like that ). I personally think that if weapon abilities are directly tied to classes it'll be easier to handle every single class. A Fighter with Daggers? Give the Fighter Sneak Attack when he gains a level in Daggers. Pof! The Fighter could even suddenly be a "Fighter/Rogue" (in essence), Main Classing as a Fighter with Fighter Class Abilities with Rogue Weapon Abilities. What we currently are looking at, from Official information, is that P:E will have a Quest based experience system. That is all cool and such but it leaves no room for Combat. Questing = Important to your Character and perhaps your Class. It is the journey that your character takes and he gains experience for it. Bam! Alright I'm with Obsidian here I love this.... but I am also becoming better with all my weapons that I am using doing Quests, now I'm started to get rubbed the wrong way. Weapon Experience = Exactly how experience works in Baldur's Gate. You take down an enemy, you get 15 Experience, but this time you get it for the Weapon you are wielding. Not like TES where you "Hit once = gain experience" "Hit twice = Level up" but mechanically like Baldur's Gate. So YES you could become a Master Swordsman and still be Level 1 Class/Character. Obviously you won't though, because experience is limited in a game like P:E, if it will follow the same trend like IE games.. when 8'000'000 being max experience you can get right? (whilst in a game like TES it is abundant and almost unlimited) you'd have to progress at some point to the next area where there are Quests, which levels up your Character and Class. A Level 8 Fighter with Level 5 Sword Mastery (Capped) would be way stronger than a Level 1 Fighter with Level 5 Sword Mastery (realistically speaking, you'd max 1 or 2 weapons if properly implemented). I am advocating for this idea because it solves so many issues all at once, and if it interests you please read my Wall of Text in my signature, link should be right above word "Dimensions".

^For argument's sake, if it is a Killer Moose with some deep legit jawdropping story I think you would sit with your jaw dropped thinking "Damn Osvir he was right!!" Jokes aside, I mean no ill either. We could go way too far (stretching it). Let's try to stay on topic: We are talking about cultures from a region outside of what will be shown to us in P:E and if anything of it will be presented, yes this culture can be human, but perhaps even Aumaua, Orlan, Elf, Dwarf, with another cultural heritage or traditions from far away. It's not like all dwarves follow the same God at the same place and only inhabit one place of the world. On furry comment: No furries? So no Gnolls or equivalent either then?

Steampunk??

What if our real life animals could be an intelligent species in P:E? Maybe there are no [Elephant]* Animals at all, or Birds, Pigs etc. etc. but other new fantasy animals take their place *shrug* <- not important but for argument's sake that's one way to do it *[insert creature]

@NerdBoner: as Josh says it then Minor races in this Spain Country of P:E will just have more room to exist (also I knew that the map is going to be bigger, this isn't the issue or the topic, but if there will be cultures from outside the borders of the map). @necromate: .... that was about the elephant cus people don't have any imagination...

My Baldur's Gate folder is around 20 GB filled with mods. Just recently finished Baldur's Gate. Had to backtrack because I had prepared the wrong spells at a location and the enemies I was facing turned my Main Character to stone, go figure What I am doing here? Innovation, I thrive in innovation. Been trying to finish Baldur's Gate for a long time, but forced myself to never play Baldur's Gate 2 until I finished the first one. This took quite a while (age, experience, patience, life, time, real life travels around the world etc. etc). I talked about this the first few days I was here in the forums: Me & friend were playing Baldur's Gate, discussing ideas how to do it better, more fun, more effective, we were very into it and had a roleplaying session about it. We take a break, I google around a little bit looking and researching into old-school games BAM I hit P:E when my mind is as freshest and most eagerly in want of a new take on the IE-games and I have a ton of ideas for the genre to make it better and feel better. Coincidence? Yes, and I chose to follow it. I have played my share of older cRPG's (note: Played, not finished all of them). I haven't finished Planescape: Torment either. Gameplay Mechanics versus Story is two different things, in Baldur's Gate you've experienced most of the gameplay mechanics in the first area (Candlekeep). If you've played one of the IE games you've played all of them, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Note: Story & Gameplay, two different things. But yeah I'm on it, playing Baldur's Gate II again after your comment and I've made some progress. It's just daunting because I am doing it as a study, checking every freaking corner, nick and cranny, doing all quests, checking out all areas pfft. I've done Waukeen's Promenade, The Slums and now I'm exploring the Graveyard, yeah, I haven't gotten far enough, but far enough to understand the Mechanics (well, seeing as I have finished Baldur's Gate 1 already that's kind of a given). But if I want to understand the Story of the game, then yes, then I have to play the entire game. The story made these games. I am here to discuss mechanics, not the story, that's Obsidians job. I wouldn't mind putting out some Fan Fiction for them every now and then again to help with some material (Unless they already have a source where they get their material from). EDIT: About Chapter 1, funnily as I am in Akhathla (or whatevs I don't know how to spell it), I feel that after Irenicus dungeon you start in a Big City and to me it was quite a lot of "Woah...". A little bit too much at once. The confusion of "Which way do I go?", I am starting to dig myself into the game past that first barrier of "!?!?" and I am beginning to enjoy it much more, but that start right after Irenicus dungeon is a tad bit overwhelming in my opinion. Baldur's Gate 1 had Candlekeep and then the World, but you had a sense of a direction on where to go. Though, then again, Ath~ is a great starting location because you really are "Where the f- am I?" for Player and Character alike. I guess there could or should be "Wtf?" in the beginning but grow on you as you explore the world (<- Talking about P:E) each step in the world is a research of the world.

