Update #74: The Mob Rulers: Wizards and Druids and our Partnership with Paradox

[IndiraLightfoot]

I just watched the update video again, and I ended up staring at the whiteboard behind Josh.

It actually contains place names, or rather names of societies, or perhaps both. Help me fill out what they are: 

...cozz Paladini

...dead Knight

...Shieldbearers of St Elega

...Wayfarers

...Peak Waltos

 

...tines

...erath

...thes

...egran

...feen

...bel

[lolaldanee]

the inn looks superb, and i also like the stag form very much!

[Lars Westergren]

I just watched the update video again, and I ended up staring at the whiteboard behind Josh.

It actually contains place names, or rather names of societies, or perhaps both. Help me fill out what they are: 

 

...dead Knight

 

 

I think it is "...pact Knights" as in Goldpact Knights, one of the paladin orders.

[IndiraLightfoot]

I see. Perhaps it's that simple all of it? They could be five (at least that we can see on the whiteboard) paladin orders, and below are the corresponding place names for those orders. Interesting.

[Ffordesoon]

@Indira:

 

"Cozz Paladini" is probably a reference to the Darcozzi Paladini, which is a Vailian order I believe Pallegina is part of.

[IndiraLightfoot]

@Indira:

 

"Cozz Paladini" is probably a reference to the Darcozzi Paladini, which is a Vailian order I believe Pallegina is part of.

There is some smudge after ...cozz, so I reckon we can confirm that to be Darcozzi Paladini. Great!

Btw, my "..." is just me saying that's off the screen to the left, so it's missing in view.

[Naurgalen]

I like the spells, but what really surprised me is to see one "evil" druid spell that desecrates your enemy's corpses to heal your party. That is fresh and really uncommon.... and I love it because if you role-play a good or evil druid it makes you think about using that spell or not. It would be totally awesome if you can put more of that kind of grey-moralized spells (for all the casters) into the game, maybe raising enemy corpses as zombis that fight for you for a time? Damaging your companions to fuel an incantation? I know you can come with better ideas.

[Caerdon]

I like the spells, but what really surprised me is to see one "evil" druid spell that desecrates your enemy's corpses to heal your party. That is fresh and really uncommon.... and I love it because if you role-play a good or evil druid it makes you think about using that spell or not. It would be totally awesome if you can put more of that kind of grey-moralized spells (for all the casters) into the game, maybe raising enemy corpses as zombis that fight for you for a time? Damaging your companions to fuel an incantation? I know you can come with better ideas.

 

How on Earth is that spell evil? There's nothing more natural than the cycle of death and rebirth and hastening that process seems like a very druidic thing to do. From a druid's point of view that's probably the very opposite of desecrating a corpse - more like karmic cleansing and atonement in death.

[Jajo]

Sawyer video updates; best updates.

[Sabotin]

I like the spells, but what really surprised me is to see one "evil" druid spell that desecrates your enemy's corpses to heal your party. That is fresh and really uncommon.... and I love it because if you role-play a good or evil druid it makes you think about using that spell or not. It would be totally awesome if you can put more of that kind of grey-moralized spells (for all the casters) into the game, maybe raising enemy corpses as zombis that fight for you for a time? Damaging your companions to fuel an incantation? I know you can come with better ideas.

 

For some reason that spell instantly made me think of Grim Fandango xD .

 

Oh, also, it's desacration only from the human point of view, death and decay are a part of nature otherwise. I'm glad that there's such spells also and also hoping this will be a view druids have and will provide some roleplay opportunities, especially connected to souls.

Edited March 19, 2014 by Sabotin

[Mannock]

Really great update. Druids sounds really cool, might try that first instead of paladin.

 

The portraits looking good too. 

[Naurgalen]

 

I like the spells, but what really surprised me is to see one "evil" druid spell that desecrates your enemy's corpses to heal your party. That is fresh and really uncommon.... and I love it because if you role-play a good or evil druid it makes you think about using that spell or not. It would be totally awesome if you can put more of that kind of grey-moralized spells (for all the casters) into the game, maybe raising enemy corpses as zombis that fight for you for a time? Damaging your companions to fuel an incantation? I know you can come with better ideas.

 

How on Earth is that spell evil? There's nothing more natural than the cycle of death and rebirth and hastening that process seems like a very druidic thing to do. From a druid's point of view that's probably the very opposite of desecrating a corpse - more like karmic cleansing and atonement in death.

