Josh Sawyer on Miss and Hit

[Helm]

Is accuracy purely a character stat or can it be improved with enchanted weapons or items e.g. "gauntlets of accuracy + 2"?

[Valorian]

Yes, there will be a combat state.

 If you're already being maxed out by DT, a crit can help you bump out of that

 

If you're outclassing the enemy's defense score but are being outclassed by the target's DT, thanks to the sliding crit you'll crit more often; the crit will make all the difference in the world.

 

6 - 12 damage. DT absorbs 10 damage.

Normal hit: 1 - 2 damage.

Critical: 8 damage.

Up to 800% more damage, which outclasses even a scythe's crit in d&d.

 

I'm sure you'll balance the sliding scale of the crit just fine though.

 

 

That said, please tell me if stamina regenerates in combat naturally and I promise I won't ever call your proposed xp system 'extravagant'.

[J.E. Sawyer]

I believe what I wrote before: a 150% max damage crit is not devastating. If the target had no armor, you'd be doing 21 damage on a hit vs. 9 (on average).  8 damage is a big jump from 1-2, but you're still doing less than average damage vs. a 0 DT target.  Depending on what the circumstances are, you could achieve a similar (and more reliable) bump in damage over DT by using a two-handed weapon.  If that's your damage when using a two-handed weapon, then yes, crits are pretty handy, but you're in a weird and uncommon circumstance.

[Valorian]

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Edited January 18, 2013 by Valorian

[Doppelschwert]

I think Mr. Sawyer deserves a raise

Thats a good compromise and an easy to understand system, well done.

 

Although I'm interested, speaking of the damage reduction from armor:

Are there any plans to introduce feats or the like to diminish the effects of armor vs weapons? So when I'm a really skilled swordsman and have invested a lot of character ressources into mastering the sword, will it be more effective against the various heavier armor types it wouldn't be effective otherwise?

Or are weapons supposed to behave the same way against the respective armor types throughout the game?

I'm asking because I don't like to change my weapon a lot during/before combat. Its ok to have penalties, but I think I should be able to avoid it if I'm dedicated enough to spend my characters ressources on this.

Edited January 18, 2013 by Doppelschwert

[rjshae]

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Seems like the rate of regeneration would be more important than whether it does or not. Slow (or zero) regeneration makes Priest restorative abilities more important. Fast regeneration benefits the guy with the heaviest armor.

Edited January 18, 2013 by rjshae

[Helm]

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Oh leave him alone. Otherwise I might hear something I don't like and start trolling again.

 

And I have been pretty mean lately.

Edited January 18, 2013 by Helm

[Valorian]

 

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Seems like the rate of regeneration would be more important than whether it does or not. Slow regeneration makes Priest restorative abilities more important. Fast regeneration benefits the guy with the heaviest armor.

First we need to know if it naturally regenerates at all. My preference would of course be: no.

 

We do know there are some abilities and spells which replenish a certain amount of stamina, but does it regenerate on its own by default, even in combat? You get smashed with a hammer - stamina goes down - tick - stamina goes up...

 

And yes, this is pertinent to the topic of miss/hit and damage in combat.

[Valorian]

 

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Oh leave him alone. Otherwise I might hear something I don't like and start trolling again.

 

And I have been pretty mean lately.

Sometimes, it's best to face the horrors of everyday life and bravely confront them.

[Luridis]

 

 

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Seems like the rate of regeneration would be more important than whether it does or not. Slow regeneration makes Priest restorative abilities more important. Fast regeneration benefits the guy with the heaviest armor.

First we need to know if it naturally regenerates at all. My preference would of course be: no.

 

We do know there are some abilities and spells which replenish a certain amount of stamina, but does it regenerate on its own by default, even in combat? You get smashed with a hammer - stamina goes down - tick - stamina goes up...

 

And yes, this is pertinent to the topic of miss/hit and damage in combat.

LOL Give them time to develop the game man... The mechanics may not be ironed out. BTW: Like I mentioned before, loss of control isn't nearly as much of an issue with a party RPG. I was in single-character thinking when I wrote that.

