Update #2 - Stretch Goals! New tiers! Behind the scenes of a PR tour!Larian announced a bunch of new skill group ideas in their recent kickstarter update. I think a thread to serve as a focus for discussion isn't a bad idea.
I'll just quote the update, and afterwards post my own opinions.
Divinity: Original Sin is rife with spectacular skills, and besides the many new ones we've already planned for Original Sin 2, we want to add even more unique skills to the repertoire. We have quite a list and will let our the backers pick a brand new skill tree, featuring at least 16 skills each, from among a host of new proposals when the campaign ends. New proposals, you say! Such as?
Well, here are a few to tickle your imagination:
Polymorpher - As a polymorpher, your body is your oyster. Grow sharp-as-swords horns, poisonous tentacles (with the bonus of further reach) or even wings that allow you to dash and dive across the battlefield. You can even change completely into - what? Something monstrous, that's for sure...
Trap Master - Craft mines, place them in strategic positions and lure the unwitting enemy (or "ally") into your traps! At higher levels you'll be able to toss your deathtraps into groups of foes; taunt them so that they run blindly into your snares, and even craft bombs that you can sneak into an enemy's pocket. Tick. Tock. BOOM!
Bard - Inspire your allies to perform even greater feats of magic and carnage, then pacify, confuse or lull to sleep your enemies with songs and music. Of course, you don't have to be the party's unwavering champion. You can also weave lies into your tales, which can influence the attitude of NPCs in various ways. Sing your own praises and see them cheers you; paint your friends as cowards and see them be hailed with contempt!
Unarmed Combatant - This is for the hands-on fighters that don't want to dance around their targets, but get down and dirty by going for chokeholds and body throws. Wrestle your foes with bare fists, or go for some extra piercing power with vicious knuckles and claws.
Summoning Master - To be able to summon allies is a very powerful skill, but as a master you'll be able to summon more than one extra ally. Other skills will include redirecting incoming damage to your summons; sacrificing them to heal you, or blowing them up to wreak havoc among massed enemies.
Juggernaut - If you want to role play a bloodthirsty maniac that thrives on gore and pain, this is the one to get. Get stronger as your health drops; swing mighty great-swords or dual-wield axes; drown your enemies in spilled blood. You can even sacrifice your own hitpoints in return for massive, area-shattering blows. Beware of friendly fire though - if you even care, that is.
Guardian - A born protector, this sword 'n' board wielding warrior prioritizes a strong defense over offense. Your shield will become a wall behind which you -and your allies- can close in on the enemy unharmed. Your provocations will also turn your foes' attention toward you, but that's ok because other skills include becoming nigh invulnerable for brief amounts of time.
Alchemist - The powers of alchemy become as weapons in your hands! Throw potions like grenades; coat your weapons with poisons and curses; control clouds of steam, lightning, miasma and more; bask in the vastly superior effects of every potion you can get your hands on!
There, those are the skill groups listed on the Update page. Now for my opinions on some of them.
Trap Master - I'm not so sure about this skill group. Trap classes tend to be tricky. Traps seem to be a lot better suited to a game with real-time combat. I'm not sure how well they'll work in turn-based, "Trapper's Taunt" skill not withstanding. They also only mention mines and pockpocketable bombs, which seems to be a very limited scope.
In Diablo 2: LoD, I took a Trapsassin through Hell difficulty and had a blast (this was before 1.10 came out). That game didn't have mines, but it did have a few varieties of ranged trap - a Flamethrower for high damage at short range, a lightning trap for piercing damage in a straight line, and Wake of Fire, a weaker trap which sent waves of flame in a wide area. If there is to be a Trap-focused class in D:OS2, it should have more tools than just planting mines and hoping the AI will wander over them.
Juggernaut and
Guardian - These two classes seem to really heavily overlap with the basic fighter, in opposite directions.
Let's say that they both win the top two spots for new trees. (Unlikely, I know, but theoretically possible.) What will the basic Man-At-Arms warrior class have left to do? Will some Man-At-Arms skills move to the other two trees? Will a fighter have to take both trees? Will the other two trees duplicate some of the functionality of the Man-At-Arms ones?