 

 

That´s the point, its not intrinsically evil. Like you said, from a nature perspective its just accelerating the time. But I'm not sure that the wife of the thief that was stealing you will think the same about his husband having flowers protruding from his eyes and chest. Hell even some cultures would find that spell completely despicable/profane because you cant give the corpse a real burial. So that makes you, the good druid to think: "I should respect their beliefs" or you, the neutral / evil druid "nature is the only law".

Edited March 19, 2014 by Naurgalen

[TrueMenace]

Can anyone make a 1920x1080 wallpaper of that tree inn picture? It looks so amazing.

[Sherr]

I like the spells, but what really surprised me is to see one "evil" druid spell that desecrates your enemy's corpses to heal your party. That is fresh and really uncommon.... and I love it because if you role-play a good or evil druid it makes you think about using that spell or not. It would be totally awesome if you can put more of that kind of grey-moralized spells (for all the casters) into the game, maybe raising enemy corpses as zombis that fight for you for a time? Damaging your companions to fuel an incantation? I know you can come with better ideas.

 

i'll just say that "classic" druid is true neutral so he have equal amount of "good" and "evil" spells.

[forgottenlor]

 

Wizards sound ok, very flexible in potential builds. For druids I'm a little disappointed they don't have a mechanical theme, although they do seem to be richer on the zoning spells so I guess that's ok, too. Need priest info, too, to compare .

 

 

 

Please animate the dangly bits on the stag transformation!

My reaction concerning the Druid was the complete opposite, so I find your comment interesting. The Druid seems to have two mechanical themes, which seem to me to be area of effect damage and area effect healing/buffing spells. I also thought it really cool that the Druid has some spells inspired by his D&D ancestor, but at the same time they seem much more useful. The D&D druid was hampered by being a second rate healer and a third rate damage dealer. This druid seems like a nice balance. In fact I can see going without a Wizard or a Priest and using a Druid instead, and that is exactly what I was hoping this class could do mechanically.

I hated the Aumaua concept art, but the portrait has completey change my mind. My choice of playing a Godlike or a dwarf has become much less clear.

[Forlorn Hope]

Thank you for the update. The druid and wizard sound really good. I don't know which class to pick... they're all so interesting. Also the portraits look very good as well as the inn. Can't wait...

[magicwallis]

First off, I totally dig the portraits art style.

 

Second. AHHHHHH, I want to play a druid now.

 

Third. All the spells sound cool but my favourite is the Garden of Life druid spell. I like the concept of producing life out of fallen enemies. Its sort of karmic or something.

[Mannock]

Oh, and I'm also crossing my fingers for an ice javelin spell.

[Greensleeve]

Right, forgot to say that I'm also throwing in a vote for an update on the Aumaua. I'd love to get a proper lore update on them and some sweet concept arts/in-game models. 

[aluminiumtrioxid]

Stag form looks bitchin'.

[Endrosz]

From my personal combat log:

Video update: +3 Excitement
Great portraits: +2 Excitement
Fantastic inn interior: +4 Excitement
Cool utility spells for wizard: +4 Excitement
Cool de/buffs for druid: +3 Excitement

>> Endrosz has passed out: Excitement > 15

I really like Thrust of Tattered Veils, Dimensional Shift, Beetle Shell and Garden of Life. The former class updates didn't show much of the tactical possibilities, but with this update, I'm finally convinced that we'll have plenty of tactical goodness as promised.)

[Gumbercules]

I just watched the update video again, and I ended up staring at the whiteboard behind Josh.

It actually contains place names, or rather names of societies, or perhaps both. Help me fill out what they are: 

...cozz Paladini

...dead Knight

...Shieldbearers of St Elega

...Wayfarers

...Peak Waltos

 

...tines

...erath

...thes

...egran

...feen

...bel

 

The blue list consists of the names of gods. I can place Berath, Magran, and Eothas on the list. Seems too short to be the full list, so maybe there's a second column or maybe these are just the gods whose blessings are available if you choose a godlike character.

[Blarghagh]

So excited for this game. Druids look like so much fun to play.

[Boox]

Thanks for the update!

 

Good job on the portraits, Kaz! I have to say I like Lars's aumaua portrait the most. The grin with the sharpened teeth look really menacing! The elf druid one seems to lack a little polish, though, but maybe it looks that way since it's blown up a bit compared to the other two. I really like the way the game is shaping up art-wise and I hope the animations will turn out nice and smooth so that the whole visual aspect will be consistently great. I'm really digging the spell list/naming, as well.