[J.E. Sawyer]

Stamina currently regenerates (very slowly) in combat, but we're likely to switch it to being post-combat only and very rapid.  You'd have to rely on Stamina-healing abilities (e.g. the fighter's Surge [self only], priest's Recovery [AoE, lesser amount], or paladin's Revive [unconscious ally only, but immediately gives a big Stamina boost]) in combat, but would regain Stamina quickly once the combat state ended.

 

Some abilities or talents may help ameliorate the deficiencies of a certain damage type vs. armor, but our system doesn't reward hyperspecialization as in 2nd Ed. AD&D Combat & Tactics Mastery rules or 3E.  I.e., you can't really be "heavily invested" in a specific type of weapon.  Our specialization groups always bridge damage types, so if you have access to equivalent gear, there's not a negative incentive to equipping another type of weapon.

 

If you really want to have "the sword guy" who never switches to non-sword weapons, you're going to have to be more selective with what enemies he engages.  In circumstances where every enemy is resistant to slashing weapons, you're going to be at a severe numerical disadvantage.  One of the keys to designing good tactical encounters is to occasionally diminish a certain tactic so the player has to seek other approaches.  If we allow you to build a big enough hammer that everything can be treated like a nail, that tactical element becomes irrelevant.

 

That said, our approach is not to say, "This is the tactic you must use now." as much as, "This is a bad tactic to use now." We believe the latter opens up more possibilities for the player than the former.

[Valorian]

 

 

 

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Seems like the rate of regeneration would be more important than whether it does or not. Slow regeneration makes Priest restorative abilities more important. Fast regeneration benefits the guy with the heaviest armor.

First we need to know if it naturally regenerates at all. My preference would of course be: no.

 

We do know there are some abilities and spells which replenish a certain amount of stamina, but does it regenerate on its own by default, even in combat? You get smashed with a hammer - stamina goes down - tick - stamina goes up...

 

And yes, this is pertinent to the topic of miss/hit and damage in combat.

LOL Give them time to develop the game man... The mechanics may not be ironed out. BTW: Like I mentioned before, loss of control isn't nearly as much of an issue with a party RPG. I was in single-character thinking when I wrote that.

 

I know, I know.

But knowledge is power, and we need power! We're all powergamers.

 

And status effects are neat. I love when monsters come with a variety of passive on hit abilities: fear, stun, lifesteal, maim.. etc. etc. Makes each monster and battle truly unique.

 

PS. Joshua, we know you're watching, and we know you want to answer. And we love you - you're much better than Gaider!

[Helm]

 

 

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Oh leave him alone. Otherwise I might hear something I don't like and start trolling again.

 

And I have been pretty mean lately.

Sometimes, it's best to face the horrors of everyday life and bravely confront them.

True. But priority number 1 is combat xp. We can bug Josh about the combat regen after that has been fixed.

[Valorian]

Thank you. And in the name of the Holy Cat, yes please:

Stamina currently regenerates (very slowly) in combat, but we're likely to switch it to being post-combat only and very rapid.  

[Valorian]

 

 

 

You're mean for not answering the question.

 

*  is sad*

Oh leave him alone. Otherwise I might hear something I don't like and start trolling again.

 

And I have been pretty mean lately.

Sometimes, it's best to face the horrors of everyday life and bravely confront them.

True. But priority number 1 is combat xp. We can bug Josh about the combat regen after that has been fixed.

 That, and being able to turn level scaling off for "special crit path encounters" (the only scaled content in the game).  We don't know what percentage of encounters will those scpe constitute though..  ..So many questions.

 

 

Well, I know I'm stretching your patience, Josh, but.. (you really don't have to answer)..

We know spells, based on the new update, will be or per encounter or per rest (seems cooldowns are out), but what about other abilities? Will they also be per encounter / per rest. For example fighter's Surge.

[Helm]

^

^

I agree. No in combat stamina regeneraton pls Josh, only tactical stamina "healing".

 

And outside of combat, I would prefer if health could only be healed with potions/magic or sleeping at an inn.

