Author Topic: Treat Psi Reserves Like Gun Durability  (Read 1147 times)

kamax3

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Treat Psi Reserves Like Gun Durability
« on: July 28, 2020, 07:50:39 am »
Others have brought up the issue that 500 total reserves is too limiting and final. Especially for pure psionics where running out equates to a death sentence. It feels so final and sudden, especially on certain psi-focused builds.

Suggestion - Why not change the penalty to behave more like gun durability? You could do something like, As the reserves go below < 20%,  chance to hit with psi spells start to lower, all the way to 0 psi reserves where the chance to hit is 50%. This would bring the system a little closer inline with the durability system used by guns, and also not be so final, in the sense that fights can still continue even when reserves hit 0 (just not very efficiently, like using a broken gun). I can see how some may not like this, as the last 100 psi reserves introduces a new 'chance to hit' penalty for psi spells, but I think its a good compromise that would allow long fights to not necessarily end so abruptly. I'd like to think of Psi Reserves as reflecting mental fatigue, not an empty gas tank.

Another thing I'd suggest while we're on the subject. Psi Reserves feels like something that should increase with level, and/or willpower. It seems a bit strange that a level one greenie would have the same amount of mental/cognitive reserves as a level 30 vet. Or that a mental wizard with heroic willpower wouldn't have a greater amount of psi reserves than a lovable brain-dead oaf who can punch guud.

All in all though, I appreciate the refinements in the last two hotfixes. Keep it up.

Tayon

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Re: Treat Psi Reserves Like Gun Durability
« Reply #1 on: July 28, 2020, 08:35:28 am »
If the reserve behaves like the durability of a weapon - that is, it decreases by one point per action (for one round of psi-regeneration or one injection of a psi-booster), I'm only for it. The reserve in this situation must be greatly reduced (in the name of Balance), but it will make more sense to the mechanics of regeneration. In the current build of the game, the increase in psi-regeneration (including Mantra Veteran Feat) or Fast Metabolism have lost a lot of their effectiveness. All they do is allow psi to be taken out of the reserve faster into the active pool. But if you change the mechanics and really make the reserve similar to the durability of the weapon, they will also affect the efficiency of its consumption.
One thing to note is the reduction in accuracy for Psi, for most of which the concept of accuracy is not applicable, looks unnatural. Better to reduce the power of abilities.