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I was wondering what other people picked for their first character in pillars of eternity and what factored into that decision. After playing the game with your first character what race did you choose for your second play through and what determined that.

When creating a new character, choosing Wild Orlans as a race results in no head/hair customization tab appearing. I can select Portrait, Voice, etc. but the Head button is just missing. This happens regardless of whether I went back and forth in the creation menus; others reported a similar bug when they went back and chose a different race, but I'm getting this even if I immediately go with Wild Orlans. I'm playing the 1.0.2.0073 (1153) beta version on GOG right now.

Hello, just a quick question: as far as I can tell, wild orlans are stuck with the default hair style. However, I also recall seeing backer beta screenshots starring wild orlans with mohawks, and a mohawk definitely isn't the default option I'm seeing now. Were the extra hair style options removed for the release? Or is it a case of me being dumb/senile and mising the option to change hair?

Themes: little people, defensive strategy, things that go BOOM Editor's note: this is a stupidly effective party, which makes Path of the Damned feel like Normal. The Pervrunen Dworvlans originated about a century ago. One Glanfathan Orlan named Cyrli was exiled from his tribe, and ended up in the trackless wastes of the White that Wends. There, he encountered a clan of Pargrunen, and convinced them of his theory that Boreal Dwarves and Orlan are in reality two branches of the same family, and reunification is the sacred duty of both peoples. Despite their best efforts, the Dworvlans have hitherto failed to produce viable offspring. I had the rare occasion to briefly travel with a band of Pervgrunen I encountered during my extended visit of Dyrwood. As their leader Qitupiiq recounted to me, his people had heard tell of a mystical, sacred place of the Pervgrunen, known as the White Forge. Believing that it had to be less bloody cold than the White that Wends, he, his faithful bear companion Puuqi, his cousin-spouse Paniiq with her wolf-friend Snuupi, and their short but furry cohabits Qimuli and Dereq, both holy warriors of uncertain description but conflicting ethoi, set out to search for it. The isolation and harsh climate of the White that Wends has clearly affected both the dwarf and the orlan component of the Pervgrunen Dworvlan people. The dwarves are clearly deficient in the higher intellectual capabilities, but little escapes their gimlet-eyed stare, and they are fantastically active, whereas the orlans are almost glacially slow, but resolute and intellectual. I had many interesting discussions with Qimuli and Dereq about their differing martial philosophies. The dwarves bring to the Pervgrunen their love of heavy metals and things that go 'boom,' while the orlans, ever quick with a knife to the knee, favor that basic survival tool to be found everywhere in the Antarctic waste: the icepick. As Dereq once mused to me, "few problems can't be solved with an icepick to the kidneys, except an icepick in the kidneys." Soon after their arrival in Dyrwood, the band of Pervgrunen was augmented by one Sagani, so desperate for company of her compatriots that she reluctantly agreed to travel with them, despite their reputation having reached her home, Naasitaq. "We do not speak of the Pervgrunen," she flatly told me when I wanted to interview her for details. My travels with the Pervgrunen were cut short when they occupied a ruined fortress in the middle of the Dyrwoodan wilds, and appointed me its chamberlain, minus my very expensive arquebus ("it goes boom!") and armour. "You're too tall," Dereq told me. Fortunately, they visited regularly and recounted tales of their exploits which I have noted down exactly as told to me in this memoir, most colourfully by one Hiravias, an Orlan of local extraction who immediately saw the truth and beauty of the notion of unity, love, and cohabitation between the short-statured people. --- PC: Qitupiiq, Male Boreal Dwarf Ranger, Laborer, Bear Companion (Puuqi). Stats: Mig 20, Con 12, Dex 17, Per 19, Int 5, Res 5. Skills: Mechanics, with a bit of Stealth and Athletics. Abilities: Wounding Shot, Swift Aim!, Stalkers Link, Driving Flight Talents: Marksman, Swift and Steady!, WF: Soldier, Gunner Gear: Arquebus, light armour. -- Hired companion 1: Paniiq, Female Boreal Dwarf Ranger, Hunter, Wolf Companion (Snuupi). Stats: as above. Skills: split between Stealth, Athletics, Lore, and Survival Abilities: as above. Talents: Faithful Companion, Swift and Steady!, WF: Soldier Gear: as above -- Hired companion 2: Qimuli, Female Hearth Orlan Darcozzi Paladin Stats: Mig 14, Con 14, Dex 3, Per 16, Int 16, Res 15 Skills: Lore, rest split between Stealth, Athletics, Survival Abilities: Lay on Hands, Liberating Exhortation, Zealous Endurance, Reviving Exhortation, Flames of Devotion Talents: Deep Faith, Sword and Shield Style, WF: Ruffian Gear: heavy armour, shield, stiletto / pistol or blunderbuss -- Hired companion 3: Dereq, Male Hearth Orlan Goldpact Paladin Stats: as above Skills: as above Abilities: Flames of