[rjshae]

 

Seems like the rate of regeneration would be more important than whether it does or not. Slow regeneration makes Priest restorative abilities more important. Fast regeneration benefits the guy with the heaviest armor.

First we need to know if it naturally regenerates at all. My preference would of course be: no.

    Zero regeneration is essentially the same as slow regeneration unless the combat is really, really long and characters can pull out and rest. Hence: no, you only need to know if it is slow(zero) or fast. But no matter.

Edited January 18, 2013 by rjshae

[Valorian]

Helm, we'll be able to regenerate health only by resting in specific places I think.

 

So much goodies to analyze and comment.

If you really want to have "the sword guy" who never switches to non-sword weapons, you're going to have to be more selective with what enemies he engages.  In circumstances where every enemy is resistant to slashing weapons, you're going to be at a severe numerical disadvantage.  One of the keys to designing good tactical encounters is to occasionally diminish a certain tactic so the player has to seek other approaches.  If we allow you to build a big enough hammer that everything can be treated like a nail, that tactical element becomes irrelevant.

 

That's my style...

I will dual-wield two daggers/short swords/stilletos and nothing else, even if I know it would be more efficient to switch to a big hammer vs a certain enemy.

 

But... style in single-player games ftw.  Don't want to disappoint my traveling companions, right?

 

 

@rjshae, yep every mathematician knows that zero equals 0,5 or 1 or 1,5..

[rjshae]

@rjshae, yep every mathematician knows that zero equals 0,5 or 1 or 1,5..

The context matters here.

[J.E. Sawyer]

 

 

Well, I know I'm stretching your patience, Josh, but.. (you really don't have to answer)..

We know spells, based on the new update, will be or per encounter or per rest (seems cooldowns are out), but what about other abilities? Will they also be per encounter / per rest. For example fighter's Surge.

 

Cooldowns in the sense that most people use them were never really in.  Per-encounter and per-rest will likely be the two common types of use limitations.  A fighter's Surge would likely be (and is currently) per-encounter.

[Valorian]

 

 

 

Well, I know I'm stretching your patience, Josh, but.. (you really don't have to answer)..

We know spells, based on the new update, will be or per encounter or per rest (seems cooldowns are out), but what about other abilities? Will they also be per encounter / per rest. For example fighter's Surge.

 

Cooldowns in the sense that most people use them were never really in.  Per-encounter and per-rest will likely be the two common types of use limitations.  A fighter's Surge would likely be (and is currently) per-encounter.

Nice. Logical.

[Luridis]

I personally don't care about in combat regeneration. I don't know what they're planning yet. But, if stamina is a shared mechanic, say between special attacks, running and staying on your feet during combat... Well, that could add a whole new dimension to combat strategy. i.e. Need to expend what also keeps me in the fight in order to do these superhuman things.

 

Oh, I do have a question though... are roundings always going to be down? That annoys me about D&D, beneficial things always rounded down... Maybe they should have thought of that before they every kind of bonus a 1 over 2 progression.

Edited January 18, 2013 by Luridis

[Hormalakh]

Hey Josh, one more question: Is the game is going to have magic or special attacks that use touch AC or something similar? The idea here is to allow a character concept for a wizened old wizard who can't hit hard enough to damage but can get his hands on his enemies for touch attacks. Any thoughts?

[Doppelschwert]

Thanks for being so nice and answering all those questions. The way you describe weapon specialization to work seems adequate for me. I agree that making weapon choices not matter anymore after a certain point is not a good idea, but partially neglecting the penalty for using them at the wrong time is all I'd asked for anway.

[Luridis]

Hey Josh, one more question: Is the game is going to have magic or special attacks that use touch AC or something similar? The idea here is to allow a character concept for a wizened old wizard who can't hit hard enough to damage but can get his hands on his enemies for touch attacks. Any thoughts?

If he had a functional attack roll. One of my peeves with D&D has always been "touch attacks", ranged or otherwise. If you wanted to rely on your attack roll then you probably wouldn't have rolled a class with the worst one. Personally, I've always avoided even bothering to learn those spells.