Weapon/Armor Alternatives

[Failivrin]

Weapons, Armor and even Items are human tools... but what if the heroes aren't human? I am looking for simple ways to allow players to customize their stats without the use of traditional weapons and armor. It could be a long-term system like Pokemon "Natures" which change the balance of stat growth during level-up, or it could be a short-term adjustment using non-traditional equipment, like FF7's Attack+ materia. Open to new or old ideas! Also welcoming ideas for how to substitute traditional Item usage.

 

[kovak]

You can use a perk system where most of upgrades are stats alone and the ones who raises many things or gives a specific advantage are passives
Path of Exile is a good reference since it's basically Diablo meets Final Fantasy 7, i'd follow how it implemented those 3 systems:

• Perk system
• Materia system
• Shield system

 

[Failivrin]

Heard a tip that battle systems requiring action input, like Theatrhythm, are a good work around. Damage is scaled according to player's ability to successfully execute commands, which reduces the importance of base stats.

 

[Wavelength]

When it comes to equipment and items, I think that gameplay should take precedence over theme, so design whatever system you think will work best to achieve your gameplay goals (this might or might not be a traditional system), and only after you've designed 90% of it, start theming it around your game's narrative/character/setting/tone, adding a couple features if you feel like it to tie them together (as long as they don't interfere with your gameplay goals).

So, I'd ask - do weapons, armor, and items (as you conceive them) fit the rest of the gameplay experience you are looking to create?

• If so, don't worry so much about the implications for theme. Non-humans can still "equip" tools; many real-life mammals (and even octopi!) have been shown to use tools per se, and if your animals/creatures have some human-esque features (which I'd kind of expect them to if they're starring in a game), you can probably safely handwave stuff like "Super Paws" or "Gorilla Armor" as equips.
  • One other, interesting way you could frame equips is with "diet". Instead of treating food as a consumable, treat food as a "supply of" a certain edible, enough for one character to eat in perpetuity... essentially, "supply of stale bread" is now an equipment! The character's diet now acts as a temporary boost to different stats, which not only feels realistic and would be really cool thematically, but also opens the opportunity for players to design different diets to create really diverse builds for their characters!
• On the other hand, if weapons/armor/items don't really fit the experience you're going for, why try to fit them in at all? Drop them entirely and focus on other systems that accommodate your goals better.

 

[M.I.A.]

I've tinkered in the past with a way to accomplish similar stat boosts without the use of Weapons/Armor.

I renamed my stats from ATK & DEF to Rage & Bravery.. Rage controls how hard you hit, Bravery controls how much DMG you can take..
And then M.ATK & M.DEF to Spirit & Willpower.. Spirit controls DMG spell efficacy, Willpower controls resistance to spells & healing spell efficacy..

Equip slots became Fortifications. Equipping "Sheer Determination" would +Bravery & +Willpower...
"Meditation" would -Rage & +Spirit...

Hope this is helpful!
-MIA

 

[kirbwarrior]

Well, I normally answer these questions to myself by being as direct as possible. And, frankly, if megaphones and umbrellas can be weapons, then so can collars, braces, contact lenses, saddles, or even just normal weapons (I love watching a dog swing an ax in games).

You also hit the head with FF7. "Bracelet" as armor really doesn't make sense unless you think of it as inherent magic that turns into protection. If humes can wear it, so can anything else with a limb.

design whatever system you think will work best to achieve your gameplay goals

This this this. Things like "what does equipment represent" can be determined once you know what equipment is.

 

[Failivrin]

One other, interesting way you could frame equips is with "diet". Instead of treating food as a consumable, treat food as a "supply of" a certain edible, enough for one character to eat in perpetuity... essentially, "supply of stale bread" is now an equipment! The character's diet now acts as a temporary boost to different stats, which not only feels realistic and would be really cool thematically, but also opens the opportunity for players to design different diets to create really diverse builds for their characters!

Intersting concept! That would work really well for a monster catching/monster farming game. Did you come up with it, or have you played a game that uses this mechanic?

 

[Wavelength]

Intersting concept! That would work really well for a monster catching/monster farming game. Did you come up with it, or have you played a game that uses this mechanic?

I came up with it, as I was writing that post. I've personally never seen anything like it. Feel free to use it.

I even thought that maybe different foods would have different "qualities" or nutrients, and designing a well-balanced diet that includes a wide variety of nutrients might provide additional bonuses beyond what the individual food equips provide, but felt like trying to flesh out the system too much might be going off on a tangent from this topic's theme.