Community Feedback Request: Template System Overhaul

[Romi]

The staff have been collecting feedback in the nine months since launch, tweaking and adjusting the system as necessary. We've seen a lot of positive feedback, but we've also seen a lot that, frankly, could have been done better.

So we're coming to the players with a proposed change: a modification of our current system that would allow for greater flexibility, less frustration, and an easier time for everyone. Before I even get into the proposed change, I'll be up front: we aren't going to force anyone to swap existing characters over. If you want to keep your characters as is, that's fine - you'll be grandfathered in.

On the other hand, if you want to redo a character to fit the new system, you can do that as well via the update system.

The Change:
The removal of the template system as you know it. The current system locks players in to 1-3 templates (primarily species, with some custom species and spellcasting). Players often end up in a complicated balancing act where they want X advantage from one template and Y advantage from another. Instead, the new system gives you a certain number of slots you can fill up, and gives you free access to the advantages and disadvantages found in the glossary.

The System:
By default, all characters have access to 9 advantages (and 9 corresponding disadvantages). This means you can have up to 9 advantages right out of the box.

However, you can also exchange 3 of those slots for access to our new (and new-ish) templates.

The first template option is spellcasting. Trading in 3 slots gets you access to a single branch of magic, meaning if you're a dedicated spellcaster, you can now start with up to three branches of magic, not counting your bonus.

The second template option is how we're going to handle custom species. Custom species will look similar to how they look previously, but have up to 6 advantages (and up to 6 disadvantages), which would be a mix of custom advantages and disadvantages and normal ones. Players using that custom template have three slots they can pick only from the advantages and disadvantage on the custom template.

Expansion

By default you have 9 free pick.

You give up 3 pick to take a custom template. You now have to pick 3 adv / disadv from the curated list of 6/6 created by the custom template maker.

You still have (up to) 9 total.

Direct Example:

Neeri takes the constellation template. He takes Constellation Body, One Mind, and Travel Home for advantages from it, and Mental Vulnerability, Constant Whispers, and imminent for disadvantages from it.

He takes the rest of his adv/disadv from the 6 free pick options he still has.

Odds and Ends:
Subspecies are gone, as they're now redundant with customs.

There will be two new advantages: 'Enhanced Attributes' gives you x2 human strength, durability, speed, endurance, regeneration, or agility, and you get to pick two as one advantage. You can take this advantage multiple times, but cannot take the same attribute more than once.

The other will be 'Apex Attribute' - it gives you x3 of one of the attributes above, and you get a single one as an advantage.

Similarly, there will be 'Diminished Attributes' (1/2, pick two) and 'Weakened Attribute' (1/3, pick one).

Senses are harder to express, so we'll just have 'Enhanced Senses' that gives you x2 to two senses of your choice. Sight includes an enhanced ability to see in low-light.

Advantages and disadvantages still cannot stack. If you have an advantage that means you don't eat, you can't take a disadvantage that requires you to eat a specific thing without nerfing the advantage.

Bulky will be removed (Diminished Attributes [Agility, Speed]). Demihuman will be removed (Enhanced Attributes [Strength, Durability] and potentially Flight). Partial Shifting does not give you and physical attribute bonuses. Instead, it gives you access to other non-mechanical attributes (claws, the bite strength of a crocodile, wings, etc). Animal Senses gives you access to a non-human sense, like the 37 colors of a mantis shrimp, or a birds ability to see magnetic fields.

Longevity is being scrapped. It has no effective in-game effect, so it's really just a detail you can note or not note in your characters biography/notes/etc.

Old templates will be added to the wiki as 'examples for different species'.

Examples:
Alma Malivani (Senses + Attributes)

Spoiler

Advantages: Enhanced Senses (Vision, Hearing), Apex Attribute (Speed), Apex Attribute (Regeneration), Induce Sin, Mesmer, Flight, Travel Home (Hell), Monster Form (Huge), Partial Shifting
Disadvantages: Sin Eater (Lust), Blood Drinker), Elemental Weakness (Sunlight), Elemental Weakness (Fire), Holy Weakness, Invitation Required, Ward (Natural Running Water), True Name Weakness (Mezorlu)
Notes: Has one extra advantage from bonus

Diva Divine (Attributes)

Spoiler

Advantages
-Induce Sin (Pride)
-Enhanced Attribute (Strength, Durability)
-Travel Home
-Profane Weapon (Axe)
-Monster Form (Huge - Demon)
Disadvantages
-Holy Weakness
-Sin Eater (Pride)
-Salt Weakness
-Healing Weakness
-True Name Weakness

Nek0 (Custom Template)

Spoiler

+ Rapid Learning
+ Polyglot
+ Sleepless
- Weakened Attribute (Strength)
- Suggestible
- Under Orders (Master)
- Restricted Diet (Feline)

Ganymede Lind (Custom Template Nek0 + Spellcasting)

Spoiler

Nek0 Advantages:
+ Rapid Learning
+ Polyglot
+ Sleepless
Nek0 Disadvantages:
- Weakened Attribute (Strength)
- Suggestible
- Under Orders (Master)

Spellcasting:
+ Everyday Magic
+ Spacial Magic

 

[Romi]

As we look through the glossary, listing extra tweaks to avoid redundancy. All of these are subject to change, obviously.

Imbued Weapon replaces Profane Weapon and Holy Weapon, but can also be Elemental Weapon.
Elemental Projection replaces Elemental Breath, to be less dragon-specific.
Unable to Lie no longer doubles up with debtbound: "This character cannot knowingly speak a falsehood."
Golden Desires becomes 'Draconic Hoarding (type)' to allow people to hoard other things.
Unicorn Form is scrapped. No one's taken it and it's basically just animal form with a tiny difference.
Aversion, Sensitivity, and Weakness will be rolled out to merge a number of existing abilities. So rather than a Holy Weakness, it's just Weakness (Holy)
Restricted Diet will be rewritten to merge in the various alt diets.
Omnilingual is merging with Polygot. if you want to have it be just a subset of language, you can nerf accordingly.
Eyeless is being scrapped, see reasons above.