DONATIONS CLOSED - Brace yourselves, the Black isle Bastards are coming!

[rheingold]

"Obsidian is truth-enhancing.  A strongly protective stone, it forms a shield against negativity.  It blocks psychic attack and absorbs negative energies from the environment.  Obsidian draws out mental stress and tension.  It stimulates growth on all levels, urging exploration of the unknown and opening new horizons.  Brings clarity to the mind and clears confusion.  Helps you to know who you truly are.  Obsidian dissolves emotional blockages and ancient traumas.  Promotes qualities of compassion and strength."

 

Reading Fluffles post on astral traveling hippies and Obsidian properties, I kinda feel that it should be something that's worn, with some properties that reflect it's nature? The definition is a bit general like lots of new age stuff, but protective seems to be it's main function.

So to me, that would leave a trinket, hat or cloak. Apparently trinkets are now class specific? So that would rule them out, as you'd want the item to be available to as many classes as possible. Weapons would also tend to get more use with specific classes, so it's unlikely that a mage/priest would find a sabre much good.

So a cloak or hat with some protective properties would seem to be the best bet. That would cover most classes.

Edited April 21, 2017 by rheingold

[Messier-31]

So one more thing I'd like to say.

 

This concerns @Messier-31 @Katarack21 @gogocactus and a few others:

 

Please consider buying the "Black Isle Bastard" forum badge after all. I know, I know "8 dollars for a bagdge". The thing is, I see the badge as more than "just being a forum badge".

 

We are the Black Isle Bastards on this forum and the badge does signify our membership. You guys have contributed to our cause with money and ideas and

you DO belong to us, no matter if you have the badge or not. But if you had the badge it would be clear for everyone else that you are part of us.

 

To me it feels wrong that you lack the badge.

But it's okay if you would rather not spend 8$ I understand

 

But just give it a thought because soon the slacker backer campaign ends.

 

Dear Awesome Fluffle,

 

Thank you for this encouregement. Consider this my counterpoint:

• Call it an aesthetic reason No. 1, because I have this unexplainable bad feeling when I see so many badges cooped up next to each other. Some of you have six already, wow! Apparently pledging through Kickstarter and Fig was meant to give additional ones for some reason.
• Call it an aesthetic reason No. 2, because I find the BIB badge to be "meh". It's pretty dark and I still get an illusion of BLB, because of that dot so close to the letter "I". So you might say I don't like the design so much.
• I don't feel the need to be perceived as a member of the BIB crew just by looking at my account. I am happy to be a part of the crew either way. I know it, you know it, I already feel good about myself.
• Talking about being perceived as a member: What about the people who have the badge, but didn't contribute to the pirate crew? I'm not sure if there are such people, but it is very possible, because these two things (badge, crew) are not explicitly connected to each other.
• Reason known as "8 bucks for some pixelz?". It's true, even if it's not that much. I probably could do it before the slackertime ends BUT then I think about all of the above...

Don't get me wrong. You did an excellent job with this badge/crew thing. You remember at the start of the BIB campaign when we were thinking is it worth the trouble, is this a flash in the pan? Well, it worked. Not only we delivered the crew but an item - who would've thought? 5.750 dollars an then some! As for me, I just want the crew/item more than the badge. Tell you what, I'll give it some time to digest but the scales can be pretty easy to outweight in this case.

[Fluffle]

Dear Awesome Fluffle,

 

Thank you for this encouregement. Consider this my counterpoint:

• Call it an aesthetic reason No. 1, because I have this unexplainable bad feeling when I see so many badges cooped up next to each other. Some of you have six already, wow! Apparently pledging through Kickstarter and Fig was meant to give additional ones for some reason.
• Call it an aesthetic reason No. 2, because I find the BIB badge to be "meh". It's pretty dark and I still get an illusion of BLB, because of that dot so close to the letter "I". So you might say I don't like the design so much.
• I don't feel the need to be perceived as a member of the BIB crew just by looking at my account. I am happy to be a part of the crew either way. I know it, you know it, I already feel good about myself.
• Talking about being perceived as a member: What about the people who have the badge, but didn't contribute to the pirate crew? I'm not sure if there are such people, but it is very possible, because these two things (badge, crew) are not explicitly connected to each other.
• Reason known as "8 bucks for some pixelz?". It's true, even if it's not that much. I probably could do it before the slackertime ends BUT then I think about all of the above...

