Decline Sword Coast Legends Pre-Release Thread

[Shevek]

I thought healing spells were conjuration in dnd.

 

[ArchAngel]

I don't know what people are on about in this thread. I'm pretty sure there's no arcane healing spells in 3/3.5.

I just looked through all the Necromancy spells. The closest thing to healing would be false life.

In divine magic healing spells are healing domain as expect, not death domain.

Vampiric Touch heals :D

 

[Bubbles]

Sword Coast Legends listed with "CRPG" tag on Steam, top kek.

Because it runs on Computers.

 

[twincast]

Nobody says that. Priest heals, mage kills. Necromancer is a mage who summons undead.

Well, if you wanted to specialize in healing above all else, you wouldn't play a wizard to begin with, of course. My actual point was not that necromancers are big on healing or whatever, but that there is nothing inherently evil about them in D&D, even if in clichéd practice evil wizards and necromancy more often go together than not.

I thought healing spells were conjuration in dnd.

Used to be. I could've sworn they changed it with 3E, but maybe it was CrapE or 5E. Been ages since I actually played D&D, and I never played a wizard in P&P. Or maybe it actually happened the other way 'round? *shruggity*

 

[Infinitron]

Nobody says that. Priest heals, mage kills. Necromancer is a mage who summons undead.

Well, if you wanted to specialize in healing above all else, you wouldn't play a wizard to begin with, of course. My actual point was not that necromancers are big on healing or whatever, but that there is nothing inherently evil about them in D&D, even if in clichéd practice evil wizards and necromancy more often go together than not.

I thought healing spells were conjuration in dnd.

Used to be. I could've sworn they changed it with 3E, but maybe it was CrapE or 5E. Been ages since I actually played D&D, and I never played a wizard in P&P. Or maybe it actually happened the other way 'round? *shruggity*

As far back as AD&D:

http://baldursgate.wikia.com/wiki/Cure_Light_Wounds

Cure Light Wounds is a level 1 necromancy spell from the priest spellbooks which heals 8 points of damage.

 

[ArchAngel]

Hmm, it was changed to Conjuration in 3e and it seems it was changed to Evocation in 5e ..
In 3e that was probably explained by you summoning energy from the Positive Energy Plane, but I got no clue how it fits Evocation.
EDIT:
From 5e PHB: Evocation spells manipulate magical energy to produce a desired effect. Some call up blasts of fire or lightning. Others channel positive energy to heal wounds

 

[Shevek]

It was conjuration in 2E and 3E. Google says cure wounds is evocation in 5E.

Edit: It was necromancy in adnd? Never noticed that.

 

[GarfunkeL]

And the reason they changed it was exactly because "necromancy = evil" regardless of the inherent logic of "necromancy = manipulation of life energy" that it was originally based on.

This discussion is more interesting than the game will ever be.

 

[ArchAngel]

And the reason they changed it was exactly because "necromancy = evil" regardless of the inherent logic of "necromancy = manipulation of life energy" that it was originally based on.

This discussion is more interesting than the game will ever be.

 

[ArchAngel]

It seems they toned down HP and damage of characters as can be seen in the E3 trailer. Cooldowns are still in

 

[pippin]

And the reason they changed it was exactly because "necromancy = evil" regardless of the inherent logic of "necromancy = manipulation of life energy" that it was originally based on.

This discussion is more interesting than the game will ever be.

But if we're working under this logic, paladins shouldn't be restricted to any alignment, because they are champions of a cause which happens to be of a religious nature. And if you want to dig deeper, if you have a cleric, then you don't need paladins at all.
D&D is largely influenced by christianity, and even then most cultures look negatively on anyone who would like to disturb the eternal slumber of the dead. I do think necromancers should be considered "evil", at least in settings where life and death are more or less "real". If we were talking about more abstract settings like Planescape, then you could twist the meaning of necromancy because life and death also have different meanings. But this is FR, which is like 1:1 Medieval Europe.

