Skill System Options

[Jaramar]

Just thought I'd put up a list of possible skills here that I'd worked on over the summer, the crafting skills are no where near complete though. I'll be putting in more little comments as I work on this today.

Coloration:
Skill Catagory
Visible
Visible and has optional "Ability Sets".
Hidden
Ability Sets, Spells, and Crafting Recipes

Melee Skills:
-Damage Types:
--Piercing (Small bonus to chance to hit and damage while using Piercing style weapons in melee combat regardless of actual damage type.)
--Slashing (Small bonus to chance to hit and damage while using Slashing style weapons in melee combat regardless of actual damage type.)
--Bludgeoning (Small bonus to chance to hit and damage while using Bludgeoning style weapons in melee combat regardless of actual damage type.)
-Styles: (All styles give additional chance to hit as well.)
--One Handed (Moderate bonus to dodge and casting speed as well as a small bonus to melee damage while using a single One Handed weapon.)
--Two Handed (Moderate bonus to melee damage while using a Two Handed weapon.)
--Dual Wield (Small bonus to melee damage, dodge, and parry while using two One Handed weapons.)
--Weapon and Shield (Moderate bonus to shield usage and a small bonus to melee damage while using a One Handed weapon and Shield.)
-Weapons: (All weapon skills get chance to hit and damage bonuses while raising in addition to anything mentioned specifically.)
--Axes
--Daggers (Small bonus to dodge, casting speed, and parry.)
--Hammers
--Maces (Flail skill available after extensive use of the Maces skill.)
--Short Pole Weapons (Hunting Spears fall into this catagory while in melee combat and in the Javalin catagory for ranged combat.)
--Swords
--Unarmed (Gives a large bonus to dodge and casting speed but may only parry Bludgeoning and Piercing weapons and will still take half damage.)
(Full sized polearms are only for usage against mounted opponents!)

Ranged Skills:
-Accuracy (Increased chance to hit and a small bonus to ranged damage due to extensive use of different Ranged weapons.)
-Weapons: (All weapon skills get chance to hit and damage bonuses while raising in addition to anything mentioned specifically.)
--Bows
--Crossbows (Repeating Crossbow skill available after extensive use of the Crossbow skill.)
--Javelins (Hunting Spears fall into this catagory while in ranged combat and in the Short Pole Weapons catagory for melee combat.)
--Thrown Weapons

Defence:
-Dodging (Takes penalties dependant on weight and type of the armor.)
-Parrying (Takes penalties dependant on weight and type of the weapon.)
-Shields (Usable with one handed melee and ranged weapons.)
-Armor:
--Chainmail (Gives a slight bonus to defence while wearing Chainmail. Chainmail armor causes a moderate speed decrease and dodging penalty. Slow casting speed.)
--Leather (Gives a slight bonus to defence while wearing Leather. Leather armor causes a small speed decrease and dodging penalty. Moderate casting speed.)
--Platemail (Gives a slight bonus to defence while wearing Platemail. Platemail armor causes a large speed decrease and dodging penalty. EXTREMELY slow casting speed and unable to cast War Spells.)
--Unarmored (Gives a slight bonus to defence while not wearing armor. Not wearing armor causes no penalties. Fast casting speed.)

Magic:
-Enchantments (Supposedly due to some lore requirement but really for balance and variety each character can either choose Enchantments which are self buffs or Healing which is for healing, ressurection, and status effect removal. Enchantment skill also gives a bonus to War spells while Healing gives a bonus to Summoning spells.)
-Healing (Supposedly due to some lore requirement but really for balance and variety each character can either choose Enchantments which are self buffs or Healing which is for healing, ressurection, and status effect removal. Enchantment skill also gives a bonus to War spells while Healing gives a bonus to Summoning spells.)
-Summoning: (While a summoned creature or creatures are active you may not engage in melee or ranged combat. This could supposedly be due to needing to keep ones mind in the "casting" mentality but is also to make sure that we don't have everyone and thier grandmother with summoned pets.)
--Creatures
--Elementals
--Undead
--Drains (Not summoning spells exactly but more appropriate to this school then to being a War Spell.)
-War Spells:
--Acid
--Bludgeoning
--Fire
--Ice
--Lighting
--Piercing
--Slashing

Crafting:
-Hunting
--Butchering (Every 25 points in Skinning gives a +1 skill point bonus but only if the corpse has been skinned.)
---Butcher Creature
--Skinning (Shearing skill available after extensive use of the Skinning skill.)
---Skin Creature
---Shear Creature
-Metalworking
--Mining
---Dig
---Extract Gems
---Extract Ore
---Extract Stone
--Smelting
---Smelt Ore
--Blacksmithing
---Create Arrowheads
---Create Crafting Knife
---Create Framework
---Create Hammer
---Create Nails
---Create Needles
---Create Pick
---Create Pot
---Create Saw
---Create Smith's Hammer
---Create Wood Axe
-Woodworking
--Wood Harvesting
---Harvest Wood
--Carpentry
---Create Beam
---Create Board
---Create Pole
---Create Shingles

