Silent Winter

Druids shall not suck, they shall blow (*casts Winter Wind*)

He's supposed to be getting 'Ray of Fire'-d (Blast is what wizards add to their wand damage in PoE )

I think for dialogue / scripted interaction checks, it's mostly going to be down to your stats (Might/Intellect/Resolve/etc) which won't (AFAWK) increase much if at all over the game. For things like mechanics (picking a lock/fixing a contraption), I wouldn't mind having something we simply couldn't do at first (which we could then choose to focus skills on to come back later) - if it's something that's worth coming back for (eg a nice side-quest or an interesting area) that gets kept in the journal so I don't forget about it. And it better not just have a plain old dagger hiding in that impossible to open chest (there should be a reason it's so carefully sealed for example)

Not sure if it's just down to the spell mechanic (thrown potions tend to reproduce spell effects in BG/NWN and might be treated as 'casting' the spell with a thrown animation first). I agree there should be some kind of accuracy check with the potion hitting more accurately or less accurately within an area. (or being dropped at your feet if you roll a 1 )

Looks like my head's a bit small in that last portrait, will fix it later. Doodling this morning, moved the Orlan wizard to defend the keep. Not got a lot of info on potential beasties to fight, but surely there'll be some Rodents Of Unusual Size... Still a WIP, still not happy with the ears, needs some lighting work. Better overall though, I think.

Time to resurrect this thread. Haven't done any more work on my last pic - Orlan ears giving me trouble But following an idea in another thread, I was inspired to throw a couple of portraits together. (Both WIPs) Aumaua one was done through 3D render followed by postwork. Not sure if the yellow markings on the official Aumaua portrait ( http://media.obsidian.net/eternity/media/updates/0074/pe-backer-portrait-combined.jpg ) are natural skin or some kind of tattoo/body-paint. If necessary, will add those later. Human one was done from a photo (head) combined with 3D render (body+background) then postwork. Since I can't draw/paint, the postwork involves painterly filters and combining layers (Check out FotoSketcher for some free filter fun. Takes a bit of tweaking but has some reasonable results - still better if you can paint yourself but not bad if you can't). Then into GIMP for layering fun and touching up problems). Both are 420x660 (PoE in-game portraits for character screen will be 210x330 - (smaller one for the HUD) - so these should shrink down nicely enough) Edit: One thing I've just noticed - if I reduce my portraits to the 210x330 size, they lose a fair bit of detail - if I reduce the examples given in the recent update thread, they still seem to have all the right details ... conclusion? Kaz is a genius

If the character's face is 'almost' right then changing the skin-tone is pretty easy with GIMP/Photoshop. If you want to change facial features (e.g. give Chinese eyes to a caucasian) then it's a little harder but still doable if you have the skills (I generally lack those skills but I'm getting better)

This (bolded) is the key part - to install the game you need an internet connection and the steam client. If Steam goes bye-bye, you can't reinstall your games. If GOG goes bye-bye, I can use my backed-up installers to continue installing the game as many times as needed. GOG is an online shop wherein you buy a product and it provides additional after-sales service. Steam is an online shop wherein you buy a service with product as an inseparable pair. If the service goes, your product (the installation file) is useless (AFAIK and would be happy to be corrected). This is what makes Steam DRM - you need the steam client to install the game. It therefore controls ('manages') the rights of people to install the software (aka DRM).

depends on the quality you're after - professional artist, you could be looking at a few hundred dollars (unless you want the copyright in the image too - then more). Semi-pro, a bit less maybe. You could find a hobbyist to do it in return for a GOG game or something. Or just wait til the community start churning out portrait packs for PoE sizes and hope one fits. Personally, I like to make my own portraits. They won't be as good as Kaz can do, but they should fit the style enough to not look out of place. Eventually (too busy right now), I'll add a few to the art-thread. At such a time, if you like the style, you can offer 'suggestions' on what kind of portrait would be 'cool' and I'll try to accomodate

I totally missed that. That sounds a little bit stupid to me I have to say. Does this only affect spells that have a duration or also healing and stuff like that? I think that Stamina replenishes immediately after combat (but not health) and 'heal' spells only affect stamina. I think you need a rest-spot to recover health (though there may be special items that can help with that). So only casting in combat makes sense for those. Other things (like if there's an invisibility spell for scouting or something) might make sense to cast out of combat but I guess it depends on what utility spells they have.

slightly off topic but: I've been playing a sorceror in NWN2 - it's kind of amusing to be silenced and then say 'Ok, I'll just kill you with slightly lower level silent-spells' at the click of a button (Wizards need to waste slots preparing them just in case - Sorcerors get the option as needed if they take the feat). Or "I wish my x-spell were more powerful for this foe ... oh yeah, I took the 'empower spell' option ... click..click... lol back on topic - I find 'fireball 1, fireball 2, fireball 3' etc boring - but a name change and a little tweaking go a long way to helping with that: Stupid name example: Fireball->Boom->Nuke (Boom adds concussive damage, Nuke adds EMP (Eye Melting Penalty)) I liked that Magic Missile increased in value in BG, not sure it's needed for all spells though. There's only so invisible you can get - then again, if the duration was less OTT (24 hours?) it could scale with duration - so your invisible rogue could do longer scouting trips as you went on. If there's to be no spell scaling at all, at least have equivalently useful spells at higher levels - as Lephys says, a single-target fire spell is not the same as an AOE fire spell, especially if you have friendly fire on and your melee fighters are in the thick of it.

