Larian Studios Forums Divinity: Original Sin 2 Divinity - Original Sin 2 - Suggestions and Feedback Possible way to implement source into the system

So I presented this in a random post on one of the several "source skills" threads, and I just wanted to consolidate it as an idea.

Basically, from what I've read around on the forums, there are several issues with the source point system as it is now, and the issues have a slight compounding effect on one another. One issue is that the scarcity of source points makes it so that you never want to use a source skill unless it is absolutely necessary for your survival. This often logically progresses into you not wanting to memorize source skills in the first place, which leads us into the second issue. Source point skills being separate make them useless when you're not using source.

Now, I think that if you fixed both issues simultaneously, you'd come up into an issue where the player can use source easily and without repercussion. So in my proposed solution, it kinda "goes halfway" for both issues in an attempt to hit the sweet spot.

1) Do away with dedicated source skills entirely.
Memory slots are valuable, so making a player dedicate multiple slots for a skill they would only use sparingly feels bad. Instead of having entire skills dedicated to the use of source, have skills that get more powerful if you decide to use source. Chain Lightning becomes a "source-infused" version of Electric Discharge. Infectious Flame can be the result of infusing flame daggers, or fireball, or even maybe both. When the ability becomes part of a skill the player would want to take anyway, they would feel much less bad about taking the skill and using source.

2) Provide more methods to gather source
The way source is limited to either puddles (I can think of 5, maybe 6, puddles) or source vampirism (suggested to be something "non-good" to do to someone or something) means that someone who wants to play a "good" character has almost no source. Maybe make a special skill where you can spend an amount of AP to absorb an elemental pool (like a pyrokinetic skill that absorbs a pool of fire and turns it into source), or a talent that provides source when certain conditions are met. Anything that makes source more plentiful but still a resource would make them more akin to items like potions than like elixirs that I still have 10 of in my final fantasy inventories.

3) Provide more opportunities to use that source.
My personal favorite part of this idea, and the way it meets the "separate skill" problem halfway, is to turn the very act of using source into a skill. Call it "imbue source" or "infuse with source" or something. This skill would cost one source point(and probably 1 AP), and can have several different effects depending on how you decide to use it. If you decide to use it on yourself, then the next skill you cast becomes its "source-infused" version, like I pointed out in #1. If you cast it on the ground, it'll make a source puddle(and possibly even make source puddles interactable in the same way other environmental effects are). If you cast it on an ally, it'll donate one source point to that ally. If you cast it on a puddle of cursed fire, then the flames erupt in a massive source explosion, dealing damage and applying necrofire to everyone inside it. Even better, you can require the use of this skill on objects that already require you to spend source, instead of spending that source via dialogue. Like the magical lock in the tower in the gargoyle maze, simply require that the player casts the source ability.

It's my opinion that these kind of changes would move the concept of source in gameplay a little bit closer to the concept of source in the lore, and still maintain that it's a powerful option for those that do have it.

What do you guys think?

Partially agree with 1 and 3, but tbh the difference between if there are separate skills or a "source mode" for normal ones is imho a step that should be tackled after a lot other important things are settled. So far I wouldn't mind having two skills instead of temporarily transmuting another one.

But I totally agree with the base aspect of point 2!

Well in D:OS1 we had Icara extract all the source of a victim to revive someone else, but why not allowing to extract smaller non-lethal amounts?

-> additionally allow to extract source from living beings.

My thoughts regarding that:
Similar to the guild wars 1 mechanic of "overcasting/exhaustion" extraction source from a living being could reserve a part of the victims life (like 50% per use) and reducing max-HP by that amount. Then every 5s or so 1% ticks away, symbolizing the regeneration of the "source".
That would imho also nicely symbolize the exhausting effort to use it, as is often said in D:OS1.
To prevent it as an attack skill it could be needed to willingly allow it to happen so it only works on friendly/allied/(self) characters.
Which would also open up and interesting interaction with charming skills!

1. Since you can switch skills around as you please outside of combat, I don't really see the issue with having separate, 2 memory source skills. Most of them are easily worth 2 memory. Yeah, losing that extra skill hurts, but there has to be SOME sacrifice to using source, considering they already can single-handedly win fights. Not going to use source in a fight? Then memorize regular skills.

If Source can just turn regular skills into source versions, then either you have only some skills that turn into a source variant, or all of them do. The former seems kind of awkward, while the latter is a ton of work and balancing. Or various different skills turn into the same source skill, but that's also weird.

2. In the demos, they showed examples where you could essentially choose to be stunned and take damage for 2 rounds to channel source into yourself in a "good" way, but I don't know if that will make it into the final game. Sounds difficult to balance, considering it seems like an infinite way to obtain source (presumably only usable in combat, requires nearby enemies or something). But perhaps they'll work it out.

I do think they kind of have the idea that evil characters will tend to have more source, but there will also be repercussions to obtaining source in an evil way.

3. Imbue source as a free skill (no need to memorize) sounds cool, though I think to some degree bless and a "curse" skill will represent imbuing source in a good or evil way. Now how about imbuing items with source? Basically a way to enchant items and balance crafting, since you're choosing powerful skills or powerful items. The effects should be somewhat limited, but noticeable. Say, there's a recipe that enchants your weapon to have a 10% to apply burning, poisoned, or bleeding. Fun and useful but not absurd. Or you could also enchant items to grant certain skills, so you'd be sacrificing source for versatility rather than power. Lots of options here.