Dulrik wrote:
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.
How about giving rogues the ability to make a set of lockpicks (not really any different than a vial, or scroll) that are a one time use that another player could use then? That way when they are not around someone could still actually progress into so many of the areas in game that absolutely require pick lock to be used?
Yed wrote:
I'm not a fan of multi-classing either. Old school D&D is my bread & butter, and I didn't like the way multiclassing was handled in D&D either. I prefer a solid class-based system.
Agreed, but multiclassing and gestalt in later editions was meant for low player count, when you only have a party of 3, its hard to cover the basics. An Elf in BECMI was already a fighter/mage and once players hit name level they could gain a focus into one area, that is how a fighter became a paladin, a cleric became a druid etc.
Yed wrote:
You have, on one hand, character classes who are called "useless" by various veteran players. But then you have, as illustrated here, players who want access to the abilities of those "useless" classes. Multiclassing essentially neuters the existing hybrid classes who are already a form of multi-classed character. If you open up the multiclassing as suggested here, class lines are effectively erased. Think rogues or bards are "useless" now? Just wait until mercenaries have access to their skillset. Rogues and bards would virtually disappear.
Sadly, you are probably right in this regard. However I am quite fond of bards, and consider them an absolute for any true adventuring group. (oh the things so many people have not the slightest clue about, because they did not have a bard along
)
Yed wrote:
However, I could be interested to see a variant of the multi-class introduced in the form of a low-level trade-skill apprenticing:
Low-level combat skills (ie- staff, shield block, rescue, etc);
Low-level cantrip spells (ie- detect magic, continual light, tongues, mend, etc);
Low-level craft skills (ie- tailoring, forging, fletching, mining, etc);
Low-level trade skills (ie- instrument-playing, ventriloquism, dancing, etc);
Tweaking the low-level abilities into a kind of pool for specialization can open up the opportunity for a lot of customization by opening up a host of low level "useless" abilities and to introduce a host of new skills, including craft/trade skills. Nobody else needs access to magma spray or counterstrike. Access to reading/writing skills might be limited by unmodified intelligence; mining might be limited by unmodified constitution; etc.
This is something that I personally think would add a lot of really interesting customization options, even though they might offer little of interest to the hard-core power-gamers. I like to think of characters as a full package over the course of their life, including both solo and group activity, and both PvE and PvP activity. Many apprenticeship skills/spells could add a lot of interesting customization without threatening balance in regard to the big game-changing skills/spells.
I agree, things that define a class should never be made available to the other classes. But there are cases where some abilities being accessible to others would improve the game (or at least I would think so), like a scout who could pick locks (why not have the 3rd adventurer class gain it as well), a priest who can cast healing rays (far better than mass healing), a mercenary who could learn to fletch their own arrows.
A trade-skill system sounds fine to me.
Trosis wrote:
The skills/spells available to each class can be adjusted to avoid OP builds.
Perhaps additional skills/spells can only be accessed after your character's first age tick, promoting longer-lived, more versatile characters.
There are numerous numerous ways we can go about this. And in all honesty, as sucky as it would be to spend the LT's, I think a somewhat high LT cost is the place to start.
I think the options should be tied to each class, and I even if it did require your character to age a certain amount (half age across the board may be a little extreme in cases like elf/delf) I would still like the idea.
Possibly an either/or system so veteran players could purchase some options with LT's, but any player could gain access to them after a certain period of time on that specific character.