I think it's just 'learn' (temporarily) or 'fail to learn' the spell - then if you learn it you can use it (once?) in that combat session. Trap spell sounds cool - though I'd question the wisdom of only having trap spells in your grimoire - perhaps if you could 'trap' any spell (at a cost in materials/gold/spell slots for the day/encounter) then it'd be useful. You could cast the spell but if it were stolen, the enemy would get a backfire. Edit: I misread - I see that's what you meant by 'Enchant a grimoire with a trap' I think it's 'single-target only' spells, so not ones that affect an area in-between. Eg M's Missiles works with it but not 'Fire-beam' (I forget the spell names).

'Publishing' Semantics aside - the only important distinction in this case is how Obsidian and Paradox view their relationship. Does creative control remain with Obs? Do final decisions on X,Y,or Z remain with Obs? Do future development decisions remain with Obs? Largely, yes - though decisions on packaging for the boxed editions and perhaps which stores to target, may be with Paradox now. [woah, deja vu - I'm getting that a lot in these forums lately - we're not taking paradox too literally and introducing time-loops are we?] Can Paradox have input? Probably of the "We've looked into this and think that '***' is worth considering. But then Obs will decide if it's a good suggestion or not. Methinks that suggestions of "We've done a survey of gamers on websiteB.com and 80% are in favour of a My Little Pony companion" would be met with "really? Ooookay. .... sadly we've no way to implement that mechanically, oh woe is us" or words to that effect. The big question would come when funding PoE2 - would they partner with a publisher (eg Paradox) there in a more traditional way? Or keep it self-funded and go with the same marketing deal? Probably depends on more details than are at present known.

All of the above, at some point. First playthrough going Druid, but still deciding between Orlan and Human

None of that new-fangled tech-malarky for me - If I wanna roll, I'll dig out the dice and roll them on the desk (edit: just moved to a new apartment and found my old D&D dice in the move - D20/12/10/8/6/4 ready!) (May need a D100 for PoE though) I think point-buy is fine for a cRPG. Re-rolling defeats the purpose for me. If it were 'Roll your stats' (once) then 'pick your class', it'd be fun from a 'this is my character, now I'll see what he's good at' perspective. But since it'll probably be BG-style 'pick class then do stats' type, I think point-buy is the better solution.

I object to missing the chance to object so that I could decline the opportunity to object. Now it just looks like I didn't object because the object of any potential objection became the subject of the entry.

But a rolling stat catches no moss. You don't want mossy stats, do you? o_o Why not? They'll provide a bonus to camouflage

Fantastic Update - one of my faves so far - definitely playing a Druid first playthrough Those portraits look great too - especially pleased to see and Aumaua one (was trying to make my own but didn't have enough reference - now I know the kind of thing to shoot for). Spells sound cool too <- dragons are just cool, even when irrelevant to the discussion at hand

Sounds like a good deal overall. Just throwing my tupenny in for a 'all future PoE-ness will also be available DRM-free on GOG' request for some degree of certainty. (edit: Confirmed that this release will, of course, be as promised to backers - just wanting to make sure that it's also going to be true for future releases (expansion, PoE2 et al) - as far as such assurances are possible). Sounds like the deal will mean extra sales though so that can only be a good thing for the future of PoE

Another silly one: Here lies Hamsh the Orlan Druid If only he hadn't been shapeshifted when he died, Were-bears don't make for cheap coffins.

Nice - though if it gets translated into Aedryan, it may no longer ryhme (or even scan depending on the sentence structure). Though it should still be in the character limit (unless Aedryan likes really long vocaubulary, like Entish or something) Translating the meaning of a poem is easier than translating the poetry of it. Not sure if they've said where the memorial stones will be (all in the same place or sprread around?) Edit: Deja Vu - maybe I'm just tired this morning but have we had this conversation about translating poetry before?

OR a simpler, more headstone-esque one: Here lie Gani and Ruto, a bonded pair With arrow’s flight and claw did they defend the folk of Echo Bay OR, a sillier one: Here lie Gani and Ruto, a bonded pair When pushed too far did Ruto quit, and his bonded ranger he bit. The resulting fight was twice as draining and now they're dead...so much for obedience training.

Well, I don't work well under limits But I can understand the need to keep them short. The following is the short version - 195 characters (including spaces) plus 5 line-breaks Moved the names to the title (and shortened Higani to Gani to save space ). --- Here lie Gani and Ruto, a bonded pair With arrow’s flight and nature's claw They gave the fight ‘til last did fall Ruto, and Gani's last breath for none could live with the other's death Here the two will sleep Forevermore each other keep

I thought you'd just pick an existing one but ok, the fun continues: (I started this in a silly mood but for some reason this rhyme ended up not having any jokes - I'm disappointed in myself ) Higani and Ruto, that bonded pair. Ever together, would ever dare. To challenge the dark, and bring the light. To settle the wrongs, with arrow's flight, or nature's claw, and make to pay, the enemies, of Echo Bay. When at last, he gave his all, dear faithful Ruto, in battle did fall, and with him, Higani's last breath, for neither could live, with the other's death. So here interred, the two will sleep, the last embrace, beneath the deep. (...Or I guess Echo Bay could be replaced by Defiance Bay but i figured a ranger would go for the smaller place to the north.) Edit: Had to go out for food so rushed the ending - might sound better with: So here interred, the two will sleep, in last embrace, each other keep.

"If found, please return to K.S. Necromancer & Sons" ------ "Here lies Barth Jarg, beloved Husband and Lawyer -The management of this plot accept no liability, whatsoever, for any injury or other loss as a result of this protruding gravestone. By walking across, dancing on or otherwise interacting with this plot, you accept all responsibility for personal wellbeing and the wellbeing of others in your group." ------ "Here lies the Death of RPGs - turn handle to make me roll - only 35 silver a go!"