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Are the NPCs in their final form? Where you just click on them and see a wall of text? You can't interact with them or anything? I'm just asking because some of the things we were asked on the survey seemed to imply much more robust roles.

Have you tried crafting yet? What do you think about it and enchanting? I think crafting and enchanting shouldnt be done by your adventurers. Food and SOME potions and scrolls are fine since you have wizards, druids, chanters, priests and such but I think some recepies should maybe be tied to the survivalist and lore abilities (make a party-wide check to see what the highest ability score is). I honestly think towns should have an "Enchanter" merchant though. It could be the person selling you the potions and ingredients in the village for example.Sure you have wizards, druids, chanters, priests and such of your own but it would feel weird if a team of fighters, rogues, and rangers would be able to enchant. In games that have crafting and enchanting I always hoard materials first and then in-between quests or locations I sit down, have a good think and craft/enchant. It feels unecessary to be able to do it on the fly. To me it should be a ritual thing done during moments of pause since it tends to be a big deal, and giving a face to those moments via an NPC that facilitates the craft as a service would help flesh out the system and give it more personality and inmersion, imo. This is of course my issue on how the mechanic is implemented and presented, not about the mechanic itself and the metagame of it. Feel free to give your opinions on that.

Hi, i am working in this project and it would be great to see the AI of Pillars of Ethernity enhanced, and some gameplay aspects or NPCs automatizable/trainable using the Singularity descentralized free IA project: http://forum.ethereum.org/discussion/882/congratulations-humanity-you-have-reached-singularity#latest I hope you like my Ethereum project.

TLDR: Scroll to bottom for main points. I've been playing through Fallout NV recently. It's excellent quest design has brought to my mind a few points I'd like to share about NPC agency. Let's talk about the oldest trope in fantasy RPGs - that of the "quest". Usually a PC is given quests that entails "solving" problems for NPCs. If the player accepts a quest, then directions to complete said quest and possible rewards for doing so are made clear. If the player chooses to ignore the quest, then not much of anything happens (more on this point later). This plays into the power-fantasy that these games have historically filled. The player is either a White Knight travelling from town to town solving problems or an Evil **** (my own label) who benefits from said problems. This has always struck me as shallow and ultimately conceited; the White Knight's motivation is seemingly helping others in need but in actuality, his/her true motivation is the feeling of power gained by doing so. And if the player chooses not to engange in a quest (for whatever reason) then nothing changes because the NPC is incapable of handling the problem without the player's intervention. In my opinion, Kreia (from KOTOR 2) is the best NPC character I have ever encountered in any game. Her interactions with the player shred all the preconceived notions about being both a White Knight or an Evil ****. The conversation where she tears the player a new one for the ostensibly "noble" act of charity toward the traveller trapped at the port in Nar Shadda is permanently etched into my mind. "Such kindnesses will mean nothing, his path is set. Giving him that which he has not earned is like pouring sand into his hands." The notion that simply doing good deeds for others is the end-all cure to their problems was in desperate need of being thrown out with the rest of the simplistic moralism espoused by a lot of fantasy games - and Kreia was the one that did it for me. Back to New Vegas - one aspect of the quest system that really stood out to me was it gave the player the choice of not only solving the problems of NPCs but empowering NPCs to actually solve their own problems. A great example is one of the first quests you receive: Ghost Town Gunfight. Instead of merely eliminating the Powder Gangers and "solving" the problem, the player is put in a postition to empower the people of Goodsprings to help themselves. Rally the troops and have them play to their strengths in order to fight off the invaders. There is certainly a sense of satisfaction to be had from helping people help themselves. Sadly, this was not done nearly enough (even in NV). By declining to do a quest, the NPC would usually see you off with a "I'll be here if you change your mind" and then simply wait around for you to return and help him/her out of the problem. The quest that comes to mind is the one where the Brotherhood of Steel initiate asks you to return the laser pistol he dropped in the wastes while running from Radscorpions. I wanted to tell him that if he snuck out of the bunker for target practice, he can certainly do it again to retrieve his pistol, and if he's too cowardly to do so, he can talk to the quartermaster, admit his mistake, and bear the consequences of his actions. In short, he should SOLVE HIS OWN DAMN PROBLEM. Sadly, this was not an option provided in the dialogue tree. I left that quest undone on moral grounds, even though to complete it would have probably netted me some free supplies from the quartermaster. For those of you who are still with me, here are my simple recommendations for dealing with NPC agency in quests: Ensure that there are noticeable outcomes (positive, negative or otherwise) for both choosing to accept a quest and NOT choosing to accept it. If possible (because it isn't always possible) enable player to help NPCs solve their own problems. Seeing as how both the games from where I have taken ideas are Obsidian games, this is probably already well understood by the devs. I'd simply like to see more of it.

