Shattered Kingdoms

How important are racial weaknesses in SK? Does it make humans by far and away the best choice for melee race, and put a giant gimp on anything else?

Now adays it really doens't seem like elves or deep-elves even have a chance in melee combat, and half-elfs are still at a hefty disadvantage. Throw in a huge weakness for every race except human and what are you left with? And It's not even like humans get bad stats, they get argueably the best stats of any warrior race.

I mean its like one day someone decided, lets add -huge huge- racial weaknesses to elves and deep-elves, and to a lessere extent half-elves, but add absolutly nothing to balance it out. I mean elf and deep-elf warriors were already gimped, did they need to be further ruined?

I'm proposing that humans have a racial weakness apply to them, or at the very least completely remove iron weaknesses from the game. In my opinion it completely imbalanced humans. Or turn iron weaknesses into some sort of elemental type, and then add an elemental weakness to humans too. Taking extra damage from iron is way, way, imbalanced.


At the very very very least, elf and deep-elf racial weaknesses need to be brought down to that of half-elves.

Also in the meantime, the giant weakness to willpower saves needs to be cut in half. Once people started eatting and quaffing enlarge herbs, giants were gimped to all hell.

I agree that it seems like there is fuzzy math involved in the calculation of both racial weaknesses and strengths. I don't know how I can help with it, its definitely a Dulrik question.

Racial weaknesses in their entirety (as compared to racial "bonuses") are brutal.

There are no "cold iron" vials.

ironguard vials, i mean.

It's not uncommon for games to make humans especially competent, in order to keep some of them around. Many roleplayers would pick something different if the scales are equal. And then what becomes of a supposedly human-majority world?

As for enlargement buffs, I would think stopping stacking would help keep things in control, while still keeping the spell useful.

Thats the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard.

I don't think that changing humans is the answer. It's true that the right person can make a human anything and have it be great. The problem though is that humans are so incredibly boring to play. Where is the risk? You have picked the most neutral race there is, so you don't have any weaknesses that aren't class related to keep things interesting.

What I do think would help is adjusting the weaknesses of other races, especially where iron is concerned. For such a huge weakness iron is way too easy to find. You can just pick it up in most areas and you can readily purchase both iron and cold iron weapons.

Humans are the bland easy choice race as is true in pretty much every mud I have ever played. If they're adjusted then we'll need a new bland default to turn to and what will that be?

I remember days when you could see a group of players working together as a racial organization. Especially where deep-elves were concerned. Houses weren't just something you read about or saw down under. They were actual groups of players who got a kick out of the idea. These days so many people are concerned with iron weaknesses that aside from the occasional D'Astae and a griffon group that's long gone you just don't see them anymore. It seems like the weaknesses are sucking all the fun out of RP'ing certain races.

The weaknesses wouldn't be so bad if the bonuses were comparable and balanced. They aren't.

I'm with OA in this, strangely enough.