alpha/prototype build 0.5.1

[yayswords]

I'm pretty sure most of it is figured out by the DM being a human and not a computer. If you look at computer adaptations of D&D (Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale), you'll find them as riddled with exploits and imbalances as your average RPG. It's just when you sit around a table and play, the DM can improvise to adjust the challenge.

[jack1974]

I've made some tests with the Mage skills offering bonus/malus... but honestly it doesn't feel good. For example the idea that if you cast a Fire Blast on an enemy, then if you attack with melee you could get the Burning status too. I tried, but basically then I was avoiding using that skill at all against monsters with a lot of HP and Kira/Thalia didn't know what to do in their turn
So I won't do things like that, since the negative effects were pissing me off too much while playing. I'll try to get "creative" with some spells but not like that!

[yayswords]

Actually my idea was:

- The burning target takes a significant amount of damage over time.
- Any interaction with the target causes you to take fire damage (but not get the Burning effect yourself).
- Interaction isn't just attacking the target, but also guarding it, healing it, etc.
- The point is the target is getting owned quite hard by a single spell, but nobody, friend or foe, wants to try to help or harm it.
- Just as I typed this I thought: Interaction could remove one tick.

Obviously you wouldn't want to cast that if there's only one target though.

[jack1974]

Ah OK I see. I could try this, but not sure I can code the interaction as well...

[jack1974]

I'm also having some buffs range displayed, like the revamped "Hold The Line" by Kira:

since I won't have starting bonuses, I though to limit some buffs to 3 characters nearby. This way if you spread out your party, you're less likely to be targeted by the enemy AI with AOE attacks, but at same time you'll have harder time to use some AOE buffs

[jack1974]

Haha I just added a funny spell. The Tornado causes Confused effect, which now randomly swap each turn the four values of the target It's a sort of gambling, and of course not much effective if the target has similar values. But if target has high attack and low defense or any other combination it can lead interesting effects

[Troyen]

*pictures Yayswords tornadoing his party, hoping to swap super-high defensive stats into the offensive slots.*

[yayswords]

I don't think I'd run around with a character higher in defense than offense yet with offensive skill picks (or vice versa) just hoping for that to happen

Feels like a very severe effect. Is that on a basic nuke or a combo?

[jack1974]

Tornado is offensive only, so you can't use it on your own party, but on enemies only (enemies can use it on you too of course) Is a basic one, but depending on testing maybe I'll change it. When I tried it was funny, but unless the enemy was very unbalanced (like values as 8,4,9,5) the impact wasn't SO BIG. But was still fun to use
I've almost done Joanne's skills. I want to finish by Sunday, since as said before I can't spend as much time on this game as I did with SOTW. I still think the rules are cool enough though

[yayswords]

Mmm. Well, I probably wouldn't use such a spell if there's a chance high attack turns into fortress defense or high defense turns into butcher attack. Anyway, I don't really like calling the effect "confused". I just can't see that as being debatably beneficial. How about "whirling"?