Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

KickStarter The Iron Oath - turn-based strategy RPG with awesome pixel art

sennin

Curious Panda Games
Developer
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Messages
48
Having trouble adding quotes but we appreciate the support guys :)

Maybe I'm failing my reading check, but on the Kickstarter page, it says you guys already shipped a game together. What was it?

Ah, ya I think I only mentioned its name in my bio there, my bad! Our first game was Rhythm Destruction(http://store.steampowered.com/app/301540), a Rhythm/Shmup Mashup
 

mediocrepoet

Philosoraptor in Residence
Patron
Joined
Sep 30, 2009
Messages
11,485
Location
Combatfag: Gold box / Pathfinder
Codex 2012 Codex+ Now Streaming! MCA Project: Eternity Divinity: Original Sin 2

Zombra

An iron rock in the river of blood and evil
Patron
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
11,539
Location
Black Goat Woods !@#*%&^
Make the Codex Great Again! RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Not a real update, but fuck it.

Update #1

Aug 10 2017

Thank you! Over 15% Funded in 24 hours(+Social Goals)

After some much needed sleep, we were thrilled to wake up and see that we had passed the 15% mark in the first 24 hours! We're also sitting at #2 in the most popular video games category which is pretty amazing; we cannot thank you enough for your support!

We would like to point out the "Social Goals" for anyone that may have overlooked them. By sharing, retweeting and supporting us on social media you can help add extra content to the game(among other goodies). Here are the rewards:

  • 4 Goals: We’ll unveil another playable class in a campaign update: the Grappler
  • 8 Goals: An alternate skin for every class will be added to the game
  • 12 Goals: Our artist will create a video tutorial explaining his process and tips for designing & animating characters
  • 16 Goals: Enlarged and improved character portraits will be added for all cinematic & dialogue sequences.
  • 20 Goals: Discover the hidden secrets of our game’s world by completing a multi-stage quest which will unlock an additional character class in the game.
93f4cdf6637860cf8353b4e8957b6d00_original.png

Each completed milestone gets us one step closer to unlocking a reward!
We know Social Media is incredibly important for spreading awareness and we want to reward you for helping us in the endeavor! So get out there and like, share, retweet or yell at your friends; let's do this together! Here are the necessary links:

Lastly, we wanted to ask you what YOU wanted to see from us in our forthcoming updates. We already have a few planned out but we wanted to give you the chance to let us know what you want to hear about first. So comment below and we will discuss the most popular topic or game feature in our next update!

Our deepest thanks once again for supporting our dream game! As cheesy as it sounds, It really means the world to us!
 

sennin

Curious Panda Games
Developer
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Messages
48
Backed. Overall I'm quite impressed with the pitch and think this could easily be a smash hit kickstarter with the right endorsements.

By dynamic do you also mean randomly generated?

That is, is it A) that the map geography is handcrafted, with polities/borders/roads fixed, but the factions that initially populate said polities and their relative standing to each other is randomized?

Or B) that everything is handcrafted and all world states are initially identical, but diverge later?

I would be fine with either one (there are clear pros and cons) but it should be clear what your vision is here.

Hey man, thanks a lot for your support and glad you like the pitch! :) The initial world state(the regions, factions, cities and the Houses that rule them) is hand crafted & based on the lore and world history that we've written out. So it's like B, identical to begin with, and then diverging by means of world events and your choices. We've also had the idea to simulate the first 50-100 years(basically letting it play out behind the scenes as it normally would, but without your influence) when you start a new game, but we haven't 100% decided if we'll go that route, perhaps it could be a setting for the player to decide. I'll have to go edit the description for clarity, thank you for pointing it out!

What are the mechanics underlying said events and how they unfold? Is it deterministic, probabilistic, what? Basically, are things being simulated and to what degree?

I've asked this question before and you had an interesting answer but I'm expecting a more comprehensive response about what you envision.

Why is this question important? Because RPGs are more than just tactical combat and leveling up. There is something that gives meaning and significance to the core mechanics and gameplay loop. Usually that something in RPGs is the story, the plot, the main quest, the big bad, the mcguffin. But your pitch describes a more simulationist type of game where that isn't really the focus, and rather than experience the Curious Panda Story instead there is this dynamic world to create the player's own story in. You have to make clear just how far players can do that.

We were planning to expand on Overworld Encounters and more specifically the World Events(since it's one of our favorite features) in one our Kickstarter updates. For now I'm gonna direct your post to our programmer since he has a better understanding of the technicalities behind it; I don't want to put words in his mouth :) He's out with his kids right now but he should be able to respond soon!
 

Zombra

An iron rock in the river of blood and evil
Patron
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
11,539
Location
Black Goat Woods !@#*%&^
Make the Codex Great Again! RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
I'm very curious about roster and event management.

Will it be like Darkest Dungeon with a static hub
OK, I'm doing the spider well mission, I'll pick 4 guys and do the mission, OK that's done, now I'm back at the hub screen, now I'll pick the tower mission, now I pick 4 guys and do the mission

Or more like Jagged Alliance 2 with a meaningful world map?
The spider well is over here and the tower is over there, I'll send 4 guys to each place, hope they get there in time, oh now goblins have appeared over here, I'll send a team that way also or maybe recall one of the other teams

Three guesses which I'd prefer.
 

sennin

Curious Panda Games
Developer
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Messages
48
Definitely more like second option. Your guild moves around the world in a caravan. At the beginning of the game, everyone travels together with the exception of those with injuries that require them to stay behind at a city's infirmary. Eventually you'll be able to get guild perks that will allow you to send out multiple parties from your caravan. They may reach their mission without any problems(from there you'd play through the mission), or they may trigger an encounter on the way that could hinder them(they were set on by bandits, suffered injuries in combat and now you decide if you want them to continue to their mission or return to the caravan). The only restriction to the multiple parties thing is that your caravan has a radius that all your groups will need to stay within(can be increased with perks), so you cant send out a party halfway across the world.
 

ShadowSpectre

Arbiter
Joined
Mar 11, 2017
Messages
333
Location
Limbo
This game reminds me a lot of the old-school 2D arcade fighters and side-scrolling fantasy games with the animations and art style; both of which I loved a lot growing up. It's even an RPG design with a JA2-like map. I'm thinking about backing this, despite saying I wouldn't back another Kickstarter game again.
 

sennin

Curious Panda Games
Developer
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Messages
48
What are the mechanics underlying said events and how they unfold? Is it deterministic, probabilistic, what? Basically, are things being simulated and to what degree?