Devotion, Zealous Focus, Zealous Charge, Hastening Exhortation Talents: Deep Faith, Enduring Flames, WF: Ruffian, Sword and Shield Style Gear: as above -- Sagani, built and equipped more or less like the rangers above Hiravias, Weapon and Shield Style, Cautious Attack, plus lots more defensive talents, equipped as the paladins -- So this is a ridiculously powerful party, and also remarkably versatile. I have enough stealth to creep up on enemies and finish off one or two squishies in a gunpowder alpha strike. Then I have lots of options: I can switch on Zealous Charge and make the battlefield mobile, retreating, regrouping, firing, moving, and so on, taking care to keep my rangers well behind the animal companions and the orlans. Or I can form up into a tight knot with the orlans and the animal companions shielding the rangers and drop the opposition with volleys one by one; the dwarves fire stupidly fast and accurately, and the orlans are really hard to kill and occasionally do manage to shiv someone in the knee (which is quite painful with Flames of Devotion). And if things get hairy, I can have Hiravias trigger Returning Storm, summon up a Blight, or do any of the druidy things druids do to control crowds. You'd think that I'd have a serious problem with casters targeting my rangers, but no -- if I push the beloved cute furry animals forward enough, they nuke them instead, which makes the rangers sad for a bit but then the animals get up again afterwards and all is well. Okay, so I'm not that far into the game yet with this party and I suppose something could get tricky later on, but I'll be damned if I can think what. They'd actually probably be even more effective with arbalests and their superior range, but these guys like things that go BOOM so they can keep 'em. Here they are, doing what they love best, raiding some backwoods thayn's crumbling castle.

(Scroll all the way down for example fights and lots of screenshots of various battles). Portraits (for use in game) Difficulty - Path of the Damned - Trial of Iron Class/Role - Fighter - DPS, off tank, flanker or second tank to form shield wall with eder - Laborer (+1 athletics & mechanic) Race/Origin - Orlan - +10 chance to critical when attacking same target as ally - Living lands for +1 might Stats - Might: 18 - Con: 3 - Dex: 18 - Per: 18 - Int: 3 - Resolve: 18 NOTE: Fighter have constant recovery which heals you for +3.9 endurance, this is why you can get away with low constitution for this build. This was my health after clearing all of magran's fork at level 3 with the following party, compare it to eder's. NOTE: I was able to kill all the wolves in Valenwood solo by backing into a corner and fighting them two at a time, I drank one beer, made and ate Duc's Own Beefloaf and pearlwood chicken, used one minor recovery potion. Weapons/Food 1st weapon slot - Estoc 2nd weapon slot - Pollaxe or Warbow depending on intel gathered before fight. Optional Hatchet & Large shield is a great choice too which can put the Orlan in high deflection mode in case he needs to temporarily tank. He already gets high deflection from the perception & resolve being at 18. NOTE: Estoc for piercing DR bypass, Pollaxe in case you need slash/crush, Warbow in case you need to range if path to enemy is blocked. NOTE: Estoc penetrates heavy player enemies extremely well. Always drink Ale + Pearlwood chicken for fights you think may be tough. This applies to all companions. Minimum, make sure eder and this character eat chicken and ale before tough fights. pearlwood chick gives +2 constitution, +10 endurance and the ale gives +2 damage reduction. Skills - Disciplined Barrage - Increase accuracy which means higher chance of critical - Weapon Focus Adventurer - Gives +6 accuracy for Estoc, Pollaxe & Warbow. - Confident Aim - 1.2x minimum damage, 20% of grazes convert to hits - What you pick after is your choice since the above three skills is most important. NOTE: On POTD you'll need all the accuracy you can get. Accuracy ensures higher chance of getting those criticals. NOTE: In order of priority increase Mechanic, Athletic, then a little bit to survival, lore and sneaking. I like having multiple utilities at my disposal. ARMOR - Plate or Brigandine - Heaviest armor you can get Tactics - Let tank go in first, once enemies have chosen their targets, move behind an enemy to flank with your estoc or pollaxe. Have the entire party also focus your target with ranged attacks. - Save disciplined barrage for the most dangerous enemy in the group. Damage - VS WOLF, When you're level 3 you'll do 25-36 damage with each hit and rarely miss. - VS SHADE, When you're level 4 you'll do enough damage to a shade to take it down even with it's 16 DR. - VS Plate Armor Tank Enemy, you'll do enough damage to take him down with no problem. Survivability & Recovering from Mistakes - This build is all about surviving mistakes, but still being a powerful DPS. Rogue, Barbarian, Monk and any other class would normally go down if you make a mistake, but with this build you can make a mistake and still recover due to high high deflection and constant recovery which make it great for blind play through. Level 3's VS Boars Positioning First, Notice the tree to right of Eder, notice our