RPG's generally have a several ways party NPC's are done: - Blank slates. They have no personality and are basicly mercenaries with no meaningfullinteraction... OR you build the whole party yourself - Characters have their own personality and agendas. Now I've seen a few promising kickstarters that try to combine this by having personaltiy traits in character creator that affect how a NPC reacts to certain situations.. However, this is not about that. This is about the amount of influence the PC has over the party. Sometimes it seem they have too much influence - being able to sway any party member to their POV. Sometimes it seems that no one else seems to have any influence on them except the player. that is something I want to avoid. Basicly I desire a party that feels real. NPC's that influence eachother (you say no, the other party member sez yes, the NPC likes him more than you and he does it), have their own agendas and thoughts and aren't there just to be the PC's underlings, or mouthpieces for something.

A psuedo-introduction thread, because psuedo makes everything sound cooler! I believe that "Everything" is "Material". Reading some on the P:E Wikia I see relations between this board and what is being said there. I don't know if it is one way or the other (we are inspired by the Wikia or the Wikia is inspired by the forums). If the Wikia is inspired by the forums then your username and how you write here is also possibly an inspiration to characters and the world itself in P:E. So who do you see yourself as in P:E? Or as an inspirational material, what type of character would you be? Are you one of the Gods, one of the Companions? The bar owner? Are you the jester? How would you see yourself? Let me explain, when I went theater class we did some Commedia Dell Arte which is about putting on a "mask" and acting on the mask. The mask doesn't necessarily have to be like the picture seen below (there are millions of different masks, what kind of mask are you?), it could be a person, you put on and act on a different body language than your own really (Method Acting). We had one class where our homework was to go out to town and research, watch people and find one person to imitate (body language) then twist it up a notch making it hilarious and exaggerated (could get really awkward too if not authentic). A casual step forward could become a long slow motion awkward step forward. It was super fun to work with. Basically this is a thread about everyone. If you are imitated into P:E and exaggerated/twisted/tweaked similarly as explained above, do you have any "demands" on how you would wish to be presented or do you give Obsidian free reign? Getting to that awkward part where I haven't thought out ways I see myself and getting to that awkward point of presenting myself (which feels rather awkward)............. So... thinking about it a little bit, how do I see myself? As a Chanter, Cipher, Druid, Wizard or Monk. Tinkering and thinkering, friendly and passionate. A philosopher, necromancer in a sense, a Socratic individual (Socrates had to drink a vial of poison because his philosophy was not welcome, he was executed for his ways, I'd say that could be seen as "necromancy" in the eyes of the people who wanted him dead e.g., authority). Socrates was also believed to be a mad man by everyone, yet he is one of the most important historic figures for us today in philosophy. Irony right? I absolutely love to travel, Druidic and nomadic in that sense that I love the land. I intend to travel Europe next summer. When I was in Boulder, Colorado last spring I hiked a lot in the mountains and camped out as well. Boulder, Colorado is absolutely gorgeous, and they've got some pretty sweet rock climbing spots. "So Crat Es" in Latin translates to "So was the art". I like cryptic and deep riddles~information. Something that is more than meets the eye, something that can transform from one thing to another and/or deconstructed and then constructed again. I want to have an open mind and an open heart, often deciding to be positive before reading anything. A title in the Forum saying "Mini-Game", I can decide if I'm going to think "Not going to touch that blegh!" or "Oh! Mini-Games, I already get 11 ideas by the title itself!!". I've taken apart many computers just to put them back together just because I was curious. Self-aware and conscious what I am writing, how I am wording and how it is structured (where I put comas and parenthesis as well). I edit a lot post-posting because I notice structural failure when I've posted (In a sense it is like "production complete" and then I can work on polish/details). As long as the post isn't posted it is a work in progress, and there is a sense of relaxation and "rewarding success" when you've actually posted. A post is like a program, you won't notice some bugs until you've actually released it (because you didn't have the same mindset or whatnot pre-posting). I was asked once by a stranger (who felt like my sister) what my superpower was, and I told her "Kindness". I only want good. I stand with two feet on Mother Earth, and not with two feet in a country. I feel we are all family and friends on one planet, a floating big ball in space. I'm definitely a Chanter, being singer-songwriter. I like everyone here on the forums and think everyone has interesting points, thoughts and ideas Alignments A mix of Chaotic Neutral and Chaotic Good, trying to be True Neutral. Sometimes gets bitten by Chaotic Evil (in essence, being a selfish jerk), though I dislike being bitten by it and always feel bad about it (it happens you know, sometimes you've got a good day sometimes you've got a bad day). I feel strongly for having honor and a sense of duty, but not enough to touch Lawful Good. Osvir is a well thought out screen name, which started on a roleplaying board as "MaskedMan", wherein Os Vir literally translates to "Bone Man". It's my "Avatar"/"Alter Ego", like a character in World of Warcraft is (otherwise I would display my real name, I have told Obsidian my real name because they tell us their names, just felt it respectful). Os by itself can translate from Latin to English as "Mask", but seems to be more related to "Speech", "Mouth", "Lips", "Bone", "Source", "Mien", structure and presentation. Os is also "Opening", "Effrontery", "Impudence" and "Countenance". Vir can be "Lover", "Husband", "Virility", "Soldier" and "Manhood". ^I relate who I am to these, which is pretty funny and coincidental to me, been using the screen name Osvir for a couple of years now and I relate to the Latin translations. I'm a crazy and confused individual from time to time, and do weird things, but I'm not harmful, I don't bite (hard ). I'm just human like all of us. In video games I always play the good character for a more Passive Story Playthrough, and an evil character for Hack & Slash Action Playthrough and laughs. Laughs for both actually (Good/Evil). Who are you?