I've asked this question before and you had an interesting answer but I'm expecting a more comprehensive response about what you envision.

Why is this question important? Because RPGs are more than just tactical combat and leveling up. There is something that gives meaning and significance to the core mechanics and gameplay loop. Usually that something in RPGs is the story, the plot, the main quest, the big bad, the mcguffin. But your pitch describes a more simulationist type of game where that isn't really the focus, and rather than experience the Curious Panda Story instead there is this dynamic world to create the player's own story in. You have to make clear just how far players can do that.

Alright I talked with Chris a bit for some clarity on how the simulation aspect will work out:

Firstly, I’ll talk about the Houses since that’s probably the easiest way to start. Each region has a Royal House and a few Major Houses. Royal Houses rule over the entire region in which they are situated. They hold ownership of the region’s capital and sometimes other cities as well. The Major Houses are the Vassals of the Royal House. If the Royal House ever gets involved in a war or other dispute, the vassals are obliged to answer their King or Queen’s call. Major Houses can also rule & own multiple cities, and it’s even possible for them to have greater wealth and military strength than their liege.

Each ruling House has their own goals and principles(or ethos), which remains similar from generation to generation(meaning it’s unlikely for a ruling house to go from peaceful to warmongering after one generation, but its possible over multiple). This ethos determines how they rule and how they will react to various world situations and events.

Each city also its own ethos, which at the beginning will be quite similar to that of others within the region(since they generally are the same race, have the same practices etc). A cities ethos is less subject to change over time, but it will slowly be influenced by the ethos of its ruler.

Underneath all of that there are some stats that we will track for each city:
Wealth: Used to buy resources, hire mercenaries and fund their army
Military Strength: Having a strong military means they are less likely to shy away from conflict
Resources: Are they able to feed citizens? Do they need to trade for wood or stone? Each region has some predetermined resource nodes, but new ones will also appear during the course of the game.
Population Happiness: How happy are the citizens with their ruler

The other stat tracked would be each rulers standing with one another and other factions of the world. Those with a high standing would be allies, those with low would be enemies. Generally, a vassal will be in good standing with their Liege, but it’s possible for it to drop low enough that they may choose to rebel against him or her.

The ethos and stats will all determine how a ruler reacts to different situations and world events that occur. Some events that can occur are random, and some are probabilistic that require certain conditions to be met. Some random examples would be a plagues, droughts, floods, the discovery of new resource nodes, Blighted attacks and Void breaches(releasing spirits & demons into the world). An example of some more probabilistic events would be:
  • A bandit raid on a city that has a low military strength. Bandits raiding the city would not be a guaranteed thing, but as long as the prerequisites are in place, there is a chance it will occur.
  • Revolt of a city, if citizen happiness remains low for a long period of time(due to differing ethos or famine etc), the citizens may trigger a revolt and regime change.
  • A vassal may rebel against his King or Queen if their ethos’ greatly differ and their relationship weakens. Other factors that are taken into account would be the ruler's ambition and military strength that he commands.
All of these events would have a type of mission or encounter associated with with them, providing you’re in the right area or the right hub. Depending on the mission or encounter, you may have the chance to influence the world in varying degrees, either by completing it or by choosing not to.

One of the biggest ways to influence the world would be to assassinate a ruler(goes without saying this mission would be incredibly difficult). An ally of yours may send you a letter, asking for your help in his plot to kill his liege who he has grown to dislike. A few choices present themselves to you right away:
  • You can refuse his request and he may drop his plot, or attempt it anyway
  • You can reveal his scheme. Likely earning yourself a reward from the liege, but also sentencing your ally to death and potentially having all of his House’s holdings revoked.
  • You can accept the mission and attempt to complete it.
If you accept and manage to complete the mission, the liege will be replaced by their heir. If they are without an heir, the most well-liked Major House of that region will ascend to the throne. However if there is any amount of dislike between the Houses, a war for the throne is likely to occur.

This type of outcome would also spawn some more missions for you, and you could choose a side and help them win the crown by completing various missions: capturing a watchtower, disrupting their supply lines etc. I think that’s something I mentioned previously here, you wouldn't be able to fully partake in an all out brawl(though it is something we’d like to add with a stretch goal), but your assistance would come through the completion of various small scale skirmishes.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I hope that sheds some light on what we envision and how we’re going to go about doing it :)
 
Last edited:

Zombra

An iron rock in the river of blood and evil
Patron
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
11,539
Location
Black Goat Woods !@#*%&^
Make the Codex Great Again! RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Update #2

Aug 12 2017

Character Classes & We're Over 45% Funded!

Yesterday was our best day yet! The imgur, reddit and twitter communities showed a ton of support for the game and with their help we've soared to over 45% of our total funding goal, and we're still only a few days in! We can't thank everyone enough for all the pledges & kind words that we received, we were completely overwhelmed by the response. We had pledges come in at all sorts of tiers, and we also managed to knock off the "Design a Bandit Group" tier. We are truly grateful to each and every one of you for believing in our game. Before we get to the meat of the post, we'd also like to gauge interest in adding another high tier pledge, so if that's something you would like to see, please let us know :)

Character classes is something that was requested after our first update, so we'd like to give you an overview of the first 12 character classes that we have planned(or have already implemented) for the game. We thought about listing a full ability breakdown for each class, but as 8 of them still have abilities that are subject to change, we thought it would be best to give you a description(and mention an ability or two) for each class instead.

To begin, each class in the game has a total of 6 abilities(Novices begin with 4) for them to learn along with 1 basic attack. Abilities cost Spirit to use, but basic attacks are performed for free and actually generate Spirit. In addition, each class possess one passive ability to start with, and are able to learn a second through the Mentor system.

The 12 classes we've chosen to launch the game with(out of the 21 total have designed) are fairly well rounded with 4 casters, 4 melee and 4 hybrid classes.

The 12 Character Classes
Paladin: Paladins possess the gift of holy magic to both heal their allies and strike at their enemies. They are outfitted with platemail, a sword and shield. They are a well-rounded class that can be used to tank, heal and deal damage--especially against the undead. Holy Barrage is their most potent ability, dealing a high amount of damage against up to 3 targets in a row.

