WildcatMik

I dislike armor use skill because it's a bit like a shoe use skill. Some other solution would be preferable. I kind of agree, and kind of don't. I think armour skill across a 'class' of armour is bad. I take off my plate I've been wearing for 2 years an put on yours and I'm just as comfortable in it? I think not. But gaining 'skill' in your own individual armour - i can see that working. Could be a tier thing too. Robes are quick to wear in, leather slower than cloth but faster than metal. Benefits for wearing your metal in properly outweigh benefits for leather etc but takes longer.

Like this point. Very much.

I picked other in the second poll as I couldn't decide between the melds or missile damage reduction options. In BG my main issue was with the concept that my mags could cast all his spells and then stand around uselessly until he got slaughtered or I could hang on to the spell invade I needed them and he could stand around waiting to be slaughtered... I want a mage to be able to contribute to a battle without resorting to slings if they are not using magic. Martial arts mages anyone?

I like this idea. The more a character wears a piece of armour the more he or she will get used to it, and this "learning" over time can be simulated by giving the armour some bonuses over time (but only for that character). It could even get certain special bonuses based on something the character experienced with that armour, e.g. (I don't know) fighting an ogre for the first time and getting a strong knock on the head could give the helmet worn at that moment a certain special bonus. The only problem with this is that it is very difficult to balance, because if it's overdone then the player will never be motivated to change the character's armour. Is this a problem? If we want an enchantment/crafting system (which I do) then I think it should be feasible to end the game with the armour you started with - albeit heavily modified/enchanted. I like the idea that good armour is difficult to come by, and almost prohibitively expensive to buy new. I think that by mid game you should have the armour that you end in. I really like the person specific bonuses due to experience wearing armour. It becomes important to decide what you are going to wear as a character but allows freedom early in the game to adjust you preferences to a playing style. Don't forget party mechanics here, while your own PC may be crap at fighting trolls in the open and good at picking off mages from a distance you should compensate for that by having a troll bashing magic susceptible PC in your party. I think that historically this holds true. Armour was generally inherited and repaired and updated not created from scratch. Weapons on the other hand were more easy to come by... different discussion there though.

Lots of interesting discussion here. I wish I'd found out about the kickstarter before it closed Chucking 2p worth in: I like the idea of having multiple sets of armour to change depending on circumstance... BUT it should be implemented realistically. Putting on a plate mail suit takes lots of time so you couldn't change on a whim. How about being able to set up a camp for your party where you sleep/change/repair/make arrows/etc. Obviously your char would start out with 1 set of basic armour (if that) and go on to build up a stock of items. Carrying them is the challenge here maybe ponies/horses to carry extra weight Camps might also be interesting in terms of being attacked while sleeping. No-one would sleep in a full plate set (ouch!) but might choose to sleep in a chain vest. being surprised in the night would mean you were not wearing your full plate +20 and so be more vulnerable. Also leaving gear in a camp might lead to being robbed by bandits... having a ranger or mage to track down the hideout and exact revenge becomes useful. Two other things, I really like the idea of customising your own gear to some extent - archers make their own arrows and get better as they practice, you repair tears in hide/cloth fabric yourself. But once you get to chain/plate you need to go to a blacksmith (cheap not very good) or armourer (expensive excellent work) for repairs. Lastly, I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but PLEASE put some serious thoughts into helmets. Full face helmets restrict vision, open helmets offer less protection. The one thing that bugged me most about BG was the helmets protect against critical hits thing. Being hit on your head, whether you are wearing a helmet or not, is going to seriously damage you and your ability to fight!