illathid

So what you're saying is: Dragon Age is the better RPG? Cause the way I see it actual role playing forbids aids like damage numbers and combat logs since that is how the real world works. If you hit someone with a sword, you don't get damage numbers and if you miss there isn't some artificial number on why you missed. What you're doing is min/max'ing an Excel spreadsheet, using numbers to optimize your character. From an RP standpoint that is pretty casual. I think someone needs to brush up on the Stormwind fallacy.

it sounds like you want a F.A.T.A.L. CRPG... Hopefully this will never happen.

You know, in icewind dale you also "coud" create only 1 charater xD. the issu i have that the "user" created chars will be the same as ice wind daleish puppets with no "bounds" with the world xD And i don't kow how the fact that they are optional chenges this thing xD Okej i know that companios created by des will have some "bounds" with the world, but we are not talking about them but "user created" ones, of cource the main char propably will have some also, but do all user created will have ? No, the user created ones will be silent, blank eyed meat puppets, with no connection to the world.

That's actually culture. When selecting attributes, it is assumed you already have chosen a culture and that bonus is factored in. However, if you switch cultures that point willl be removed and added to the appropriate attribute. It's why a popular suggestion has been to have culture selection happen before attributes are chosen.

Having more meaningful ability scores would probably work better if we had the choice to increase scores as we leveled? Maybe there could be a talent that increases a given score by one?

How long is this going to take? What I like about steam are the sales. 2€ for Magic 2014? Deal! It is the only way to make me buy games, that I would never buy for a regular price. I have no idea when GoG Galaxy is going to be released (assuming that's what you're asking).

Yeah, I would've expected at least one for each type of planetouched in D&D. I'm biased though, because I really love Aasimar.

Wouldn't that make stealth play pretty much impossible? EDIT: Ninja'd kinda

I've used both GoG and Steam, and Steam is hands down the better choice for me. The number of steps it takes to buy, install, and then play a game is just lot lower when it comes to Steam. Granted, this may change when GoG Galaxy comes out.

Quick feedback on character creation: Culture should be before attributes Since the different cultures give stat bonuses, it feels weird to have to go back a screen if you want to change your stats based on a roleplay decision about culture. I'd maybe move it to be directly after race selection. Thoughts?

IIRC they specifically lowered the minimum stats for the backer beta to let us play with it more.

I'm a bit disappointed myself that there's not an Aasimar-ish godlike. You've got pretty good approximations of Tieflings and and Gensai, but no Aasimar.

FR deities are weird though, so I think it wouldn't be your run of the mill godsim. As for companions, I'd have them be your various divine allies and servants. Kelemvor is served by Jergal, more than a few evil gods have Pit Fiends and the like on retainer, etc.

I agree, there should be some sort of "holy sword" in there somewhere. Why not a "holy battleaxe" too while we are at it? That said it doesn't need to be so strong it is better than all other weapons, and it doesn't need to be restricted to one class. Yeah. Holy battle axe would be fine as long as there's a holy sword. And your right it doesn't need to be better than all other weapons, but I think it should still be a top tier weapon.

Even if there is no Holy Avenger class restricted super sword in game, I'd personally like for there to be a powerful holy sword. I think it's a important archetype that has existed since long before D&D was a thing (Excalibur, Durendal, etc. ). Not having one for holy paladins (or fighters, or barbarians) would be a missed opportunity IMHO.

i realize there's been a few pages now, but I still want to respond. Would I prefer to still the see the content, but in a "good" way? Maybe. Although I don't begrudge there being evil content that I won't experience either. For example, the evil end of the Skinners quest in BG2. While I know this isn't the best example as it's rather short, it could have been much larger piece of content and I wouldn't have minded it's inclusion. So if it makes sense to have experience it both ways is fine, but I don't particularly mind if It gets locked out either.