0dd099d2708c6c134cf6afc2ba5a9e4b_original.gif

The Paladin's Safeguard ability allows her to dampen incoming damage to herself & nearby allies
Pyrolancer: Armed with a massive lance and the ability to conjure and control flames, the Pyrolancer is able to dish out a ton of fire-based damage from close-medium range when the situation calls for it. While they’re not particularly tanky, their leather armor allows them to get by in close quarters. Infernal Pillar is their highest Spirit cost ability, dealing large amounts of damage to 2 consecutive hexes in any direction.

eebfe5f02d84dbd1fe4890a44a1ec01c_original.gif

The Pyrolancer's Wildfire ability burns the enemy with a chance to spread to others in the vicinity
Stormcaller: The Stormcaller calls upon the violent forces of nature, using lightning and wind to devastate their enemies from afar. Though they have a few support abilities, dealing damage is their strength, and they possess some of the highest potential for it in the game. Wearing only cloth armor, getting into the fray is a risky proposition and they are best suited towards the back lines. Their Conduit ability allows them to channel the power from all hostile magic attacks in the vicinity and eventually release it in a massive discharge onto their target.

(As an aside, we were actually considering renaming this class to the Stormherald. We’d be open to any name suggestions though!)

c604f0ec433dd5ad2b9bb8513374b34e_original.gif

The Stormcaller's Tempest ability can be devastating if you manipulate the enemies into the right position
Valkyrie: The Valkyrie is a terrific off-tank to have in your front lines. Equipped with plate armor and pole-arm, they are able to both take and deal damage while also possessing the abilities to support their allies. The reach of their pole-arm allows them to attack from both close and medium range. Skewer is their greatest ability, which pierces multiple enemies and drags them forwards.

fc0315a2a613718580515298e231cd43_original.gif

The Vakyrie's Aegis ability can shield her allies from harm
Grappler: Grapplers thrive in close quarters combat where their fists, mind & reflexes are both a shield and a weapon. While wearing only cloth armor can leave them somewhat vulnerable, they are masters at blocking and countering attacks, and when wounded can slip into a meditative trance to heal themselves.

Hellraiser: Hellraisers are masters of the grave. Their cloth armor makes them vulnerable, but with the ability to summon the undead they can inflict agony on their enemies from relative safety. Their highest Spirit cost ability is Seed of Death. Upon the targets demise, the seed will damage all surrounding enemies and heal the Hellraiser in return.

Shifter: Shifters are able to manipulate matter and distort the fabric of both the mortal realm and the Void. They are an excellent support class that can redirect damage and erect force fields which are capable of protecting their allies and entrapping their enemies. Their most powerful ability is Distortion Bomb which they can place on any open cell. The bomb will gather energy indefinitely until the Shifter triggers it to damage the surrounding cells. With every passing turn however, the spell becomes more unstable and has a chance to outright fail.

Sage: Sages are deeply connected with nature and use it to both heal their allies and harm their enemies. They can be classified as a supporting healer, but are not incapable of dealing significant damage in the right situations. Their Tree of Life ability places a healing tree in a vacant cell that restores the health of nearby allies over time. Their most dangerous ability, Natures Abyss, is a violent upheaval of earth that damages and swallows the enemy, removing them from play for one round.

Warden: Wardens are equipped with plate armor, a mace and a large tower shield. As you might have guessed, they are the prototypical tank class in the game, possessing a range of abilities to disrupt and distract their opponents, while also being able to shield their allies from harm. None Shall Pass is their best defensive ability in which they slam their shield into the ground and steady themselves behind it, forming a defensive barrier that negates all damage coming from the opposite side.

Nightstalker: The Nightstalker is a rogue ranger of sorts that dresses in dark leather armor. Their skill set is geared towards impeding their enemies’ movements and remaining elusive, giving them the chance to use their powerful bow to dish out maximum piercing damage. Their Full Draw ability can be channeled for multiple turns to continually increase its damage output.

Trickster: With an arsenal of traps, tricks and projectile flasks, Tricksters help to incapacitate and take down enemies without getting their hands dirty. They excel at causing chaos among the opposition and can probably be best described as a support class. Their highest damaging ability is Shrapnel Party, in which they lay a directional trap that triggers after 2 rounds or when an enemy passes over it. Enemies caught in the blast are damaged and inflicted with a bleed.

Troubadour: Troubadours are armed with their trusty lute, and through song they can heal, buff & lift the spirits of their allies. They are accustomed to being on the front line of battle where they can be most effective to the party, and as such they are heavily armored and quite durable against enemy aggression. They are one of the few classes that possess the ability to charm an enemy: convincing them to fight for you for a few rounds.

We hope you like the designs laid out! We had a really tough time choosing the 12 classes; there's some others that we really loved, but we believe these 12 should boast a wide variety of play styles and methods to defeat your enemies and complete your missions.

Social Goals
We've currently unlocked 2 social goals and are close to a couple more. Hitting 4 will reveal the visuals for the Grappler class, and beyond that there is some really cool game content that we think you'll enjoy. So be sure to check out the Social Goals section on our campaign page!

Lastly we wanted to mention stretch goals, and we'll likely start revealing them once we hit the 25-30k mark, so it hopefully won't be much longer! Thank you once again, we hope you all have a terrific weekend!
 

Suicidal

Arcane
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
2,208
The project looks like it can be very interesting but I see you guys are taking quite a few cues from Darkest Dungeon (4 man parties consisting of characters with a small number of abilities, randomly generated dungeons, the way your party walks and camps, etc.). I really hope you don't also take the same approach to dungeon crawling and combat, i.e. - have 4 dungeon types populated by the same 5-7 enemies and a few copypasted bosses that the player is going to have to do over and over again for the entire game. Lack of variety kills games like this.

Still, my first impressions are quite positive.
 

PrettyDeadman

Guest
Notice how they don't use 'he' in their updates. Only 'she' or 'they'.
An enlightened game indeed.
 

sennin

Curious Panda Games
Developer
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Messages
48
That's a great writeup and it ought to be on the campaign page itself or in an update, I think most backers would find it very interesting. Perhaps more than the tactical RPG aspects.

But I would clean up the language since random and probabilistic are synonyms. What I think you/Chris are referring to is unconditional vs conditional.
Glad you liked the write-up, we'll definitely be posting something similar for a campaign update in the coming days. We'll clean up the terminology too, thank you for that!

