STANDARDFIEND'S PROFILE

Greetings, fellow developers.

I'm at a bit of an impasse in designing the magic/ability system for my project. I have two different but related systems in mind, and I'm looking for some opinions about A) Which system is better from a design perspective; B) Which system you'd personally rather play with; C) Anything regarding either system, really. Any constructive thoughts will help.

In this post is a TL;DR version that just gives you the essentials and will allow you to make a decision. But, if you want to really delve into the systems and read my full analysis of the pros and cons of each and how the lore of the game is involved, here is a link to a Google Doc with all of that. It's not terribly long, but is far more detailed than what is presented below.

The Short Version:

In either of the two systems, magic/abilities will be granted to characters who equip a kind of item called Relic. Relics gain experience and level up, unlocking new and more powerful abilities as they do.

System 1

• Characters can equip up to 2 Relics.

• Each Relic will offer a very large library of spells once fully levelled, all based around a certain theme.

• Relics will be few and far between, each one being particularly meaningful.

• Characters will also have access to other accessory items that fill smaller, more mundane roles, such as status protections.

• Some Relics may be too good, others not good enough (otherwise extreme grinders could unlock superpowered abilities at the beginning of the game).

• End-game Relics may require grinding to unlock their best abilities.

System 2

• Characters can equip a large number of Relics, perhaps 10-12 (up to 20 based on the limits of the code).

• Relic spell libraries will be much more limited.

• Relics will be much more common and obtained at more regular intervals.

• Characters will not have access to additional accessory slots; Relics will fill these more mundane roles as well.

• This might feel like a watered-down Materia system, with all the breadth but none of the depth.

• The lore behind the Relics may need to be completely rewritten, and each Relic won't really feel like a special acquisition.

Thank you for any input you provide!