Don't get me wrong. You did an excellent job with this badge/crew thing. You remember at the start of the BIB campaign when we were thinking is it worth the trouble, is this a flash in the pan? Well, it worked. Not only we delivered the crew but an item - who would've thought? 5.750 dollars an then some! As for me, I just want the crew/item more than the badge. Tell you what, I'll give it some time to digest but the scales can be pretty easy to outweight in this case.

 

 

Touché. Those are good points. So as unlikely as it may be that you would buy the badge, I'm still thankful that you pointed out why.

I can understand it better now.

 

And given those points I would say then you actually shouldn't buy it. You shouldn't buy it just because I feel you shouldn't lack the badge.

 

You should buy it for yourself of course and if you do feel about the badge the way you do, and especially if you don't even like the design that much, then no, then you probably shouldn't buy it. It's your decision of course anyway.

 

Anyway thanks for letting me know the reasons in detail.

[Fluffle]

"Obsidian is truth-enhancing.  A strongly protective stone, it forms a shield against negativity.  It blocks psychic attack and absorbs negative energies from the environment.  Obsidian draws out mental stress and tension.  It stimulates growth on all levels, urging exploration of the unknown and opening new horizons.  Brings clarity to the mind and clears confusion.  Helps you to know who you truly are.  Obsidian dissolves emotional blockages and ancient traumas.  Promotes qualities of compassion and strength."

 

Reading Fluffles post on astral traveling hippies and Obsidian properties, I kinda feel that it should be something that's worn, with some properties that reflect it's nature? The definition is a bit general like lots of new age stuff, but protective seems to be it's main function.

So to me, that would leave a trinket, hat or cloak. Apparently trinkets are now class specific? So that would rule them out, as you'd want the item to be available to as many classes as possible. Weapons would also tend to get more use with specific classes, so it's unlikely that a mage/priest would find a sabre much good.

So a cloak or hat with some protective properties would seem to be the best bet. That would cover most classes.

 

Actually for me that definition would cry "AMULET". An amulet made of obsidian. An amulet of protection.

[rheingold]

I agree with you - absolutely - it should be a trinket/amulet. But apparently the slot is going to be class dependent. I'd like the item to be available for most classes though. If the devs could confirm that an amulet could be used by casters and melee, then I'd go for an amulet.

[Fluffle]

I agree with you - absolutely - it should be a trinket/amulet. But apparently the slot is going to be class dependent. I'd like the item to be available for most classes though. If the devs could confirm that an amulet could be used by casters and melee, then I'd go for an amulet.

 

Wait wait wait, do amulets share the same slot with trinkets? Are they in the same slot? Are amulets actually trinkets?

 

This is getting a bit confusing for me^^

[Messier-31]

AFAIK the amulet and trinket are two separate things with two separate slots.

[Katarack21]

So one more thing I'd like to say.

 

This concerns @Messier-31 @Katarack21 @gogocactus and a few others:

 

Please consider buying the "Black Isle Bastard" forum badge after all. I know, I know "8 dollars for a bagdge". The thing is, I see the badge as more than "just being a forum badge".

 

We are the Black Isle Bastards on this forum and the badge does signify our membership. You guys have contributed to our cause with money and ideas and

you DO belong to us, no matter if you have the badge or not. But if you had the badge it would be clear for everyone else that you are part of us.

 

To me it feels wrong that you lack the badge.

But it's okay if you would rather not spend 8$ I understand

 

But just give it a thought because soon the slacker backer campaign ends.

I would *LOVE* to buy the badge; it would be an honor and a privilege to me. But unfortunately, I live on a fixed disability income, and at this time of the month I simply *don't* have eight dollars to spare. I had to cover an additional $349 in property taxes this month, so it was a bit of a miracle that I was able to contribute the 10 bucks to the donations at all (and it took some doing to do!), though on the plus side I now own the title to my trailer (yay!).

