Talents what would be wanted, and what is needed.

[Ganrich]

Certain classes in the game are kind of set in a way that make them so suited to melee that you wouldn't use them for anything else, they are much less interesting by design than others, or they acquire all of there spells and have a generalist feel because they lack any limitation.  So, this thread is to give suggestions to Obsidian as to what we would like to see as talents/feats in the game.  I don't think we need to give specific numbers because this system is too new, and it would likely not get implemented 100%.  So, I am going to give a few examples:

 

The Arcane Gift:  You can use a level 1 spell from the Wizard class as a twice per rest ability (probably a limited selection).

 

Nature's Gift:  Same as Arcane Gift but for Druid Spells.

 

Gift of the Gods:  Same as previous but with Priest spells.

 

Arcane Steel:  Caster can increase melee accuracy by using a cast from any level spell (higher level spells increase accuracy).  Last until encounter ends.

 

Some of these Talents should have Attribute requirements as well.  I think that Talents giving spells from one class (priest for instance) to any other class in the game should have an intelligence requirement), while any melee buff Talents should have MIght Requirements, any talents increasing ranged should require Dexterity, and so on.  This would give more weight to the decisions made with Attributes, while not allowing you to make a crappy character, and possibly allow Obsidian to increase the impact of the Attributes themselves (some people aren't happy with the amount of increase/decrease of stats based on how you spec your attributes).  Anyway, food for thought. 

 

I look forward to critiques on my Talents, and new talent suggestions to come.

[Lasweetlife]

Rather than any specific talent (I have several swirling around in my head and would need to pin then down before making suggestions), I think it would be great if we could pick talents every two levels as opposed to three, and if we could substitute a talent for an automatic class ability at level-up (i.e. If I could chose to have my cipher pick a talent at level 5 rather than a new spell).

[Mayama]

Wizard:

  Arcane focus: Every buff on you gives you X points of melee accuracy

 

Monk:

   Empathy: Every time a near hero gets damaged you have a small chance to get a wound

 

Wizard/Priest/Druid

   Shaped discharge: You can cast circle area spells with the cone shape

 

Cipher:

   Soulstrike: You can focus your melee/ranged attack and strike at the enemy soul confusing the victim for X seconds. One use per encounter

Edited August 27, 2014 by Mayama

[PrimeJunta]

@Ganrich I like those ideas a lot. Really nice ways of adding cross-class features to existing classes. Arcane Steel though might as well be a set of spells (Minor, Major etc.) which would make it easy to drop into the existing framework. I would want something exactly like that to make wizard gish builds more feasible.

 

@Mayama I especially like the first two. Empathy is also so thematically appropriate it's surprising they didn't think of it themselves. Add a second tier, Universal Empathy, that'll bump up your Wounds when anyone gets hurt, including enemies.

 

Shaped Discharge would be cool but it would add complication to the UI--either they'd show up as spell variants which would make the list a lot bigger, or there would have to be an additional step where you select the AoE shape.

 

Not so sure about Soulstrike. Ciphers already have Focus-powered abilities that do more or less this; making it connected to the melee attack goes against the "punch to charge up, magic to cause effects" rhythm.

Edited August 27, 2014 by PrimeJunta

[Lasweetlife]

I REALLY like Empathy and Soulstrike. Another suggestion would be to make Soulstrike a modal ability that is mutually exclusive to Soulwhip. That way a cipher could choose between building up focus (plus doing extra damage) with Soulwhip or attempting to confuse an enemy with Soulstrike.

[Ganrich]

Rather than any specific talent (I have several swirling around in my head and would need to pin then down before making suggestions), I think it would be great if we could pick talents every two levels as opposed to three, and if we could substitute a talent for an automatic class ability at level-up (i.e. If I could chose to have my cipher pick a talent at level 5 rather than a new spell).

 

Not opposed to getting talents every 2 levels if the enemies are balanced accordingly.  Fighters get an extra talent at 4 so I am assuming that they get talents at 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, and 2 talents at 12.

 

The 2nd idea I am kind of against though.  I think having some consistency with the class would be good.  Otherwise what is the point of a class?  Players would pick the class with the best innate abilities and just pick all the abilities that would make the most OP class.  I think, and this is a personal thing, that giving players freedom is good, but you can give too much and cause some damage to the system.  Or, as the old adage goes, "give someone too much rope and they will hang themselves with it"(paraphrasing). 

[Volourn]

"intelligence requirement"

 

why? magic doesn't have any more connection to intelligence than it does to strength in this game.

[Mayama]

Druid:

   Call of the wild: You can call nearby wildlife to aid you in fight. X uses per rest

 

Rogue:

   Living shield: You position yourself so that enemy attacks hiting you have a chance to instead hit the closest enemy (cant be the same enemy) X uses per rest

 

Priest:

   Sacrifice: Cast on a friendly unit. The next attack hitting that target deal damage to the priest. X uses per rest

 

Rogue:

   Against all odds: Creates a buff on the thief that says: "The next attack that would turn you unconscious will not deal damage and you get teleported randomly X feets away"

 

Rogue:

   New ability type: Select a poison on level up, your melee attacks now have a chance to apply the poison specific debuff on your target. If you have more than one poison you can select wich one you like to use.

