StendhalRefactoringClassBasics
Introduction
We have two ideas for the class system now, one is a standard Class System, and the other is an Open System. Both systems will have a form of classes, and they both have a skill tree you need to level up to gain access to better and more advanced skills, ideas and proposals for those skills should be under their respective topic below.
It is important to notice that not all the skills are combat oriented, there may be skills to find people, to talk with animals, to cut wood, to mine iron, gold, etc...
Class System
For a class system, my proposal ( Danter ) is that we have these 4 classes to begin with:
Other suggestions for classes are:
Feel free to add your suggestions for classes here aswell.
Some skills are still general skills that all classes can learn, here is a section for those.
In this field you can also put skills when you're not sure which class they should really have:
To gain your class, you will have to do a small quest which will transform you to that class.
An NPC that will make you "forget" your current class, and makes you able to repick your class would also be a nice addition. Changing the class will make you lose all your level points and skills you currently have in that class, and you would have to restart your class from zero.
The player levels would not be lost, though.
Tree-based Class System
A variant on basic classes is to have a tree of classes and advanced classes where you can "class up" as well as leveling up your current class. The requirements for classing up would vary depending on the class. Some may require a high prerequisite class level (e.g. Wizard), some may only require a low prerequisite class level (e.g. Bard), some may require a quest (e.g. Paladin), some may require paying the right guild (e.g. Thief), etc.
You'd keep your class levels when switching to a new class. If you switch to a new class tree (instead of moving down the current one) then some class skills may become unavailable until you switch back. You can only level up skills for your current class, which means you'll want to spend some time at the lower classes to cover the basics before upgrading (or you'll have to downgrade later and then upgrade again).
For example (with some renaming and reorganizing of the above classes):
- Scout — an dexterity/agility-based fighter, forward-observer, and master of the wilds. (Mostly the same as the current Thief sans Backstabbing, Unlocking, Pocketpicking)
- Warrior — a strength/constitution-based fighter.
- Knight — a warrior that can equip the strongest arms and heaviest armor. (Skills to offset armor weight, etc)
- Dragon Knight — a powerful knight with special skills for conquering the strongest dragons.
- Berserker — (Warrior+Scout) a powerful fighter who relies on skills and attributes more than equipment.
- Paladin — (Warrior+Priest) a holy knight. (Sort of a cross between Knight and Priest allowing access to both their skills, but not advancing as quickly as either of them does.)
- Knight — a warrior that can equip the strongest arms and heaviest armor. (Skills to offset armor weight, etc)
- Priest — a holy magic user.
- Necromancer — a powerful dark magic user.
- Lich — (Necromancer+Wizard) an all-powerful dark magic user. (Like the Paladin, allows access to both Necromancer and Wizard skills, plus a few extra.)
- Paladin — (Warrior+Priest) a holy knight.
- Dark Paladin — Exactly like Paladin, but what you become if you become a Necromancer.
- Monk — (Scout+Priest) a blessed fighter who uses martial arts.
- Necromancer — a powerful dark magic user.
- Mage — an elemental magic user
Other than the obvious difference of adding in a tree of lots of classes, one of the differences in this reorganization compared to the four basic classes above is that instead of having the typical "ranged, melee; offensive magic, defensive magic" breakdown it instead has a "speed, power; holy, elemental" breakdown where the choices are orthogonal rather than opposites. You could play an offensive Mage (fireball...) or a defensive Mage (ice shield...); an offensive Priest (curse, blight, turn undead...) or a defensive Priest (ward, heal, resurrect...); a ranged Scout (i.e. Archer) or a melee Scout (just hit them really often); a ranged Warrior (e.g. Berserker with the sprinting skill) or a melee Warrior (just hit them really hard). I think this makes for more interesting play since the classes aren't so typecasted.
The tree-based class system would allow greater flexibility than the basic class system, like the open system but without requiring strange limitations such as only being able to change armor in town. Classes can only be changed by special NPCs, quests, etc and not in the normal course of a dungeon
Open System
A completely different way of handling classes is if you made quests for the teacher who trains you in the different skills and spells. After you complete the trainers quest you will learn the skill he/she can teach, however, some skills has specific requirements, like you can't use magic while wearing other than light armor, or you can't fire a bow properly if you have heavy armor.
An NPC to reset your skills isn't necesary in this system though, since you can always change the path you originally choose, you just have to change your current equipment in order to be able to use the skills. Another important thing is that some skills oppose each other in nature, and should not be able to be used together. Thus we need a system where you can activate or disable the skills you can and want to use, making it impossible to activate two opposing skills.
In this system you could actually be both a mage and warrior thus making the class system completely opend for "dual classess" of any type, the skills you can learn is the same as in the Class System, but now you can learn all the availeble skills.
One thing that is very important in this system is that the players should not be able to change the gear in the middle of a fight, otherwise the players could always change the gear to fit the opponent they are currently fighting.
Maybe players should only be able to change the gear when they are inside an Inn or setting up camp? Or at least just be able to change the bigger parts like torso and legs while they are inside an Inn or camp. Bracers, Boots, Helm and Gloves is still items that is easily changed in the wilds, however I don't like to change my pants while in the middle of the forest, especially if they are made of heavy iron. :)
Play-Style Depended Class System
The most important thing of this system is that a player's class will automatically be assigned depending on their play style. A player would still be able to change their class, but will have to do a lot of training for that. Mixing classes will be done automatically and it would be possible to be an archer for 10%, a warrior for 50% and a mage for 40%. Such a player will be called a battlemage.
This system has a level and exp for each attribute (hp, def, atk, mana) and keeps track of how often they are used by the player. When the player gains experience points it will be distibuted between those attributes. What is used more often will get more exp. This way a mage's raises it's mana level quicker than a warrior, because a mage uses mana more often.
Example: A player has used his heal spell 20 times and his sword 150 times. At the end of a quest he gains 100 exp. His heal level will raise with 1000 * 20 / (20 + 150 * 0.1) exp and his swordfighting level with 1000 * 150 * 0.1 / (20 + 150 * 0.1) exp. Because you need to use a sword more times to gain any effect it's uses is multiplied by 0.1.
This makes cooperation of a party more important. A warrior will always welcome a Mage to join the party and a priest. He can't do the quest alone. He needs healing from the other. And a priest with good exp with undead, can be very helpful in the fight against undead creatures. Priests heal better than Mages do, and warrior can't heal at all. Warriors use only healing potions, not magic scrolls.
It should still be possible that a warrior casts a heal spell, but it wouldn't have any effect or only heal 1 hp. But because he uses heal spells more exp will go to healing and he will slowly become a priest. So it depends on what you use more, what class you become. One who goes in the front and fights hand to hand with enemies and he also use plenty of magic, will become a battlemage.
Mages who use a certain scroll often, learn to use that spell without the need of a scroll. Scrolls just increase the effect and the chance of success.
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