GM_Chris
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We are a multi-class type of system
If that were true a PC could have two paths. Since they cannot that statement is false.
so you could set up a warrior to be good at sustained damage or to mitigate damage.
I would say warrior is best at mitigating damage. It does not do this poorly as it is superior to every other path out there.
In fact warriors are no better than anyone else at sustained damage output, since anyone can take the disciplines that give a weapon focus and the master path skill ruins the path damage bonus by shredding the defensive skills.
They also are far from great at damage mitigation. Def matrix is moot against tough opponents, hold ground is simply a warrior version of time stop that only affects the warrior (he cant do damage an just dies slowly, thats not mitigation is delaying), Parry is solid but useless against weak opponents (since it costs one to block one, only good if attack has poision/disease/etc add on) AND should nullifty the hit (since its parry /AVOID) and not just zero out damage), they get the same armor as two other paths do, and thier only real damage addressing upside is better combat reflexes and life points (which isnt mitigation).
I personally hate parry with utter passion since it is used by default with absolutely no thought behind it at all, but that is just me.
define used by default with no thought please.
Ark Vulf
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weapon spec in particular is pretty bad. especially because it does not stack with weapon focus.
Cant agree with pretty bad, but inferior due to being a master path skill compared to a roughly duplicate level 4 discipline skill anyone can get.
options for this are:
-turn weapon spec into weapon focus any like dwarf, and make it continue to not stack with any other weapon focus.
I would be reluctantly ok with that, the reasons for my reluctant agreement will be covered later.
-let it stack with weapon focus, and if you weild 1 weapon and no shield you can do 4.
since rage already allows that, the tweaks I would suggest are change the name to combat focus and make it stack with weapon focus IF there is no shield, and with rage with the loss of the defensive skills rage currently hinders. This would allow a 4 point 2 handed weapon weilding berserker terror that is very balanced by the loss of defenses.
1 is a farmer
2 is your average bandit
3 is a combat warrior
4 was your badass elite
This is a scale for output damage I could get behind, BUT it would take TONS more work by the NPC staff. With the skeleton crew they typically run with they have to use the "re pop" method to represent chalenges from large number groups of foes' which is much more physically taxing for the staff.
If they had a larger number of bodies, they could provide lower powered critters that could be "mowed down" by a warrior swinging 1 or 2. Then a badd ass could be one swinging 2 or 3.
As it is, to be a challenge, they need to super buff the critters because of the limited number of bodies they have.
but most everyone swing "4" anyway. the base critical strike is taken by more then half of the PC base.
I disagree that MOST EVERYONE is swinging 4, and charging a crit for 4 isnt swinging for 4 in the FH context. its swinging for 1 or 2 and charging for more.
to finish it up you pointed out something. for a warrior to do decent damage they still have to commit to a full discipline.
I agree, other paths can stand on path skills alone, warrior flounders wihout a discipline to boost it.
-offensivly the cost is too high to swing decent damage.
If your speaking of the master weapon specialization or rage, I agree.
-defensivly parry is the only one with a decent ballance to it, but more and more skills are finding away to circumvent it (vorpal knockout, vorpal root)
I do not agree that its the only balanced skill, I do think its the only defensive skill the FIGHTER has that isnt limited by only being good under rare circumstances.
-soak. . .yeah it does that okay, but the diference between a warrior and a healer/sage is 4 soak and 40-60 points
When making these comparisons, you have to do it on the assumptions that the PC/NPC built with that skill hasnt had the time to prep. To do otherwise, it just becomes a look at situations involved and not the foundation of the skill set.
if you didnt look at any of the negitives it does seem that way doesnt it. (hey we can give your car an extra 100 horsepower and you can therefore go faster. . .ignore the lack of brakes, seatbelt, roof, good suspension, all wheel drive, etc. . . .but you go faster!!!
I like the analogy
Marcus
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There is absolutely no reason to up the combat proficiency of the Warrior path. They already mow through enemies.
Actualy when a warrior has to HIT, not just swing at, but HIT a "fodder" NPC 20 times before dropping it he is NOT mowing anything. I do get tha reason is because fewer NPC bodies require tougher NPC critters
If they were any better then the modified stats for NPCs to make combat challenging for them would make it pointless for any other characters that aren't warriors to be in combat situations.
Pointless no, just require more thought and tactics than a full on frontal assault. That SHOULD be the purvey of the warriors.
We "others" would get smashed.
Which is how it SHOULD be against tougher NPCs, unless your a warrior. Against fodder NPCs things would still be the same.
Remember this is supposed to be a low numbers game where swinging a constant "1" is considered being combat proficient, and constant "2" for any reason (rage/focus) makes you effectively an elite combatant with lots of experience.
If anyone can swing for 1, that is the opposite of combat proficient. In fact its just the baseline. and a barely noticable bump to 2 isnt elite. In fact its become fairly common.
Even Noble Reputation is a skill most players scoff at but is sweet for a Warrior character that is roleplayed with any political leanings. It's three benefits in one skill, which even includes the player starting the game with a force of 25 free troops of their own!
I also like the skill, and the PC doesnt need to be a politically slants concept. Pirate captain, military commander, or even crime boss fits the bill.
Ovak Stonecrusher
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We won't have a skill that necessitates subtraction during combat. I realize most of the time, this will just be one damage, but it still creates a mental moment during combat that makes things confusing.
While not trying to alter this mindset, I can attest coming form a system that had many, that if its a skill a PC has more than one event, they will learn to use it without the akwardness you envision. in CARPs, the clashes came, during the events I attended, because of the reduction being variables rather than set ammounts I.E. 50% rather than 15.
I think Chris mentioned this before, but I will repeat it again. We have playtested a defensive matrix where you could swing for damage and mitigate damage. Some of the words used to describe this test were "broken" and "sick" and the like. One player could not in good conscience continue with the test.
a defensive matrix that allowed the user to swing for no more than one damaghe would be no where as broken as the play test verion. It would also be more in line with the warrior stereo type wading through the hordes of fodder baddies you read about and see in films like 300 or LOTR