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TRX850

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Everything posted by TRX850

  1. TRX850
    Rare magical "Honing Stones" that add the "Keen" item property to melee weapons. Or the ability to "Ironshod" crushing weapons for the same effect.
  2. TRX850
    A few skeleton variations. Also, how about non-humanoid versions? Skeletal Minotaurs, Bears, Ogres, Driders, Harpies, and Wolves etc.
  3. TRX850
    In previous 3.5ed games like IWD2 and NWN1&2, the stat system pretty much coerced you into having even numbers because an odd number (one higher) gave the same bonus. IIRC they're now taking fractions into consideration in P:E, which is better. And to add to the half-orc wizard example, if you could choose a background feat like Librarian or Scribe which gave bonuses to INT and Lore, it could counteract any racial penalty. And for the Elf Fighter/Barbarian, if you chose Soldier or Prize Fighter as your background for example, then a bonus to STR and/or CON, or bonuses to Intimidate, Discipline or Parry would also counter things. Let's be creative here and provide the player with options, rather than take options away.
  4. TRX850
    I was just going to suggest regional accents in P:E. It would make so much more sense. Where it can sound fake is if a non-British voice actor attempts a British accent, and a non-American voice actor attempts an American accent etc. I don't think there needs to be an all-rounded approach for the sake of political correctness either, but to be fair, most medieval settings sound more realistic with Anglo-European accents. And where it tends to sound really REALLY bad, is when voice actors try too hard. Or maybe they just aren't inspired when they record their voice because they know nothing about the game, its history, the expectations of the player community, artwork, and what has come before. The voice over on some games sound like they've shoved someone in a box, with a script, and put a gun to their head and are forced to read. I really do hope the voice actors on P:E will have time to absorb the game's DNA and actually have some fun with it.
  5. TRX850
    I've not played FNV yet (guys, stop throwing fruit at me!) but this ^^^^ caught my attention. And maybe the image that came into my mind is not entirely the point you were making, but if we were able to toggle between inventory settings so that the normal display showed the object icons like traditional IE games, but you could toggle to a LIST option that displayed your inventory as a list of text descriptions, that could be VERY useful in seeing key item stats, particularly for weapons, like magical bonuses, special abilities, and weight, assuming they had individual columns for these values that you could sort in ascending/descending order. Wouldn't take much to get the look and feel of it right so it didn't look like an Excel spreadsheet either.
  6. TRX850
    It means that you occasionally have to adapt your combat strategy, that's all. I mean, regular skeletons are a little bit of a challenge at low levels, but to keep them from being simple graveyard fodder, why not introduce the Russian Roulette element? If anything, I think it will increase the fun-factor because you have to make a strategic evaluation, rather than click the attack button and wait for your party to win. As for zombies, they've been fine in some earlier games, but their slow shuffling is just another reason to exploit that weakness. They're not really a threat unless you allow them to gang up on you. They don't all have to be like that, but consider it an increased challenge when you do encounter the fast ones. If they suddenly swarm your spellcasters, it's a chance to do something about it. It probably feels uncomfortable because it's "different" to what you're used to. But to be fair, P:E will be different in so many ways, that behavioural changes in a few monsters shouldn't be too much of a surprise.
  7. TRX850
    Favoured Class really rubs me the wrong way too, because there are so many apparent contradictions in previous games and fantasy lore. If anything, that's where we've been railroaded in the past. Instead of penalties for non-favoured class combos, why not just let the player develop their own less-than-optimal character based on the stats they choose, the skills and feats, and ultimately their adventuring choices? If it's less-than-optimal, then there will be certain aspects of the game that penalize them through normal gameplay. If they're not as physically strong as they could be if they'd optimized their character, then they might hit less often and/or do less damage. And you could make equal points for all the other stats, skills etc. More than anything, I find character creation the most stressful part of an RPG campaign. I don't expect that to change too much in P:E, but for reasons where I'm spoilt for choice, rather than penalized for choice.
  8. TRX850
    Some members have mentioned that standard skeletons and zombies are yesterday's news and would like them either removed or overhauled. Here's my suggestion: Once the adventuring party reaches a certain level, consider making 1 in 10 (or 1 in 5) skeletons come with a built-in "Skull Trap" spell. You strike it once, and it detonates like the "Blast Skeletons" in IWD. But they look like regular skellies so you can't tell them apart. And make zombies SPRINT, DayZ style. Problem solved.
