TRX850

So what happens exactly, when your stamina reaches zero? Do you drop to one knee and enter a limited-expertise mode where you can only defend? Or fall prone? Or are just unable to attack until you regain stamina? Apologies, but I'm late to this party and I couldn't find the answer in the reams of posts on this. It sounds like it would make a refreshing change to those battles that have previously gone on forever, with no one actually tiring from constant swinging.

What if "miss" damage was only counted as temporary damage? And after X number of rounds, you got back those HP you lost X number of rounds ago? Would solve some of the grinding issue, although it sounds like it's not really an issue.

Ok, I've been reading some of these posts and something just occurred to me. (I won't comment on the mechanics. You guys are doing a fine job already). But remember when you first played BG or IWD and your first encounter consisted of ten rounds of "swishing" while you and your enemy flailed hopelessly around each other with your starting weapons? Perhaps one side-effect of what we're discussing here is the sound of the "swish-and-miss" that annoys players. Mechanics aside, I wonder just how much player enjoyment would be restored if the "swish-and-miss" was replaced with a "clang-and-miss" sound effect? (or thud, or grunt etc.) You'd get the sense that you were actually competent enough to physically strike your opponent, regardless of damage output. But the occasional "swish-and-miss" should remain though, to cover all outcomes.

Hormalakh, it's not a bad suggestion, and reminds me of the early SSI games like Pool of Radiance and Curse of the Azure Bonds that came with a cardboard decoder wheel. Perhaps P:E could include a region specific "virtual decoder wheel" ? The issue with regional languages would mean that the actual answer to a puzzle would not necessarily require a literal translation of an English word. The purpose of the decoder wheel was to necessitate a process in which the player discovered a combination of symbols over time, via intelligent play, (it's called 'adventuring') that ultimately led to the wheel being used as a translation tool only, once prompted for an answer. I too am not overly enthused by a system that allows a player to simply reload and try again if they get the answer wrong. Having said that, I totally understand why some players get frustrated by puzzles involving mathematics or logic where the wording of the question is not always crystal clear. At least with the virtual decoder wheel example, answers to riddles could be different with each playthrough, compelling the player to discover a new combination of symbols each time. Could be a can of worms to implement though, but hey, it's the 21st century and people are clever these days.

Yes, and in reading through the AD&D DMG (I had to blow the dust off mine) it discusses the willpower of intelligent weapons. Using a combination of INT and EGO, it may temporarily force the handler into actions (or even avoid certain actions) depending on its alignment and agenda. Obvious pairings would work in harmony, like the holy avenger in the hands of a paladin. Or a poisoned dagger and assassin combo. Conversely, it would be interesting to roleplay a power struggle between incongruent pairings of weapons and wielders. A ranger equipped with a cavalier-style bastard sword that insisted on adorning it with only the most rare and expensive gems. And if it was not decorated thus within a certain time period, it caused the ranger to adopt a cavalier attitude in battle, presumably targeting the most powerful enemy automatically. Like a temporary cursed state. But reading that example back to myself, I'm thinking that might get thrown in the "too annoying" basket. Perhaps the tradeoff needs to be more like a "welcome disease". Temporary perks and penalties that don't overly frustrate the player.

I don't even Haha. I was looking for a likeable female character, and Amelie came up in a search. Maybe her traits would manifest themselves in a neutral good or chaotic good weapon. Maybe a weapon that tries to convince paladins to lighten up a little.

And yes, they wouldn't need to be human, necessarily. You could have an intelligent scimitar that communicates with wolf-like growls and yips. Maybe it growls when "enemies of nature" are nearby, and howls excitedly during battle against favored enemies.