Not companions, not major enemies, maybe faction leaders. Traders, quest givers, people you meet and interact with. They can be humorous, they largely set the mood of the whole rpg. Remember any who stood out as particularly awesome? For what reason? What kind of NPC's would you like to see in PE? A few examples. Icewind Dale (and 2). Nym the Drow merchant. Now I don't remember what kind of dialogue he had, but I do remember that I do remember him. Maybe it was just that he had a good selection of items and a some kind of a good reason to have that selection. Not a good guy, not super evil either. Was there even a chance to fight him in iwd 2? Fallout 2, First Citizen Lynette. OMG what an arrogant uptight b*****. Set the tone for the whole vault city experience just perfectly. It's not an evil place and she's not evil, but... hell. And she's kind of a major NPC, so breaking my own rules straight away.. Fallout NV, Little Buster Now he's a minor NPC. Doesn't give missions, doesn't really help you at all, doesn't say much, but every single line he has is quotable comedy gold.

Hi there I heard about Pillars of Eternity about 6 hours ago, checked it out about an hour ago, and now I've thrown my money at you. There are many things that I love about RPGs, needs that I am confident will be fully satiated by this game, but the one desperate desire I wish to express this: give me one or two memorable and, hopefully, utterly mad (but in a nice way) characters. My favourite part of playing Baldur's Gate, and this is one of the best games I've ever played so there was a lot to love, was directing dearest Minsc, and his mighty Space Hamster Boo. I don't know how many times I heard him shout "Go for the eyes, Boo, GO FOR THE EYES!" but it just never got old. The thought of this Juggernaut and his two-handed death-dealing sword, tenderly taking care of a hamster (who was obviously a total badass, but no-one was capable of understanding his full badassness) made Minsc one of my fondest characters from ANY game I have ever played. Please ensure that I have at least one character, he needn't be epic in any way (the rest of the team will just have to cover), that can give me the warm fuzzies and the constant mirth that that poor, deluded, insanely strong and gentle madman gave me all those years ago. Much love

With how things have been given to us and all the details said so for about the world of PoE, what NPCs would you think might or would possibly like to see in the world? I've got two so far that I'd like to see. Necromancer Healer - Sounds like an oxymoron right? Well, this necromancer would use his/her spells to reanimate the dead in the name of study, science, and health. Not only would he/she study how the newly corpsed person died, but if the death happened by a disease or illness, study and find means to create means to protect and heal those who haven't been afflicted by said illness/disease. It'd totally fit with Obsidian's big multi-layered characters. Madness Inflicted Person - Yeah, somewhat cliched, but I would definitely enjoy any interactions with a potentially crazy/mad character who'd know things about your character or revelations that no one else would know in the game. Heck, could have an entire scenario in which this mad character proclaims to be a prophet for his/her divine being and you either can be a part or against it. And take part in a potential plot by same mad character to wipe out the ruling class/entire population of a town or city either by joining in or fighting against the character. Or just go screw it and leave everything alone. What are your random character ideas you'd like to see/think might be in the game already?