Am I understanding your planned scope correctly that the game is simulating how these various stats interact within- and between- entities? The stats all sound like recursive functions of each other e.g. wealth is a function of resources and morale, and vice versa. This could get intensive fast depending on the level of abstraction, so how much modeling are we talking?
That is the plan. Right now all we have set up in-game is cities trading with each other based upon need and opportunity, the full simulation won't be in place for a while yet. Once we do get it set up we'll be running tests continually until it performs as we envision without any glaring problems or anomalies. I wouldn't expect it to work flawlessly right away so some stats will definitely be subject to change or removal once we get to that point. It's hard for us to expand much more than that for now without anything concrete to work with, hope you can understand!

Backed. Don't fuck this up.
Thank you, we'll do our very best :) This is the type of game we want to play ourselves for thousands of hours so we have every motivation to see it realized.

The project looks like it can be very interesting but I see you guys are taking quite a few cues from Darkest Dungeon (4 man parties consisting of characters with a small number of abilities, randomly generated dungeons, the way your party walks and camps, etc.). I really hope you don't also take the same approach to dungeon crawling and combat, i.e. - have 4 dungeon types populated by the same 5-7 enemies and a few copypasted bosses that the player is going to have to do over and over again for the entire game. Lack of variety kills games like this.

Still, my first impressions are quite positive.
I definitely agree, environment & enemy variety is something I'll be putting a lot of effort into. We already have the base of 5 different indoor environments and we'd like to have at least 10 at launch(+ at least one per region for Encounters). It's harder to say how many enemies we'll have time to implement. We have 60 enemies designed in a document(undead, beasts, demons, spirits, blighted & various humans) and I would really like to get 30-40 into the game at launch. At the very least we can also easily re-skin some of those enemies and change their damage type and strengths/weaknesses (like changing a Dire Wolf to an Undead or Diseased Dire Wolf) for some added variation with considerably less effort.

Notice how they don't use 'he' in their updates. Only 'she' or 'they'.
An enlightened game indeed.
Haha, I don't think I used 'she' did I? We're holding out hope that we can have both male and female options for each class(it's one of our stretch goals) :)
 

Jimmious

Arcane
Patron
Joined
May 18, 2015
Messages
5,132
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I think Suicidal 's point (which I agree with) is that you should try to avoid making dungeons feel so... "templated" like in DD. There basically when you enter a dungeon of a specific type you more or less already know what you're facing. That's not so bad if it's done moderately - in DD it felt a bit too gamey after a while.
 

Suicidal

Arcane
Joined
Apr 29, 2007
Messages
2,208
I think Suicidal 's point (which I agree with) is that you should try to avoid making dungeons feel so... "templated" like in DD. There basically when you enter a dungeon of a specific type you more or less already know what you're facing. That's not so bad if it's done moderately - in DD it felt a bit too gamey after a while.

My point has more to do with the actual variety of what the player may find inside the dungeons, rather than their "templatedness". I'm not against fighting nothing but pigmen when I enter a pigman hideout. I am against the fact that once you've fought every type of pigman (of which there are about 7) and the two quest bosses you've pretty much seen everything that type of dungeon has to offer. And the game expects you to run this dungeon dozens more times until you reach the end. Sure they added new monsters in the highest level dungeons in a recent update, but too little too late.

A couple more bosses, enemy types, traps, maybe stuff like wandering monsters, random dungeon or enemy modifiers can go a long way in making grinding the same dungeons less boring.
 

sennin

Curious Panda Games
Developer
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Messages
48
Man, I'm excited about this! Best of luck to you, backed!

Great to hear, thank you so much :)

I think Suicidal 's point (which I agree with) is that you should try to avoid making dungeons feel so... "templated" like in DD. There basically when you enter a dungeon of a specific type you more or less already know what you're facing. That's not so bad if it's done moderately - in DD it felt a bit too gamey after a while.
I think Suicidal 's point (which I agree with) is that you should try to avoid making dungeons feel so... "templated" like in DD. There basically when you enter a dungeon of a specific type you more or less already know what you're facing. That's not so bad if it's done moderately - in DD it felt a bit too gamey after a while.

My point has more to do with the actual variety of what the player may find inside the dungeons, rather than their "templatedness". I'm not against fighting nothing but pigmen when I enter a pigman hideout. I am against the fact that once you've fought every type of pigman (of which there are about 7) and the two quest bosses you've pretty much seen everything that type of dungeon has to offer. And the game expects you to run this dungeon dozens more times until you reach the end. Sure they added new monsters in the highest level dungeons in a recent update, but too little too late.

A couple more bosses, enemy types, traps, maybe stuff like wandering monsters, random dungeon or enemy modifiers can go a long way in making grinding the same dungeons less boring.

We do you want you to have an idea of what you'll be facing when entering a dungeon, but it is more in the form of scouting reports(otherwise you wouldn't be able to plan your party accordingly). Not every mission will have a detailed report though, so there may be a few surprises within. Every dungeon type will be able to house all sorts of enemies so they won't feel templated. A cave could be inhabited by bandits, necromancers, blighted or beasts specific to the region it's in(or even a combination such as bandits and beasts). There are also some events that can happen during your excursions that will shake things up, like a bounty hunter tracking down one of your characters who is wanted, or a disgruntled NPC who wants revenge for something you did previously(maybe instead of returning a family heirloom you were tasked with finding, you kept it for yourself).

Just posted a new campaign update regarding Character Attributes & Stretch Goals :)
We are now 60% funded in just under a week. Again, we cannot thank you all enough for the support you have shown us, it’s been incredible! As mentioned yesterday, we will be unveiling a few stretch goals which you can read further down in this update. But first, we’re going to be talking about character attributes.

Before beginning, I’d like to note that while the existence of every attribute listed is set in stone, its influence or the way it’s calculated may change down the road for balance purposes.

cc02cba40055ccdbb3007518ee39ff0b_original.gif

Every character in the game that is available for you to recruit has 6 primary attributes and 11 secondary attributes. The primary attributes are as follows:

Strength(STR): Strength determines a character’s ability to Block, their Critical Damage and has a small influence on their Health. It also comes into play during missions, specifically when encountering any object that needs to be moved or destroyed(pushing a boulder, smashing a door etc).

