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Nehrak · 06-01-2007, 03:09 PM

Not to sound like I'm trying to plagiarize here, or encourage such, but why not go for a system similar to d20 and what the .hack games use?

By that, I'm suggesting you could have "core" classes that get some exclusives, but everyone shares a common pool. For (strictly) example, to take ye olde proverbial Wizard and Warrior:

General Skills/Upgrades
- Weapons: some easier for "Warriors" to buy and train in
- Armor: easier for "Warriors" to buy and train in
- HP boosts: easier for "Warriors"
- MP boosts: easier for "Wizards" to get
- Stat boosts: depends
etc.

Magic Abilities
- Weapon Based (for example, adding elemental damage to a weapon)
- "Force" Based (classic fireball, heals, whatever; "force" means whatever lore the writers come up with for how magic works)
- (Wiz only): Strengthen Armor (+AC buff) -- Requires ____ combat skills
- (War only): Shear Wards (a poor man's version of dispel magic that procs on combat damage and doesn't always guarantee success) -- Requires ____ magic skills

You get the basic idea. Anyway, you could in theory just make a big load of passive upgrades and skills that cost some number of skill points or exp (whichever) and then assign either modifiers or factors or hardcoded values that vary based on who is trying to train in those abilities. Kind of like cross-class skills vs. class skills, while at the same time allowing some uniqueness in a class by giving them abilities that only that archetype could have. You could also have a hardcap on what route a player goes, or prohibit to one direction. For instance, your Warrior could pursue a magic study and become a kind of Mageknight yet forfeit higher training in arms for the use of exclusive magic-based boosts to his abilities (for instance, self-only elemental damage and defense), whereas a Wizard pursuing arms would have more defense available as well as various combat tricks (Wizard-only skills) but not get the most powerful spells.

That's my take on it, anyway.

So my answer to the OP is "Hell yes... if done carefully."

06-01-2007, 03:09 PM	#6 (permalink)
Nehrak Crankier than the Kong Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: DigiPen Posts: 875	Not to sound like I'm trying to plagiarize here, or encourage such, but why not go for a system similar to d20 and what the .hack games use? By that, I'm suggesting you could have "core" classes that get some exclusives, but everyone shares a common pool. For (strictly) example, to take ye olde proverbial Wizard and Warrior: General Skills/Upgrades - Weapons: some easier for "Warriors" to buy and train in - Armor: easier for "Warriors" to buy and train in - HP boosts: easier for "Warriors" - MP boosts: easier for "Wizards" to get - Stat boosts: depends etc. Magic Abilities - Weapon Based (for example, adding elemental damage to a weapon) - "Force" Based (classic fireball, heals, whatever; "force" means whatever lore the writers come up with for how magic works) - (Wiz only): Strengthen Armor (+AC buff) -- Requires ____ combat skills - (War only): Shear Wards (a poor man's version of dispel magic that procs on combat damage and doesn't always guarantee success) -- Requires ____ magic skills You get the basic idea. Anyway, you could in theory just make a big load of passive upgrades and skills that cost some number of skill points or exp (whichever) and then assign either modifiers or factors or hardcoded values that vary based on who is trying to train in those abilities. Kind of like cross-class skills vs. class skills, while at the same time allowing some uniqueness in a class by giving them abilities that only that archetype could have. You could also have a hardcap on what route a player goes, or prohibit to one direction. For instance, your Warrior could pursue a magic study and become a kind of Mageknight yet forfeit higher training in arms for the use of exclusive magic-based boosts to his abilities (for instance, self-only elemental damage and defense), whereas a Wizard pursuing arms would have more defense available as well as various combat tricks (Wizard-only skills) but not get the most powerful spells. That's my take on it, anyway. So my answer to the OP is "Hell yes... if done carefully." Last edited by Nehrak : 06-01-2007 at 03:15 PM.