  9. TRX850
    Ah yes, I remember the Arcane Archer prestige class from the NWN1&2 series and have tested it before. What I meant was for spellcasters like wizards, sorcerers, clerics etc to be able to cast a spell on one or more units of ammunition that would "persist" until fired from a ranged weapon. So it's like Imbue Arrow, but you don't have to use it right away. I can see why they limited the Arcane Archer to using it immediately to prevent exploiting the ability, so my suggestion does come with some concerns. Maybe there could even be rare-ish arrows and bolts that come as "empty vessels" for storing spells at specified levels? So maybe during a difficult quest you find a handful of "magic arrows level 3" that can each store a 3rd level spell on them. "Magic arrows level 5" store 5th level spells and so on. It might balance things out more. Of course, you could always have an Arcane Archer in your party as well.
  10. TRX850
    Maybe if we could choose from a range of racial bonuses/trade-offs at character creation, that would alleviate some of the racial stereotyping. And then on top of that allow for some additional background feats/traits like in NWN2. I wouldn't mind seeing some "Profession" feats that you can tweak as you level up too, like Soldier, Hunter, Herbalist, Jeweller etc, but maybe those are for another thread.
  11. TRX850
    What if you could pre-cast certain spells on ammunition so that the effect was delivered via your ranged weapon? You could bless crossbow bolts in NWN to insta-kill Rakshasas, but I would suggest there should be some limit to the number of arrows/bolts/stones affected to keep it balanced. So, obvious contenders for this would be spells like fireball, dispel magic, slow, silence etc. The question is, how high a level should be allowed? Things could very quickly become unbalanced if you could imbue a quiver of arrows with Wail of the Banshee or Horrid Wilting. Then again, if the game were to go into epic levels, it's something to consider. What sort of spells would you like to attach to your ranged weapon ammunition?
  12. TRX850
    Like ants bringing down a rhinoceros beetle. It lacks chivalry, but it's effective.
  13. TRX850
    Maybe STR should increase (or decrease) the range of throwing weapons anyway? Traditionally they have fixed ranges unless given a specific magical bonus. But yes, an axe in the gob would be an awesome spectacle. I wonder also, if spellcasters could have their concentration broken if they're within a certain proximity to a Raging Barbarian, regardless of physical damage? Maybe that's a bit unfair. Maybe the Barbarian has to activate a special ability (like Battle Cry) to cause them to make a Concentration check across the battlefield? I'm just throwing these out there. It's already been mentioned that Paladins will have a War Cry ability. I guess a Barbarian could have a superior Taunt ability to disrupt spellcasting over a distance. Edit: How about if the Barbarian is hit with a Critical melee blow, they are given a "second chance" to reduce it back down to a normal blow, providing there is an adjacent foe they can pull in (or step behind) and use as a meat shield? Another "Whoa!" factor. I'm enjoying this. Edit: Strong Back and Fast Movement feats that start off as minor, but scale with level?
  14. TRX850
    Meerkats!
  15. TRX850
    A Thieves' Guild might be something they call themselves, rather than the authorities. And historically, local authorities tend to work very closely with these types of organizations behind closed doors. There's plenty of political intrigue to be roleplayed if the town mayor secretly wants an outspoken opposition member assassinated. Or some new trading cartel is muscling in on local business, and union bosses want them quietly and discreetly removed. Corruption is everywhere. And so in effect, a Thieves' Guild does in fact provide a service.
  16. TRX850
    Just a really quick suggestion then, maybe when they Rage, they gain a temporary "Monkey Grip" feat? Large weapons in their primary hand, and shield in their off hand. There's no specific logic to that suggestion, only something that goes back to the "Whoa!" factor I described. As an aside, I don't mind us combing back through history and analyzing cultural and racial reasons to "keep it real". I think it's intelligent and valid. What I'm starting to think though is that maybe we should be narrowing down each class description to a sort of "tag line" so that if you had to pitch each class to someone totally new to the RPG genre, they could see that each class was unique, easy to visualize, and would appeal to a wide audience. How should we sum up the Barbarian class in this scenario?
