Druid and Mage Suggestions
Obviously this post is about RPG, so you don’t need to open this if you aren’t interested. If you are a player that are interested in voicing your opinions about this you should open this.
Actually the Mage don’t really need a change, but the thing is only that I want to give them more things to develop. In other words something to develop further. This idea is basically from Silver where you actually can upgrade your spells. I know you can do this in a lot of games like Diablo for one. But the idea I think I’ve got from Silver is to not only to upgrade the strength of the spell but also to give the upgraded mark two spell new effects.
A long time ago, when I was experimenting with Nianze and developed it as a kid this was the system too. You first bought a spell scroll mark one, and then you could upgrade it to mark two. Later, when I infused DoD-91 in the game I went over to Effect Levels one, two, etc. I think some of you remember this. However, now when many things is based as techniques my plan is to once more do something like that by giving magicians the ability to upgrade their magics so the magic isn’t as powerful in the beginning but have the possibility to grow stronger. As for the in-game reasons for this I have a few ideas for how this will work, but I just wanted to know what you think of this.
As for Druids, they need to change as I said before. Their old way of working was really abominable, and they are actually meant to be one of the most faithful and loyal servants of the Way of Balance and the teachings of Vordén. Therefore it need to change to something that doesn’t involve splitting your soul. I’ve discussed this with some of my players and the thoughts are here and there but the suggestions that so far aren’t to far from their original path is for them to be spiritual nature worshippers. Something more like becoming a part of nature, heeding its call and understanding it.
As for their ability this is where I have suggestions. Right now I they have the special skills; Animal Communication, Animal Training and Animal Aid. If we keep them i suggest abilities similar to the following for their special skills;
Animal Communication
The druid before had some commands, I will just change this a little so they can command almost any animal in the vicinity. This of course gives them some weaknesses in animal-less environments. But in cities there are rats, dogs, cats and in forests there are many animals. They will also be able to limited “read” animals and get information from them. Druids will also have animals naturally like them unless they are already scared or hurt…
Animal Training
Before this thing gave their animal FP when they got perfect or critical. Now it would instead be something to help them tame and use animals to their bidding. So they can actually make an animal companion, but then it’s a real animal with real animistic instincts and feelings. So some animals are really hard to master others isn’t. To make this more an ability I would make three different ways of taming, quick, fast and something in-between. Like forcing the animal to the druids will by tricks like hypnosis. You need a horse, you find wild-horses so you forcefully tame one just for the ride until it breaks the spell-like charm and throws you off and run away. My suggestions right now is a “Force Tame”, “Ability Learn” and “Animal Training”. Ability is when you try to learn an successfully trained animal a trick or an ability to do something and the last is to improve their skills and properties.
Animal Aid
Something very similar to the last one. Most likely almost the same with just some minor adjustments. So it will be about mending/healing your animal or whatever animal you want.
This is the idea for the new druid. Like I said, much the same but not the same. I need it to be more free to do things without abominable abilities. However, this somehow makes them harder than before. Now they can have much more to do. And much more to develop. But well… what do you think?
Best regards,
Herid Fel
As for the mage thing , I think it sounds good if they get some more areas to develop since after you maxxed youre spell school up to 20 they dont have so much more to develop(spells for example)
And as for the druid thing , sounds good aswell although I think Animal aid feels abit “worthless” if you compare and look at most classes nowdays they usually get some sort of minor abilities or other useful things , which you dont get if you have it on primary or secondary skills for example.(if you would compare a druid vs a normal doctor with animal aid).
Heh, you are out in the blue.
A doctor cannot heal an animal. Only do what everybody can do with Animal aid. The Animal aid is exactly as the Healers First Aid, only to animals. And that first aid doesn’t work on animals. In other words you can heal animals, that are usefull, you just seem to have forgotten this, as always….
Actually you are out in the blue…. I said “a normal doctor with animal aid” and with that I mean like a veterinary surgeon(veterinär) , the point I atleast was trying to make was.. that if it only gives you an ability the heal the pet , well it doesnt seem that effective if you compare against a healers first aid for example which give them some special abilities aswell.
I do realize though that maybe what you meant with animal aid is like , the healers first aid which gives KP depending on certain things. oh well..
Now I do not understand what you’re trying to say.
All special skills do not have any special use other than their abilities for the classes. A vet is just a person who have chosen to learn Animal Aid, as you know you cannot have a skill you don’t have a reason to know it.
So Animal Aid is just like First Aid, normal for everyone else, but have three special abilities for the specific class. Therefore it’s special, when nobody else is able to do this as fast as an druid. So your point is useless here. A healer can heal, but only some certain humaniods and no animals. A Druid can heal, but only animals and not a humaniod. They have the exact same three abilities, just theirs are for animals and takes some KP from them instead of AP.
In other words, I haven’t even planned to change this skill anything from the previous effects. And to be able to heal, cure and mend an animal I think is just as useful (actually more useful) as the healers so I don’t se how this isn’t special…
By the way, I understood you the first time with “normal doctors” but my counterpoint was just to make out that nobody will be able to heal an animal as effeciently as an Druid, who are the only ones that will do some actual healing and not just provide some bandages and disinfection…
Nvm.. Im drunk , hehe… no not really but I actually forgot that druids already hade 3 special abilities on animal aid.. so.. whatever .. it was my bad memory that played tricks on me.
