Eric Dallaire Interview, Part One

The guys at Duck and Cover have snagged an interview with Reflexive Entertainment’s Eric Dallaire, in which they ask several questions about the SPECIAL system and how it will be incorporated into Lionheart. Check it out:

Q: Will items boost attributes? Skills? If so, what’s to stop a player from carrying around superfluous items that boost certain abilities so he can “beat the system”? For example, carrying around a ring that boosts Speech skill just for talking?

A: Stat/attribute increasing items will be rare. They will likely be the domain of unique items, or be very rare randomly dropped items. Magic items that raise various skills will be a little more common. Our random item generators can use many different variables to create a wide range of items. We can affect derived attributes, like armor class, hit points, and resistances among other things. Most magic weapons will see increases in the amount and type of damage they can inflict. Additional bonuses can be generated on the items, and as your character grows in power, you will see more powerful items generated.

What’s to prevent someone from accumulating items and using them for appropriate situations? Encumbrance. If you want to carry a lot of items, then you might want to choose the appropriate attributes to carry a heavier load. If players choose to hold onto certain items that might benefit them later, then that’s part of the strategy of their character. It will be up to us to make sure that the item drop and corresponding magic bonuses are balanced, but as far as we’re concerned, once that item is dropped, the player has earned it and can use it, drop it, sell it, etc. I don’t see a problem if people want to keep items around and use them for situations if they’ve earned the item.