Mage customization - Possible new class.

[lumikant]

This idea is basically bastardized from another mud I played, but it worked incredibly well. When you created a mage character, you chose an elemental, and paraelemental focus. Elemental being Fire/Air/Earth/Water and para being Lightning/Cold/Heat/something else. You gained spells based on your two focuses, and you gained a special set of spells based on the combo you had, i.e water and cold gives you Ice specialized spells. Air and Heat gives scortching spells. It allows for a single class to have a huge number of specializations. If something like this were implimented, I would also want to see mages switched to more arcane kind of spells.

[DeathCow]

Thats what I intend to do, somewhat.  Its not going to be a thing you decide while rolling your character its gonna be set by who's quests you complete as a lower mage.   There will be several universal spells for mages however.  I am trying to put alot of focus on making unique characters.

[lumikant]

Excellent. Might I also suggest warrior "Styles" i.e. Barbarian, skirmisher, duelist, tactician etc. Each "style" would modifiy certain stats, Like someone using Skirmisher has a enhanced chance of fleeing, but does less damage with big 2h weapons.

[DeathCow]

Excellent. Might I also suggest warrior "Styles" i.e. Barbarian, skirmisher, duelist, tactician etc. Each "style" would modifiy certain stats, Like someone using Skirmisher has a enhanced chance of fleeing, but does less damage with big 2h weapons.

I have already considered styles as well.  ALthough not in terms of class.  Its going to be a sort of weapon style system. Similar to how some of the later M&M games have had.  Your basic class system will will include your innate abilities such as all-weapons/staves/1 handers.  Then there will be weapon specializations that your class will have the ability to pick.  This will have to come after the initial release as there is alot of coding and databse sturcture that will need to be implemented for it.  Rather than making textblocks that look through a list of every possible weapon its will be much easier to make weapon type a field in the items database.  Specialization will have various possible effects based on how you've trained.  There are several options that i have for making it work but since I can now use a coder to make these changes easy I'm gonna wait till he has time to work on it before i bother making calculations for how and what should be possible.  Allowing variations in classes is an interesting idea.  Maybe something like D&D class kits?

[lumikant]

I think it would be better to see it added through quests. Like you want to specialize in two handed swords, you have to go do a series of quests, each that gets you slightly better, almost like alignment quests in mmud. That way you can also have levels of proficiancy/mastery.

Another idea that strikes me is allowing any class with combat 3+ get some number of proficiancies, like combat 3 can choose one type, combat 4 can choose two, and combat 5 can choose three. Also, I think there should be a shield style, along with weapons.

[DeathCow]

Shield style...we gotta be refrencing the same game, I just dont recall which game it was off the top of my head.  I tend to much more towards in game cotent rather than simply oot choices.  The idea of class kits would be implemented in an in game fashion.  I also have a couple crazy ideas for non weapon combat profiences for mystics and ninja....so they can be more like jackie chan.  Because thats a good thing.

[Reece]

how about an alchemy skill set for mages because it ouwld be nice to have a class that could make potions.

[DeathCow]

how about an alchemy skill set for mages because it ouwld be nice to have a class that could make potions.

Its a possibility.  There are large scale commerce abilities such and alchemy and weaponsmithing that could add alot to the game.  Its important however to keep in mind that this is a scripting game and a system like this would need to be made in ways that prevent its abuse.  So these type abilities will need careful consideration during their development.

[Reece]

In keeping in mind this is a scripting game. Potions can require regents. With this in mind every monster could drop a specific reagent? for potions and you ouwld need to script to gather enough to make any amount of potions.? Also you could make an alchemist class that has potions instead of spells. This way they have to summon a potion then use it. possibly make them heavy so you cant carry many. That would keep other classes form loading up on 99999.3 potions and going scripting.

edit

Just thought about spamming. You could always make potions a once a round thing like all other skills.

[DeathCow]

In keeping in mind this is a scripting game. Potions can require regents. With this in mind every monster could drop a specific reagent  for potions and you ouwld need to script to gather enough to make any amount of potions.  Also you could make an alchemist class that has potions instead of spells. This way they have to summon a potion then use it. possibly make them heavy so you cant carry many. That would keep other classes form loading up on 99999.3 potions and going scripting.

edit

Just thought about spamming. You could always make potions a once a round thing like all other skills.

I'm not entirely worried about spamming atm.  Depending on the potion and the how easy they are to make the spells will be defined as either instant use or timed use.  For the simple fact that this is a heavily scripted game I can't make monsters drop spell reagents.  There would be crap everywhere.  I can make reagents something that would need to be harvested.  I could even set up a system in which some more potent reagents are very rare, similar to EQ2.

[Reece]

Well as far as clutter is concerned that is easily remedied. Put timers on rooms where if an item isnt picked up within so long it biodegrades. Leave ganghouses and possibly a junkyard where these timers arent active.

[DeathCow]

I suppose we could create an item type that poofed over time, say 10 minutes.

[Reece]

Yeah, I see where you would want harvesting you cold simply put signs around with textblocks to give items, but even still you have a player scripting that for a week and he has 100000 in a pile somewhere.

[DeathCow]

Well that would be fine if the player wanted to give up scripting else where for a week.

[Reece]

Well unless you intend to hide every reagent miles away form anything to kill i doubt he will have  aproblem with it.