So.. conclusion is that both changes looks fine on the classes.
…
That was useful…
About mages i don’t have anything to say altough I think it sounds good, but I have some thoughts on druids.
Before the druids abilities was about their pet, therefore the druids abilities was based around “animal skills”, to increase the strength of the pet and so forth. I propose to merge the three skills as one. This opens up room for other druid abilities and make the skill in itself more appropriate I think, since I think the skills are too detailed for their functions as skills as they are now.
With only one animal skill; Animal Communication, Animal Training and Animal Aid could be three different abilities in the one animal skill, this might lead you to change so that Animal Aid only has one ability for example or just a more general one.
With two open spaces for class skills, you can create some other skills for druids, Maybe the Survival skill, which could have an effect similiar to how the skill can be used in odd circumstances:
Maybe the druid would be tougher, being more resistant to effects from harsh weather and such. Like when the group travels in cold weather the druid would have some bonus on his roll to determine if he gets a cold. Also it could have something to do with him being more in touch with his instincts, when in a dangerous near death situation he would temporarily increase his capabilities since his survival instinct kicks in or something.
The third skill could be tracking, maybe the druid have a heightened sense of smell that can fit under this skill.
That was some ideas, hopefully it’s something worth considering. Anyway I find the thought of some abilities not based on animals for the druid appealing.
I think it is a good idea to add some kind of level on the spells for mages since it will then be easier to balance them better. Spells that are balanced for a inexperienced character will rather useless in perspective for an experienced one. This limit the variety of spells that are actually usable. Therefore spells that develop with the character will give more possibilities.
I like the new things mentioned about the druids. It will give them quite a lot of possibilities working with animals. The healing abilities will be rather useful since death of the pet will be quite a bit more lasting this way.
The training skills will be a very central part of a druid. The quick training by hypnosis can give them a fast upper hand in interesting situations. The other training abilities will simply be an adoption of earlier stuff.
The new thing with animal communication will be the animal call. Animals are present almost anywhere. Most often they may not be strong but will still be a useful ally when they lend their strength.
Some of the points in Mikael’s post are interesting, but some are already implicitly implemented. For example the things about the survival instincts and resistance to bad weather. This doesn’t have to be among the class skills to take effect. In our new way of playing a druid would most likely already have some of these effects.
About tracking; as earlier stated, the skills need to fit the character or you should not have them. Just by being a druid you will most likely have some of the effects. But most likely not tracking by smell like the old druids. That would a possible skill, but still not necessary since there are already quite a lot of skills present.
Something I cannot see as a possibility is merging the skills in the original post. And therefore adding something new could be difficult since there is (most likely?) a limit at 3…
Think about it. It would be wrong to put any of the skills as an effect of any of the other, with the exception of animal call that maybe could be moved to animal training since it resembles the fast training.
But moving the ability of healing animals to animal training or animal communication? No sir.
Moving the training part to communication? What use is there then of the animal training skill?
Moving the communication stuff to training? For this to work the communication skill should be removed from the game.
Skills that don’t have anything to do with animals could be a good thing. But I thing the skills as they are now seem quite versatile. The force training and animal call gives them something to do in a fight even though they have no trained pet around.
Oh, by the way. Sorry for responding so late. But you kept me busy all my spare time with RPG.
I’ve now read all your posts and I will have to once again decline on Foppa’s suggestion.
Once before you’ve said that you think that it’s the same thing but I beg to differ quite much on that point.
Animal training is about psychology of animals, how they think react and how they learn. This is a complex skill that you can use to learn an animal many things with. You can teach a dog to get your weapon or to attack at a certain commando, or even have it to warn you about attacks.
With the communication you can make sounds and even somewhat mimic their movements and improve your KAR to make the animal feel more comftorable and safe. With this skill you communicate in all ways by signs, sounds and movements to the animal and not just one animal, all animals. This is a huge skill, when the number of animals that falls under animals… are almost everything that aren’t sentient enough to communicate in our limited way.
As for the aid, it’s as I stated, a copy of the healers copy. It’s almost neccessary for healing in a real battle. If you have managed to tame an animal that are useful in close combat it will be offer to many harmful things as poison and such, therefore it’s nothing to say about that.
As for others, that aren’t druids, these abilities still have a similar effect, the only difference is that they have three special abilities to every skill as all other classes have. To merge them is completely impossible!
The suggestion to give them abilities to track and survive is a good idea that already exists as a racial ability, which is much more stronger and useful. Both of them.
If, I would do something like that they would become Woodsmen, but a druid is a person in close contact with animals and plants. But the only thing that makes an druid in Nianze a druid is their special hand with creatures. If you want something else you simply have to combine it with other concepts like Brizzt, and take the skills that match your view.
If I change that, I wold more or less force everyone that will play a Druid to become “Hunters” or “Woodsmen” when this class main thing is animals, as before and as the idea is. The change is meant to change the class from abominable but still focus on animals, not to completely change them.
So good suggestions, with a great influence of WoW, but nothing I think will be implanted since all the abilities you suggest already exist in other places and I don’t want duplicates.