Hankering to plant a skill tree in my back yard.

[Unassuming_Spook]

For real though, I'm in a rut with trying to find a good character building game. Any suggestions?

I've been looking for something with a lot of variety and doesn't punish you (too much) in how you build your character.

"The dream of being a sassy charismatic merchant with swag, but gets their ass handed to them after the first adorable slime battle. Not fair! I don't want buff before swag!"

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

It's probably NOT what you are looking for, but Fallout: Brotherhood Of Steel (PS2) has a pretty good character-building system and won't punish you.

 

[Unassuming_Spook]

It's probably NOT what you are looking for, but Fallout: Brotherhood Of Steel (PS2) has a pretty good character-building system and won't punish you.

Honestly, I'm willing to try anything. So your suggestion helps will least help me keep busy.

 

[Fietto!]

Ragnarok Online.

 

[Unassuming_Spook]

Ragnarok Online.

Is this the original still online? I loved playing Ragnarok years ago. Not so much the 2nd one though.

 

[Fietto!]

Is this the original still online? I loved playing Ragnarok years ago. Not so much the 2nd one though.

Yeah, there are servers for it still.

 

[Bruh85Spiderman]

For real though, I'm in a rut with trying to find a good character building game. Any suggestions?

I've been looking for something with a lot of variety and doesn't punish you (too much) in how you build your character.

"The dream of being a sassy charismatic merchant with swag, but gets their ass handed to them after the first adorable slime battle. Not fair! I don't want buff before swag!"

literally dark souls 3, once you get to rosaria you can rebuild your character as many times as you want by exiting the game when you do so lmao

 

[cornpops]

Just ask, I dare you.

 

[Unassuming_Spook]

View attachment 176313
Just ask, I dare you.

I'll ask on one condition... answer me this: "Have you ever read Edgar Allan PoE!?"

Hehe, I HAVE been considering this. It's the only game I can think of with huge variety and some flexability. I keep going melee ranger though.

 

[cornpops]

Real answer: Planescape: Torment was pitched as 'the entire game is the character generator.' It's also narratively forgiving.

That's a bit of a exaggeration, however.

Elder Scrolls (Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim) games offer some very impactful character development loops.

Gothic games and their descendants (Risen, Drova) have an interesting power/character curve. You technically can't build in a wrong direction, but you can definitely be unprepared.

Final Fantasy Tactics games (and Front Mission 3/4) offer lots of particularity with how you develop your team. They are also relatively easy.

---

Fallout games generally have interesting character development mechanics. One, Two, and Tactics (in particular) are very table-toppy and can offer some real nuance in builds. I'll also offer Arcanum as an interesting CRPG with an equally interesting character-ing. Underrail lives in that same universe, but can be pretty crushing if you don't guide ahead. Wasteland 2 and 3 are also relevant here.

The Owlcat Pathfinder games can offer some pretty intertwined character play. It basically runs on DnD 3.5 (reborn as Pathfinder), which offers a hell of a lot of powergaming edge. Shadowrun Returns, while a definite rules reduction on the original tabletop, can offer some interesting character play.

The original Baldur's Gate (One and Two through to Bhaal) games are a very slow, methodical character expression experience. They don't offer many options, but many things you do will whip around at some point. Infinity Engine throwback titles (Pillars of Eternity, Torment: Tides of Numenera) are both very in-depth meditations on character roleplaying. If you want to have almost no control over your character, you could try Disco Elysium.

System Shock 2 is a personal benchmark for mixing mechanical gameplay expression with a character sheet. Prey (2017) is its distant spiritual successor. Deus Ex lands in this particular quadrant as well.

Alpha Protocol was a very lofty concept of a game that delivered on a lot of what it promised, but left a lot on the table. It's a very curious choose-your-own adventure with extras.

I mean, I could go on.

---

Hehe, I HAVE been considering this. It's the only game I can think of with huge variety and some flexability. I keep going melee ranger though.

Path of Exile, when I played it over a decade ago, was a like all the worst parts of Diablo-like action RPGs isolated, amplified, and recombined into an absolute fruitcake of a game. Try it, definitely.

 

[Unassuming_Spook]

Real answer: Planescape: Torment was pitched as 'the entire game is the character generator.' It's also narratively forgiving.

That's a bit of a exaggeration, however.

Elder Scrolls (Daggerfall, Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim) games offer some very impactful character development loops.

Gothic games and their descendants (Risen, Drova) have an interesting power/character curve. You technically can't build in a wrong direction, but you can definitely be unprepared.

Final Fantasy Tactics games (and Front Mission 3/4) offer lots of particularity with how you develop your team. They are also relatively easy.

---

Fallout games generally have interesting character development mechanics. One, Two, and Tactics (in particular) are very table-toppy and can offer some real nuance in builds. I'll also offer Arcanum as an interesting CRPG with an equally interesting character-ing. Underrail lives in that same universe, but can be pretty crushing if you don't guide ahead. Wasteland 2 and 3 are also relevant here.

