ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

So when playing through the game, it's really exciting when you do something to unlock a new category (Poisons, Storm, Stone, etc.) It is very disappointing though when you realize that the new category isn't usable, and that you need a category point to unlock them. It just seems that if you do the stuff to unlock a category, you should be able to use that category.

Poisons could be okay, but the role of the various Archmage categories makes that a really bad idea, both because it vastly constricts Archmage builds(All of them now get Meta/Temporal), and because it vastly upgrades a strong class. (Also pretty notably upgrades Arcane Blade.)

Poisons could be okay though.

SageAcrin wrote:Poisons could be okay though.

Saying that, allying with a certain someone in a certain tunnel could just as easily unlock this, no? There's some extra incentive, if artifacts aren't going to float your boat.

One of my ideas for buffing Tricks of the Trade was to leave it the same as it is now, but have it grant a Prodigy point.

So that could basically be similar if it unlocked poisons too.

A prodigy point? So...you could take it, then take another prodigy too?

Yeah, it's a possible thought.

The idea would be that it would be a Prodigy more so that you wouldn't get instant returns on it-it would essentially just be the rewards for siding with the Assassin Lord.

Thematically I was thinking of a description about how they trained you in their own abilities, granting you a hidden technique, or something.

It's one way to buff it without it going out of control.

You might as well remove the prodigy and make it a quest reward at that point though, as there would be no point in not taking it if you did happen to side with the assassin.

Category points aren't that hard to come by.
Cornacs start with one, everyone else gets their first one at level 10.

Theyleon wrote:You might as well remove the prodigy and make it a quest reward at that point though, as there would be no point in not taking it if you did happen to side with the assassin.

Except this way you can't get the benefits until L30.

Which is an interesting way to prevent you from getting a fairly large instant benefit from it.

You're right, though, this is why this was my backup idea for the talent...

SageAcrin wrote:Poisons could be okay, but the role of the various Archmage categories makes that a really bad idea, both because it vastly constricts Archmage builds(All of them now get Meta/Temporal), and because it vastly upgrades a strong class. (Also pretty notably upgrades Arcane Blade.)

Poisons could be okay though.

I don't really see that as being the case at all, considering I was playing an Archmage in my last go, and having those unlocked when I earned them would have meant I could actually use them, instead of only using the ones that we started with. While I did hit 1 mil fire damage with the one archmage, I don't think that would be the case for most people in a single play-through. Stone and Storm are perectly reasonable things that most mages should be able to unlock in a play-through though. And yes, it would give incentive to side with the AL after unlocking Poisons the first time, if you are playing someone that could use it.

I can see it with poisons because you're giving something up for it.

On mages it would just be a free category point. Also, those trees can be unlocked on any class. It's not like you have to be an archmage to open them.

the assassin lord isnt an issue here imo
theres plenty of incentive to side with him but only if you get poisons or traps or both
by siding with the assassin lord you get new traps and poisons as you level up, including the flash bang trap