[crossfire] Classes

[Brendan Lally]

On Thu, 27 May 2010 22:03:50 -0700
Mark Wedel <mwedel at sonic.net> wrote:

>   For starting skills, should skill tools be done away with (eg,
> talismans, holy symbols?)  My take, which may be wrong, is more often
> than not they are annoying/disliked, and I'm not sure what is really
> gained by having them vs giving the characters the native skills.
> Thoughts?

I'd agree with the skill tools bit, mostly they are just clutter in my
character's inventory until I find a 'proper' skill scroll (which I
would typically buy anyway because they are cheap enough).

Maybe talismans could remain as a form of amulet that gives a skill
boost to the spell schools in question? If they were made rare enough*,
then this would be a way to make it much easier to 'start' a
wizard-style character. 
Give a talisman as starting equipment to each mage that increases the
effective level of their skill by 3 levels (probably capped at level
15 or so). They would then immediately be able to cast 4th level
spells whereas non-specialists are forced to start with first level
spells. 
If the first area of effect spells are made available at levels 3
or 4 then it will be very slow going for anyone who isn't a wizard by
trade.

* with appropriately high-level quests which fighter-style characters
  could attempt when they are strong enough to think about generalising.

>   Related to the skills discussion, maybe sense magic & sense curse
> skills go away, and instead become special bonuses of praying and
> wizardry skills?

Or maybe they should just become an extension of the identification
skills? So if I have an enchanted sword and use my smithery skill on
it, there are three possible outcomes:
1) I fail completely and think it is a mundane sword.
2) I know there is something magical about it but don't know what.
3) I find out everything there is to know about it.

If the skill is lacking, then you could still have an unmodified roll
against INT and WIS to try and determine 2.

Brendan.