orlan fighter slightly behind and to the left of eder. We're going to let eder handle as many of the boars as possible. Boars attack, notice how they are confused, so I don't attack with the Orlan fighter and patiently wait, situation is under control. Young boar moves in, now is a good time to move in our fighter, I make durance, kana & aloth help focus fire the young boar. After young boar dies, two boars move in and attack the Orlan fighter, THIS IS BAD. I MESSED UP. I I should've moved the orlan fighter back after killing the young boar, which would of resulted in one of the boars attacking eder and the other engaging the orlan fighter. At this point have aloth, durance & kana focus fire the boar on left. Two hits from both boars took the Orlan down to two bubbles of endurance, so I have Durance heal him back to four bubbles. Our orlan is still taking a bit of damage, boars hit hard, due to constant recovery I have enough time to have Durance put down the consecrated ground healing circle. Even with consecrated ground boars hit real hard, so I have durance throw a healing iconic projection toward our fighter. Our orlan fighter kills boar, constantly hitting for 25-30 damage and NEVER missing. He has not missed once up to this point. Next boar, focus fire with party. You can check out the damage numbers on the bottom right for our fighter orlan, note that he has still not missed an attack up to this point, reliably dealing 25-30 damage with each attack. Boar hitting our orlan fighter stats. Our orlan fighter doesn't miss any atttacks, continuing to reliably deal 25-30 dmg per hit. Move in to flank and get that flanking bonus, normally this is what you want to do at the start of the fight, but the BOARS WERE TOO MANY. The orlan did not miss one attack during the whole fight and was able to take damage from two hard hitting high level boars on POTD until Durance came in for the heals. Conclusion The beauty of this build is in recovering from mistakes which is vital if you're playing POTD, Trial of Iron in a blind play through, while still being able to dish out DR bypass critical damage. Remember to let the tank go in first, let the enemies settle into position, assess the situation, then decide if you're going to use the orlan fighter or patiently wait. The point of this build is to deal high damage criticals without missing and having that constant recovery to stay on the front line. I've tried rogues & monks, but they go down too fast before I have time to heal with durance. I make mistakes and recovering from them is important. Another thing you can do is equip a large shield & hatchet, if your orlan fighter gets into too much trouble, just switch him to hatchet & large shield and he'll go into HIGH deflection mode. *cheers*

Hello, I know this is jumping the gun given that the game doesn't have all of the expansion packs, and given that a modding framework hasn't been devised yet(and may be difficult given certain design choices). However, I know that a lot of people have wanted romantic options in the game given the lengthy romance threads, and it seems likely that if romances will exist in Pillars of Eternity, that modders will have to add them at some point. Because of this, it seems reasonable to maybe start thinking on the groundwork of this, particularly the idea of modding a Durance romance. After all, Durance has a lot of the qualities needed for an interesting romance: complicated emotions, deep internal struggle, passion, you name it. There has never been a character more ready for romance in any IE style game in history than Durance(Look at all of the problems the BG2 chicks and Anomen had). Here's what I'm thinking: Requirements: -Female (I'm getting more of a traditionalist vibe from him) -Orlan (obviously) -Priestess of Eothas (again, obviously) Major themes would likely be his deep abiding love of Magran, and his sense of guilt at killing Eothas, where the romantic protagonist helps Durance overcome these feelings and find peace in switching over to becoming a priest of Eothas(I'm not sure how hard that'd be to change, or whether gameplay-rp separation would be necessary). Obviously any suggestions would be helpful. (My apologies if this is the wrong forum)

Update by Josh Sawyer, Project Director http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgvxu8QY01s Today, we'd like to talk to you about one of our more recently-implemented classes in Project Eternity: the paladin. The paladin has been a staple of fantasy RPGs for decades and it was one of our most quickly-funded stretch goals during the Kickstarter campaign. As one of several melee-oriented classes on our roster, paladins presented some unique challenges for us and we'd like to share their development process with you. Paladins have a strong tradition in FRPGs. While the class represents different things to different players, it often conjures images of legendary European figures like the Twelve Peers of Charlemagne, El Cid, and the Knights of the Round Table. Players who like playing paladins often think of them as devoted, principled, brave, and unrelenting. They stand out because of their single-mindedness and unwavering dedication to their cause. In Project Eternity, we wanted paladins to maintain