So here's the new plan...
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- Everyone can have up to four characters, and they can fight together (even from the same ship). They will have the same number of innate class points, and the same number of stat points (that you can move between stats). The only way to increase your class points is with glyphs, and any equipment slot or tome can potentially increase your stats.
- "Alpha" abilities granted by the leaders will really be potent for those with high Devotion (post count). They are powerful enough that they will really need to be limited to one character per battle. All four characters can follow different leaders, but in a battle, one will need to be listed as the player's hero (who can call for a leader's aid). It would be a tactical decision for each battle. If you didn't read this earlier, note that "deities" are going to be called "leaders" in DS2.
- To prevent one's characters from having an advantage by all being the same classes, the categories of trees will be able to exploit each other. The following is how...
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Enlightened Trees
The big category of classes at the top, including warriors, spellcasters, and scouts, will have a wide range of abilities. They will be able to counter each other, such as by interrupting or causing a number of inductions. Two Enlightened characters with differing abilities and similar stats could have a long and painful battle, with bullet-dodging, earthquakes, time manipulation, and all that good stuff. If they aren't countered, an Enlightened character's abilities can cause all kinds of problems for his/her enemies. However, they will be the only trees with Affinity-required abilities. If you want to have a powerful Enlightened character, his/her other stats may suffer because points will need to be placed in an extra stat. It'll be worth it, but it can make for certain weaknesses.
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Technological Trees
If two equally-matched characters are fighting who have a lot of tech skills, it may be a short but painful battle. Technology is all about getting the job done, and their abilities are not quite as situational as the other categories. A tech character would be consistent in causing damage or unique tech inductions, and most abilities will be usable against any target. While a tech character can heal, they're not very good at it. Instead, mitigation is their thing. In fact, only a tech character can effectively mitigate tech damage. Like with starships, technology abilities deal many types of damage: Long-wavelength, short-wavelength, kinetic, isotope, ion, electron, plasma, etc.. While others can mitigate or ward against it, the damage can be extraordinarily high for someone who can't specifically shield against it. Only the tech classes can do that.
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Enforcers & Underworld
Both are all about taking advantage of the situation. Enforcers and underworld classes counter each other very well, but they can't counter other characters with the same discipline so well. An enforcer and underworld character in the same fight will probably have a long battle, while two underworld characters fighting against each other (or two enforcers fighting against each other) will mutually be in a bad situation. That's intended, and is why a character cannot have enforcer and underworld abilities. Similarly, if an Enlightened or tech character is fighting an enforcer or underworld character, the Enlightened or tech character will have to deal with some "annoying" tactics that they can't effectively counter.
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All this will do one thing... A player will want a varied team of characters. If someone does something boring like having four Savants to turtle the entire battle, another more varied team will really be able to break that tactic. On the other hand, if you have at least one Enlightened character, at least one Tech character, and either an Enforcer or Underworld character, you'll be set for anything. Either that, or four characters each with abilities from multiple categories.
It'll probably make things more interesting at least, but four characters won't be nearly enough to cause a stalemate. You'll have specific advantages, and it's up to you to find them. Think of DS2's battle system as a card game, with hundreds of cards (abilities), and all players trying to find holes in their adversaries' deck that can lead to a win. DS is a roleplay game overall, but hopefully within the roleplay game there will be a fun battle system. That's what DS2 will hopefully bring.
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