Post by Kitsunenotsume on Oct 24, 2018 21:07:30 GMT -5
Context:
In my various discussions about how to improve Light Armor, I have been notified that many of the individuals I have conversed with feel that Light Armor is generally more suited for individual fights, but have no means of specifically attracting attention out of a mob.
The result of attempting to skirt through a melee to peel off one foe tends to be either ineffective, or gather many more than one opponent, which causes the dichotomy of either getting no Light armor training, or suffering a situation that the defense is ill-suited for (that of many incoming attacks). Heavy armor has a means to do so (Taunt), but no other armor can resulting in situations where only the heaviest armored can dictate duels or redirect attention.
Suggestion:
To address this discrepancy, with the understanding that Threat-level in NWN2 is a function of range, Dodge, and AI tweaks, I would like to suggest that a second 'Taunt'-like ability be implemented for lighter characters.
To avoid 'Tax' bloat, I would suggest making it either an existing ability, or combining it into an item that is commonly available, as follows:
A) An ability/item could be modified to have an ground-target option, which would basically be throwing a rock or something at a location, with a random or closest nearby hostile NPC 'encouraged' to move towards it to check it out in Detect mode. This would give lighter-armored PCs the option to 'single-out' targets where they could get crucial combat rounds in before help arrives and the PC finds them-self outnumbered.
B) An ability/item could be given a single-target option that performs a Taunt with either no or different penalties to the target. This would allow a Light armored opponent to pick a target to duel off heavier allies, without needing to decend directly into the fray themselves and potentially get far more attention than they can afford.
Abilities I could see being valid options to attach this functionality to:
1) Dirty Trick (Light Armor) - Ground-target could be a simple addition, single-target taunt is harder to balance in but could be an addition to the Expose Weakness branch in the narrative of a Distracting Feint (It also fits a more Swashbuckler type image).
2) Concealment (Stealth) - Ground-target could be excused for not breaking stealth, given that it is reasonable for distracting guards.
3) Rocks (item) - those things we get from Ore nodes all the time and swear because it could have been something good. We could give them a use for being both a distraction and a way to piss off NPCs. We might need somewhere PCs can just get rocks though, if that is the case.
In my various discussions about how to improve Light Armor, I have been notified that many of the individuals I have conversed with feel that Light Armor is generally more suited for individual fights, but have no means of specifically attracting attention out of a mob.
The result of attempting to skirt through a melee to peel off one foe tends to be either ineffective, or gather many more than one opponent, which causes the dichotomy of either getting no Light armor training, or suffering a situation that the defense is ill-suited for (that of many incoming attacks). Heavy armor has a means to do so (Taunt), but no other armor can resulting in situations where only the heaviest armored can dictate duels or redirect attention.
Suggestion:
To address this discrepancy, with the understanding that Threat-level in NWN2 is a function of range, Dodge, and AI tweaks, I would like to suggest that a second 'Taunt'-like ability be implemented for lighter characters.
To avoid 'Tax' bloat, I would suggest making it either an existing ability, or combining it into an item that is commonly available, as follows:
A) An ability/item could be modified to have an ground-target option, which would basically be throwing a rock or something at a location, with a random or closest nearby hostile NPC 'encouraged' to move towards it to check it out in Detect mode. This would give lighter-armored PCs the option to 'single-out' targets where they could get crucial combat rounds in before help arrives and the PC finds them-self outnumbered.
B) An ability/item could be given a single-target option that performs a Taunt with either no or different penalties to the target. This would allow a Light armored opponent to pick a target to duel off heavier allies, without needing to decend directly into the fray themselves and potentially get far more attention than they can afford.
Abilities I could see being valid options to attach this functionality to:
1) Dirty Trick (Light Armor) - Ground-target could be a simple addition, single-target taunt is harder to balance in but could be an addition to the Expose Weakness branch in the narrative of a Distracting Feint (It also fits a more Swashbuckler type image).
2) Concealment (Stealth) - Ground-target could be excused for not breaking stealth, given that it is reasonable for distracting guards.
3) Rocks (item) - those things we get from Ore nodes all the time and swear because it could have been something good. We could give them a use for being both a distraction and a way to piss off NPCs. We might need somewhere PCs can just get rocks though, if that is the case.