Hi Im curius about wat type of characters you hate in games (we have alredy love ones) And here goes one that i simply hated Elanee (she was simply the worst character in this game) She was damp boring and over moralised And here goes another well done character Cassavir He is also boring like rotting wood nut he at least has excuse his fanatic paladin

I was thinking about some of my favourite experiences playing infinity engine games and something really sticks out: some of the most immersive experiences were those where I was able to influence the thinking and character of NPCs. Anomen from BG2 really sticks out. Your choices in the game completely determine his fate. For me, the positive outcome he experienced on my second playthrough was made all the more powerful because in a previous playthrough I allowed him to fall down a dark path. It was a well executed piece of story-work - the implications of your decisions were foreseeable but not obvious, and by the time you see the full outcome of your words, the seeds are long planted and outside of the salvation of a quick-load. I would love for this to explored more deeply in RPGs... PE seems like a great opportunity. Imagine being able to influence NPCs to change alignment. Much of George R.R. Martin's success as an author is due to the fact that his characters can be viewed in different lights, with very few of them having a true alignment as such. Classic D&D seems to veer towards a more Tolkeinian nature - your characters and their alignments are carved out according to the rules, in opposition, with polarity such as Good vs Evil, Lawful vs Chaotic generating all conflict. Before people jump up and point me to the 'No Good or Evil Choices' thread, hold up. I'm not necessarily talking about player decisions, i'm talking about the characters around them and how they might change. I would love to see a more malleable approach to NPCs in gaming. Besides immersion, such an approach allows for greater flexibiity in party formation. For e.g. Minsc is an awesome character but unfortunately incomptable with an Evil BG2 playthrough. Surerly a scheming, intelligent player should be able to turn him over to the dark side, via manipulation and taking advantage of that bump to his head?

I personally believe that some old and new RPG's lack certain aspects of realistic cities. I personally would like to see standard daily routines on many of the NPC's throughout the city. Some of these elements have been added in past games (like Skyrim, BG2, assassins creed) but not to an accurate enough extent. I understand that some of you may disagree with me and may believe this to be a hindrance to aspects of the game. However, I believe it will add a certain beauty and also certain gameplay elements. Possible NPC time Cycle. (For this to work, a lot of citizen NPC models would need to be made) 5am - 7am (sunrise) Middle/lower class citizens begin to wake, head to work and set up for the day (market stall owners, farmers, blacksmiths, criers). Drunks should be sleeping in the odd alley in the slums of the city. The general city atmosphere is quiet 7am - 10am The rest of the middle and upper class citizens should be waking (some escorted by private guards) and heading the their respective jobs. Blacksmiths, bakeries, government buildings and all establishments should be opening by 8am. Taverns should have very few people in them, just the odd patron. The general atmosphere should be noisy and busy. The streets should be at its fullest (Like peak hour traffic in an city on earth) 10am - 5pm The odd poor boy should steel from a stall in the markets The odd man should shout "I've been pick-pocketed!" Criers should be yelling out the cities events and news (like in BG2). Shop keepers should be yelling out to buy their goods (like in BG2). Citizens should be generally active thought the city. 5pm - 8pm Everyone should be closing up shop and heading home. Taverns should start to get crowded. The odd cloaked figure should be wandering the street. 8pm - 11pm Taverns and brothels should be making a roaring trade. The odd whore (not sure if they will be added) should be wandering around the middle class streets near/around city guards. The odd citizen should still be around The odd cloaked figure should be wandering.. The odd drunk should be wandering.\ 11pm - 4am Should there be a local thieves guild this should be their most active time. The odd Tile should fall off a roof. Drunks should be sleeping in the alley. Cats chasing Mice. The general atmosphere should be pretty quiet. Gameplay Features automatically Added Assassinations: This gives certain NPCs a cycle that you can base a killing around. Should I eliminate the target while sleeping? Or on the way to work? ect ect. Waking someone up: Should you finish a major quest, you may chose to wake up the NPC you are collecting your reward from. This may result in them slightly disliking you. This may have an effect on a future quest down the line that is related to that NPC. Meeting certain people at certain times. There would be quests, in which you could only meet a certain person at a certain time of day. You may need to meet them at home at 9pm, or at 6am early before too many people are around. 24/7 Stores There would be some stores in the city that could be open 24/7. But these stores should charge a little more in price. So if your desperatly need some bandages, or, a black robe, or a knife ect ect, you have no choice but to buy from a 24/7 store and spend a little more money. I feel as though this would be a great addition to the game. Please add your suggestions and constructive criticism. Cheers Bhaal_Spawn

yeah what do you think ?