-Alchemy (Every 10 points in Cooking gives a +1 skill point bonus.)
--Brew Alchemical Oil
--Brew Alchemical Poison
--Brew Cloth Dye
--Brew Leather Dye
--Brew Metal Paint
--Brew Paint
--Brew Potion
--Create Alchemical Item
-Armorsmithing
--Create Buckler
--Create Small Round Shield
--Create Medium Kite Shield
--Create Medium Round Shield
--Create Large Kite Shield
--Create Tower Shield
--Create Chainmail Armor
--Create Splintmail Armor
--Create Platemail Armor
--Create Metal Boots
--Paint Armor
-Construction (Every 10 points in Carpentry gives a +1 skill point bonus to wooden constructions, while every 10 points in Mining gives a +1 skill point bonus to stone constuctions. If a construction has both wood and stone you only get a +1 for every 15 points in Carpentry and Mining combined.)
-Cooking (Every 15 points in Skinning and Butchering combined gives a +1 skill point bonus.)
-Enchanting (Every 10 levels in Enchantment gives a +1 skill point bonus.)
-Fletching
-Leatherworking
--Tan Leather
--Create Leather Armor
--Create Studded Leather Armor
--Create Leather Boots
--Create Leather Shoes
--Dye Leather
--Waterproof Leather
-Tailoring
--Spin Thread
--Dye Clothing
--Weave Cloak
--Weave Dress
--Weave Pants
--Weave Robe
--Weave Shirt
--Weave Cloth Shoes
-Weaponsmithing

(This is a VERY basic example of the craft system which is still a work in progress. For example right now quarrying is lumped in with mining. This should change.)

Random Notes and Thoughts:
Armor Penalties and Crafting ideas - http://forums.projectwish.com/index.php?showtopic=5376
Armor types equals more quick access slots which are the only ones available in battle?
Poison?
Minthos's idea with skill respec points after max?

[Jaramar]

I'd like to know how you see these skills working. How does a character increase them and what do these skill increases do?

Taking a weapon skill for example:

How does one improve swords skill from, say, Rank 1 to Rank 10?
What would have changed/improved over these rank increases?
Would two Rank 10 Swordsmen have identical progression or do you have plans for some type of customization? Ie, would would make two characters of equal rank diffrent?

About these "intelligence skills" can we call them "lore" or "knowledge" so as not not get confused with a character's Intelligence which I see as being a natural attribute much like Strength, Beauty, Agility or any other thing that would be determined initially by your DNA.

You increase your skills ONLY through usage. Where the uniqueness comes in is the "ability sets" Minthos suggested. Basically at X level in a skill you can put in points and unlock an ability set which will give you a few new attacks. The damage and speed of them are still balnaced off the primary skill but they will do an additional little something (the 'little something' being a big something if someone actually gets a specialist skill due ot the fact that the cost of a specialist skill is over three times the cost of a master skill by Minthos's reckoning. Otherwise it would actually make a stronger character to spread across multiple sets... which wouldn't be a bad thing and infact that's where we are trying to aim the balance).

And Razaekel, those are still levels. It's just that they are chopped up into much finer peices. Still, your point is well taken. Most people, however, like to see jumps of improvement instead of just getting better at an un-noticable rate.

[RicoSuave]

... Most people, however, like to see jumps of improvement instead of just getting better at an un-noticable rate.

I'm not one of those people. I hate the DING! I don't understand how after accomplishing some task or quest, you are suddenly able to defeat a monster that you weren't able to defeat 30 seconds prior. Maybe if the equipment changed, or the tactics used, but suddenly becoming better out of thin air?

Personally, I like Razaekel's idea of constant, progressive skill gain. Perhaps an ability may be learned suddenly (true-to-life) through some type of education. Maybe an 'Armor Pierce' shot could be available after using a weapon long enough. I'm sure we can think up many ideas where people can see their progression come in visible chunks if that's what we decide on. However, I'd like to keep as far away from 'DING!' as possible.

[Jaramar]

I'm not one of those people. I hate the DING! I don't understand how after accomplishing some task or quest, you are suddenly able to defeat a monster that you weren't able to defeat 30 seconds prior. Maybe if the equipment changed, or the tactics used, but suddenly becoming better out of thin air?

Personally, I like Razaekel's idea of constant, progressive skill gain. Perhaps an ability may be learned suddenly (true-to-life) through some type of education. Maybe an 'Armor Pierce' shot could be available after using a weapon long enough. I'm sure we can think up many ideas where people can see their progression come in visible chunks if that's what we decide on. However, I'd like to keep as far away from 'DING!' as possible.

I'd been talking to Razakiel about this actually just a few minutes ago. Personally I'd like it to be somewhat like Asheron's Call. There were 300 levels... each one small and very much like the next one. However you could use certain things at certain points (there weapons and occaionally spells, here "ability sets" and such). To take it a step further I suggested that they not be exact skill levels... but rather hidden values over a 20 point range unique to a character so that they all get the option to upgrade thier ability sets at different times. It's much the same as you said, though the ability sets become the new levels more then the skills do. Still, there is no reason for 0.53425 skill. This can be represented easily enough as 53% of the way to level 1.