Role-Playing RPG Games with strong char creation?

[Martyr]

while JA2 runs as smooth as butter on my own computer, I installed it on another modern computer this february and it was laggy as fuck. so much, that I deemed it unplayable. then I downloaded 1.13 (which I don't have installed on my own computer, I prefer vanilla) and it changed nothing, too laggy to play.

 

[PsychoFox]

There's just not that many good games that satisfy all your criteria. There are a few in the works though so imo go and play some other genre until they come out.

 

[Momock]

You should play Underrail, really, it does eveything the way you like it. You'll get used to the setting in no time, don't be a baby, come on!

 

[hivemind]

ok
ok

I will try it, but if its bad I SWEAR TO ALLAH that this forum will regret it as I unleash my righteous wrath

 

[AwesomeButton]

ah yes the game where harm is the most blatantly broken thing ever and where the combat feels like hammering nails into your eye is something that exactly fits the criteria in the OP

Your sexual life is broken.

 

[Lilura]

Just so you know, Underrail is a poor woman's RPG.

I reviewed it. And after my review I went straight back to playing Jagged Alliance 2.

Why? Because it does everything better, 20 years earlier. It even looks better. Better animations, UI, the lot.

It's sci-fi mode is better, too:

Also, in Underrail you can't have a party of 18:

I know you don't care about parties, but I do.

 

[hivemind]

ok honestl I will give jagged alliance another try becaues of u

I have different laptop now so maybe it will run better than on the last one

 

[Lilura]

I play on a laptop, too. I recommend installing this to make setup easier.

 

[anvi]

ok honestl I will give jagged alliance another try becaues of u

I have different laptop now so maybe it will run better than on the last one

Make sure it is JA2 not the first one from the 1800s. I don't think you will like it though, sorry Lil lil. I think you need something like Deus Ex but better. I am sure something exists, I will think about it, but it is a very tall order. Like your ideal bf </3

 

[Lord_Potato]

Jagged Alliance 1 did nothing wrong!

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Kingmaker is fucking fantastic

give me the quick rundown

I think Anvi bitching about Kingmaker and then waxing rhapsodic about a bunch of MMOs should tell you a lot: if you can judge a game by the quality of its detractors, this one's clearly doing something right.

Pathfinder is basically a souped up version of D&D 3.5 (as seen in NWN2, ToEE, KotC). You can spend hours in character creation: 8 races (9 with DLC), 14 base classes (15 with DLC) and 6 prestige classes. There are skills that matter, there are countless feats that let you customize your character into something really unique (not quite as many options as NWN2, but since NWN2 was so piss easy, none of that customization mattered very much).

Some races have sub-races that give you different bonuses--fuck elves and dwarves, you can be half-angel or half-demon. Every class also has 3 archetypes that give you a lot of variety. Because it's 3.5, multiclassing is baked into the system: every time you level up, you can take a level in a different class. Some of these combinations will unlock prestige classes, which can have some cool bonuses: 1 level of rogue, 3 levels of wizard and you can be an arcane trickster, which gives your spells huge sneak attack damage and also lets you disarm traps from a distance. You want to be a barbarian with a pet sabre-toothed tiger? Done. You want to be a sorcerer that can turn into a dragon? Done. You want to be a bard who can blast enemies to the ground with the thunderous sound of their voice? Done. A potion-swigging alchemist with a talent for vivisection? Done. A shapeshifting druid with a pet dog? Done. A cowardly paladin who fights with a crossbow? Done. A necromancer priest summoning an army of the undead? Done.

You do have a party, although you can solo it if you're a glutton for punishment. You play as an individual character, though, not a blob. There's only one king and the king has a lot of choices to make--the companions are like your royal entourage. There's tons of meaningful C&C.

The game has a much better hook than most CRPGs. No fucking around killing rats in basements. Kingmaker opens in the fortress of a powerful noblewoman. She’s summoned a group of mercenaries with a proposition: if you clear out the bandits in the lawless region next door, she’ll recognize you as the baron and finance some nation building on your behalf.

But there’s a snag. Her gathering is betrayed, assassins strike in the middle of the night, and you need to fight them off. After the enemies are defeated, one of your companions accuses you of being the traitor. Because there’s no proof either way, your boss orders the team to split into two groups—depending on your decisions in the prologue, you’ll get a different starting party.

The first chapter involves clearing out the bandits from the province, with the other party of adventurers popping up to sabotage you along the way.

Gameplay wise, Kingmaker is a lot like the infinity engine games, although I think the combat is better than either Baldur’s Gate or either Icewind Dale. On normal difficulty, the combat has enough challenge to require some thought. It’s a huge game with ~150 hours of content. After you clear out the bandits, you become ruler and need to deal with a series of escalating crises: troll invasion, goblin infestation, a curse turning your subjects into monsters, barbarian hordes, a war with your asshole neighbor, fucking fairies.