Dexterity(DEX): Dexterity determines a character’s Bonus Accuracy & Critical Chance, along with their Dodge. Dexterity is also required to pick locks in dungeons and for other actions that require deft hands or quick feet.

Constitution(CON): Constitution is a measure of a character’s vitality and fortitude. As a result, it determines a character’s Health and Defense.

Charisma(CHA): Charisma is a measure of likability and the ability to influence and control other beings. If a character’s Charisma is high enough, they gain a trait granting immunity to mind controlling conditions such as Taunt, Fear and Charm. A higher Charisma also lowers the chance of gaining a negative trait when Spirit is low for an extended period.

Wisdom(WIS): A measure of mental fortitude and spirituality. Wisdom determines a character’s Critical Damage & Perception. It also increases resistance to any attacks that target a character’s Spirit pool. Wisdom is used when interacting with mysterious objects.

Intelligence(INT): Intelligence is the measure of a character’s knowledge. Intelligence determines a character’s Bonus Accuracy & Critical Chance. It is also used to decipher languages found in texts or other mediums.

Of the 6 primary attributes, each class generally focuses on 2 main stats that are used to determine the effectiveness of their abilities. In saying that, this does not mean that the other 4 attributes are neglected; most classes will be proficient in at least 3.

  • Paladin: Wisdom & Strength
  • Pyrolancer: Intelligence & Strength
  • Stormcaller: Intelligence & Wisdom
  • Valkyrie: Strength & Charisma
  • Grappler: Dexterity & Wisdom
  • Hellraiser: Charisma & Wisdom
  • Shifter: Wisdom & Intelligence
  • Sage: Wisdom & Intelligence
  • Warden: Strength & Constitution
  • Nightstalker: Dexterity & Strength
  • Trickster: Dexterity & Charisma
  • Troubadour: Charisma & Strength
d8dba8d3f13cf5b2e0ef1b0fa4034b3a_original.gif

The majority of secondary attributes are determined by a character’s primary attributes. The secondary attributes are:

Health(HP): A character’s health is determined by their Constitution & Strength(the latter to a lesser extent).

Spirit(SP): All Abilities expend Spirit on use. Every character has a base Spirit pool of 100(we will be talking in-depth about Spirit in a future update!).

Attack Power(ATK): Attack Power is the damage output of a character’s basic attack before any other calculations(like Critical Chance or Defense) take place. To determine the value, it takes into account a character’s weapon and main stat. For the calculation of an ability’s effectiveness, a unique modifier is multiplied to the Attack Power value.

Perception(PER): Perception functions much the same as it does in D&D. It is derived from Wisdom and is used for spotting traps, sensing dangers and uncovering hidden passages.

Speed(SPD): A character’s Speed is determined by their class. It determines combat order and how often a character gets to act.

Movement(MOV): Movement is also determined by a character’s class. It controls how many hex cells one can move during their turn.

Defense%(DEF): A character’s defense is derived from their Constitution and determines their base damage mitigation against all attacks, traps and hazards.

Evasion%(EVA): A character's chance to evade is determined by Strength or Dexterity. Depending on their class, they will either Block(STR) or Dodge(DEX).

Bonus Accuracy%(ACC): Bonus Accuracy is derived from Dexterity or Intelligence, with the higher value being used. It is added to an ability’s base accuracy to determine the overall accuracy.

Critical Chance%(CRC): Critical Chance comes from Dexterity or Intelligence, with the higher value being used. It is the base percent chance to critically hit with an ability. The damage multiplier of a critical hit is determined by the Critical Damage stat.

Critical Damage%(CRD): Critical Damage is derived from Wisdom or Strength, with the higher value being used. It is a multiplier that determines how much additional damage a critical strike inflicts.

(Note: although unmentioned, almost all primary and secondary attributes can be altered via gear and traits)

I know this probably wasn’t the most exciting read(maybe you enjoyed it though!), but we figured it would be best if we followed some sort of progression instead of jumping all over the place with features! In tomorrow's update we’ll be going over Damage Types, Conditions, Vulnerabilities and Resistances, in addition to breaking down how damage is calculated.

6c7cf870b508606d10b9a9ea344d2b2e_original.png

It’s now time to unveil a couple of stretch goals that we’re really excited about! With every goal achieved, another will be revealed so you’ll always know what’s coming up next! Here are the first two:

eecece39d9fa6a9152d4e0e3d4fc1b54_original.png

Guild Council($55K): Council members can be recruited from all over the world, but not all will be equal in ability. Each member will offer you advice and has a number of tasks that they can perform for the guild.

The Master at Arms is in charge of your warrior classes, he or she is able to train them either as a group or individually, and you can also send them on missions to various destinations to find promising new recruits. The Archmage functions in the same fashion, but is instead charged with your mages.

The Emissary is your guild’s chosen representative for improving your reputation with other factions. When assigned, they will slowly increase your reputation over time with the targeted faction. In addition, they will bring a variety of missions to your attention that the target requires assistance with, allowing you to further increase your reputation and get rewarded in the process.

The Master of Intrigue is your main advisor and functions as your eyes and ears throughout the world. They will bring important matters to your attention that you may otherwise never hear about(such as a plot to kill a liege) in addition to any unsubstantiated rumors that may be worth looking into. They also have the ability to disrupt relations between factions of your choosing, potentially providing the spark that leads to an all out war.

As a bonus, when a character of yours retires from active duty, you will be given the chance to keep them around by offering them a position on your council. If their loyalty rating is high enough, they will likely accept the job.

Sea Travel & Encounters($65K): Every major coastal city will be given a port from which they can trade and send troops along numerous sea-routes. You can pay for passage across these routes in order to save time, but much like on land, there is a possibility of Encounters. Many different types of sea encounters exist, such as being boarded by pirates(in which combat will take place on the ship’s deck), spotting a tradeship, or even crossing paths with an entire fleet.

-----

Hopefully you’re as excited about the first two goals as we are, and we hope we get to share some others with you. Please feel free to ask us any questions, as we’d be more than happy to discuss them :)

Lastly, we’d like to point out that we’re oh so close to reaching a couple of Social Goals(and the first reward!). So make sure to check out that section of our campaign page and help spread the word on Twitter & Facebook! Thank you everyone!
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
I like what I hear and I like how well prepared the campaign is, and I like the detailed explanation on events in particular. Backed.
 

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...th-dark-turn-based-tactical-rpg/posts/1964046

Character Attributes and Stretch Goals!