their sense of selfless passion and zeal without being bound to concepts like "alignment" or a universal moral code. We also wanted their mechanics to be distinctive from the other classes while reinforcing their role in the world. Area designer Bobby Null has always liked the marshal class from D&D 3.5, which is conceptually similar to the warlord in 4E: combat leaders who are at their best when they are augmenting their teammates. This is the approach that I took when developing Project Eternity's paladins. They have persistent modal auras, strong single-target healing and buff abilities (contrasting the broad AoE effects of clerics), and can passively grant bonuses to teammates in close proximity. In the game's lore, paladins are zealous champions of a cause that may be religious, philosophical, or cultural in nature. The "foundational" paladins in this part of the world were the legendary elite guards of Darcozzi Palace in the Grand Empire of Vailia (now Old Vailia). They set standards for selfless dedication, unwavering loyalty, and inspiring leadership that have become the pillars for similar orders that have sprung up in the two millennia since they were founded. Even among orders where the chosen cause is perceived as bleak or malevolent, paladins always place the cause ahead of their own personal interests. In Defiance Bay, recent experiments performed by animancers and ciphers suggest that paladins' souls are continuously "burning" wellsprings of spiritual energy that are overflowing their physical vessels due to the paladins' fanaticism. When ciphers have tried to directly perceive paladins' souls, they have described the experience as uncomfortable or painful, not unlike gazing at the sun. All paladins currently begin with the following abilities: Reviving Exhortation (Active) - Paladins can command an unconscious ally to awaken and get back up with an immediate spike in Stamina, though the target will lose half of the regained Stamina after a short duration. Zealous Barrage (Modal) - The paladin and all allies standing within 3m have their attack and ability speed increased. Cannot be used with Zealous March (below). Faith and Conviction - Paladins have an inherent bonus to all defenses (Deflection, Fortitude, Reflexes, and Psyche). As they advance, they gain additional abilities in the same spirit, such as: Coordinated Attacks - The ally closest to the paladin attacking the same target as the paladin has a bonus to Accuracy. Shake It Off (Active) - The paladin can command an ally to temporarily ignore existing Hostile effects for a short duration. The effects are suspended; they do not lose any of their duration and will resume as soon as Shake It Off expires. Inspiring Triumph - Allies within 4m gain a temporary bonus to all defenses when the paladin downs an enemy. Zealous March (Modal) - The paladin and all allies within 3m have their movement speed increased. Cannot be used with Zealous Barrage. In playtesting so far, our test paladin has been very useful in combat, with the melee group often centering around her to gain the benefits of her Zealous auras and Coordinated Attacks. While several other classes have Stamina healing abilities, the paladin's Reviving Exhortation can turn the tide if party members start dropping late in a battle. However, using it too early can spell disaster for the revived character if the granted Stamina boost runs out in a long fight. Optional Talents for the paladin will focus on shaping the passive or active bias of the character: widening the effects of Zealous auras; granting additional uses or increased potency for targeted commands; or giving paladins more direct offensive and defensive capabilities if players want to boost their paladins' personal viability. Wild Orlans - What Do They Look Like? Though we've previously shown one concept of a hearth orlan (the "orlan detective"), many people have asked and speculated about what the other orlans, the so-called wild orlans, look like. Wild orlans have the same general range of stature and build as hearth orlans, but are almost entirely covered with hair. Though they can be found on a few continents, wild orlans in this part of the world are typically found in the deepest forests of Eír Glanfath. In recent centuries, the biases of surrounding colonial cultures have driven them even farther from new settlements. Considered savage and uncontrollable by many Dyrwoodans, Vailians, and Readcerans, wild orlans often find interactions with outsiders strained if not outright violent. Many colonists pre-judge all orlans as untrustworthy and bloodthirsty, but within that vein of racism, they often classify wild orlans as "the bad ones". Given the difficulty of concealing their hirsute bodies and faces, prejudice follows them in most colonial areas. We'll continue to develop the paladin more over the next few months, but we'd like to hear what you think of the concepts and mechanics we've come up with so far. Similarly, we hope you like the less- and more-"beastly" branches of the orlan race. We developed the different appearances based on widely conflicting player (and developer) desires for the race to be both more and less wild. What do you think of the direction we're taking? Thanks for reading!