The writing is surprisingly good (they brought in Avellone as a consultant and for once it seems to have paid off). The companions are entertaining, some are even likable. Especially the goblin backstabber that MCA wrote. You will be betrayed, you will be robbed, you will have the chance to participate in a threesome with an elf and her half-orc boyfriend, who have a really fucked up polyamorous relationship (if you're gonna do romances, Kingmaker knows you should at least make them uncomfortable and extremely inadvisable).

There’s a kingdom management system that some people dislike, but you can automate and ignore it. People bitch about bugs, but it's been nearly a year since release and it's now a smooth experience. Like most CRPGs, the quality declines near the end, but you've got at least 100 hours of great game before it becomes merely good.

Long story short: Kingmaker is the throwback CRPG for everyone who's been burned by the "kickstarter renaissance." It couldn’t be further from Pillars of Eternity in terms of tone. While Pillars is grim, depressing, buttoned down and not very fantastical (like Sawyer wanted to make a low-magic setting but forgot to tell the guy writing the main story), Kingmaker is melodramatic, full of big personalities doing extreme things (like BG2, not like Larian). After years of disappointment, kickstarter finally produced a spiritual successor to the infinity engine games that recaptures the old infinity engine magic.

Everyone should at least give it a try.

 

[Cryomancer]

Some races have sub-races that give you different bonuses--fuck elves and dwarves, you can be half-angel or half-demon.

Your text is amazing, i strongly agree with everything, but only wanna correct an information. Aasimar/tieflings aren't "half demon/half celestial", are most like 1/32 or something similar. Just like sorcerers with undead bloodline aren't half vampires(dhampir) or half liches, Anu or Half celestials are other races.

Aasimar http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/other-races/featured-races/arg-aasimar/
Half celestial http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/templates/half-celestial/

 

[hivemind]

, you will have the chance to participate in a threesome with an elf and her half-orc boyfriend, who have a really fucked up polyamorous relationship

based, I want this irl

I will play now I guess

 

[anvi]

I think Anvi bitching about Kingmaker and then waxing rhapsodic about a bunch of MMOs should tell you a lot:

Why judge me based on 3 MMOs you have never played and never even played anything similar to? These are pre-WoW type games. Also it should tell you that there are legitimate problems with Kingmaker if even an MMO lover found it a grind.

Pathfinder is basically a souped up version of D&D 3.5 (as seen in NWN2, ToEE, KotC). You can spend hours in character creation: 8 races (9 with DLC), 14 base classes (15 with DLC) and 6 prestige classes. There are skills that matter, there are countless feats that let you customize your character into something really unique (not quite as many options as NWN2, but since NWN2 was so piss easy, none of that customization mattered very much).

The problem is, you can have the greatest framework in the world (and this game may well be it), but it amounts to nothing if the game has you clearing 1000 caves of 1000 goblins, all with the same 2 spells.

 

[Cryomancer]

The problem is, you can have the greatest framework in the world (and this game may well be it), but it amounts to nothing if the game has you clearing 1000 caves of 1000 goblins, all with the same 2 spells.

You start the game fighting mostly bandits with variations on locations, then solve an problem with trolls, then after some time undead and undead cyclops and then, outsiders from feyworld. There are a lot of variations and even on chap 1, there are a lot of variations, Elk Temple, old Sycamore, etc. I don't see PfK as "killing the same enemy over and over withous differences on encounter design" as you portrait.

PS : I agree that pre wow mmos are better.

 

[Funposter]

, you will have the chance to participate in a threesome with an elf and her half-orc boyfriend, who have a really fucked up polyamorous relationship

based, I want this irl

I will play now I guess

with the DLC you can play as a Tiefling Shackleborn, descended from these guys:

 

[Modron]

Obvious answers Underrail expansion and ATOM.

TL/DR all posts so here is some decent games that tend to get under suggested:
Hammer and Sickle,
The River of Time,
Blackguards,
Dex,
The Quest,
West of Loathing.

 

[Darth Canoli]

The real answer is KotC.

It's on steam on the 23rd of this month with 100 steam achievements and a leaderboard, so while being an amazing game, it also does retarded things people like.
On the downside (for you) it's party based (4 party members) and it's difficult (but you can exploit the crafting options + random encounters)

I second "The Quest" too, excellent TB "blobber-like", single char, which is its only flaw (except for you)

 

[Üstad]

Swords and Sandals

 

[anvi]

The problem is, you can have the greatest framework in the world (and this game may well be it), but it amounts to nothing if the game has you clearing 1000 caves of 1000 goblins, all with the same 2 spells.

You start the game fighting mostly bandits with variations on locations, then solve an problem with trolls, then after some time undead and undead cyclops and then, outsiders from feyworld. There are a lot of variations and even on chap 1, there are a lot of variations, Elk Temple, old Sycamore, etc. I don't see PfK as "killing the same enemy over and over withous differences on encounter design" as you portrait.

PS : I agree that pre wow mmos are better.

My issue with Kingmaker is not really repeated enemies, but repetitive gameplay. Run to dot on map, fireball hoard of enemies. Repeat 100000 times. It needed more bosses, MUCH more bosses!

 

[huskarls]

spellforce 3