SKILL CONCEPTUALIZATION

I wanted to make this an article, but one of the powers-that-be of RMN said that it would be better suited for a GD&T/GD&D thread. In any event, here's a few thoughts on creating skills. 'Cause sometimes, skills have character.


If one is going to make an RPG, then making skills is going to come around eventually. Some games have a specific skill set for each character and creature in the game. Others have a shared pool of abilities that both ally and enemy have access to. Specific skill ideas can be drawn from various sources, but allow me to go over a few more common ideas for this article. Let us first concentrate on skills that only require the INT stat, which I refer to as "spells".

The main attribute of a spell is it's elemental affinity. This is usually defined as a primal element of nature (Fire, Wind, Water, Earth), an element of moral standing (Divine, Damned), or whatever else can be an attribute (Status, Surprise, Mind, Body, etc.). However, it is Let us keep things simple, and consider the various properties of the more typical elements found in games.


Fire is the element of destruction, chaos, and emotional extremities. It is loud, obnoxious, and impulsive. It is also insatiable to the point of consuming whatever it can for the express purpose of breeding. Arguably, Fire's main property is destruction. Filling out the Fire category with nothing but attack-magics is appropriate for the element. That's not to say that it cannot have support effects. If one wishes to touch on the emotive aspects of Fire, then spells that cause berserk, confusion, or both, become options. Attributing a STR modifier, such as the buff "Bravery" or debuff "Cowardice", could hammer Fire's role as a warrior's element. Status removal, or healing, might be possible with a "Flames of Purification" concept. If the myth of the Phoenix is used, or otherwise important, then Fire can also have a resurrection effect.


Wind is the element of speed. It is quick-witted, fleet-of-foot, and is bound by no rules save it's own. That's not to say that it's sheer speed does not, or cannot cause havoc. It might not enjoy causing havoc as much as Fire does, however. Wind's main property is it's speed. Attributing a SPD modifier, such as the buff "Haste" or debuff "Slow", to Wind is appropriate. "Wind of Sleep" could be an interesting concept to play with, but I suppose a "Blind" effect might work here too. Choosing to continue in the tradition of Final Fantasy in the use of "Areo" as a name for a wind attack spell is an option, but don't forget about "Hurricane", "Tornado", "Gale", or "Gust". A "Breath of Life" concept can explain healing and/or resurrection spells with a Wind element.


Water is the element of constant change. Calm and tranquil, yet capable of destruction in it's own right. Arguably, Water's main properties are healing, purification (which might be a fancy way of saying "status removal"), and resurrection, should one be literal about the "Water of Life" concept. Filling out the Water category with healing magic would be appropriate for the element. That is not to say that it cannot have attack spells. Some games use Ice as water's method of attack, but that shouldn't stop one from using names like "Deluge", "Tsunami", Splash", or "Soak". If Fire modifies STR, then Water modifies INT with the buff "Epiphany" and debuff "Stupefy". If Water is to have a spell that causes a status effect, it probably should be "Poison". "Silence" might also have a place here as part of Water's tranquil nature.


Earth is the element of rocks, mountains, and, nature. It is stoic, and unwavering in it's purpose. Hard to move, but once it gets going, it would be difficult to stop. Earth's main property is it's resistance to damage, if not outright invulnerability. A DEF modifier, like the buff "Protect" or debuff "Disrupt" is certainly appropriate. If "Petrify", or other paralysis-like effect, is a consideration for a status condition, Earth might want that status. If one wishes to be ironic, "Silence" could be an Earth status as well. There are certain RPGs out there where flying enemies are immune to earth-elemental damage. I'm looking at you, Final Fantasy series! Anyway, one can choose to follow that line of thinking, or, in the case of a "Meteor Shower" concept, ignore it entirely.


Divine is the element of pure, untarnished, goodness. It promises Everything You Could Ever Want. It always delvers on it's promise, but in ways nobody ever expects it to. The willingness to sacrifice oneself for the betterment of others is of note here. I've seen a number of games where all Divine-elemental spells do is insta-death, or at least have some interesting effect on, undead. I can't totally argue that line of thinking. However, I believe the concept of beating face with the power of righteousness, in a literal sense, should be more expansive than that. In any event, Divine powers have been known to heal wounds remove status, and resurrect. If one is feeling particularly generous, a spell that buffs all stats simultaneously, such as "Bless", is appropriate.


