Atreides

Nice update! When there's more time, could we consider different skins for the GUI? For example the BG granite look, wooden panels, vines/leaves, biomass etc.

I could see a stoner smoking "herbs" all the time that "changes" perception and unlocks dialogue options and solutions. Same for potions - could be a valid reason to keep chugging them outside combat until addicted or to maintain a status.

I like the ideas of filling market inefficiencies. Maybe a merchant guild may have members that look out for/create opportunities?

I don't see how you expect to reside within your enemy, much less summon anything once there. Teleporting blades into enemies from a distance, for example. Teleportation could be a cool branch of magic.

The world could be on the cusp of the industrial revolution, though whether to power it through tech or magic's an interesting question. In most situations, economics would be the driver - people making choices to maximise benefits given limited resources. Getting the job done the easiest/cheapest way, giving due consideration to consequences like the environment and society. Ok, the last part was partly a joke.

How about summoning blades in my enemies?

Narrated romances with a still image.

Wonderful topic. I'm leaning to the idea that feats accomplished with the user are what makes a weapon legendary, provided the weapon's worth using to accomplish those feats in the first place. Most of the magical/named weapons with written backgrounds in the IE games are about the previous owner that did something extraordinary with it, though it should be said that weapons that are outstanding/magical from the beginning increase peoples' chances of achieving extraordinary feats. Provided truly rare masterwork weapons are worth keeping and using in the first place, accumulating achievements with them could give bonuses like the ones in the stories. While I'm sure pragmatic samurai/vikings used anything on hand to win their battles, they had a respect for their swords/axes, and more so the ones that had developed a reputation. Personally, I'd like a mechanic that makes me consider keeping my favourite weapon vs upgrading to the latest potentially better weapon. There has to be a balance where it's obviously better to upgrade from a lousy weapon fairly early on until I hit a plateau where the marginal benefit of the next swap's got me considering maintaining/upgrading my favourite. The question I find interesting is how such a mechanic would affect player behaviour. Would I reload many times until my character gets the killing blow, to notch up the achievement on my weapon? Should familiarity bonuses be applied to non-physical weapons and gear? Do mages that focus on fire spells get a pyromanic bonus? And what about the trusty slippers of sneaking?

Just watched Django, and bounty hunting raiders like that could be fun too.

Starcraft2 uses achievements that that challenge players to do interesting things or try to play better.

I hope evil resolutions net the xp rewards too when the quest resolves.

In history, cities turned rich because they became the gathering points of resources. In this world, adventurers loot items from the surrounding areas and sell it at the closest town, like ants scouting and bringing back sugar. Tired of the selling items for diminishing returns, the player sets up her own trading business. Items left on sale could fetch a higher price. Although the returns aren't immediate like a cash sale to other merchants, the wait could be worth it. She sets prices at 90% market price, and sees brisk trade.

Deciding on armour won't be complete without considering its drawbacks. Otherwise everyone would wear plate for the best protection without its considerable weight and limited flexibility. For example, the dwarves in the Hobbit obviously preferred the protection of plate in a pitched battle, but opted for something lighter when they anticipated long distance hiking, running away, climbing and tumbling.

Should I use a weapon that gets more powerful as it makes more kills, the more souls it harvests and feeds on?

I could imagine slowing down a little for drama when a high ranking enemy goes down. Not sure if extra animation's required.

I'd be okay if the (only?) swords on sale at 200gp are a lot better - better quality steel and smithing - than the normal swords I pick up and sell for 10gp. At insane mode, logic's pretty flexible anyway so I'd get great items up front even if I had to really save up for them.

I could see things costing more but that would imply I could sell them for more. It doesn't add to immersion otherwise. Maybe some other tweak to the economy would work. I think people would still like to create their parties on Hardcore too.

Just watched the Hobbit, and it'd be cool to summon a short duration horde of goblins to rush a tight group of enemies and knock them off their feet.

Monks: General disarming, and disabling moves like throwing people to the ground. Weighted chain goes with the general idea. Cypher: Close-range headbutt Chanter: Electric guitar, building up to crazy solos if they're uninterrupted Barbarian: Throwing melee weapons Wizard: Incinerate enemies in their armour - the tougher the armour the more devastating the effect

I want to train my pet to throw shuriken.

Could be calling back souls that haven't been reincarnated and cramming them into "objects" - bodies, constructs, artifacts. The confused/fractured ones could have low cognitive processes. The smarter or more aware ones could be sources of information, but what's their incentive to cooperate?

A defensive bonus from reach weapons should be interesting. While the range makes it harder for enemies to close in, the game may have a tough time animating that. Maybe the game can still represent the reach defensive bonus by slowing down enemy attacks. Someone with a spear receives fewer attacks and net damage from a dagger wielding enemy.

Maybe spot/search skills get added value when paired with high INT, or lore with WIS. Someone can notice stuff, but a detective that connects the dots gets added value.

Pet panda, caretaker of the bamboo zen garden at my stronghold.

What do you mean? I'm safely assuming there are going to be restrictions on what classes can use which weapons. A typical Ranger might not see a red lettered "YOU CANNOT EQUIP THIS ITEM" message next to a warhammer, but they might see "You lack the strength to wield this weapon, you lack the skill to wield this weapon, you lack the training to wield this weapon" etc. Since we've gotten more info on the subject, I could see my fighter carrying a one-handed weapon of each damage type to go with her shield. Depending on the opponent, she'd switch weapons for better results. That (encouraged?) versatility would make me less inclined to specialize in swords or invest in blade/sword-specific skills for example. Maybe if the skills were laid out by style - sword/shield, 2-handed, long weapons etc there's still specialization with flexibility.