EXP based profiiencies

[Mongoose87]

Does anyone else find it odd that a character can become proficient with a weapon that they've never touched on level up?  Particularly a class like a mage who rarely trains with weaponry.

I propose that proficiencies be given out according to the amount of experience a character gains while wielding a weapon of that type.  SOme proficiencies would still be given at character generation, but most would be gained thorugh combat.  Additionally, fighters, for example, would gain proficiencies faster than thieves.  And the higher the mastery over the weapon, the more experience required to advance.  Wit hthis system, a mage could potentially achieve grand mastery, but would take forever.

[Grey Acumen]

I too think that this is a very good idea, and had considered suggesting it myself, but I don't even have any clue how it would be managed.

[Mongoose87]

You guess is as good as mine, actualy, probably better.

[Aya Shinimori]

They actually do that in a few games. Though it isnt so much a game like this, it will give you a good idea and you know which game to look at to see how it works. <.< Yeah it also aint a computer game... but still it couldnt hurt to at least let you know. The game is called Saga Frontier 2. It really is a PSX game, and I dont know how the first Saga Fronteir worked out, but that does what Mongoose87 is proposing.

[Rastor]

I've been thinking about this off and on.  It really is a very good idea from a roleplaying perspective.  I usually try to roleplay the proficiencies that I give to my party in the game, but this idea is better.

I don't know if its possible, however.  This might be hardcoded.

[Grey Acumen]

Well, I do know that you can set it so that nobody gains any proficiences. Then if you had some way to measure how much exp from kills for each weapon type you were using, you could us the effect to set the proficiency.

Basically, the effect is there, the ability to turn off the standard proficiency gain is there, but I have no clue how to moniter the exp for each individual weapon type. And you'd also have to make sure that it only figured in the exp for enemies fought with the weapon, and not for quest experience or enemies killed by a spell.

[Sovran]

The game does keep count of the weapons a character uses, to determine the "Favourite Weapon". I really don't know how exactly this works, though (e.g. sometimes "Firetooth +3" seems to be in the same category with "Throwing Dagger", and sometimes each seems to be in a category of its own?), but the mechanism might be worth studying.

I think NI shows the four most favourite weapons for each character in a savegame, as well as the usage counts for each of them. I wouldn't know where to look for the rest of the weapons that a character has used, though.

Then again, those counters don't seem to have anything to do with experience -- just how many attacks you've made with the weapon. Which, in turn, could lead to annoying cheese potential.

Oh, and in case I left it unclear, I'm all for experience proficiencies, if they can somehow be fitted in the game. Only the engine could prove quite uncooperative.

[Mongoose87]

Is it possible to base it one # of kills with the weapon?
Or perhaps each weapon could cast a spell on the user that statrts a variable count.  Each monster would have to accordingly be given a number that is added to said variable upon killing.  Or something along thosel ines.  I have no idea.  Er.

[Rastor]

Is it possible to base it one # of kills with the weapon?

It could be based on how often the weapon is used, which I personally think is better than monitoring the number of experience points gained with said weapon.

[Grey Acumen]

True, but then there will most defenitely be cheese tactics put to use.

[Rastor]

True, but then there will most defenitely be cheese tactics put to use.

Elaborate.

[Grey Acumen]

I used my dagger... on my own party member/summoned monster/enemy that I disarmed and am healing continuously so I can repeatedly wack him over and over again/enemy or random creature that I have trapped in otiluke's resilient sphere... so now I have grand mastery in dagger even though I have only attacked one enemy that couldn't even fight back and I'm still at level 7 having just started the game.

Does that provide the proper elaboration?

[Rastor]

I used my dagger... on my own party member/summoned monster/enemy that I disarmed and am healing continuously so I can repeatedly wack him over and over again/enemy or random creature that I have trapped in otiluke's resilient sphere... so now I have grand mastery in dagger even though I have only attacked one enemy that couldn't even fight back and I'm still at level 7 having just started the game.

Does that provide the proper elaboration?

Perhaps we could cap the amount of skill in all of your weapons based on level.

[Mongoose87]

Iterestingly enough, that would actualy be realistic.  If someone were to actualy take the time to do such a thing in (let's call it FW Reality) they would get better at using the weapon.