A quick google turned up some ideas to consider, based on well known characters from fiction. Alfred Pennyworth (Bruce Wayne's Butler) - The mentor, friend, and father figure Samwise Gamgee - The dedicated "employee" Indiana Jones - The wise-cracking swashbuckler Amelie Poulain - The mischievous do-gooder And a basic guide to creating likeable characters: A) A regular character is a likeable character B) A character that makes a good first impression is a likeable character C) A character who grows is a likeable character – we root for them. D) A flawed character is a likeable character. Perfection is not. E) A complex character is a likeable character F) A realistic character is a likeable character G) A well developed character is a likeable character H) A relatable character is a likeable character This isn't meant to patronize anyone, including the devs. Just food for thought if anyone has other suggestions.

That's the crucial factor really. A personality with a great "shelf life" and replay value would be better. Sarcasm is funny for a while, but could wear thin. And a wise all-knowing trait might come across as patronizing. Maybe a weapon that never quite trusts its handler would be more enduring? Hard to say without play testing.

What if it was decided by your character level or "hit dice" ? As an example (and this is only an example), say the upper limit was 2 x your current hit dice, so a level 20 wizard could summon up to 40 hit dice of creatures, with the most powerful creature having no more hit dice than the summoner (although this last point could be debatable). Therefore, possible combinations might be: 2 x 20 HD summons 1 x 20 HD and 2 x 10 HD summons 3 x 13 HD and 1 x 1 HD (er...right) 4 x 10 HD and so on. Or if you wanted a swarm, 20 x 2 HD creatures. I suppose the critical variable is how you'd decide on the upper limit with respect to your current level. Maybe 2 x your current hit dice is too much, or too little? It would require plenty of play testing to strike a balance, but I'd like to see the limit decided by the power level of the character, rather than an arbitrary value.

All excellent points Lephys. That "coming back to the game after a week" thing is what affects me the most. Having the knowledge stored in a meaningful way is vital. D&D 4e tries to address creature lore bonuses depending on class and creature type, although I've never actually played a 4e game.

I like the idea of a tiny weapon, like a dagger, with a "big man" complex. The "Come on if you think you're hard enough!" attitude. And for some reason I'm hearing that in a Mockney accent.

I wouldn't want reams of chatter either. That would get old fast. But the occasional quip, or piece of lore, or emotional comment could be entertaining. It wouldn't replace a PC/NPC in terms of impact on the campaign. That would take away too much from any central quests or character development. But as a side quest, it could fit in okay.

I was actually thinking of the AD&D (1st Ed) rules that implied intelligent weapons had a vocal ability and a measure of ego. There was a two-handed sword in BG2 with this ability. Can't remember if it was Lilarcor or one similar. It used to taunt the enemy during combat and joke around with its handler. I'll see if I can find which one it was. EDIT: The BG2 walkthrough on gamebanshee confirms it is indeed Lilarcor.

Osvir, this inspired me to suggest the intelligent weapons post. Your "reactive" weapons suggestion is a form of intelligence. I suppose it's how they communicate to their handler. Non-verbal using light/heat, or maybe highly vocal, warning the party of approaching danger etc. All good ideas.

What if P:E had a small but diverse selection of intelligent weapons scattered throughout the land? The kind that come with distinct personalities. Imagine the witty banter they might have with their wielder, or other party members, or even other intelligent weapons in the party. The dwarven war-axe with a Minsc-like outlook, or the bullying spiked club that attempts to intimidate the introverted dagger who is self-conscious about its size. They could be a great source of comedy, or indeed tragedy, that resonates throughout the campaign. Imagine if they had their own personal quests. The short sword in search of the perfect scabbard (a vanity quest). The warhammer determined to reach its rightful owner, only to find they have long passed (what happens next? A new quest?) They could have all manner of conflicting character traits, similar to the NPCs in BG/BG2. What would be your ideal intelligent weapon, and what would be its goal?