 

[agris]

They're launching in September and can't answer questions about:

• subraces
• DM campaign creation (is it even possible to create one from scratch using game's tilesets?) including modifying existing monsters, items etc,
  
• if there is a SCL-approved common gaming server
• if we can connect directly to others without their potential service via TCP/UDP
• where characters are stored in either of the above scenarios
• how DM created content can be saved and shared

Add in the cooldowns, lack of resting, the GM threat gimmick, DLC-ing content like items and monsters (lol yea, they're gonna let you create your own and host them on the net to subvert their DLC profits) and I'm left to wonder: why the fuck do ya'll care about this game?

Spoiler

from: http://www.dagonslair.com/dossiers/sword-coast-legends-interview-dan-tudge/

On the game rules :

How did you adapt the D&D pen & paper rules for the game as a computer RPG, especially regarding spells (cool down? recovery? Casting time vs area of effect spells vs moving targets).

Much of the 5th edition rules were a pretty straight forward adaptation, however some posed quite a challenge. To be clear, we never set out to do a direct adaptation of the 5e rules, both n-Space and Wizards of the Coast agreed that some of tabletop rules would (and should) require adaptation. What was important to both of us was that we maintain the spirit of those rules. For example, with early iterations on multiplayer and DM play we realized quite quickly that resting to recover spells just wasn’t going to appeal to a broad group of players. As a result we implemented spell cooldowns and balanced those to maintain the spirt of resting which is really tactically managing your spell usage.

We know there will be races, sub-races, and 6 classes. Will there also be specialized sub-classes?

Ahh, you listened to our last live-stream eh? Yes, there will be sub-races in SCL, but we’re not talking about sub-classes right now.

On the campaign :

you said in the twitch interview that your focus is on game choices. are you talking on a dialogue level (branching dialogues) ? Quests which can be resolved by different means? Or on the crazy non-linear campaign with branching solutions?

SCL will have branching narrative with meaningful choice and consequence. As you probably saw in the player campaign video, Sir Banagar was only alive because we spared his life earlier in the campaign – because of that choice (and consequence) we can now enlist his aid in the upcoming fight. Of course we also have the choice to reverse that decision and put an end to him right there. Further complicating the decision is the fact that Banagar’s conviction is misguided and you as a player know that – does that make you more benevolent or does it further drive your desire for revenge?

Do you intend to have skills affecting dialogues? Will you manage reputation in your campaign?

I can tell you that your player stats such as their strength level or charisma level can unlock new/different dialogue choices. Like tabletop D&D, player attribute stats are for more than just combat.

Do you intend to put crafting in game? (Potions brewing, item enchantment, weapons/armor crafting)

We do not have crafting, however if this is something that a lot of players are interested in we will definitely consider adding it post launch.

Will the inventory be limited (weight? inventory slots?)

As in the tabletop Inventory is limited by weight, your total weight is driven by your strength.

On game mechanics :

Could you explain Sword Coast Legends different game modes? Cooperative? Dungeon crawl / campaign?

Story Campaign: Our story campaign will feel very familiar to those who love the classic D&D RPGs such as Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale and Neverwinter Nights. Like those games, you’ll create a protagonist and embark on a story rich adventure set in the Forgotten Realms. You can play with friends in co-op play or recruit a party of rich companions found within the game.

DM mode: Dungeon Crawl is more of an instant-action DM mode, and while DMs can alter a wide array of dungeon setup parameters Dungeon Crawl’s primary purpose is to minimize the setup process and quickly get into the fun. If players want a longer experience they can do that too with just a few extra clicks or take it even farther and build their own campaign with campaign creation. We’re not revealing too much about campaign creation quite yet, I can tell you that players will be able to recreate their tabletop campaigns within Sword Coast Legends.

Could you explain the DM / player interaction mechanics, elaborate upon the threat (?) system

DM Threat is our way of creating balance within Sword Coast Legends. All tabletop D&D encounters have recommended encounter parameters based on the number of players, their gear, and their levels. If a tabletop DM decides to ignore the details of his/her party, it can lead to either incredibly easy or incredibly deadly encounters. Threat is our way for DMs to monitor the status of players and adjust the difficulty of those encounters on the fly. Under the hood we also do things like control spawn distance and limit threat spend on per area basis that help balance the experience. We’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that we maintain the spirit of cooperative, challenging D&D play.