The Owlcat Pathfinder games can offer some pretty intertwined character play. It basically runs on DnD 3.5 (reborn as Pathfinder), which offers a hell of a lot of powergaming edge. Shadowrun Returns, while a definite rules reduction on the original tabletop, can offer some interesting character play.

The original Baldur's Gate (One and Two through to Bhaal) games are a very slow, methodical character expression experience. They don't offer many options, but many things you do will whip around at some point. Infinity Engine throwback titles (Pillars of Eternity, Torment: Tides of Numenera) are both very in-depth meditations on character roleplaying. If you want to have almost no control over your character, you could try Disco Elysium.

System Shock 2 is a personal benchmark for mixing mechanical gameplay expression with a character sheet. Prey (2017) is its distant spiritual successor. Deus Ex lands in this particular quadrant as well.

Alpha Protocol was a very lofty concept of a game that delivered on a lot of what it promised, but left a lot on the table. It's a very curious choose-your-own adventure with extras.

I mean, I could go on.

---

Path of Exile, when I played it over a decade ago, was a like all the worst parts of Diablo-like action RPGs isolated, amplified, and recombined into an absolute fruitcake of a game. Try it, definitely.

Feel free to. I copied and pasted your reply just now because you listed a few I never tried. As for for Path of Exile, it's definitely a game I put hundreds of hours into, maybe a thousand. I haven't checked my steam account in a while. (Kinda' avoiding Steam but not giving it up because I put way too much money into it) Anyway, I can download the launcher from PoE site itself.

Baldur's Gate. You're right to say it's slow, but I'm good with patience. I'm still playing them 80's NES RPGs. (Currently The Glory of Hercles I) What I loved most about the Baldur's Gate series was that a lot of the times it felt rewarding when accomplishing a quest that took strategy.

Pathfinder? It sounds familiar, but anything D&D like attracts me.

 

[cornpops]

Yeah, there are two Pathfinder games: Kingmaker and Path of the Righteous.

Kingmaker is the weaker of the two; there's a lengthy prologue chapter that transitions into a kludgey realm-management genremash. Path is certainly the stronger experience over the duration, and it goes a good long while.

There's a long-form tuber that often talks about these styles of games. I'll leave this here in case you just want to listen to someone do a detail strip on a game:

I'll let you in on a secret: Planescape is a better thing to read about than to actually play.

 

[Unassuming_Spook]

Yeah, there are two Pathfinder games: Kingmaker and Path of the Righteous.

Kingmaker is the weaker of the two; there's a lengthy prologue chapter that transitions into a kludgey realm-management genremash. Path is certainly the stronger experience over the duration, and it goes a good long while.

There's a long-form tuber that often talks about these styles of games. I'll leave this here in case you just want to listen to someone do a detail strip on a game:

I'll let you in on a secret: Planescape is a better thing to read about than to actually play.

I believe it. I have a series of Dragon Lance books published around the 80's/later 80's. The paperbacks with different colored marble designs.The difference between a game and a book is a big one.

 

[cornpops]

Well, what I mean is, games are mechanical beasts. Narratives are anti-mechanical -- good narratives eject themselves from the rails. Planescape tries to marry both, but it can't be anything other than what it already is: a game.

It's clunky and the intricacies of its narrative are lost in the cracks between dice rolls and random encounters. To properly appreciate Planescape, you need to do so wholistically, but its game design breaks it into parts, smears it over dozens of hours. Nirvana takes lifetimes, but a revelation is instant. Torment is something in between.

 

[Unassuming_Spook]

Well, what I mean is, games are mechanical beasts. Narratives are anti-mechanical -- good narratives eject themselves from the rails. Planescape tries to marry both, but it can't be anything other than what it already is: a game.

It's clunky and the intricacies of its narrative are lost in the cracks between dice rolls and random encounters. To properly appreciate Planescape, you need to do so wholistically, but its game design breaks it into parts, smears it over dozens of hours. Nirvana takes lifetimes, but a revelation is instant. Torment is something in between.

Thank you, I understand now.

A little off topic, but I have always dreamed of playing a game where you choose how your life would go in a RPG like world. Make your own story and life however you want. I don't know if you know this one, but Wurm Unlimited is as close to that as I can find. There are a lot of games that simulate part of this, but what I'm looking for is probably asking too much.

 

[Rocket2049]

my two favorite games on character customization
Final fantasy 5, one of the best job system in the FF series (Tactics is pretty close) i mean you can freely change jobs outside battles so not "punishing" but you might have to level up different jobs to progress

Dragon quest 3, game isn't really "changing class" moreso getting reincarnated into a new class
how it works: at level 20 (or higher) you can change class, you keep HALF of all your stats, and all skills/magic carry over, and back at level 1.
since you keep all your skills that means it's entirely possible to have EVERY skill/magic on a single character eventually. (don't need EVERY skill, but if you wanna just have everything it's fun)
class changing is basically VERY USEFUL AND RECOMMENDED. you can do interesting builds, levelling up as warrior for more HP, level up as a Sage (they learn every magic) so you have a more tanky magic caster/healer
the main "hero" cannot change class at all, they're strong enough and decent skills though.