I find this sentiment interesting, because I personally have no interest in playing an "evil" character. Evil quest paths and the like will be game content that I never see if it is included. However, I recognize there are people out there that love "evil" stuff, and so I'd never say it shouldn't be included because I personally don't like it. I am kinda curious why people don't take a similar approach to in game romance.

Play all of Paradox grand strategy games, it goes without saying that they are not RPG games, so its a mute point I apologize then. I didn't realize you meant RPGs only. Your post said video games in general aren't able to do this kind of thing well. I was presenting a video game that did. Also, don't mean to be a grammar nazi, but it's "Moot Point" not "Mute Point."

You should play Crusader Kings 2, I think it does a great job of relating political intrigue with human relations. That's all.

Agreed. I think the best way to do a low magic setting is not letting the PCs be magic users at all.

I agree with about everything you've said, but I want to address this specifically. IMHO Suburban Fox was not asking for consistency in lore. It was as you note a discussion about the mechanics. His first post mentioned him finding a fighter being able to "to hurt, stun, or knock people down by stomping the ground, or shouting at them" ridiculous. In effect he was saying "Fighter abilities should be based upon what someone in the real world could do." A sentiment common to simulationists.When I mentioned that this doesn't necessarily make sense in the game world, he used the soul powered cobler example as an reductio ad absurdum as to possible use of soul power. Again, this suggests a desire that mechanics be a reflection of what is possible in the real world. So maybe Mr. Fox is not simulationist, but his responses sure sound like it to me. I appoligize if that's a mischaracterization.

So...does everybody in the world have "soul power", or just those who are adventurers? If the former, then the wider implications need to be considered...what is "soul power" capable of, and in what way would that be applied to every day life? Can, for example, a cobbler use "soul power" to create a really awesome pair of shoes (thereby negating the need for basic sewing, pattern cutting, etc)? If the latter, what is it about you and your companions that makes you special? If a select group of people have "soul power", doesn't that mean that there's likely going to be some form of class segregation? Surely those with "soul power" - members of a kind of adventurer class, so to speak - will naturally regard those without it as worthless peasants, to be either protected, or trodden on. Further, this would also mean that nobody who isn't gifted with "soul power" is able to become an adventurer, thereby making it no longer a career choice open to anybody willing to take the risks, but a specialised trade in which only a few can do. Neither variant particularly appeals to me...but then, I'm quite traditional in that I prefer my PC to come from humble backgrounds, and earn the right to be a hero by working for it, rather than have it given to him by having special powers. This is just a personal preference, though, and it seems it may not be the case in this game, which is a shame. Ah, you're a simulationist. Ok, good to know. You may not like my response then. The only people able to use soul power are those that the narrative calls for. So if the plot called for an extradorianry cobler who could make shoes that allowed you run as fast as a cheetah with only mundane materials, that would be fine. It would also be fine if cobblers could never wield soul power either. What ever the narrative calls for is what will occur. Regarding your comment about working for your power, I don't see how this system would change anything in that regard. It's not as if you'll start at level 10 or something. You still need to work hard to become a hero/gain your soul power.

Thing is all classes are using soul power and so I see no reason why traditional non-magical classes shouldn't be able to perform extraordinary feats that would be impossible for someone in our world. As I see it, PoE doesn't have any Non-magic user classes. They just use different types of magic.

See the problem is that would be hugely inaccurate to call Scotland Yard a "Secret Police" force. So if Dunryd Row is basically a PoE version of Scotland Yard, then it is not a "Secret Police" force. Here's an example that could help. Obsidian describes the government of X as an a dictatorship. Poster Y on the forums expresses doubt that such of government would be very nice. Poster Z explain that it would actually be very nice, as the dictator has a set of enumerated and limited powers, and they are elected by vote every few years. If what Poster Z says is true then the government of X is not a dictatorship, even if it has been erroneously labelled as such. This parallels what has occurred here.

God, who has the rights to Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser? I would love to see a CRPG set in Lankhmar.