We are now 60% funded in just under a week. Again, we cannot thank you all enough for the support you have shown us, it’s been incredible! As mentioned yesterday, we will be unveiling a few stretch goals which you can read further down in this update. But first, we’re going to be talking about character attributes.

Before beginning, I’d like to note that while the existence of every attribute listed is set in stone, its influence or the way it’s calculated may change down the road for balance purposes.

cc02cba40055ccdbb3007518ee39ff0b_original.gif


Every character in the game that is available for you to recruit has 6 primary attributes and 11 secondary attributes. The primary attributes are as follows:

Strength(STR): Strength determines a character’s ability to Block, their Critical Damage and has a small influence on their Health. It also comes into play during missions, specifically when encountering any object that needs to be moved or destroyed(pushing a boulder, smashing a door etc).

Dexterity(DEX): Dexterity determines a character’s Bonus Accuracy & Critical Chance, along with their Dodge. Dexterity is also required to pick locks in dungeons and for other actions that require deft hands or quick feet.

Constitution(CON): Constitution is a measure of a character’s vitality and fortitude. As a result, it determines a character’s Health and Defense.

Charisma(CHA): Charisma is a measure of likability and the ability to influence and control other beings. If a character’s Charisma is high enough, they gain a trait granting immunity to mind controlling conditions such as Taunt, Fear and Charm. A higher Charisma also lowers the chance of gaining a negative trait when Spirit is low for an extended period.

Wisdom(WIS): A measure of mental fortitude and spirituality. Wisdom determines a character’s Critical Damage & Perception. It also increases resistance to any attacks that target a character’s Spirit pool. Wisdom is used when interacting with mysterious objects.

Intelligence(INT): Intelligence is the measure of a character’s knowledge. Intelligence determines a character’s Bonus Accuracy & Critical Chance. It is also used to decipher languages found in texts or other mediums.

Of the 6 primary attributes, each class generally focuses on 2 main stats that are used to determine the effectiveness of their abilities. In saying that, this does not mean that the other 4 attributes are neglected; most classes will be proficient in at least 3.
  • Paladin: Wisdom & Strength
  • Pyrolancer: Intelligence & Strength
  • Stormcaller: Intelligence & Wisdom
  • Valkyrie: Strength & Charisma
  • Grappler: Dexterity & Wisdom
  • Hellraiser: Charisma & Wisdom
  • Shifter: Wisdom & Intelligence
  • Sage: Wisdom & Intelligence
  • Warden: Strength & Constitution
  • Nightstalker: Dexterity & Strength
  • Trickster: Dexterity & Charisma
  • Troubadour: Charisma & Strength
d8dba8d3f13cf5b2e0ef1b0fa4034b3a_original.gif


The majority of secondary attributes are determined by a character’s primary attributes. The secondary attributes are:

Health(HP): A character’s health is determined by their Constitution & Strength(the latter to a lesser extent).

Spirit(SP): All Abilities expend Spirit on use. Every character has a base Spirit pool of 100(we will be talking in-depth about Spirit in a future update!).

Attack Power(ATK): Attack Power is the damage output of a character’s basic attack before any other calculations(like Critical Chance or Defense) take place. To determine the value, it takes into account a character’s weapon and main stat. For the calculation of an ability’s effectiveness, a unique modifier is multiplied to the Attack Power value.

Perception(PER): Perception functions much the same as it does in D&D. It is derived from Wisdom and is used for spotting traps, sensing dangers and uncovering hidden passages.

Speed(SPD): A character’s Speed is determined by their class. It determines combat order and how often a character gets to act.

Movement(MOV): Movement is also determined by a character’s class. It controls how many hex cells one can move during their turn.

Defense%(DEF): A character’s defense is derived from their Constitution and determines their base damage mitigation against all attacks, traps and hazards.

Evasion%(EVA): A character's chance to evade is determined by Strength or Dexterity.Depending on their class, they will either Block(STR) or Dodge(DEX).

Bonus Accuracy%(ACC): Bonus Accuracy is derived from Dexterity or Intelligence, with the higher value being used. It is added to an ability’s base accuracy to determine the overall accuracy.

Critical Chance%(CRC): Critical Chance comes from Dexterity or Intelligence, with the higher value being used. It is the base percent chance to critically hit with an ability. The damage multiplier of a critical hit is determined by the Critical Damage stat.

Critical Damage%(CRD): Critical Damage is derived from Wisdom or Strength, with the higher value being used. It is a multiplier that determines how much additional damage a critical strike inflicts.

(Note: although unmentioned, almost all primary and secondary attributes can be altered via gear and traits)

I know this probably wasn’t the most exciting read(maybe you enjoyed it though!), but we figured it would be best if we followed some sort of progression instead of jumping all over the place with features! In tomorrow's update we’ll be going over Damage Types, Conditions, Vulnerabilities and Resistances, in addition to breaking down how damage is calculated.

6c7cf870b508606d10b9a9ea344d2b2e_original.png


It’s now time to unveil a couple of stretch goals that we’re really excited about! With every goal achieved, another will be revealed so you’ll always know what’s coming up next! Here are the first two:

eecece39d9fa6a9152d4e0e3d4fc1b54_original.png


Guild Council($55K): Council members can be recruited from all over the world, but not all will be equal in ability. Each member will offer you advice and has a number of tasks that they can perform for the guild.

The Master at Arms is in charge of your warrior classes, he or she is able to train them either as a group or individually, and you can also send them on missions to various destinations to find promising new recruits. The Archmage functions in the same fashion, but is instead charged with your mages.

The Emissary is your guild’s chosen representative for improving your reputation with other factions. When assigned, they will slowly increase your reputation over time with the targeted faction. In addition, they will bring a variety of missions to your attention that the target requires assistance with, allowing you to further increase your reputation and get rewarded in the process.

The Master of Intrigue is your main advisor and functions as your eyes and ears throughout the world. They will bring important matters to your attention that you may otherwise never hear about(such as a plot to kill a liege) in addition to any unsubstantiated rumors that may be worth looking into. They also have the ability to disrupt relations between factions of your choosing, potentially providing the spark that leads to an all out war.

As a bonus, when a character of yours retires from active duty, you will be given the chance to keep them around by offering them a position on your council. If their loyalty rating is high enough, they will likely accept the job.