  17. TRX850
    Jeez, I come back after a few hours sleep and there are all these cool new ideas here. Here's something I came up with while sleeping. During a Rage, if a Barbarian performs a successful combat feat or special manoeuvre (Knockdown, Disarm, Critical Hit, Stun, Power Attack(?), etc etc) he/she then receives an attack of opportunity (or bonus cleave) for free. This represents the Barbarian's momentum during a Rage. Just need to be careful if you want to keep getting extra attacks if you happen to deliver two criticals in a row or some other feat combo. Although, "Great Cleave" was a little bit like this, so might not be an issue. And the thing about big weapons I mentioned earlier still seems a valid point. Only in that you don't receive penalties for NOT using big weapons. By all means, play with whatever weapon/shield combo you love to play with. But if you're about to fly into a rage and bust up the place, wouldn't it make more sense to maximize your potential damage output? Because.....that's what it's all about. The whole point is to capitalize on the moment, otherwise you've not taken full advantage of the Rage duration. Maybe certain enemies have to make a morale check when witnessing a Rage? This is a cRPG with stylized and sensational visuals. The more direct damage, number of attacks, and overall crowd effects the Barbarian can dish out, the more everyone else has a reason to stand back and utter a collective "Whoa!"
  18. TRX850
    Maybe Barbarians gain a distinct combat bonus when using BIG weapons? Maybe that's it? Greatsword, Greataxe, Great Hammer, Long Spear and so on. Fighters are more disciplined, having nuances for single-weapon style, sword and shield style, two-handed style, and with some additional training, two-weapon style. So their strengths are spread over a wider range, whereas the Barbarian is more focused on shock and awe. Maybe it's as simple as that? The Barbarian's signature feats are Rage and BIG NASTY WEAPONS ? The resistances should stay. They're all excellent. But as a selling point, it may just be as cliche as "Bigger is Better". ????
  19. TRX850
    Good question. I'm just trying to think of how Barbarians and Fighters might have subtle but poignant differences when it comes to combat knowledge. You could argue that fighters are trained to fight, by and large, against other fighters of the same racial type. In most cases anyway. I suppose a Barbarian could also learn to fight against their own type, but at some point, whether through trials of adulthood or whatever, will have to fight against beasts also. And I'm really just making this up on the fly here, I haven't had time to think this through just yet. This is a fantasy world and I'm thinking in terms of distinguishing class features that give an advantage over another class. So to answer your question, maybe their favoured enemy could be expanded to "Man and Beast". Which would preclude creatures like undead, constructs, and all other magical or unnatural denizens of the world. Remember, history and logic aside (????), we're trying to decide how the Barbarian is *different* to the base fighter class, and other fighter sub-types like Ranger and Paladin for that matter. Edit: Meaning that if we apply history and logic too much, we might find that fighters and barbarians have almost no difference, which is a rather inconvenient answer.
  20. TRX850
    Or maybe the Barbarian's favoured enemy is simply "humanoids". If you're bipedal and you're asking for it, you're gonna bleed.
  21. TRX850
    The class vs race distinction is an important one for sure. Racial traits define your background whereas class traits can swing wildly (no pun intended) depending on your class build. I was thinking though that if a Barbarian "class" was considered to be an outsider, i.e. not from a city, but from far away wild lands, it could justify a wilderness enemy type regardless of race. If they were human or dwarf or whatever, the fact that their upbringing was of the exotic non-city type would make some sense. And I'm really liking the "stay the hell away from Barbarian allies" during battle idea. That whole "Chaos Unleashed" thing is starting to build a better picture now.
  22. TRX850
    I was actually thinking more European culture than jungle culture. The favoured enemy thing could be due to other monster clans warring over the same patch of land for generations (in a fantasy setting I mean, not European history). Berserker video!
  23. TRX850
    The Barbarian and Fighter classes already have a lot in common. The question is, can we take what we've learned from all previous RPG systems and develop enough kickass *differences* that make them truly stand alone? So that when you think "Barbarian" you don't just think "Axe-wielding Fighter who windmills around the battlefield". Because any fighter could pick up an axe and go windmilling around a battlefield. Maybe consider what it means to be up close and personal with a Barbarian? Things like intimidate and taunt could be derived from more than one ability stat (CHA + STR/WIS maybe). They could have a natural advantage for disarm, stun, and knockdown (non-lethal combat) that comes from generations of cultural teachings, rather than professional military training. I also see the Barbarian as having certain skills derived from the traditional Ranger (hunting/favoured enemies), Rogue (stealth), and Druid (animal empathy), which of course has been done plenty of times before. What about a War Cry that demoralizes the enemy before battle begins. For example, .
  24. TRX850
    Tabards. For the discerning medieval gentleman.
  25. TRX850
    It's all good, Adhin. I was trying to think of it from another angle that's all. It makes more sense in a cRPG to have a "sometimes fearless/reckless" warrior type that stands apart from the pure fighter class. A perk in its own right. They should also be great hunters and craftsmen. Which a pure fighter might not necessarily be. Actually, I just thought....what if a Barbarian failed a "Craft Weapon" check? Would it send him into a rage? Raaawwrrgghh!!
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