Damned is the element of pure, untarnished, evil. Like Divine, it promises Everything You Could Ever Want. The main difference is that Damned tantalizes it's target endlessly, only to take it all away at the peak of expectation of the Ultimate Reward. If the will of Divine is to sacrifice self for the benefit of others, then it can be said that it is the will of Damned to sacrifice others for the benefit of self. Maybe it's just me, but some Final Fantasy games attribute percentile-based spells (Demi, Quarter, etc) to the Damned element. Other games deem all status-causing spells to be Damned, as it exemplifies the eagerness of Damned to "play" with it's prey before finishing it off with "Doom". This is a perfect characterization of Damned. It should absolutely revel in torture. That's not to say that pain cannot be inflicted along side of the statuses, however. Indeed, a true fiend would have it no other way. If one is feeling particularly sadistic, a spell that debuffs all stats simultaneously, such as "Curse", could be appropriate.


What about techniques, or, skills that only require the STR stat, then? Techniques are usually tied to the weapon that is used. As such, some games have the gall interesting proposal of granting techniques something akin to an elemental attribute. Sometimes, it is condensed into one "Physical" element. Sometimes, it branches out into the categories of "Slashing", "Bludgeoning", and "Pierce". Those are the basic types, but some games expand the idea even further, and have an element for each weapon category (i.e: daggers have a "Dagger" element, spears have a "Spear" element, etc). However, let's stick with the basics.

Slashing is the type of damage usually associated with swords, but axes, certain pole arms (Poleaxes!), and certain daggers can have this damage type as well. Techniques with this attribute always attempt to cut at the target to deal it's damage. Raw damage is one thing, but severing limbs, such as arms, feet, legs, would be a possible venue for debuffs, if not outright statistic nullification. In the case of decapitation, a status effect of instant death.


Bludgeoning is the type of damage usually associated with hammers (Just ask my muse!) and maces, but staves and bare hands would have this type as well. This attribute attempts to literally pound things into submission. Hence, a "Knockout" ability that essentially insta-kills would certainly be appropriate. If one wishes to be whimsy, "Sleeper Hold" could literally make it's target go to "Sleep", or have a "Mage Masher" that causes "Silence". Supposing martial artists exist in a game, they could have "Furious Flurry of Fanciful Fisticuffs". Granted, that is way too silly long to be an actual technique name, but I hope one gets the general idea. A STR buff in the vein of "Accumulate" (Final Fantasy Tactics reference) might be appropriate here.


Piercing is the type of damage usually associated with bows, most daggers, and certain pole arms (spears, pikes, etc.). This attribute focuses all it's strength to one specific point, preferably the weakest one, and strikes at that point with all the might one can muster. The Dragoon class of Final Fantasy make a strange case for having a character jump in the air at heights that would not be achieved within any known laws of physics, and crash down on an opponent with disastrous results. Well, disastrous for the target, anyway. I also recall a demonstration of a combat scene in Romancing SaGa 3 where a bunch of characters came out of the party line, and, literally speaking, shot arrows over the battlefield. If these things are appealing, by all means include them. If one wishes to be more realistic, "Puncture", or other like techniques are what one would be looking at. As for skills that can cause status, "Eye Gouge" is certainly possible, as is "Head Shot" and "Throat Skewer". There might be a DEF debuff, if not an outright DEF-ingnore technique, in the case of "Armor Peirce".


As one can see, skills can have a certain personality. How these "personalities" are defined in a game is not limited to what I listed, but they are the most common definitions. The best-case scenario is if characters and the more intelligent creatures of the game have spells and techniques that cater to who they are, what they do, and their beliefs. However, going through the motions of this kind of customization can be quite time-consuming. Which is something that might not be entirely desirable. In such cases, cookie-cutter skills are a viable option.

Non-standard elements come in many flavors, but that doesn't mean they can't have characteristics. There are instances that non-standard elements take on attributes from "main" elements. For instance, the "Wood" element from Secret of Mana takes on the "Earth" attribute of being the element of nature. Personally, I like Grandia's non-standard elements. Probably because they are based of the "main" elements: "Fire" and "Wind" make "Lightning", "Fire" and "Earth" make "Explosion", "Wind" and "Water" make "Ice", "Water" and "Earth" make "Nature". Or maybe it's called "Forest"? It's been a while since I've played that game.

I don't know of many games where "Fire" and "Water" combine effects to make "Steam", or whatever. The "Thermal" example you list might come close, though. As for games where "Wind" and "Earth" combine to make "Dust", or whatever? I can't think of many examples off the top of my head, but that doesn't mean they do not exist.

author=kentona
You forgot the element of Surprise

That's because it comes out of nowhere!

Or has a passing mention in the third paragraph?