Sea Travel & Encounters($65K): Every major coastal city will be given a port from which they can trade and send troops along numerous sea-routes. You can pay for passage across these routes in order to save time, but much like on land, there is a possibility of Encounters. Many different types of sea encounters exist, such as being boarded by pirates(in which combat will take place on the ship’s deck), spotting a tradeship, or even crossing paths with an entire fleet.

-----

Hopefully you’re as excited about the first two goals as we are, and we hope we get to share some others with you. Please feel free to ask us any questions, as we’d be more than happy to discuss them :)

Lastly, we’d like to point out that we’re oh so close to reaching a couple of Social Goals(and the first reward!). So make sure to check out that section of our campaign page and help spread the word on Twitter & Facebook! Thank you everyone!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...th-dark-turn-based-tactical-rpg/posts/1965318

Damage, Resistances, Vulnerabilities and Conditions (+Epitasis)

Time for a late-night update! Yesterday we went over primary and secondary attributes. Today we’ll be covering damage types, resistances, vulnerabilities, conditions and how it is all calculated. We’d once again like to note that a couple details may be subject to change down the road. Let’s begin!

Damage Types, Defense, Evasion

As of now we have 11 damage types in the game, they are: Earth(Nature), Force, Fire, Frost, Holy, Dark, Necrotic, Lightning, Slashing, Piercing & Blunt. Most classes have only one damage type assigned to them. Originally, the hybrid classes(such as the Paladin and Pyrolancer) were able to deal two types of damage, but for balance and clarity reasons we decided to reduce it to one.

Rather than have individual resistance values for every damage type, we chose to simplify things a bit(and we think for the better!). Every class and enemy in the game has one Defense stat(derived from Constitution, and any applicable traits or gear) that determines their base damage mitigation. Therefore, more heavily armored characters, and those with high Constitutions will have a greater Defense.

As of now, each class is designated to either block, or dodge, but they cannot perform both. We chose to do this to save some time on animations and we may change it later on, but it doesn't have a huge effect on gameplay. Both block and dodge are rolled into an Evasion stat(derived from Strength & Dexterity) that determines a character’s chance to avoid taking damage. If a class uses dodge, the attack will be avoided entirely. Blocking functions mostly the same, but shields have a damage threshold(some low, some high) which means that if an attack is strong enough, some damage can still be suffered.

9f090ebe5c7e2f982f13fff725a46e4c_original.gif

The Pyrolancer blocks with a conjured shield of fire

For calculating the success and damage output of an attack, an Accuracy & Evasion check is first performed to see if the attack will hit or be evaded. If an attack is going to hit, it’s then checked against the target’s Defense stat to see what percentage will be mitigated.

7cf1d07c1918a705625ea247741434a4_original.gif


Vulnerabilities and Resistances

There is no strict hard counter relationship between the damage types. Instead, all enemies in the game are tagged with Vulnerabilities and Resistances that determine what they are weak or strong against. Some enemies may have none, while some can have many.

Character classes do not have any Vulnerabilities or Resistances attached to them, and by default they take normal damage from all enemy attacks. However, it is possible(and quite likely) that your characters will have Traits(or gear) with a Vulnerability or Resistance associated with it.

When a target is Vulnerable to a damage type, they take 1.25x damage. When they are Resistant, they take 0.75x damage and are unable to be critically hit.

Here’s an example of some that you would find on an enemy:
  • Skeleton: Vulnerable to Blunt, Holy. Resistant to Piercing, Necrotic, Dark
Conditions and Immunities

Every class in the game has at least one ability with a condition effect attached to it. These conditions are: Bleed, Poison, Stun, Charm, Sleep, Freeze, Burn, Silence, Fear, Blind, Taunt, Slow, Root.

The potency of each condition is dependant on the ability it’s attached to. Some conditions also have an additional effect. For example, anyone who suffers a Bleed becomes more susceptible to critical strikes for the duration.

The successful application of a condition is determined by whether or not the ability finds its target. Unlike damage types, there are no resistances for conditions. Instead, enemies have Immunities which means they are unable to be affected by the condition. A quick example of this would be a Skeleton who is Immune to Bleed.

That about covers it! Hopefully you found it interesting, and as usual feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions or concerns to discuss.

Social Goals

We’re happy to announce that thanks to your help, we have crossed off a few Social Goals and will be revealing the Grappler class to you shortly! You can check out the Social Goals section on the campaign page to see where we’re at and what you can do to help unlock the next reward: Alternate skins for every class.

We’d now like to give some attention to a really gorgeous looking exploration-puzzle game here on Kickstarter.



Epitasis
places you in the midst of a mysterious world filled with the remnants of an ancient alien civilization. You will come across cryptic puzzles, forgotten technologies and treasured relics that are scattered throughout a beautiful wilderness.



They are in the final 72 hours of their campaign and are extremely close to achieving their goal, so please give them a look!

Lastly, we’d just like to thank you all again for your continued support. We surpassed 1000 backers today(!!) and we are nearly 2/3 of the way there!

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...th-dark-turn-based-tactical-rpg/posts/1967238

New Overworld Music + Social Goals Update

Today we’re happy to present to you another track by our awesome composer, Alex Roe. The other tracks you’ve heard so far have all been crafted for use during missions. Today however, we’re going to give you a little glimpse of how the music will sound while you’re in the overworld. If you haven’t yet listened to the other tracks, do yourself a favor and go check them out on the campaign page or directly from Alex’s soundcloud.

The world of The Iron Oath is a somber one, but it is not without hope, and we think Alex’s work on this first overworld track captures that perfectly. We can’t wait to hear what else he has in store and hopefully you feel the same! If you’d like to hear more of Alex’s music you can find all of his work here on Bandcamp.

Social Goals
7d7e203122a18191dfec7ae3af7281e0_original.png


Yesterday we passed the $30k mark which is pretty incredible and once again we’d like to deeply thank you for your support. As of now we need $13k~ with 19 days to go, and while it seems within reach, success is not guaranteed and we could still use your help to give our campaign a bit of a push! So post on your favorite subreddit or forum, tell your friends or a drop a tip to a journalist, spread the word on Twitter and Facebook; anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated! Every little thing gets us that much closer to being funded and one step closer to unlocking some Social Rewards as thank you from us.

