> Personally, I think it's a great idea. Maybe even have it where you just
> learn skills instead of a class. Perhaps set some skills that you
> can't have in conjuction with others, i.e. you could mix some thaumaturgy
> skills for a rogue-like character, but if you tried to add a sorcery
> related skill from a guild then you aren't allowed - maybe the sorcery
> instructor just laughs at you for being a warrior brute that can't learn
> real wizardry.
Actually, I've been waffling for a long time about the lack of
flexibility in the class-based system (of any sort), while at the same
time disgruntled with the same-character-ness of other style muds where
every character will eventually have every skill at 100%.
I finally came up with a system that's classless, insofar as your
choice of skills, but also with severe limitations. Basically, each
old-style 'class' of skills falls in a given proficiency group (spheres,
circles, whatever you want to call them, I call them trees), with each
skill/spell at a set level (between 1 and 4 usually). You have to spend
proficiency points to buy access to a given tree branch (multiple branches
in a tree), and increasiningly more points to access skills higher up that
given branch. Throughout a character's lifetime, they're able to purchase
roughly 1+1/3 of a standard char's skills - based on intelligence. So, if
people want to stick true to their 'class', they can, and get the highly
powerful spells/skills. However, you're never capable of reaching the
powerful skills/spells in 2 different trees at the same time.
So, depending on your mood, you would end up with someone who's
maybe 70% fighter, and ~50% mage (yes, >100%, that's deliberate). Of
course, knowing the majority of my players, they'll first end a 8% in
every class, and then complain and remake their characters.
Though this is still in testing phases (and I have to code a way
for guildmasters to only teach specific assigned skills/spells, so the
thief guildmaster doesn't teach fireball and holy ward), it's rather
robust, and very hard to circumvent. New spells/skills are simply placed
at the correct level in the correct branch of the appropraite tree, and
the system (so far) has balanced itself out without my help.
I've written something up about this at
http://www.imaxx.net/~dughi/asritya_stuff/askill.txt - I'm very open to
suggestion though.
PjD
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