On the DM mode :

watching the youtube videos, seems a DM can create with a few clics a complete dungeon crawl selecting tileset, 2 monster types, but seems there is also a way to create your own campaign…. How far can a DM customize his game module? Branching dialogues?

Sorry, we’re not discussing DM Campaign Creation at this time.

Do the DM have complete access to design his custom monster, choose their stats/skills, create his NPCs, or only selecting monsters in the game monster pool ?

Sorry, we’re not discussing DM Campaign Creation at this time.

Neverwinter Nights 1/2 allowed to share complete player campaigns, so other people could download your campaign and play it. Will your game allow the same ?

Sorry, we’re not discussing DM Campaign Creation at this time.

On multiplayer mode :

On cooperative multiplayer mode, will one player control one character? Will a single player be able to control more than one character?

In story campaign you play with 4 players. You will create your main character, and be joined by 3 players made up of real world friends (with their own custom created characters) or companions you have met in game. The choice (and blend) is up to you!

Do you intend to have a common gaming server or will player be able to connect to other computer directly? Where will character be saved? Locally? Official servers? Can single player characters be used online, regarding cheat…?

It’s still a bit too early for us to discuss connectivity but I can tell you that the character you create will be playable across all modes.

On the game preorder / press :

Regarding your preorder page, the deluxe edition or collector will contain monsters (DM use), Dungeon tile sets (DM use). What will be your DLC policy ? Will there be a whole bunch of tileset and monsters in the original game package and more tile sets & monsters will be sold in DLC ? In DM mode, will the player be able to create monsters or create tilesets ?

We are not locking content behind DLC – everyone will have access to all same core story and DM content created for launch. However if the player purchased the deluxe (larger) additions they will get additional content to use in-game. Once we’ve got the game done we definitely plan to continue to make more content – we’ve got a lot more stories to tell!

You seem to be quite advanced in development. The game is already scheduled for a 2015 release. It’s quite unusual to hear of a game just a few month before its’ release. Why did you communicate on it only now?

We decided that showing the game off in a more completed state was in everyone’s best interest. For the team it allowed them to stay focused on building a great RPG, for the players it was great coming out of the gate with a fully playable build and the knowledge that they would have to wait years to get their hands on it!

Thank you a lot for your answers, good luck in building the CRPG we all dream of

 

[Shevek]

why the fuck do ya'll care about this game?

Well to some , not me, it has that moment to moment gameplay they crave in RT. Hearing all the complaints against PoE's engagement, you would think the combat in this game would get a large portion of this forum cheering.

 

[ArchAngel]

They're launching in September and can't answer questions about:

• subraces
• DM campaign creation (is it even possible to create one from scratch using game's tilesets?) including modifying existing monsters, items etc,
  
• if there is a SCL-approved common gaming server
• if we can connect directly to others without their potential service via TCP/UDP
• where characters are stored in either of the above scenarios
• how DM created content can be saved and shared

They said subraces will be in the game (they are a small change, there is no reason to not have them), but don't want to comment on subclasses which is a big deal in 5e since 5e has no prestige classes. We don't even know if they implemented feats or skills.
I smell a big disaster with this game.

 

[Spectacle]

This game is clearly a blatant cash grab. They know very well that actual RPG fans and D&D players aren't going to like a lot of things about the game, so they avoid mentioning anything concrete about those features, making vague promises instead. And the console versions have surely been planned for a long time, they don't just happen.

 

[Bubbles]

Since the game has a console UI, I seems likely that it was planned as a console game.

 

[Zombra]

Huh, this thread is still active? Anything cool going on with this title or should I continue to think of its announcement as a not very interesting bad dream I had once?

 

[Bubbles]

Huh, this thread is still active? Anything cool going on with this title or should I continue to think of its announcement as a not very interesting bad dream I had once?

Now, I Am Impressed.

After looking at the new trailer I could see some really good news.

-the HPs have returned to 5e level

-the XP too

-the damage also

Super awsome news

 

[getter77]

The constant PR Mode as opposed to enthusiasm for what should be an easy thing to trumpet, being the first "full on" D&D game tied to the latest and greatest in a great while, really grates at and erodes confidence as it reeks of selling for the sake of sales as opposed to trying to get support for a vision enacted and hard wrought works yet to come from this team of developers.