Social Rewards:
  • 4 Goals: We’ll unveil another playable class in a campaign update: the Grappler (ACHIEVED! To be revealed shortly)
  • 8 Goals: An alternate skin for every class will be added to the game
  • 12 Goals: Our artist will create a video tutorial explaining his process and tips for designing & animating characters
  • 16 Goals: Enlarged and improved character portraits will be added for all cinematic & dialogue sequences.
  • 20 Goals: Discover the hidden secrets of our game’s world by completing a multi-stage quest which will unlock an additional character class in the game.
Links for Social Goals:
As noted above, the first Social Reward has been achieved, and as a result we will be revealing the Grappler class with Monday’s update! Until then, we hope you all have a terrific weekend, thank you!
 

sennin

Curious Panda Games
Developer
Joined
Jan 9, 2017
Messages
48
Our new update reveals the Grappler class! https://www.kickstarter.com/project...th-dark-turn-based-tactical-rpg/posts/1969537

Grappler Class Reveal

Hey everyone, hope you all had a great weekend! Yesterday we hit 75% funding and are 3/4 of the way there with more than half of the campaign still yet to come! Your support has been incredible, so thank you again. As mentioned on the weekend, you’ve unlocked the first Social Reward by reaching 4 Social Goals, so without further delay, we present to you the Grappler class:

f7023f98dd32c61cc07b031a4e75d2d2_original.gif

Grapplers thrive in close quarters combat where their fists, mind & reflexes are both a shield and a weapon. While wearing only cloth armor can leave them somewhat vulnerable, they are masters at blocking and countering attacks, and when wounded can slip into a meditative trance to heal themselves.

Here are a few abilities that the Grappler possesses:

  • Crippling Force: The Grappler cuts through the air with his fist and hurls a shockwave towards his target, damaging and stunning them for 1 round
  • Three-Fisted Fury: The Grappler dashes forward towards his target and lands 3 lightning quick strikes. If the target dies during the assault, the Grappler dashes to the nearest enemy within range and repeats the ability.
  • Hurricane: The Grappler delivers a powerful roundhouse kick to the target, damaging and knocking them back 2 cells. Any enemies caught in the knockback are displaced and suffer damage.
We hope you like his look, and of course if you have any thoughts or just want to discuss the class further, we encourage you to leave a comment! With that out of the way, we’re now only a few Social Goals away from unlocking the next reward which is alternate skins for each class. Here’s a little preview of what that will look like!

378bc4347b1cf91622cb8b60f876ce00_original.png

Default Skin | Alternate Skin
To find out what you can do to help unlock the next reward, head to the Social Goals section on our main campaign page.

Before going we’d like to once again tell you about another awesome game here on Kickstarter: Maelstrom. Its fast-paced naval combat caught our attention when browsing through Kickstarter, and we highly suggest that you check out their campaign page HERE.


Grim fantasy and magic combine with thunderous naval combat in a vibrant, monster-saturated world!

 

DemonKing

Arcane
Joined
Dec 5, 2003
Messages
5,958
Remembered to back this yesterday...looks like it could be fun. Let's hope it falls over the line with the funding.
 

Zombra

An iron rock in the river of blood and evil
Patron
Joined
Jan 12, 2004
Messages
11,539
Location
Black Goat Woods !@#*%&^
Make the Codex Great Again! RPG Wokedex Strap Yourselves In Codex Year of the Donut Codex+ Now Streaming! Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Good stuff. I love the age brackets that mean that thieves and fighters retire young, but wizards only get stronger with age.

Update #10

Aug 24 2017

Character Progression: Part 1

Now that we’ve discussed the main attributes that make up each character(if you haven't yet, go check out the earlier updates!), it’s time to cover character progression. In part one, we’ll be going over some different ways for your characters to progress: aging, leveling up and ranking up.

Since the game is open ended and multi-generational, your characters will grow older until they either retire or die. But a character’s age is not just a number, and it actually has an influence on their primary attributes too. Every attribute in the game has an age bracket where it’s considered at its peak, and your character’s attributes will shift accordingly every time they grow a year older.

For example, a character’s Dexterity would peak somewhere around 25 years old, but their Wisdom attribute would not hit its peak until 60. This also plays a small part in determining when your characters choose to retire. A rogue class could be recruited as young as 16 but may choose to retire before they hit 50. Conversely, finding a young mage might prove difficult, but the ones you do recruit would likely stick around well into their 70s. I’d also like to point out that this does not mean that a character is useless before and after their peak; it’s best to think of their peak as an added attribute bonus like this:

569a2dbd6f90ecbb6cc5f9242af22b24_original.png

An example of attribute calculation, not actual game data
The other way for characters to progress is by leveling up. Every level-up grants a character one attribute point and one ability point for you to spend. I probably don’t need to explain attribute points very much, except to say that you are free to spend them on any primary attribute of your choosing.

Ability points have a bit more depth to them and really allow you to customize your classes. Each class has 6 abilities, and each one of those has its own mini skill-tree of augmentations. Each ability tree is unique unto itself, and various augmentation options are available such as increased range, additional targets, lowered cost and even added conditions(like stun, snare etc). With these trees, two characters of the same class could end up quite different from one another, with each specializing in different aspects of their kit. One could be all about raw power and maximizing the damage on their most expensive ability, while the other may be more useful in hindering enemies by focusing on augmenting their utility abilities.

c054437694fe2f1881fe046b99e74d9e_original.png

Mock of an augmented ability


9bee7931540981c86b6ff19f90abc250_original.gif

Infernal Pillar dispatching some undead
The last point to cover today is ranks and ranking up. There are 4 different ranks for a character to go through: Novice, Rookie, Veteran and Master(names subject to change). A Novice begins with 4 of the 6 class abilities available to them. Upon achieving the rank of Rookie they will earn a 5th, and becoming a Veteran will unlock the final ability. Once the rank of Master is achieved, that character is then able to become a mentor to another character of the same class. A mentor is able to pass on some of their more positive traits to their apprentice, in addition to boosting the rate at which they earn XP.

Tomorrow in part two, we’ll cover some of the other ways that a character’s stats can be temporarily or permanently altered: Traits, Injuries & Illnesses. Hope you enjoyed the write-up, and as always we encourage you to drop a comment below and let us know your thoughts; we’d be happy to discuss things further!

Thank you for reading and for your support. We're in the final 2 weeks now, and with under $10k to go we hope things can continue smoothly!
 
Last edited:

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom