Castle Paradox

[Ssalamanderr]

So, let's have a little discussion about character design. We all know that stats and graphics are important for characters in a RPG, but what really makes up the character are their attacks or spells. So my question for everyone is: how do you make each character unique and useful using attacks?
For example, in my game there are two main playable characters (so far). One has many spells that raise his stats, a moderate amount of damaging fire spells, and a few death spells and spells that lower enemy's stats. The other is related to the first (in a wierd way) and so has the opposite, many death spells, some fire spells, and few raising stat spells. I like to connect character's battle abilities to the story in this way.
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Ssalamanderr's Journal!: http://www.livejournal.com/users/ssalamanderr/

Ukelele no good!

[JSH357]

I don't have time to list anything, but I'll throw another discussion onto the table:

Why do the heroes all have to have a physical attack?
Why doesn't a healer just heal? I mean, you'd think the average cleric wouldn't even be capable of wielding a weapon.

Fire Emblem does the best job I've seen of eliminating that particular standard.

[T-Master]

It's a sensical standard. Any idiot can swing a club/ankh/whatever clerics in given game use.

[Roach Lir]

T-Master is right. Everybody could wield a weapon, it's just some people would be better at using it than others.
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Dark Legacy - 0.3%

[JSH357]

Maybe so, but I think that it only encourages space bar-holding. I haven't removed the standard myself(yet), but instead I make each weapon have a different effect, like in strategy games.

[Me]

I think in Minnek's game, Partisan Legacy or whatever it's called, the healer character doesn't attack. The option is there, but when you select it, she just says that she refuses to resort to violence and doesn't attack. I thought it was a nice touch.
Mostly what I've been thinking about related to characters and their spells are spells that are only used out of battle. For example, I'm developing a ranger-type character (official class is cartomancer, map mage, since he is a cartographer/surveyor) who has abilities to locate secret passages, show a map of the area, and lower/raise enemy encounters. Now, I;m not sure if these will go in the actual spells menu and use some plotscripting magic to make them work out of battle, or if I will make a seperate custom menu, but that type of thing is something that could be considered as well. Other idea is a dragoon-type character (who doesn't use spears, why do spears make you jump, anyway?), who uses exclusively jumping-based attacks (but has lower HP to counter the lack of hits he will take).
And the OHR needs to have spells that call plotscripts.
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UP DOWN UP DOWN LEFT LEFT RIGHT RIGHT A B START

[Shadowiii]

It is Partisan Legacy I, and yes that is true. I rather liked that touch, actually, and I commented on it in the review. It is interesting...that is the first attempt at "character development" to be done actual in-battle. It made me realize how many professional games do it, but OHR games dont.
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But enough talk, have at you!

[xaero]

In my new game the heros all have the white magic (most the white magic spells off FFgames but afew new) black magic(most the black magic spells off FFgames but afew new) skill (status raising and lowering abilities and some other moves which are learnt at different levels depending on hero) and each player has a speacial, the special is different for evey hero eg. a cleric has a random effects healing spells, and also each hero can only use a certain type of weapon and each weapon changes the main attack (it is still the same but a different attack number) and each weapon attack randomly chains to a special combo move (about 2% chain rate) and im also thinking about having a sort of FF10 style, eg. there are flying monster and a hero with a ranged weapon eg.bow or magic can only target that type of monster.
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Honda F engine specifications

[Pictoyaya]