Principles of design.

[Frumple]

So... curiosity, since this seems to be the place for it. How do you balance a pure damage shield for both normal and insane? I'm not sure how you can have a value for the latter that's worth using that's not near gamebreaking when in the former -- skeletons are probably one of the better examples of that, where a shield and heal that's close to worthless, so far as I'm aware, on insane basically invalidates a very significant amount of the damage output of... basically everything in the game... on normal.

I can think of a few fancy ways of maybe managing it (an effect something like Untouchable, ferex, or stronger stuff like just soaking damage outright for a turn or two and then turning that damage into a shield -- pretty sure we actually have a talent or two like that, iirc), but just a plain ol' push-button-get-shield... kinda' escapes me.

Haven't really played enough of the higher difficulties to notice how good a good shield in a lower one is in a higher one, really (though the apparently regular disparaging of skeletons seem to indicate "not very"), so... asking, heh.

[64legos]

Reassemble is described as "rearranging your bones," so maybe it could scale with how much damage damage you taken in the last few turns (similar to Mindslayer's psionic shields)?

That could make it more useful on higher difficulties, where sudden big hits are more common, but not as powerful on lower difficulties, where damage is more spread out.

[bpat]

Most Damage Shields are fine on Insane, I even use Shielding Runes somewhat regularly. Bone Armour is a weird one since it has ridiculously high value, cooldown, and duration. Like all its numbers are double what most other shields would have. Since no one will break it and fights last under 10 turns usually on Normal, it ends up seeming really good. Insane cares more about stuff having a good uptime while Normal cares more about what you can do in the first few turns because everything dies so fast. That's why stuff like Shielding Runes that can be used multiple times in a fight are nice on Insane while Bone Armour is not since after it breaks or runs out you have 20 turns of downtime

64legos that's a good idea but I think you posted on the wrong thread.

[Mordy]

Not only that but you need to spend a turn to reapply it which is less ideal

[Nagyhal]

Oooh, interesting discussion.

I like the idea of more exciting shield mechanics. Bone Armour for example would be cool if its power increased with the damage you've taken in the past 5 turns, or some similar mechanic.

As regards design principles, I think:

• I like to see classes where there is not an overabundance of active abilities, but the majority of active abilities have surprising / situational / difficult-to-master uses. That is to say, they are unique.
• Resource cost of talents is a hugely overlooked part of modulating the pace, balance, and overall combat dynamics of classes.

Random comments:

Since, they're pretty much a complete faceroll on normal, to the point the ones I've played since the changes have been able to casually make rather suboptimal choices in talent allocation (radiance!) and whatnot, and still half-snooze through the game

Me too, Frumplestiltskins. When I roll Sunpa I go for a specifically very offense-focused, 2-handed build (ever see the D&D 4e Avenger?), purely so as to spice things up and make it not too easy on myself. And I play on Insane.

Reassemble is described as "rearranging your bones"

Now I want to see an ability that is a heal coupled with a random short-duration polymorph