It wouldn't need to display everything about an enemy after a single encounter. It could build on the info over time. Or maybe by observing combat text and/or dialogue, you (the player) can make side notes about what works and what doesn't with certain creatures, like golems for example, and enter them in a creature journal if you wish. So the next time you encounter the same creature type, you could right-click and read your notes. It's just moving the notes from paper to in-game. That's one method. If the game handled it itself, it could still build up info over time, i.e. defeat X number of Troll Spiders (or a certain XP worth) and provided you discovered during combat that fire or acid worked well, but say, lightning or stabbing weapons did not, then it may fill in some blanks for you. I agree there should be no handholding. That wasn't the point of the suggestion. Just keeping player notes in a meaningful in-game journal. NWN has a right-click option that allows the player to view info on enemies and allies alike. A lot of that info is too much I think. If they used something like this, but started blank and built up over time, it would make more sense. In some ways it's a bit like having to identify magic items. There's a process involved to learn about an item, albeit a one-step and immediate process. But learning monster's strengths and weaknesses is something every adventurer should learn over time I think. It would just be handy to see it recorded in an easy-to-retrieve popup or tool tip.

More an ease-of-use option. Just something to do away with making mental/paper notes and simply display them in-game if you mouseover or right-click on an enemy type that your party has previous combat knowledge of. "Combat Lore" was a quick description of it, I admit. Perhaps a more appropriate term would fit. I often find that while playing games like the Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale series', creatures like slimes and jellies react differently to fire or electricity, and sometimes I forget which way round it is. Or maybe there are certain creatures with magic resistance or damage resistance, and you can waste time (and spells) by repeating a poor strategy. If the player characters know what worked in the past, they should be able to call on that experience, rather than just the player.

What if player characters remember which damage types are effective vs enemies, so you don't have to? Part of becoming a competent fantasy roleplayer is memorizing subtle details, but in the heat of battle, sometimes even the best of us forget which damage type (including elemental damage) works, or doesn't work, against certain monsters and armour. Visual clues often help, e.g. regular skeletons succumb to bludgeoning weapons more than slashing/stabbing blades. Fire elementals vulnerable to cold attacks, and so on. But what about those aberrant, shadowed, or magical creatures that have very specific and not always intuitive immunities? The first time the party encounters a new enemy type, they should have to discover what works, and what doesn't, by trial and error. Provided there is text and/or combat dialogue to inform the player when certain damage types aren't working (BG/IWD), it should prompt the player to try something else until an effective type is known, then that knowledge is stored in a combat lore table. As the party battle their way through a range of enemies, there could be a hotkey or right-click option (similar to NWN) that lists known vulnerabilities and immunities. Perhaps if your party included a Bard or a character with other types of creature lore, certain damage types might already be known. Normally I would keep a list on a notepad and refer to that, so it's in no way an exploit. All that's happening is it's moving player notes from paper into a kind of in-game combat journal. Taking the idea one step further, there could be a separate gallery of vanquished foes with a summary of known creature lore under each one. Challenge rating, special attacks, number of kills etc. It could be something to reflect on while sitting around the campfire and planning your next battle. It's an idea.

Maybe characters have a high Level of Detail (LoD) on the inventory screen so you can see all their equipped items up close. Rotate the avatar to see cape/cloak/robe/tabard designs and armour detail. And a Low(-er) LoD for adventuring/combat/spellcasting animations. There's something very special and very personal about outfitting your character, and seeing their accoutrements up close.

Piecemeal weapons like the Flail of Ages from BG2 that you self-assemble from scattered parts.

Characters like Deekin from NWN/HotU were interesting too. Not sure how much of a cliche that is though. There was also Korax the ghoul from BG1. Although you could NPC him around for only a short time.

Sewers. With a shady faction using it for their base of operations. I can handle that cliché.

I used the Baldur's Gate Tutu mod, and more recently the Weidu mod for IWD2, but only after I'd played the OC a couple of times. I think it's just a sign of the times that a player's attention span (or patience) is shortening. And I include myself in that comment. Maybe there should just be built-in setup options for ease/difficulty factor that include a quickplay/realism slider. One uncaps the item stacking and the other doesn't. Maybe there should be some tradeoff if you choose the easy option? The lesson here is you can't please everyone.

There was a video from the Royal Armouries released in 1978 titled "How a Man Schall be Armyd". This footage is not from that, but some of the links following are. Enjoy!