Will we have to do a lot of dialog reading like the ole IWD classics or will we be treated to top notch voice acting? God Speed!

I don't enjoy the idea of being overshadowed by my party members. That's mildly discouraging when they're another class, but when they're the same class it gives you the feeling of "why bother". I do enjoy some ego flattery, after all. Edit: I meant companion characters, obviously non-companion NPC's could be quite challenging

What if you could discover an NPC that was created dynamically, and designed to be your Kindred Soul? So that he/she were a different class/build each playthrough depending on your own class/build. And only once you found them, together you could perform super awesome abilities, either in combat or spellcasting, or both, or in other ways. Or maybe there's a trade-off? And depending on your future actions, you either bring them closer to you or drive them away. It could cover some elements of romance/bromance and other complexities of party make-up. A power shift in companions, jealousy, or even treachery. Thoughts ????

So simple question as always. I was little concerned about other thread here on forums by this question. Basicaly I think thats a waste of time to create quests related to death of my party member if its not part of story. It should be nice to have some short quest for those who would play Ironman mode but other than that I dont see much reasons to spend preciouse dev time on such thing but maybe I am in minority on this. Looking for your answears!

It bothers me alot in roleplaying games that you see a bunch of npcs named for example citizen and one John. Well we know from the start that John has a quest for us or something. I would rather have a system were after a conversation mwhere the NPC introduce themselves ,the name appears above the npc. Also it is stupid that u walk to every npc and ask them if they need help. Quests should be done differently. 1. The NPC approaches you by himself 2. The NPC is in a situation which is visually presented 3. A information board,book,notice or a towncrier And many other possibilities which I cant recall right now. But yeah, it is a small Idea which can change our gameplay drastically in my opinion ( THe npcs will be more memorable ). What do you think ?

This isn't a major problem, but it is one that sometimes kind of bothers me when I look at the NPCs working with my character in a game. Often I don't think their level of power makes very much sense. So, in Baldur's Gate 2, you have party members from BG, who should be as powerful as you. You have a few local heroes/mercenaries who have proven their worth through their great struggles. Then you have characters like Aerie and Nalia, who should not even be anywhere close to your power. Aerie is just a former circus slave with a bit of teaching in clerical arts and magic, but who has never adventured. Nalia is just another slumming noble. Neither character should be even close to the strength of the hero of Baldur's Gate, even if you fudge it. Another example is Anders in DA2. Anders was a party member of the hero of DAO in a quest that happened after that hero killed the archdemon, presumably one of the most powerful creatures in the world; defeated Loghain, one of the most powerful warriors in Fereldan; and possibly defeated Flemith, a legendary witch, so Anders should be about as powerful as needed to do these things. Even more so, he's merged with a spirit who is about as powerful as all of these things. Now remember, that Connor, a barely trained apostate who became an abomination due to a much weaker spirit than Justice was able to siege and possibly destroy Redcliffe. Combining Anders with Justice should result in an abomination able to perhaps level cities or something like that, one of the most powerful beings in the DA universe, not a being that has much to really fear involving templars, certainly not one with a lot to gain from your barely tested hero. And again, ME1 has the same issue with Liara. Your character is one of the best commandos in the galaxy at the start of the game, that's why he/she's joining the most elite commando squad in the galaxy, the Spectres. Ashley, a random grunt found on a backwater planet, is stretching things to have as a companion, however Liara, a scientist without any significant martial background is really stretching it to the point of question. Shepard, along with all other members of his team, have had to push themselves to the limits to get the experience they have, and despite being at the top, have gained more practice in recent events as well. Then they're joined by Liara who has no reason to really be at the top, and especially not the top of the top, and yet she can jump in and carry her weight. Once again, this isn't a game-breaker to me. I'll live on, even if my party is comprised of novices who can somehow jump into the action against god-slaying abominations. Sometimes some fudging is even for the best. It does bother me though to have this inconsistency.