Edited April 21, 2017 by Katarack21

[rheingold]

I'm actually really confused about trinkets/amulets. I presumed that a trinket is an amulet? But I could very well be wrong.

It would be nice if a dev could confirm if the amulet slot would be the same for every class?

[Katarack21]

I assumed that the amulet slot would be the same slot it was in PoE. I saw no reason to think it would change for no reason.

[ShadySands]

IIRC trinket is the new name for the slot that the grimoire took in the first game and is expanded to all classes and the neck/cloak has been decoupled so there is now a dedicated neck slot and a dedicated cloak slot.

[Ninjamestari]

 

 

 

  

(This artwork was commissioned  from TariToons also known as Buttercheese on this forum.)

 

 

 

I think you may have misspelled Iselmyr there ^^

[dukeisaac]

As far as I remember, Josh said in a Q&A that there would be two neck slots (thx Bobby Null), one for cloaks and another for amulets, necklaces and such. Trinkets are another slot. Whether or not they are class specific is a good question...

[Ninjamestari]

I don't think the special Black Isle Bastard Item has to necessarily be a unique one. What if they all carried a Black Bastard Ring that would have some certain magical property the crew finds especially useful in their tactics, like giving them a connection to their ship or minor spell protection. Or maybe minor fire protection, if the Bastards are fond of setting their victims' ships and huts on fire, so the ring could protect them while they go looting. Magic rings made of Obsidian could be both symbolic as signifying the wearer as part of the group and practical tool for some wider tactic the Bastards are fond of using. I'd even suggest limited invisibility if that isn't too powerful. Or perhaps water breathing, something that allows them to visit an underwater hideout. Or they could just act as a magical key when activating a particular portal.

 

EDIT: the ring could provide some limited version of true sight that would allow the Bastards to leave hidden messages to eachother. This might work better with an amulet, say there's a large obsidian-gem in the middle of the amulet that emits a faint light that reveals these hidden messages, while also having an obsidian tip that would allow drawing and writing said hidden messages.

 

EDIT EDIT: If going with the rings, there could be a particularly dedicated White Coast Warden hunting down the crew who might already have a few of those rings as trophies. Maybe he has made them into a necklace, letting let's say four black rings hang around his neck openly, signifying the crew members he has managed to kill so far.

Edited April 21, 2017 by Ninjamestari

[Katarack21]

I don't think the special Black Isle Bastard Item has to necessarily be a unique one. What if they all carried a Black Bastard Ring that would have some certain magical property the crew finds especially useful in their tactics, like giving them a connection to their ship or minor spell protection. Or maybe minor fire protection, if the Bastards are fond of setting their victims' ships and huts on fire, so the ring could protect them while they go looting. Magic rings made of Obsidian could be both symbolic as signifying the wearer as part of the group and practical tool for some wider tactic the Bastards are fond of using. I'd even suggest limited invisibility if that isn't too powerful. Or perhaps water breathing, something that allows them to visit an underwater hideout. Or they could just act as a magical key when activating a particular portal.

 

EDIT: the ring could provide some limited version of true sight that would allow the Bastards to leave hidden messages to eachother. This might work better with an amulet, say there's a large obsidian-gem in the middle of the amulet that emits a faint light that reveals these hidden messages, while also having an obsidian tip that would allow drawing and writing said hidden messages.

 

EDIT EDIT: If going with the rings, there could be a particularly dedicated White Coast Warden hunting down the crew who might already have a few of those rings as trophies. Maybe he has made them into a necklace, letting let's say four black rings hang around his neck openly, signifying the crew members he has managed to kill so far.

Take it one step further, right? The Black Isle Bastards are BASTARDS, right? Literally bastards, of noble houses? Being hunted by said noble houses?

 

The rings are signet rings, the obsidian are noble isgnias. They are mocking noble isgnias and/or setting up their own noble house.