There's just no sense in doing things this way anymore, if there ever truly was, when it is so plainly apparent from crowdfunding and whatnot that by and large the core audience isn't going to be receptive to such a fruitlessly needless chase for an accurately crystallized rundown of a game they can look forward to diving in on at release---all that'll happen is folks getting pissed off once the jig is up on all the hopes for it they were totally projecting on it, which the devs seem to love seeing fester as far as all the various NWN folks this game apparently brought back from the abyss, save for a slim number that'll just trumpet it regardless so long as it is technically sound and a wave of contention they can ride about on.

 

[Telengard]

Never forget, all Kickstarter proved was the core audience is roughly 500,000 souls (which everybody already knew). That, while the popamole core is 5,000,000 strong. If one can avoid pissing off the traditionals and nab a few sales from them before they get pissed, who cares if they later get pissed. They're a tenth the size of your audience, so their squeaks of complaint won't even register against the roar of loving popamolers.

After all, Dragon Age (remember these are Dragon Age devs) is from a publisher that would bin a developer with Kickstarter-level sales so fast it would make the Flash look like a snail. And these SCL guys are teamed as an actual dev house looking to earn normal sales and wages.

 

[LESS T_T]

An article from the latest issue of Dragon+ magazine: http://app.genwi.com/5.0/article/45675/104723/99716876

It even contains character sheets for companions: http://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/dnd/SCL_CharacterSheets.pdf

 

[Infinitron]

We take a closer look at the collaborative CRPG that introduces a whole new team of companions and lifts the (toilet) lid on the nasty pirate city of Luskan.

BY Matt Chapman

As we’ve just ably demonstrated, Dungeons & Dragons long ago expanded beyond its pen-and-paper roots to embrace a digital world. Those decades of development have led to a new videogame that offers an all-new way to enjoy the shared D&D storytelling experience.

Sword Coast Legends does, of course, include a single-player campaign, which centers on a guild called the Order of the Burning Dawn. One night, during a routine job escorting a caravan, your character has a startlingly bad nightmare. Next morning the caravan is attacked by mercenaries, and from there begins a mystery that questions your involvement in these events, shakes the position of your guild and seeks the origin of those nightmares.



Yet it’s the ability to create unique customizable adventures, in the same way Dungeon Masters do for the tabletop roleplaying game, which will keep players engaged long after that single-player riddle has been solved. Collaboration is the keyword here. As with the classic tabletop RPG, a DM doesn’t set his sights on decimating a party, but seeks to challenge up to four players in a non-adversarial and fun way. Setting up a dungeon, populating it with creatures and choosing its mood theme for lighting and fog is just the start.



“The dungeon is created randomly based on the parameters the Dungeon Master has set. But once you’re in there, the DM has to be attentive,” says Tim Schwalk, design director at n-Space. "A DM can change encounters to make them easier or harder, based on how the party is doing. If they’re struggling, the DM can take enemies away, or demote them and make them a little bit weaker. Or if the party is finding success, the DM can promote creatures and give them a buff to make them a little bit tougher. And if there are certain enemies the DM sees you’re struggling against, they can remove them or add more. So if you’re having trouble dealing with fire, they can add additional enemies that deal fire damage.



"They can also drop traps to make your time a little more difficult, lock and unlock doors based on how you’re doing, make rooms secret so you have to search around to find treasure, and drop enemies anywhere they want."



The actions of those enemies can be controlled by a Dungeon Master in a similar way to real-time strategy games. That’s particularly helpful when you want to make sure that the creatures don’t gang up on a character. "If a DM wants to have these three guys go over this way and have those two guys come that way and the other guy just attack your wizard, they have that amount of control," says Schwalk. "So it really replicates that experience on the tabletop of keeping things balanced and challenging for the players. You’re going to do what makes sense for the encounter and for the party."

A DM can even possess enemies to take direct control of their actions. "And that makes them very difficult," adds Dan Tudge, Director Sword Coast Legends.