Given that the NPC companions will be of an engrossing nature with their own personas and agendas, how severe can we expect conflict and consequences arising from derision to be? There was a moment in BG: ToSC when my party was deep within Durlag's Tower near death and out of resources, I attempted to rest before gracefully exiting that death-trap when an argument broke out. Khalid and Jaheria had decided that Montoron and Xzar weren't desirable company anymore, which resulted in my party hacking itself to bits in a squabble I had no ability to stop. It was an absolutely exquisite moment. Baldur's Gate II followed up these conflicts well with many other characters ending in irrevocable impasses where the PC had to make serious choices that could result in party members leaving forever or dueling to the death. I am very excited at the prospect for these consequences; particularly in a no-reload environment. Is this an aspect that anyone else looks forward to?

Imagine, travelling through highland (possibly rocky montane area) around the rocky corner of the road you hear some not so distant sound of blast and rockfall on the way ahead (possibly down the pass or on the other side of linn/combe/ravine). Later you see that way (road) was blocked by rockfall you've heard and, when approached the site, you see dead bodies in white torn robes and body parts scattered among the rocks all around the place. Searching around you discover one laying male person that moving his limbs like still alive. Man, middle aged, wear white bloody robe above strange suit, with blood on his face flowing from empty orbits, presumably suffering from internal bleeding and damage or fractures, apparently in state of delirium with symptoms of terminal state. Man raving some words on unknown language and then losing his conscious. you and companions managed to heal him a bit and he's still alive; but not for long, and you need to decide: whether to take a stranger to nearby village by sending one of companions (who will try to keep man alive up to transferring this man to local medicaster) and possibly save man's life, or (considering weak chances for man's survival and assuming apparent uselessness of that man to campaign) to leave him and continue quest with so needed companion. All words you managed to catch, before man fall unconscious - "parallel dimension", "black hole", "collapse", "earth destroyed" - you failed to understand. Patch on man's robe pictured two circles and hieroglyphs formed "CERN" pattern.

Kind of, Quest events. Imagine doing Kivan's quest, but from being a third-party. Where he leads and you follow (and would you walk back he would continue forward). During the time you follow on his quests you would pretty much be a 7 man party, with perhaps some basic shouts a la "Watch out!", "Get over here", "Follow me for a while". You wouldn't have any mechanical control but this could be a tactical aspect in itself in combat (Controlling an out of Party companion with limited tactical management, controlling several? Lead an army? xD). Of course, the companion should have some proper AI. I'm thinking Side-Kick Heroes, basically potential Companions or traveler's, that travels the world actively doing one Quest tree. Every NPC usually has their own in-built Quest tree that they have to follow right? That you have to do anyways? If Time is going to be a resource, would you miss certain Quests, companions?

Do you want to romance one or two of your companions? I do because the romanceable characters become more deep and intresting persons. It also helps me made my role-play in game diffrent and intresting every time. Developers please give us opportunity.

I was browsing the possible pledges (again) and it struck me that if the 1000$ tier that allows a backer to name and design an NPC sells out, Obsidian will have to put 200 fan-made NPCs in the game. That is a staggering amount; in fact there are many RPGs out there that don’t have as many NPCs in the entire game. I was wondering therefore how they’ll solve this from a design point of view. It seems to me that it’s impossible to create so many unique NPCs and also give them a unique thing to do, i.e. a quest. So will people have to accept that their character will be a villager; a trader; a tavern guest rather than a quest NPC? The alternative is quite impossible unless Obsidian’s developers start replacing all of their own quest NPCs with fan-made candidates that more or less fit the profile. I’m not saying this to question or cast doubt on this pledge reward by the way: if I’d design a character and see him or her end up telling my hero a line or two of lore in some cosy inn, I’d be perfectly contented. After all, expecting them to become a major villain or wise mentor that counsels the player throughout the game just isn’t very realistic. No, I’m just interested to see how these fan-made NPCs will be handled throughout the development of Project Eternity and would welcome your opinions on the matter.

Given that souls play a major role in this game, your dead companions could come back in some kind of soul-bound way to an object, animal, spirit, undead, or even mind. I want my goblin-like herb-mixer remain in a talking voodo skull for example. Or your healer comes back as a ghost, the thief accompanies you as your shadow, the figther's soul in a weapon, the druid in an owl, the monk as a ghoul and so forth. In what form would you like to see a companion return to the world of the living?