Dungeon Master
Posts: 3160
Joined: Sunday, 5th August 2012, 14:52
Brainstorm: a better ranged combat
However, I don't think finding the right numbers is possible with the melee formulae, because the melee weapon formulae is based on the premise that you'll keep getting better weapons as the game goes on. Having to use a falchion all game is awful, and starting with a claymore is broken, but in a weapon class with only one weapon (slings, crossbows), you're forced to make a choice of that nature. Essentially what I'm saying is that melee weapons only work with their current formulae because of loot upgrades.
As such, bows are in the best shape, since they have two weapons in the class and one isn't a starting weapons. but overall, if we want to preserve ranged using melee formulae, we need one of the following solutions, some of which are quite radical:
* Introduce at least 2-3 weapons in each ranged skill so that a range of quality is possible.
* Introduce another mechanic that applies on top of the existing ranged mechanics so that we don't corrupt the relationship to melee mechanics but rather extend them. Examples include special-cased delays (like cutlasses), weapon skill affecting the range you can fire, or having some method (consumable?) allow you to increase the number of shots fired per "fire" action (a loot-based modification of firing speed, in effect).
* Remove the skill for (say) Crossbows: they become a loot item instead of a weapon you build skill in. This wouldn't address Slings, though.
* Merge all the ranged weapons into a single skill and use them as a loot progression.
* Change which ranged weapons can be starting weapons.
If we don't come up with something outside the box, I think that either we will need to allow the ranged formulae to diverge away from melee again or else resign ourselves to the fact that the weapons cannot be balanced.
- For this message the author Lasty has received thanks: 2
- and into, Arrhythmia