 

About the druid spiritshifting, I'm guessing that assuming the spirit form will result in the druid becoming slightly larger in size, especially when shifting into a bear or stag form. Is that the case? If so, will aumaua druids be even larger than, say, human or elf druids (not to mention dwarves or orlans) when in spirit form? I mean, will a stag-form aumaua be larger in size than a human in stag form? How sweet would it be to spiritshift into a hulking bear-form aumaua, towering above the battlefield swatting baddies left and right?

 

I know that you guys and gals at Obsidian don't want to spoil anything, but could it be possible to somehow discretely inform us what the companions' classes will be? I would like to choose a class for my character that is not represented by the companions. That would narrow down my choices a bit since all the classes seem interesting and I don't know how I'll choose from between them... :D

 

How about another music/sound update sometime in the future, Brandon?

[Tauron]

 

 

@Tauron Depends how you look at it...

 

The wizard could shape magic if he wished but elects not to because he finds it inefficient, preferring to research and study magic.

 

Mhmhmhm...thats...thin. But I appreciate the effort

 

I dunno.... I'd say the Wizard shapes magic, he just uses tools (namely, a Grimoire -- all the associated materials and techniques) to do it, instead of some innate ability.

 

Also, if his soul energy is in no way affiliated with the operation of the Grimoire, then why does switching grimoires mid-combat result in a delay while the new grimoire attunes itself to the wielder? And grimoires use spells, but someone's gotta devise and "create" (in the sense of coming up with the "recipe/formula" for imbuing a page in a grimoire with the correct properties necessary to cast this spell through that page/grimoire) those spells, right? *shrug*

 

Honestly, what Wizards do in this lore makes me think of alchemists in the Full Metal Alchemist world.

 

 

Well yeah, I have to agree, in a sence they do shape spell whn you put it that way...the magic energies from grimoire have to be realised somehow and have to be stored, so certain shaping takes place than. But it is not just shaping or how it takes place that I found "meeh", for lack of better expression

 

The way I first understood wiz, before this update, is that wiz IS having some "innate" ability (talent+), not necessary from birth, (although that could be a + or - in character creation) but from learning to cast spells.Through practice, trail and error this ability grows, his soul becomes greater conduit to channel  power. Like swordsman, sort of, certain things become instinctive once you applied it in practice many time. Except that wiz is a "sword" and "arm" that wields it is a mind (will, wisdom, int, wit..., hell even reflexex, instinct...you name it) Grimoire is a sophisticated tool to channel those energies, or better yet, makeing those energies more far moe sophisticated (that is the biggest diff betwean priests and druids i thought mainly).So like a rifle with a scope, scope being grimoire in this analogy, or like artillery...without proper navigation(grimoire), reading coordinates and what not, it is of little use i guess. I hope i am making some sense of my thoughts.

 

So no matter how good one learns spells by heart or becomes something like..., uhmm, sort of grimoire (spellbook) "Hafiz". Without acuall enchanted grimoire at hand, all that knowledge is useless i guess. I guess that is one of things that doesnt ding well. I got notion that grimoire(spellbook) beyond making magic more sophisticated, could serve as "sa'angreal" from wheel of time series. Like artificial conduit to channell more power. Reading first time about it, it kind of made sense. In D&D one has all sort of enchanments to increase power, staff, dagger, rings etc. Yet the very spellbook just always remained place to write spells, conviniet UI. In that sence, grimoire is improvment, but for some reason the way I fully understood update Wiz imo felt suddenly empty. It was suppose to be my first choice, but now even druid and cipher sound better. 

 

I havent seen full metal alchemist, I heared it was good. Will give it a look.

 

 

 

@Tauron Depends how you look at it...

 

The wizard could shape magic if he wished but elects not to because he finds it inefficient, preferring to research and study magic.

 

Mhmhmhm...thats...thin. But I appreciate the effort

 

 

The way I am understanding it, is that they create devices to create magical effects. A spell scroll is not an instruction manual on how to cast a spell, it is a machine which creates said spell. The grimoire functions as a glorified housing for said machines.

 

 

Yeah, it does appear so. Although I had this notion it was also instruction manual of sorts, granted it was enchanted. I just thought some of the mages power comes from his own well/soul, rest are sophisticated tools to amplify and channel certain energies. 

 

I would be uber hypocrit if I didnt say I acually wanted something similiar. I did make rant on occasion how I'd like to see "Techomage" class. I just thought mage (soul PoE lorewise) was first and formost where these energies sort of come from, you know his "chi".