[ShadySands]

As far as I remember, Josh said in a Q&A that there would be two neck slots (thx Bobby Null), one for cloaks and another for amulets, necklaces and such. Trinkets are another slot. Whether or not they are class specific is a good question...

 

Yes.  Dave Williams has designed a new trinket slot for class-specific goodies like this.  Grimoires are wizard trinkets, but other classes have different trinkets of their own.  We gave trinkets their own slot so a fighter wouldn’t have to sacrifice their gloves slot (for example) to use a fighter-specific item.

https://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/156538820176/any-chance-in-poe2-grimores-could-be-made-a-little

[Ninjamestari]

Take it one step further, right? The Black Isle Bastards are BASTARDS, right? Literally bastards, of noble houses? Being hunted by said noble houses?

The rings are signet rings, the obsidian are noble isgnias. They are mocking noble isgnias and/or setting up their own noble house.

 

 

If they go with the literal bastard route then I see no reason why this wouldn't work. You can just imagine a scene of someone hunting them staring intently at the few rings he has managed to capture, obsessing over his task of hunting down the bastards.

[injurai]

One thing I don't understand. Why not 10 ring slots?

[Messier-31]

One thing I don't understand. Why not 10 ring slots?

 

Cos that would be OP?

[Boeroer]

Only possible for the 3rd fighter subclass: B.A. Barracus. This subclass can also wear 10 necklaces.

[Katarack21]

Only possible for the 3rd fighter subclass: B.A. Barracus. This subclass can also wear 10 necklaces.

But you have to give up all the bonuses from your turtleneck and one thin-ass chain.

 

PS: I'm still pimping the name "Beta Protocol". A weapon is always a last resort for a pirate, after all. What you *want* is a bloodless surrender.

Edited April 22, 2017 by Katarack21

[Lord_Mord]

 

Reading Fluffles post on astral traveling hippies and Obsidian properties, I kinda feel that it should be something that's worn, with some properties that reflect it's nature? The definition is a bit general like lots of new age stuff, but protective seems to be it's main function.

 

I don't think this neccessarily means it has to be an amulet or whatever. What about a bastard sword with some kind of guarding spell? Because the property lies in the material, it does not have to be a certain kind of item.

[ShadySands]

The reason I prefer an amulet (or some other kind of secondary item slot) is so that the most people can get some use out of it. Are you going to pick a magic sword over a soulbound weapon or a talking one? Is a ranged, unarmed, or caster type going to take one at all? Maybe but probably not that often.

 

That said, I'd be perfectly content with whatever is decided upon

 

...except for maybe hat and helm because I play a lot of godlikes

[Boeroer]

What about a nice broad belt with obsidian plates or something that has room for more weapons (meaning it gives you Arms Bearer). Maybe this is difficult because what happens when you pick Arms Bearer as well AND are an Island Aumaua? Weapon Slot overflow?

 

What about a figurine that calls forth an obsidian animat (THE Black Isle Bouncer ? I mean it could be the same model as an Adra Animat, just black.

 

I'm still intrigued by the idea of an item that summons an obsidian weapon - it's like two items in one. I really like the Forgemaster Gloves and the fact that summoned weapons use every Weapon Focus and also priests' weapon ACC talent. 

[Osvir]

What about a nice beard

Fixed it (I'm also very tired xD)

 

​"Wtf beard?" *re-reads* "Oh..."

 

​The obsidian gem/ring/amulet/insignia thing sounds cool imo.

 

​Also, what if the item could be a morphing item? Forge it at the Black Isle, decide whether it's going to be a Sword, Axe, Dagger, Poleaxe, etc. or etch it into a ring, or amulet, etc.

 

​Someone mentioned lightsaber, and I started thinking now "What if it's a ring, and it's capable of manifesting a light, an illusion of a weapon". A Lightaxe, Lightsword, Lightdagger etc. the Player would get to decide which form it takes (to accomodate most playstyles). Maybe it could even have a Per Rest ability "Summon" or "Conjure", and either it takes up the characters weapon slot when summoned/conjured, or simply floating/hovering (Dancing Blades~).

Edited April 23, 2017 by Osvir