 

Chanter:

   Chorus: The chanter sings so inspiring that every party member joins in and all chanter buffs get x% better per party member singing with him

 

Fighter:

   No code of honor: The figter can select thief only skills.

 

Ranger:

   Fight as one: Lvl 1 skill, the ranger has NO companion but gets bonuses depending on which companion he uses

Edited August 27, 2014 by Mayama

[Volourn]

All those are good ideas.

[Ganrich]

"intelligence requirement"

 

why? magic doesn't have any more connection to intelligence than it does to strength in this game.

 

Well, my reasoning for it was that a class learning spells not innate to their profession requires some intelligence.  EG  A Barbarian wanting to learn to cast a spell may require some problem solving skills.  On the same note a Wizard learning to spec a talent like "Power Strikes" would require some Might.  Etc.  I am just trying to give each Attribute weight in the level up game (instead of locking feats to certain classes like 3/3.5 did) while trying to keep value for each attribute.

[Mayama]

Cipher:

   Soulfire: All fire damage in X radius around the cipher burns the soul of its victim, all fire damage deals extra damage to spirits, ghosts etc.

 

Priest:

   Wrath of god: Interrupting the priest while casting a spell has a chance to trigger a god specific effect on the interrupter.

 

Fighter:

   Shieldwall: The fighter adds a percentage shield based bonus the the deflection of nearby party members

 

Rogue:

   Arcane thievery: Debuff a enemy unit, the thief can cast the next spell that the unit casts in a small time frame. Thief level needs to be X levels higher than the spell that is stolen.

 

Fighter:

   Sharpshooter: You get a new stacking buff called targeting, it raises the ranged damage by x% per stack. If you move, get interrupted, take damage, switch targets or basicaly do anything beside autoattacking you lose the buff completly

Edited August 27, 2014 by Mayama

[PrimeJunta]

You're on fire, @Mayama. Those rule. Thematically appropriate and extremely cool ideas.

 

Chorus made me LOL though. 

 

 

Fear the Vailian Republics!

Edited August 27, 2014 by PrimeJunta

[Ganrich]

Adding this to the abilities in the main post IF they are selected by the class that can already cast those spells.

 

Arcane Gift could allow an extra slot in your Grimoire if your a Wizard.

 

Holy Gift could allow a Priest to convert a Spell into Holy Radiance or Interdiction. (Can't think of any other ideas)

 

Nature's Gift could convert a spell into a heal. (Game needs another healer class IMHO). Should have a limited use of this ability per rest though to keep them from being better than priests.

 

Any better ideas in this situation are welcome.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Ganrich

[Mayama]

Nature's Gift could convert a spell into a heal. (Game needs another healer class IMHO).

 

 

I really like the idea because it would turn the druid into another caster-healer but with a different mechanic.

He would be way more flexible because every spell = heal but the effect could be weaker. So the priest has big important heals and the druid can machine gun through his heals if needed.

[Ganrich]

 

Nature's Gift could convert a spell into a heal. (Game needs another healer class IMHO).

 

I really like the idea because it would turn the druid into another caster-healer but with a different mechanic.

He would be way more flexible because every spell = heal but the effect could be weaker. So the priest has big important heals and the druid can machine gun through his heals if needed.

The one heal the Druid gets is a HoT (iirc I am not on my pc atm). I think making the Druid mostly HoT spells that didn't allow for burst healing would work. That particular idea would need limitations in frequency and/or potency. Edited August 27, 2014 by Ganrich

[Mayama]

 

 

Nature's Gift could convert a spell into a heal. (Game needs another healer class IMHO).

I really like the idea because it would turn the druid into another caster-healer but with a different mechanic.

He would be way more flexible because every spell = heal but the effect could be weaker. So the priest has big important heals and the druid can machine gun through his heals if needed.

The one heal the Druid gets is a HoT (iirc I am not on my pc atm). I think making the Druid mostly HoT spells that didn't allow for burst healing would work. That particular idea would need limitations in frequency and/or potency.

 

Well you could tie the power of the heal to the level of the original spell that you use

[MasterPrudent]

Fighter Talent

Swords into Crossbows: Switches the fighter's base melee and ranged accuracy scores.

Edited August 27, 2014 by MasterPrudent

[Ink Blot]

I'd like to see talents that don't focus on combat.

 

How about something like a 'beguiler' that gives you a bonus in convo checks to persuade someone to do something/give info/accept a bribe, etc.

 

Or Dungeoneering, which would give you a bonus at spotting a different way to get over an obstacle/avoid an encounter, or a bonus to spotting hidden doors/traps/loot in dungeons.

 

Or a talent that helps you in caves or wilderness areas.

 

Or a 'whisperer' talent that lets you peacefully bypass wild animals instead of having to slaughter them.

 

Anything to help you create a character that isn't just focused on being a more efficient killer. Hell, with the way the game's set up with regards to gaining XP, let's look at talents/spells/abilities that allow you to solve quests without combat.

