New Attribute: Devotion

[Espa]

Devotion
(Spiritual Practice to enlighten one’s perception. Increases Factional Reputation, while reducing others.)
Rank 1: Initiate (No bonus. Praying at respective faith’s idol.)
Rank 2: Faithful (Learn Meditate, a shorter recovery method that you can do anywhere while boosting your Devotion skill.)
Rank 3: Devout (Meditate is much more potent, as well as gained passive bonuses)
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• -Holy Nation’s – (Light of Okran) Randomly heals a wound in battle, +5 Melee and Defense.
  -Darkness – (Shade) Randomly allows user to occasionally increase dodge significantly for a short while, passively increases stealth/assassination by 5.
  -Shek – (Peace in Chaos) When engaging in battle, the user may randomly go into a battle trance in which they are able to both block and attack for a short while. Passively increases all weapon styles by 5.
  -Robot – (Nanobites) Occasionally, the Skeleton may be able to activate long-since dormant protective systems and heal during combat. Passively Increases Defense by 10.

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Sample questlines for those who have obtained Devout status~ (Cats, Reputation+, Faction leveling, and possibly gear)

• -Holy Nation – Hunt down a group of Heretics with a small band of Paladins.
  -Darkness – Desecrate Holy Shrines, thus converting them to Shrines of Darkness where more Darkness nests are introduced (Allied to you and your crew)
  -Shek – Pilgrimage to the icy tundra and survive the onslaught of savages, returning with the head of high-level bandits’ head for success.
  -Robot – Jack into an old CPU while having to fight off scavengers/Holy Nation. Result increases all stats by 1 as well as other benefits listed above.

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Player-Run City alterations according to Faith.
Player with Devout status may build large statues, or Temple, devoted to their Faith, thus passively and slowly increasing the populations’ perception of the religion until they have gone full fanatic and act accordingly with dialogue sets and all.
Pros: This will improve the reputation of certain factions, thus inviting their people and soldiers to your city for trade, vacation, and looking for work.
Cons: Will reduce your reputation in the eyes of others, which may invite their ire and wrath upon you and your people.
Fluff: Bonus items that may be created that would buff the cities religious standing, items to assist others in learning the ways,
• Holy Nation would obviously turn the building more golden-ish, increasing wall/gate fortitude.
• Darkness would turn them dark and spooky, would improve city guards with tactics of stealth and assassination.
• Shek would greatly reduce the time it would take to craft weapons and armor, allowing for high end products to be created by the city (Increases city renown)
• Robots would possibly allow for higher concentration of electricity (A-La-Nikola Tesla style power generations)

[Berzerker Jay]

I have to admit, I like the lack of magic and other supernaturality in Kenshi. It's a matter of how you use your sword, which is well in line with its swordpunk theme.

That said I could see Devotion enhancing play, minus the supernatural bonuses. I'm sure there are ways to produce game effect without going supernatural. It could be reputation-based, or otherwise affect the social aspects of the game. A person with high devotion toward Okran might be better received in Holy Nation territory, for example.

Though, then I would wonder about duplicity with faction standing.

[Espa]

True enough, I rather like the absence of magic as well. Perhaps with some tuning, it could be made less BAM and just more stat increasing, faction leveling for reputation, as well as give you access to more prominent religious jobs.

Like.. Become Devout and then you're technically an evangelist of that faith and can attempt to spread it to other (which I assume, procedurally created cities that are random in the future) and sow the future to your liking.

Of course, I'd go full darkling and make the world reign fire and brimstone with public crucifixions and cannibalism as standard.

[Hatsune_Neko]

problem is
there is to be no magic in the game. ( this is from the Dev )

and i think it would take a skilled modder to add it sicne they would have to import animations and effects. sicne it will not be added via normal way.

[Espa]

I don't really understand why people equate Devotion to Magic. It's not. . It's just full belief in something much larger than yourself. I understand the effects given were a bit mystical, so I went ahead and changed that in my following post.

http://www.lofigames.com/phpBB3/viewtop ... =16&t=9827

[Hatsune_Neko]

because they way you describe it
it is magic.
example. -Holy Nation’s – (Light of Okran) Randomly heals a wound in battle, +5 Melee and Defense.

to me that is magic as nothing in real life can randomly heal you because your devout. not to mention that bonus is way to big and it unbalances the game making it so to be the best you basically have to be devout.
A more deadly fighter is not one who goes into a blind rage either, usually those that do get like a moral bonus but sever defense reductions because they not using defense skills. which usually ends up killing you against a skilled foe who knows how to control themselves.

personally i don't like any of the suggestions in this topic as its unbalanced and favors those of religion and has to much magic references giving you above normal skills and passive skills.

What would be better is if you based it more like what happens in real life as that is what Kenshi uses a lot for basic rules. and defiantly no bonuses just because your religious.

[Espa]

to me that is magic as nothing in real life can randomly heal you because your devout. not to mention that bonus is way to big and it unbalances the game making it so to be the best you basically have to be devout.

It's called a Second Wind. This is a real thing of returning energy, especially when inspired by your faith. Someone confident and skilled, who randomly becomes inspired in the midst of battle, is going to have the advantage over someone who does not.

And yes, my vision does promote religion as a way to increase your characters' power - But not quickly. Just like a 1 - 50 skill learn of Melee, or Toughness, or any other stat, that should be the amount of time it takes to reach such a state of enlightenment.

I also added 3 other Religions that all have different bonuses to them, but are cultural to different races. That means that you could be a Greenlander and still worship the Shek way. . Or be a Skeleton and worship the Darkness.

Plus, in my few years of learning martial arts, I was taught that you should never sacrifice Defense for an attack - Thus, to be truly learned, you would be both Offensive and Defensive. Also. . +5 is overpowered?. . Not really, man.

[Hatsune_Neko]

from level 1 to level 40. that +5 makes a huge difference between being worm food and making them worm food. it can also ofset the small backpack negative.

I typically fight my characters with major negatives so they learn faster. any little bonus can be easily noticed in Kenshi.
( i got like 1,600 hours into kenshi so i know a few things or three. )

[Zeal]

Gotta agree with hatsune here.
A second wind is not any sort of healing. It's a boost to will to keep going, but your wounds don't close up, they are still there, and enough "second winding" will get you killed, because regardless of your will, your body can still only take so much. If anything, a second wind bonus could apply a small chance that getting hit in a major limb below the negatives does not knock you unconscious, or perhaps a chance that it removes you from unconsciousness immidiately. Both of these would still be risky, as another hit could very well kill you instead of knocking you out.. Sorta like the way life works.

I don't agree that having certain faiths either would mysteriously increase attack or defense. If anything, it could apply a small boost or penalty to attack and defense xp gain, based on the fighting teachings of said faith, but ultimately your attack and defense are of your own practicing. Faith can only guide in a specific direction, but it's still up to you to mold yourself in that direction. The faith isn't going to do that for you.

Thematic and behavioral changes with this would be interesting, and they'd actually make sense, aswell as possible adjustments in stat growths based on how you apply your teachings to your training, but I can't really agree with anything else beyond that.