Kyeudo
One Thousand Club
I assume everyone's read the latest batch of Solar Charms the Ink Monkeys rolled out. Reading over it, they have managed to make some seriously good points about the problems with multiple Ability fighting styles, but then their implementation is less than impressive.
The key points seem to boil down to these:
Weapon Management - Since you can have only one or two weapons in hand at a time (barring shapeshifting, mutation, or artifacts), you generally have to waste multiple miscellaneous actions swapping between your Melee weapon, your Archery weapon, and your Thrown weapon (and possibly your Martial Arts weapon as well). Further, maintaing an artifact weapon for each style exacts high costs in Essence commitments.
Style Synergy - Currently, there is no reason why someone heavily invested in one combat Ability would want to learn Charms from another combat Ability outside of flavor. Each Charm that does not go towards his best combat Ability only increases his power in niche situations. Further, a mainstay of Solar combat power, Infinite <Ability> Mastery, only applies to one type of Ability per purchase and has a high commitement cost, making it very inefficient to keep multiples up at the same time.
Kiting - If two Solars of the same Caste, played with equal skill and equally good at stunting, get into a fight, the one that favors a ranged style will generally win. Archery + Athletics can keep Melee + Athletics far enough away to make the Melee guy largely impotent.
However, these problems don't plague just Dawn Caste Solars. Many Solars probably would pursue a multi-ability style if it was made beneficial in some way, comparable to specializing in only one style. Further, Exalts of other types, like the Chosen of Mars, have much the same problems with the system. It would seem that a more generalized solution is needed, one not just focusing upon Dawn Caste Solars.
I've got a few ideas on how to adapt some of the Ink Monkey material into a more general patch to the system, but I'd like to hear if anyone else has some ideas.
The key points seem to boil down to these:
Weapon Management - Since you can have only one or two weapons in hand at a time (barring shapeshifting, mutation, or artifacts), you generally have to waste multiple miscellaneous actions swapping between your Melee weapon, your Archery weapon, and your Thrown weapon (and possibly your Martial Arts weapon as well). Further, maintaing an artifact weapon for each style exacts high costs in Essence commitments.
Style Synergy - Currently, there is no reason why someone heavily invested in one combat Ability would want to learn Charms from another combat Ability outside of flavor. Each Charm that does not go towards his best combat Ability only increases his power in niche situations. Further, a mainstay of Solar combat power, Infinite <Ability> Mastery, only applies to one type of Ability per purchase and has a high commitement cost, making it very inefficient to keep multiples up at the same time.
Kiting - If two Solars of the same Caste, played with equal skill and equally good at stunting, get into a fight, the one that favors a ranged style will generally win. Archery + Athletics can keep Melee + Athletics far enough away to make the Melee guy largely impotent.
However, these problems don't plague just Dawn Caste Solars. Many Solars probably would pursue a multi-ability style if it was made beneficial in some way, comparable to specializing in only one style. Further, Exalts of other types, like the Chosen of Mars, have much the same problems with the system. It would seem that a more generalized solution is needed, one not just focusing upon Dawn Caste Solars.
I've got a few ideas on how to adapt some of the Ink Monkey material into a more general patch to the system, but I'd like to hear if anyone else has some ideas.