BG1: Weapons degrade instead of outright breaking?
Boaster
Member Posts: 622
I just sort of had an epiphany when going through the thread where I had suggested Masterwork items. A couple of other posters suggested that even they still be breakable.
Why not just change all normal items to have 100 "charges." Each swing will reduce the number of "charges" a normal weapon has, until *akorse* it reduces down to zero. When a normal weapon reaches zero charges, aka 100 swings of the weapon, it breaks.
This would be much better than a random 1% chance of a weapon breaking. Allow me to explain.
First of all, each weapon will have a "counter" displayed in the corner of the icon. For new players, they will wonder what this is about (later for them to discover the Iron Crisis).
Secondly, a counter will let a player know about how much usefulness is left in the weapon in hand. Any fighter would have a rough idea of their weapon was beginning to break down.
Finally, normal weapons can follow a path of degradation, of being less effective with each use. Say for example, Masterwork items are introduced. They could have 300 charges/swings, after which they would degrade into being a "normal" weapon (when charges are used up, weapon is replaced). Then after 50 swings of the normal weapon, it would break down into a "crude/worn" weapon with -2 damage. Then after the "Crude" weapon breaks after 30 swings, the weapon could finally break.
You could have it by Swings/Attacks or actual hits on the counter, whichever would make more sense.
You could even scale it up a bit, as follows:
Magical +2 (never degrade).
Magical +1 (1000 swings). -->
Masterwork (300-500 swings). -->
Normal Weapon (50-100 swings). -->
Worn Weapon (30-50 swings). -->
...
Item is broken.
What do you all think?
Why not just change all normal items to have 100 "charges." Each swing will reduce the number of "charges" a normal weapon has, until *akorse* it reduces down to zero. When a normal weapon reaches zero charges, aka 100 swings of the weapon, it breaks.
This would be much better than a random 1% chance of a weapon breaking. Allow me to explain.
First of all, each weapon will have a "counter" displayed in the corner of the icon. For new players, they will wonder what this is about (later for them to discover the Iron Crisis).
Secondly, a counter will let a player know about how much usefulness is left in the weapon in hand. Any fighter would have a rough idea of their weapon was beginning to break down.
Finally, normal weapons can follow a path of degradation, of being less effective with each use. Say for example, Masterwork items are introduced. They could have 300 charges/swings, after which they would degrade into being a "normal" weapon (when charges are used up, weapon is replaced). Then after 50 swings of the normal weapon, it would break down into a "crude/worn" weapon with -2 damage. Then after the "Crude" weapon breaks after 30 swings, the weapon could finally break.
You could have it by Swings/Attacks or actual hits on the counter, whichever would make more sense.
You could even scale it up a bit, as follows:
Magical +2 (never degrade).
Magical +1 (1000 swings). -->
Masterwork (300-500 swings). -->
Normal Weapon (50-100 swings). -->
Worn Weapon (30-50 swings). -->
...
Item is broken.
What do you all think?
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Comments
And from the tales I heard from much more experienced fencers I can surmise that weapon-breaking is a completely random occurrence - that's how it was portrayed in BG, and that's how it should stay.
Why take something that complete works and people are familiar with, and make it more complicated, new and strange?