Part 11: Game Mechanics Update

Wow, a dead heat at two votes each.

I thought that Update 8 would be short and easy to do, I actually thought it would be boring because there wasn't much original writing to be done. But inspiration struck, and I've got several paragraphs done, with several more to to be written. Then I need to get more screenshots to go with the new updates.

Also, it's Christmas Eve, so things are a bit busy.

Game Mechanics Update

I know it's a bit odd to be doing this seven updates in, but I thought I should do a better job of describing the game's mechanics. Besides, since I had to remake the character once the weapons were voted on, now's a good time to show the exact build I'm using.

I'll be playing at Normal skill, so the Bard starts with 6 points each into the Strength, Vitality, Luck, Dexterity, Charisma, and Rhythm Attributes. On Easy you start with 8 points into each, and on Hard you get 4 points in each, and there are fewer save points located in the world.

There's no quicksave, you need to find books in the level (marked on your radar in blue) to save, but the current state of the level is saved - which means all the enemies you killed are still dead, the ones you haven't killed remain alive, and any loot left on the ground is still there.

Attribute points are capped at 20, but there are items you can find that increase each skill by up to 3 points - permanently, so I won't be putting in more then 17 points to any skill. You get 12 points to allocate, and 2 more points per level, up to our maximum of level 21 - so that's an additional 40 points.

Attributes get negative modifiers below 10 points, and positive modifiers above 10 points - Using a melee weapon with Strength at 6 points subtracts 2 points from the damage it does. At 10 points, it subtracts no damage, and at 14 points it adds 4 damage.



Strength - affects the damage you'll do with melee weapons. At 6 points you do -2 damage, at 20 you do +10 damage. Most weapons are melee, so this attribute is useful for all character builds, except pure bow-users.

Vitality - determines the Bard's hit points. At 6 points you have 30 HP, at level 20 you have an additional 200. You also get +10 HP each time you level up, and there is a token that gives us a permanent health bonus as well. We'll want this maxed if we're going to be in melee a lot.

Luck - More points increases the odds of more favourable rolls about damage done/received and amount of treasure dropped by enemies. If you want lots of critical hits, then get the Critical Hit talents, they'll help a lot more then Luck.

Dexterity - Increases ranged damage. At 6 points it's -2, at 20 it's +10.
You will be required to use a bow at certain points during the main quest, and bows are arguably the best weapons in the game because you can aim and fire at enemies off screen, thanks to the Radar screen.

Charisma - Lowers process we pay for equipment in stores. At 6 points prices are marked up by 10%, at 20 points, we get a 30% discount. Putting points into this is a total waste.

Rhythm - This increases the damage and hit points of the summoned creatures. At 6 points the damage done is -7%, at 20 it's +14%. I'm not sure how much the health bonus is. This is another stat that it's strongly advisable to max out, because using summons is pretty much the only way to survive the game. It's suggested not to pump it too heavily until you get an instrument with 3 summon slots, but once you do, increase it a lot.


Here's how I allocated my character's stat points.



After you choose your stats, you can pick your talents. You can generally pick one talent every other level. The ones you start out with are:



Two Handed Weapons - Allows the Bard to wield 2-handed weapons. They do more damage, and they have the longest reach of all the weapons. But they do attack slower then the standard sword.
Dual Wield - Allows the Bard to wield a dirk in his off-hand. Allows the Bard to attack faster and do more damage then with a sword and shield.
Flail - Allows the Bard to wield a flail. Attacks with the flail cannot be blocked, but the Flail takes a second or two to spin up, which leaves you vulnerable.
Shield Bash - After you block, you automatically bash enemies with your shield.
Shield Charge - You can charge and stun enemies if you hold the attack button and then release.
Power Shot - You can fire a more powerful arrow if you hold the attack button and then release.
Critical Strike - An additional chance of doing a critical strike.
Treasure Hunter - You get 20% more silver from treasure.

All the talents except Shield Bash, Shield Charge, and Treasure hunter have secondary skills you unlock after picking the first one. The secondary traits are usually a power attack, and an automatic attack immediately after blocking.

Here's the stats for the initial loadout of the Bard's weapons.





The Bow's damage is listed as -2 because my Dexterity was 6. I'll be bringing that up to 10 so it's ready when I need it.



Here are the descriptions and statistics for the first two summons we got.

Rat



Thunder Spider



If you have any other questions about the LP, I'd be happy to answer them.