[Mayama]

Figher:

   No one left behind: The fighter graps a unconscious party member and "heals" it to 5% of its stamina. X uses per rest.

 

Barbarian:

   One with the beast: For X seconds every party member deals damage with the might stat of the barbarian if its higher than the personal stat.

 

Rogue:

   Trip wire: The rogue shots a arrow/bolt with a rope attached. Knocks down the enemy it hits. Only works with bows and crossbows.

[Matt516]

Fighter Talent

Swords into Crossbows: Switches the fighter's base melee and ranged accuracy scores.

 

Yes yes yes yes yes. This or something allowing for a non-Ranger archery specialized character.

[IndiraLightfoot]

 

 

Fighter:

   No code of honor: The figter can select thief only skills.

 

Ranger:

   Fight as one: Lvl 1 skill, the ranger has NO companion but gets bonuses depending on which companion he uses

I liked these two!

A question about the second: Do you mean that the ranger sacrifices having her/his animal companion, and instead he/she gets a number of fight like animal X,Y,Z-abilities?

If so, that is a brilliant suggestion!

 

Lots of people here are suggesting combat-improving talents. I'd love to see heaps of more non-combat talents, though.

[Seari]

I'm not really good at making up talents, so I'll just list a couple of things from the top of my head that I would like to see in PoE.

1. An anticaster paladin, like the inquisitor in BG2, I really found those fun.
2. A more melee focused ranger.
3. A melee focused priest with selfbuffs.
4. Rogues more like thieves in BG2, chunk with a backstab, run away and hide, repeat. I know a lot of people don't like that, but I think rogues shouldn't be good at straight up combat. Maybe a focus on traps and poison.
5. An agile dual wielding fighter.
6. A more support/healing focused druid.
7. Talents that focus on combat styles(sword and shield, dual wielding, twohander).
8. Maybe talents that give you a bonus for wearing a light, medium or heavy armor.
9. Talents that improve the ranger's animal companion.
10. Something like Divine Might.
11. A specialized wizard, probably not possible without magic schools.
12. I would suck Sawyer's **** for Class Kits.

 

 

 

 

[Marky]

Chanter:

   Chorus: The chanter sings so inspiring that every party member joins in and all chanter buffs get x% better per party member singing with him

 That one is brilliant.

 

I want wildmages in the game, so I suggest:

 

Wizards:

Wild spirited: 5% of the time, the wizard's spells end up doing something very different. The list of possibilities could include such things as the spell doing double damage, backfiring, squirrels appear and numerous other things.

[Headbomb]

Hero only

 

* Conversationalist: All conversation requirements reduced by 1. (e. g. Perception 14 is now Perception 13, Honest 3 is now Honest 2).

 

* Pig-headed (Lvl 1): Diplomacy and wit are unknown concepts to you, but your Resolve increases by 2. [Cannot choose any diplomacy/clever option]

 

* Honest to a fault (Req: no rank in deception): You cannot be deceptive anymore, but you always qualify for the honest option. Merchants don't feel like you're trying to rip them off. (Buying price decreased by 10%).

 

* Lying through your teeth (Req: no rank in honesty): You cannot be honest anymore, but you always qualify for the deceptive option. You tend to exaggerate the quality of your wares when selling them. (Selling price increased by 10%.)

 

 

General

 

* Camaraderie:  Every ally within <range> decreases your change of being interrupted by 5%

 

* Loner: When no ally are within <range>, your DT increases by 3 and you gain level/second stamina regen.

 

* Pacifist (Needs no rank in cruelty): After resting, all stats are increased by 1 until you kill. Can no longer be cruel.

 

* Psychopath (Needs no rank in benevolence): Killing a friendly character increases all stats by 1 until you rest. Can no longer be benevolent.

 

* Penny Pincher: You always seem to find a bit more than you friends([25% more money when looting) [Applies to party as a whole rather than specific character, but the character must be in the party for this to kick in]

 

* Tough Bastard: The first time you go down, you don't get maimed. On "hardcore", the first time you go down, you get maimed (with 3 maims injuries) instead of outright killed. You can only heal one maim injury per rest, and need to be in full health before you can benefit from this again.

 

* Crippled Bastard: You're always maimed, but your wary nature automatically reveals traps and other hidden oddities, assuming your perception score is high enough.

 

* Lucky Bastard: You gain 5 accuracy and 5 deflection. Stronghold events are biased one step more favourable.

Edited August 27, 2014 by Headbomb

[Hamenaglar]

Sword and spell - You sacrifice one or multiple spells for a bonus to Attack and Damage (maybe also deflection).  Duration is affected by resolve.

Requires free hand to be activated (or free hand halves the activation time). Improved version does not require free hand.

 

Game implementation would be something like a metamagic from NWN games. You choose the ability and then you choose spells to sacrifice.

 

 

Another option:

 

Offensive spelldance - same as above, affecting only Attack and Damage.

Defensive Spelldance - defensive version. Affecting Deflection and other defenses (unnecessary due to Arcane veil?)

 

Combat style bonuses (dual wielding, two handed, single handed, sword and shield)

Edited August 27, 2014 by Hamenaglar