Traits/perks, stats/skills, and items affect gameplay in a humorous (but still useful) manner?

[Maddas]

Should there be funny (but useful) perks and traits available when creating and leveling your character? And should abnormally low stats/skills (e.g., intelligence) affect dialogue and gameplay in a humorous and not-necessarily-game-breaking way? Finally, should there be items/consumables/wearables that affect gameplay in a humorous way as well?

 

For example, in the Fallout games, there were perks and traits that would give you bonuses (e.g., to defense and bullet resistances) while lowering your charisma (essentially a terminator-like perk) -- or ones that would cause you to leave a bloody mess wherever you went, or ones that gave you bad luck, etc.

 

A couple ideas that would be silly but might still fit within a Project Eternity world might be:

• A Tarzan-like Attack/Defense bonus for barbarians that fight naked or in their undies (pixelated); can significantly affect dialog options and wandering around a city may cause swift fines and a difficult time talking to anyone, including party members. Depending on charisma and gender, may result in different reception from other characters -- e.g., you may be thrown in jail for indecent exposure. (Idea from here)
  
• A cursed trait that affects everyone else around you, but not so much yourself. Similar to 'Jinxed' from Fallout, but essentially affecting others a little more than yourself. This also makes it much harder to recruit and keep companions (either willingly with you, or alive). Can also affect dialog and plot/story options, for example a seer or tribal elder might chase you out of a village or city on account of you bringing bad luck wherever you go. Maybe even a lot of bad luck, depending on how long you stay in a place -- or maybe this could even be rolled into the overarching plot.
  

As for stats/skills, in Fallout if your intelligence was too low, your sentences would be slurred and speech would take a significant hit. Should something like this be present in Project Eternity? Should abnormally low stats/skills affect gameplay, but not necessarily in a game-breaking manner?

 

For example, if you had really low intelligence, perhaps your other party members (the few you were somehow able to convince to join you) would speak more often instead of you for dialog with other NPCs.. or maybe they'd be more likely to scheme against you or otherwise be more likely to try and use your quest to their own advantage?

 

Similarly, perhaps having low-intelligence might make otherwise dangerous encounters somewhat less dangerous -- perhaps NPCs would believe your character too stupid to understand what they are doing, and less likely to try and kill your character or throw them in a dungeon?

 

Finally, should there be items or wearables or consumables that affect gameplay in a humorous (but potentially useful) way?

 

For example, maybe there's a particular type of food made in the Swamplands of Whatever, which, when consumed, causes the character to smell so badly that their entire party will be forced to follow at a significant distance. Walking into a city square will cause residents to flee, and any attackers with working sinuses will likely hesitate before attacking you, and will always prefer to stay far away rather than be overwhelmed with your 'odor'. Dogs, wolves, and most other normal animals will also opt to run away from you, potentially making it a useful tool when trying to access otherwise inaccessible (or very dangerous) areas. This item might even be part of a quest (rather than something you can purchase in a store).

Edited October 3, 2012 by Maddas

[rjshae]

I'd say that in-universe humor is welcome, as per the occasional example in the Lord of the Rings movies; humor that breaks the suspension of disbelief is better left for more whimsical games. But I'd fully expect that, in cities, there would be a market for magical trickery and practical jokes, for example, which could even take a nasty turn. Magical curses could be unintentionally humorous, such as a wealthy and obnoxious baron accidentally being turned into a flatulent pig.

[Maddas]

[...]

 

Magical curses could be unintentionally humorous, such as a wealthy and obnoxious baron accidentally being turned into a flatulent pig.

 

That could even be part of a quest; the baron's estate denies these claims, needs a doppelganger for public show, and desperately needs someone to undo the curse

[moridin84]

OBJECTION!

 

I say this poll is essentially a giant leading question.

[Tale]

My favorite class in D&D is still the Wild Mage. Well, 2E Wild Mage. 4E Wild Mage bored me.

[Maddas]

OBJECTION!

 

I say this poll is essentially a giant leading question.

 

I disagree; even if humor was implemented in some fashion within the context of character perks/traits, stats, or items -- Obsidian would still have the final say on how it's done. Lumping "Yes" and "Maybe" together makes the poll more streamlined, because ultimately it always will depend on how it's done. Having a separate yes option just means that it'll have a small minority of votes and not really show whether or not there is deep opposition to it or not.

 

I don't think any of us (or... at least, most of us) are interested in playing "Beevis and Butthead visit Middle Earth", or even Fallout in this game, so the way humor is implemented is probably going to matter a lot to us -- and I was curious to see whether or not people had strong opposition to humor period, or whether or not we'd want it in the game depending on how it's done.