Combat rewrite release draws near. I'd like you to all be as prepared as possible for the upcoming changes as they will be many with the hope that this will be a smoother transition. This thread focuses primarily on the subject of skill system changes coming with the combat rewrite.
The entire skill system as it pertains to combat is changing but will be adaptive from the current/previous systems. Currently, all skills are available to all character classes and using a skill improves your ability in that skill (which we call ranks). For weapon ranks in a skill, your accuracy increases. Armor ranks improve your armor class.
PURCHASED SKILL SYSTEM
Every level, regardless of your class, you get a skill point which is used to purchase a skill for your character (your character begins training fundamental and rudimentary arts associated with that skill at various degrees of mastery). Subsequent spending of skill points in a skill raises your Mastery level. Skills do not need to be purchased to use, but you will suffer a heavy penalty to your effective skill rank as a result (if you have 200 ranks in a skill that you have not purchased/spent skill points studying, your effect rank may only be 100 or so -- the exact penalty is still being evaluated and fine-tuned). A skill can be raised as far as Mastery level 10 ("Grandmaster" level).
For offensive skills (weapon skills and martial arts styles), raising skill Mastery beyond the first level will increase your damage potential. Mastery levels beyond level 5 raise your damage and chance to score a critical hit.
For defensive skills (armor skills, dodging/parrying, outnumbered defense, etc.), raising skill Mastery beyond the first level will increase your armor's protective rating. Mastery levels beyond level 5 raise your armor's protective rating and automatically improves your combat position when you attack an opponent (for being able to maneuver especially well in your armor).
For magic skills (a new set of skills), raising skill Mastery beyond the first level will increase your spell's damage potential. Mastery levels beyond level 5 raise your damage and improves your natural resistance to that type of damage (fire, ice, psychic, unholy, etc.).
With the number of current skills being so high, we are also reducing the skill list by categorizing and grouping similar skills together so that your earned skill points (the one you get every level) are more valuable -- affecting a larger group of weapons, armors, etc. with each point you spend. For example, instead of Club, Light Mace, and Heavy Mace, all three skills are classified as just Mace and raising your Mastery level in Mace will improve your ability with all three of these weapons. The skill ranks you have been training in the skills that are being consolidated will be recalculated and applied to the new skill system so you do not need to start re-training skills over again.
To make some of the more powerful weapons more valuable, we are making them slightly more difficult to train by assigning two new properties to each combat-related skill:
(1) each skill has a list of classes that excel with that skill. Classes that do not excel in a skill must spend 2 skill points to raise Mastery levels instead of just 1. Again, skills *can* be used with no Mastery at all, but the effects are considerably diminished.
(2) some of the more advanced skills have pre-requisites before you can purchase them. For example, to purchase the Great Sword skill, you must first have Mastery level 4 ("Rival" level) in Sword.
In example: for a Wizard that does not excel in either Swords or Great Swords, it would take ten total skill points to train Great Sword to its first level of Mastery to use the skill at its full effect where it would only take five points as a Barbarian. Likewise, a Paladin who wants the Holy Mind skill at Mastery level 5 ("Adept") for a considerable bonus to holy damage and a slight bonus to resisting Holy-based damage, it would take ten skill points whereas a Priest need only spend five. Depending on your preferences and character development strategy, the extra cost may be worthwhile to pursue for the advantages of a non-class skill.
ARMOR SKILL RANKS
Armor (also "equipment") will cease to function as it did previously. Now, armor will include area-specific locations across your body in six different locations: head, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and torso (chest/back/waist). Each location will provide a total protective value as well as determine damage dampening to that specific location when you are struck.
In addition to this upgrade, each piece of armor will now feature a variable protective value depending on your skill rank with that type of armor. Each piece will have a minimum and maximum value and failure to meet the minimum skill required to don a piece of armor will prohibit you from wearing it altogether. This decision was not an easy one to make, but will allow us to make better distinction in the challenges between levels and other advancement as well as reward players for acquiring new and better armor.
While skill ranks in an armor skill still affect your armor class, they do so in a more specific and important way now. It also makes very good sense to spend skill points towards mastering armor.
OLD SKILLS AND NEW SKILLS
Below is a list of old/current skills and what they will be called after the rewrite goes live. Note that when you see -> it relates to a pre-requisite skill as well as the primary skill.
- Code: Select all
Offensive skill New name
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Gauntlet Brawling
Unarmed Strike Medium Brawling
Unarmed Strike Small Brawling
Dagger Dagger (no change)
Punching Dagger Cestus
Spiked Gauntlet Brawling
Light Mace Mace
Sickle Sickle (no change)
Club Mace
Halfspear Spear
Heavy Mace Mace
Morningstar Mace -> Morningstar
Quarterstaff Staff
Shortspear Spear
Light Crossbow Crossbow
Dart Small Projectiles
Sling Small Projectiles
Heavy Crossbow Crossbow
Javelin Spear
Throwing Axe Small Projectiles
Light Hammer Hammer
Handaxe Axe
Light Lance Spear
Light Pick Pick
Sap Sap (no change)
Short Sword Sword
Battleaxe Axe
Light Flail Mace -> Flail
Heavy Lance Spear
Longsword Sword
Heavy Pick Pick
Rapier Sword
Scimitar Sword
Trident Halberd
Warhammer Hammer -> Great Hammer
Falchion Sword -> Great Sword
Heavy Flail Mace -> Flail
Glaive Halberd
Greataxe Axe -> Great Axe
Greatclub Staff
Greatsword Sword -> Great Sword
Guisarme Halberd
Halberd Halberd
Longspear Spear
Ranseur Halberd
Scythe Staff -> Scythe
Shortbow Bow
Composite Shortbow Bow -> Composite Bow
Longbow Bow
Composite Longbow Bow -> Composite Bow
Halfling Kama Sickle
Kukri Dagger -> Ritual Dagger
Halfling Nunchaku Nunchaku
Halfling Siangham Small Projectiles
Kama Sickle
Nunchaku Nunchaku (no change)
Siangham Small Projectiles
Bastard Sword Sword -> Great Sword
Dwarven Waraxe Axe -> Great Axe
Gnome Hooked Hammer Hammer -> Great Hammer
Orc Double Axe Axe -> Great Axe
Spiked Chain Whips -> Spiked Chain
Dire Flail Mace -> Flail
Two Bladed Sword Sword -> Great Sword
Dwarven Urgrosh (was planned, to be removed)
Hand Crossbow Crossbow -> Hand Crossbow
Shuriken Small Projectiles
Whip Whip (no change)
Repeating Crossbow Crossbow -> Repeating Crossbow
Net Net (no change)
Defensive skill New name
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Balance (was planned, to be removed)
Blocking Attacks Blocking Attacks (no change)
Dodging Attacks Dodging Attacks (no change)
Heavy Armor Light Armor -> Heavy Armor
Light Armor Light Armor (no change)
Martial Arts Martial Arts (no change)
Medium Armor Light Armor -> Medium Armor
Misdirection (planned)
Outnumbered Defense Outnumbered Defense (no change)
Parrying Attacks Parrying Attacks (no change)
Tumbling (planned)
Unarmed Combat Brawling
Technique skill New name
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Dual-Weapon Tactics Dual-Weapon Tactics (no change)
Combat Casting Combat Casting (no change)
Pain Tolerance (planned)
This is not a complete list of combat-related skills featured in the combat rewrite. That will be released at a later time.