Preview Lionheart ph4t l3wt #5 at RPGDot

[Eric Dallaire]

a charm that grants speech might be handy to keep around, or a fire resistance ring when you know there are fire monsters down the line, etc

That line kind of worries me. Having items that give you speech bonuses or other skills for that matter can be easily swapped in and out, making initial character choices far less significant. Who needs to create a diplomatic character when they can magical enhance their diplomatic skills? A great deal of the charm of Fallout was that you couldn't adopt a completist attitude and try to do every single quest in the game, you instead took those quests which fitted your character. Great for roleplay, and keeps Fallout in a category safely away from dull squad based "tactical" games like Baldur's Gate. The character shouldn't be doing something because he knows it has XP rewards, he should be doing something for motives that are plausible within the game world. Altering your character with magical enhancements just so you qualify for a certain quests is utterly lame.

I don't think there are enough +Speech items in the game to take the place of a tagged speech skill. Magic items will help a hybrid diplomat/mage/fighter/other see additional responses down the line, but the scale of increasing speech skill requirements for encounters will prevent someone from just using magic items to become a very successful diplomat. For example. you won't be able to handle the last bad guy with speech if you only have a ring, or necklace that each give you +15 speech.

 

[chrisbeddoes]

For example. you won't be able to handle the last bad guy with speech if you only have a ring, or necklace that each give you +15 speech.

I like that . I like it a lot.