Guilds And Levelless Classes For Av 2.0

Guilds and Levelless Classes for Avendar 2.0

We could adjust the guild and class concepts so that each built guild in an area is a separate and independent guild (as best represnted in the current Earendam guilds, with their Orders, Companies, Schools, etc). Characters at creation would choose a guild, rather than a class. A guild editor would set up each guild, specifying membership restrictions (race/alignment etc) and an ability set. The ability set would be a list of abilities (based on the current class ability sets, for the most part).

In other words, guilds have been a function of the classes, but it could be made so that classes would be subsumed into guilds. There would be no more classes, only guilds, and many guilds with similar professions would have identical, or very similar, ability sets.

For example, Earendam's "Order of the Silver Light" and the "Spirit Palace" would be separate and distinct guilds, with the current spirit scholar as the model or template for the guild's ability list. They may have a few differences (perhaps one has fewer top-end spirit spells but includes a few low-end water spells, or some such). Also, some of the spells could be duplicated and altered in the skill editor, to have different names, produce different echoes and/or have minor differences in strength.

All guilds would come to be like the Earendam version of guilds, each with their own flavored identities and professional focuses (for example, the "fighter" model for VB could be "The Var Bandor Guard").

With a levelless system, a char would gain access to their guild's abilities over time. The ability list would be ordered from weakest to strongest, and they would gradually have abilities lowest on the list added as time (relative to char age) passes.

The time could modified by hours played, and possibly by attributes and improvements to the %level of their current abilities. Once a character is middle-aged, they should have access to all their abilities, unless they have played very little and not improved %levels for abilities.

As far as switching guilds goes--it could be disallowed. Or, it could be made so that the number of abilities aquired could be limited (for example, to 35). If someone has learned 10 abilities in one guild (the starting, lowest-end abilities) and then switches to another guild, they would only get the 25 lowest abilities and not the 10 strongest abilities of the new guild's ability set. Or alternatively, a character could pick up the 12 of weakest abilities of 3 different guilds, etc. But this would make it so that abilities which are relatively strong (like hide and sanctuary) would have to be at the high end of the guild's ability list, rather than the bottom or middle, as they are with the current classes, so the basic class models would have to be adjusted, and that would be take a lot of effort.

drawbacks:

• chars would have only one place they could go to train, instead of the current system where there are many guilds to train at.
• balance would have to be closely monitored when tinkering with the current class templates.
• the minor/major/greater spell system would disappear (but most of the combos are comparitively weak, so maybe it isn't much of a drawback)
• the progs that function with "if class()" would have to be changed.
• it would take a good deal of work to set up the guilds (unless we simple paste in current class templates to start--it'd still take a fair amount of work to do even that)

positives:

• guilds would be much more realistic and RP-able, and the abilities system would make more sense.
• More freedom for character choice--with the guilds of the same profession varying somewhat (and possibly an opportunity to change guilds).
• "hybrid profession" guilds (like the current minor/major mixes) could be easily built with a guild editor, and would probably work better than the current minor/major mixes. Things like a "Templars of Girikha" guild built on select ranger and druid abilities, or a "Elemental Enchanters" guild which uses weaker buffs from fire/water/earth/air and has the alchemist's oil-making ability, would be possibilities. Needless to say, those kinds of ideas would take a lot of careful balancing and would likely end up, like the minor/major mixes, to not be "power" options, but be available for variety.

Rae's Take: I like the idea of having distinct guilds and trashing the idea of 'class' -- or rather, subsuming it. I think the added guild identity could add the potential for conflict and even friendly (or civilly unfriendly) rivalry, which would add a lot to the game, as right now there are only a few major conflict themes (good vs. evil, law vs. chaos, knights vs everybody). I think it's a good base. However, I dislike the part where skills improve over time, as that system precludes old fools or young geniuses.