Orlan First Look Josh Sawyer Click for full size image As some of the keen-eyed among you noted from last week's update, there was an unfamiliar portrait in our work-in-progress tileset screenshot. We read the debates and viewed the Blade Runner-esque enhanced images that followed with interest. Good work, sleuths, the character pictured is, in fact, an orlan. This orlan is engaged in some important work in one of the Dyrwood's busiest cities. Here's the full-sized portrait for your continued speculation! Ziets on Pantheon Design George Ziets Hello all. This week, I will be writing the update, and we’ll be starting to talk a bit about world development. For a designer, this is the fun part, and it’s a surprisingly rare opportunity. On all my previous Obsidian projects, the team has worked with an established IP (intellectual property) like the Forgotten Realms or Fallout. We’ve always had a wealth of existing lore to draw upon – cities, towns, characters, history, gods, etc. Sometimes we’ve worked in an area of the world that hadn’t been seen in a CRPG before (as in NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer), which gave us the opportunity to extrapolate beyond what was already established... but otherwise, we were working with established material and trying to be true to existing lore. In contrast, Project Eternity is an entirely new setting that we’re creating from scratch. And at the start of development (around the end of the Kickstarter campaign), we didn’t have much more than what KS supporters have already seen: a map, a few high-level ideas about races, nations, and technology level, and the idea that souls play a major role in this world. So where do we go from there? Building a Pantheon One of our first steps was to think about gods. Deities can be a good starting point when developing a world. They reflect the views and beliefs of the world’s inhabitants, and they can inspire ideas for characters, organizations, and conflicts. You’ve already heard a few of our gods mentioned in passing: Magran, goddess of fire and war; Berath, god of cycles, doors, and death; Eothas, god of light and redemption. Josh invented these gods when he was first developing the world, and they play important roles in the region where the game will be set. But we’ll need a lot more gods to fill out the pantheon. Here are a few of the elements we consider for each new deity: What is the god's name, and what are his/her "aliases" (e.g., "The Twinned God" for Berath). What is the god's portfolio? That is, what aspects of life or the world do they represent (e.g., mortality, greed, summer, commerce)? What allies and foes do they have amongst the other gods? What are their symbols? How do they manifest in the mortal world? We list this information for each deity, as well as providing a detailed description. Players won’t necessarily get to see all this stuff, but it’s useful background for the art and design teams, so that the world feels like a consistent, coherent whole. One other thing to bear in mind: for the most part, our deities aren’t good or evil. They’re somewhere in between – closer to the multi-dimensional gods of the ancient world. Every deity has his or her own agenda, which isn’t bound by notions of alignment. Sometimes they can be helpful and benevolent. Other times – not so much. Woedica – "The Exiled Queen" All the preceding info is important, but I wouldn’t want to leave you without revealing an actual example... A lot of my design ideas start with a visual image. That applies to characters, locations, even narrative. I’m not sure where most of them come from, but examining them more closely will usually lead me to develop stories to explain who they are and where they came from. One of the first images that sprang to mind was an old woman – a dethroned queen – wandering along an empty road in tattered finery. Despite whatever horrors she had suffered, she maintained a certain stubborn dignity, and she carried a heavy book of law. I felt like this goddess could cover a range of portfolios, and I liked the idea that the deity who was the "rightful ruler" of the gods (in her mind, at least), had lost her throne. That may have some interesting implications for the way in which mortals view the world. So what was her story? According to her followers, she had once claimed rulership over all the other gods. But if that was true, she was cast down in the far distant past. Among the other gods, she has no real allies, believing that all the gods owe her fealty. She claims the portfolios of law, rightful rulership, memory, and vengeance. And she manifests in the world as the Strangler, a leathery-skinned old woman, always clad in tattered finery, who appears on an empty road or abandoned alleyway to murder those who break a solemn oath. Her Aedyran name is Woedica, which evokes the “Old English” feel of the Aedyran language. (Maintaining a distinct sense of national/ethnic language and culture is important to us – more about that in a later update.) There’s a lot more to tell about the Exiled Queen and the other gods (some of which aren’t even “human”). But that should give you a taste of our creative process. We’ll have plenty more to say about world-building in future updates.