Shattered Kingdoms

Multi-classing may be the wrong word for this, but I think the idea of learning a cross-class skill or spell would really help in some ways.
Utility is what I would primarily be looking for, the ability to learn skills such as pick lock or haggle, maybe even meditation or fletch.
Spells such as identify, fly, infravision, possibly detects, cure light wounds, or refresh.
Things that would not necessarily make the character much more powerful, but expand their usefulness.
A broad pool of basic abilities accessible for LT's or a new form of token perhaps tied in to hours logged for that character.
(something like 1 point per 20 hours, that would only be usable by that specific character, starting at a cost of about 5 points for basics. That way even players new to the game could eventually expand their capabilities if they stick with it.)

Yeah getting petrification or magma on my priest would be great. Thanks D, let me know when the change goes through.

I really like the idea of multi-classing and, quite honestly, it would fit right within the overall concept of the game in the sense of being less restrictive to what a character can and can't do than other games are. In that I mean, for example, an amateur or novice character can actually wear a weapon or armor that is many levels higher than they are currently and the game doesn't stop them. There is the penalty of it being stolen by thieves, but they can do it. Cloth-wearing classes CAN wear light or heavy armor, again the game doesn't stop them, but there is a penalty applied to their basic skills. The same basic idea should be applied for multi-classing.

In other words, a class that doesn't know a skill/spell as it's basic set of abilities should never be able to get as good at that skill as a class who does know that skill naturally but should probably be constantly 10 levels down or so. For example, if a priest character wants to learn shrink or enlarge which are initiate spells for a sorcerer, those same skills would be considered journeyman spell for the priest AND the first ten levels of training would be considered worse than 'awful', maybe something like 'useless' but as they train it up to their own 'mastery' of that skill, they would top out at 'very good' and could never go any higher. The same cost should apply for the multi-class skill to get to 'very good' as it would the normal class to get that same skill to 'mastered' because reality would say, after all, they have to work harder at it because there's not a natural talent there for it. This would also keep the most powerful spells/skills out of the hands of other classes or make it a lot more difficult to achieve as a mentor level sorcerer spell would require champion level on another class yet keep the same idea of being less restrictive of what a character can do overall. Other restrictions to spells would still apply though so, for example, if a sorcerer wants to learn flamestrike or spear of faith for some reason, well that sorcerer would HAVE to be invested in a faith in order to use it as those are prayers that call down the wrath of their god, etc.

Those are my thoughts on it. I'd love to see that ability added to SK as it would increase utility of some classes while not going OP because of the penalties I described above.

Perhaps these skill/spell additions can be added in packs.
Adventurer pack gives you infravision, flight, and path-finding.
The thieves pack would give you peak, pick-pocket, sneak, maybe hide?
The Warriors pack would give you things that would help you Pk?

Maybe sell them in bundles or individually, allowing the player to choose?

Oh, That's a great idea! That would really insure nothing would get too OP and I'm sure it would be a lot easier to code for as well versus individual adds.

Perhaps this would be exciting for some, but SK is firmly a class-based game. If you want 'pick lock', you are going to need to be (or recruit) a rogue.

The further advancement and expansion to character abilities is something that will keep players coming back or continuing 'the grind'. This is an opportunity to expand the use of tokens as well. IMO, It is hard to find anyone with the lockpick ability because the two classes, rogue (hit by e damage nerf) and bard (squishy) are viewed as non-competitive, and therefore rarely seen.

I'd like to hear the drawbacks of multiclassing if I could.

With no disrespect intended, you have shown that removing certain skills/spells as RP for joining certain factions (barb in fist) is programmatically plausible. You have also removed certains skills/spells as character punishment for abuse. You have also added certain spells/skills to characters based on joined factions (religions/cabals/tribs) programmatically so that is plausible. Why would giving some additional skills/spells in exchange for LT tokens and expanding direction to characters and classes not be plausible?

I agree that SK is class-based and should be, but just because I'm not a car mechanic doesn't mean I can't change a tire or because I'm not a plumber I can't unclog a toilet. On the other hand, I do agree I'll NEVER be as good at it as a professional no matter how hard I try. So why would giving some skills/spells out as LT expansions not be the same idea, especially if they were limited in the proficiency of how far they could be learned? (ie max-out at very good for example)



This is particularly frustrating with our lower player counts so having an opportunity to get some of these skills into other classes even if they fail 50% of the time would be good and make for some great RP possibilities. Just to be crystal clear, I'm not looking to fight your decisions but you asked what would get people excited and I'm seeing SEVERAL people respond in that manner about this idea so I'm just trying to open a dialogue about the reasons behind your decisions against compared to the pro-reasons that are presented.

I'm not a fan of multi-classing abilities. However, instead of throwing shade at those ideas I'm going to toss out some of my own ideas surrounding Trade Skills.

Tinkering (Gnome Only)

Combine "tool" items to form a swiss-army-knife style tool. Who doesn't want a tinderbox/torch, or a sextant/lockpick? Are you gnome enough to create the ultimate gnomish device?

Rock Collecting (Giant Only)

Giants like rocks. The best rocks. Rocks are for throwing and crushing things Big League (Bigly?). Gather rocks and put them into your rock collecting bag until you have enough to form a "boulder" item, the notorious giant-only thrown weapon.

Mining (Dwarf only?)

Dwarves are great in a cave and are known for their industriousness. Swing that pick-axe to mine for ore which can be sold and used for other Trade Skills.

Masseuse (Elf/Deep-elf only?)

A skilled masseuse can relax anyone, giving them a similar bonus to that of an inn. Of course, such a gift comes with it's drawbacks. A masseuse needs oil or perfumes (or whatever) to properly perform their job and it can be very tiring to create such a relaxing space so far away from the comfort of an inn.

Shopkeeper

Set up shop anywhere you want! Load a vendor up with your goods. You must pay the kingdom's tax for each item you want your vendor to sell. The more skilled you are at being a shopkeeper, then longer your vendor will stay active. When the duration is over, the items the vendor failed to sell will be destroyed, so make sure you can sell what your vendor has.

Kinda discouraging to see a prime idea like this shot down so heavily. I feel as though having this as an option would add a lot of usefulness to the characters who decide to pay the heavy price. If you're a scout that can pick a lock, then you're a more ideal candidate to go on these PVE adventures. Adding value to your character would greatly increase the players fun and present opportunities that your character would normally miss out on.

I understand the argument that SK is a class-based game, but with the player count as low as it is, this is an excellent opportunity to expand the game. Even if the price per pack is as high as 50 LT's the people that would buy them would be forced to play longer-lived characters. Which, if I'm not mistaken, was a goal of the introduction of LT's.

If you're worried that some classes will be never played, a high cost for these skill packs would be a solution for that issue. Some people would probably roll a rogue and save their LT's rather than buy the pack.

Again, pretty discouraging.