COASTAL PATH

As you'll have guessed from the name, Sword Coast Legends takes place along that iconic coastline – all the way from the sewers in the city of Luskan, as far East as the Evermoors, and down into the Underdark. If a setting doesn’t already exist, Dungeon Masters will be able to create their own using an existing environment as a template.

Tudge says his team wanted to make sure their writing was well grounded in that region’s lore, so it feels like you’re actually in the Forgotten Realms. “Jay [Turner] and I are always sitting in his office saying, ‘this junk lute should be from Cormyr or we should really be talking about this from Neverwinter because that’s where it happens,” he says.



Fans of the Forgotten Realms will also get to see much more of Luskan than its sanitary system. The city has appeared in a number of recent novels by R. A. Salvatore and the character of Jarlaxle has lived there for a while. Tudge is aware it’s a city that hasn’t been greatly explored in a computer roleplaying game before, calling it “our Baldur’s Gate or city of Neverwinter.” Turner has an even better description for it: “It’s a dirty, nasty pirate city, so that’s all kinds of fun.”

Chris Bromby, Art Director at n-Space, says that plenty of areas within the Luskan city walls will feature in Sword Coast Legends. “We have this whole cemetery area that’s pretty cool and is its own little biome. And we have all the unique interiors throughout the city that you can go inside and explore, including the Cutlass and the staples of the city that have been talked about in books but you’ve never seen what they look like,” he reveals.



COMPANIONS

One of the elements that made classic CRPGs such as Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale so good was their use of companions. Fans of those franchises should steel themselves for a nostalgic buzz, as Sword Coast Legends includes plenty of formidable and unforgettable characters to help you on your way. Schwalk calls them a diverse array of personalities that you’ll be carrying through the Forgotten Realms.

CHARACTER SHEETS

In celebration of these new allies, Wizards of the Coast has brought five of them to life for use in the tabletop roleplaying game. Tap the button below to see these digital creations (Bryn Lightfingers, Hommet Shaw, Illydia Maethellyn, Jarhild Stoneforge, and Larethar Gulfrin) transformed for use in tabletop play.

See them now

“We looked at a lot of those old titles and the thing that resonated with us most strongly – not just as their creators but also as players – was the companions,” admits Tudge. “All of my most memorable moments, in the Baldur’s Gate series in particular, center on my interactions with those companions.”

DEMON DAYS

Sword Coast Legends is available for preorder now but the team at n-Space won’t be resting on their laurels once it does go on sale. They’re already working on the first expansion pack, which will be based on the Rage of Demons storyline set to sweep the wider Dungeons & Dragons world later this year. If you were having any difficulty with the ‘Legends’ part of the game’s title, the inclusion of one iconic D&D superstar will instantly put your mind at rest.

“Renegade drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden is going to be in the Rage of Demons expansion pack. You will meet and interact with Drizzt in that campaign,” says Tudge. “We got quite a bit of feedback from the community and I actually was surprised by how many fans there are of Drizzt – he’s definitely a huge character. I was always a fan but I didn’t realize there were as many people who were as excited as I was.”

We count ourselves among that number and can't wait to go adventuring alongside Drizzt when the Rage of Demons expansion pack launches later this year.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Sword Coast Legends is available for preorder now but the team at n-Space won’t be resting on their laurels once it does go on sale. They’re already working on the first expansion pack, which will be based on the Rage of Demons storyline set to sweep the wider Dungeons & Dragons world later this year. If you were having any difficulty with the ‘Legends’ part of the game’s title, the inclusion of one iconic D&D superstar will instantly put your mind at rest.

“Renegade drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urden is going to be in the Rage of Demons expansion pack. You will meet and interact with Drizzt in that campaign,” says Tudge. “We got quite a bit of feedback from the community and I actually was surprised by how many fans there are of Drizzt – he’s definitely a huge character. I was always a fan but I didn’t realize there were as many people who were as excited as I was.”

 

[Bubbles]

$10 bucks say the first DLC is either Drizzt or Elminister content.

 

[LESS T_T]

The issue also have an article on brief history of D&D video games: http://app.genwi.com/5.0/article/45675/104723/99716875

And MCA's Icewind Dale short fiction (written in Black Isle days): http://app.genwi.com/5.0/article/45675/104723/99716995