No wonder the Elephants hates us, we seem to hate them (Elephants are known to be very very aggressive against humans and it would be best to stay away from them). We've abused them so much as a human race EDIT: ^Trying to get some sympathy for the Elephants in a serious-minded joke.

^I really need to finish Baldur's Gate 2 don't I? Bah, but I'm in a save position where I have backtrack... ah well

^Horror Spell only truly Mastered to the tunes of Thriller. EDIT: And Necromancy ofc EDIT: Combination Magic! Chanter sings, Wizard dances. ... Final point, a dance doesn't have to be a "dance dance". I'm talking about "dancing" in an abstract way. Example: A Wizard elegantly conjuring and summoning standing rigidly in place "dances" with his fingers, hands and maybe even his arms. A Firebender (as seen in the video OP) "dances" with the use of moving his body "with" (abstract) the element.

The smiley helps but I don't see you as an ass Pipyui in any of the threads or at all I understand that the spell being drawn upon, scribbles on the scroll would perhaps be unknown, but when the mathematician within the Wizard starts reading/casting/drawing from the soul he understands the spell. Though then the question is as he has begun casting, will he be able to stop the conjuration mid-casting or would it be cast? Would he be able to "solve" the scroll without casting/drawing on the soul? <- Like I said in another post "Check/Search/Identify" the scroll in your inventory.

Edit time ran out but.. Rogue... for some reason I've fallen into Tarot art xD The Fool

^Yes. Full Contact Magic, totally on point. Good job and thank you that's what I want. A Full Contact Wizard, or Monk, or Chanter etc. etc. Being in Contact with the Element through their bodies. Wizards use their Minds however, but I could see a Monk use Full Contact.

You just took down an Evil Wizard, he had some magical scrolls on him. How do you have any idea what it is that those spells do? Sure, you can deduce that it probably had something to do with the spells he cast at you but would you be able to just know right off the bat which one of them it was? Did this Wizard have some calculations of his own that you don't outright understand until "Trial & Error"? I can understand that spells would come with a description when you buy them in shops or from a Mercantile Wizard. But from those random/by chance drops I can't really see how you would know right away, specially if it isn't part of your characters Magic School.

Is this better?

Alright mate, but it does seem like you haven't read any of it when you put it like that. Just saying. The Elephant man is an example, it could be an Orlan from another country far far away, but I've already covered this in another post.

^This is what I'm talking about about reading posts. See my other, other, post about it. EDIT: Resolved on the next page. misunderstanding.

New Heomer and Defiance Bay are definitely port towns, as well. Brass Crown Tower could be an Outpost as well. Strategically speaking. New Heomer covers the North Coast from enemies, Geiran's Grasp and the small island (the small island north of "Road's End" definitely being an Outpost for the Military). Defiance Bay would be the Main Port town, where most refugees and Multi-Culture would take place. The picture and the black rings just an indication to what kind of strategic positions these have for a Military Faction. Could Big City number 2 be across the Ocean to the West? EDIT: The Mountain to the East provides with much defense, and similarly there is only 1 Village/Town there (Named Stalwart something) meaning that that should be the easiest route in-and-out, from the East. Hard position to hit for an enemy coming from the East most definitely.

If the Rogue had some Class specific abilities in town (Street Smart) that makes it easier to Gather Information, Find Quests, Get Gold and so on and so forth I would choose him over something else. Combat is not everything. What is important is the Adventuring aspects. How does he benefit the group in the Adventure? Is he charming? Difficult to catch? Sneaky? Knows to use the alleys better than others? Can climb up the wall and sneak into a window, which your Fighter in Full Plate Armor wouldn't do as adeptly. I recommend taking a thought or two at "Tasks", being able to send out Party Members in cities on Tasks. One such Task could be "Burglary" or "Business/Gather Information". * Burglary would be sending out your Rogue to loot homes for Gold. Even loot Shops (if there were any in the AoE Ring). This way you could even hit 2 places in the town at once, your Rogue is off in to the Northwestern section, and you take care of the South Eastern section. A Cipher in your party could call back the Rogue instantly (but at a penalty to the loot he could've gotten). Your guy sent on Burglary could be caught and set into Jail, or talk himself out of it with some gold. He could get attacked by Thugs in an Alleyway and you have to come to his aid. Mechanically: Press "M" -> Right-Click on Map -> Choose Tasks -> Choose Burglary -> Who will do it? -> Place AoE Ring -> Rogue Leaves Party for a duration of time * Business/Gather Information Gather Information, you send off your Rogue and he is sent to Gather Gossip, Quests, Handle Business (grab the Gold that you earned). Being able to handle stuff that are mundane, making you not have to walk around the entire town just to find a Quest Giver or manage the business. In and Out type of thing. The Rogue wouldn't just give you the quest, but he would pin-point where the Quest giver is so you still have to talk to him.