terranambassador

First; even in FMA, there are alchemists who can perform "out of their hands from nowhere", the main characters being the most prominent examples. Ed and Al can both simply clap their hands together and reshape the world around them like taffy. This ability is shared by their teacher, their dad, anyone else who has ever tried to perform human transmutation and lived, and Father. There's really only a few ways to depict magic that is intrinsic to the body of the user like that. The hands being casting instruments is one of them. Second; dude, work on your line breaks. The way you've got your post formatted makes it hard to read. Something like the below would be better in the future: - - - - - I like that. That has very interesting implications. Not only does it make the clothing your character is wearing relevant, but casting also makes you more or less susceptible to environmental conditions. Fighting in a desert means your casters can cast more often (and should, since it helps keep them cool) while fighting in the late game, when the Hunger has almost snuffed out the world you're in, means that you have to rely less on your casters, because the cold keeps them from regenerating as quickly and casting makes them more susceptible to it.

They're somewhere in-between. You're supposed to have a good deal of customization, but you start from a pre-existing base build.

If I remember correctly, different crafting materials have different effects on the final product. Copper might affect the stats of, say, a sword, while silver would, say, make the sword behave in a certain way when it's actually used by whoever buys it. You choose the materials you need to use based on what you want the final product to be and do. The intent, I think, is for all materials to have equal use, but in different ways for different reasons. Again, IIRC, so salt is recommended.

A confessor, with the duelist following as a VERY close second. Renaissance rodents with guns are awesome, but so is fire.

It depends on the setting. In Harry Potter, the magic using world is not only separate from the mundane, but is also subject to a profound decadence combined with an ignorance of, and disdain for, the "muggle" world. A gun is merely "a metal wand that muggles use to kill each other", as far as witches and wizards are concerned. They're heavily controlled in the mundane world (I don't think it's even possible to own a gun in the UK [where the HP series is set] without burying yourself under permits, if at all [and this is supposing that Harry even has mundane identification he could use to get said permits]) and entirely nonexistent in the "wizarding" world. I'm sure Harry, having grown up in the mundane world and knowing exactly what guns can do, would have LOVED the use of a Glock. . . If only he'd had access to one. In the Iron Kingdoms,the setting of Warmachines, Hordes, and Iron Kingdoms RPG , however, guns and magic are very much intertwined. A very good example would be the, very creatively named, Gunmages used by the Cygnar army. They are, as the name suggests, magic users who specialize in guns. Warcasters, who are to other magicians as magicians are to muggles, with few exceptions, carry around some kind of gun, usually pistols, but there is one who likes to tote a rocket launcher into battle. There are even warcasters that specialize in them. Guns that shoot magic. Guns that use magic to impart special abilities to the bullets. Plain old hand-cannons. Steam-powered magic robots with artillery cannons for arms. Guns and magic, arcane and mundane, aren't just part of everyday life in Immoren, they are inseparable. Immoren is a fun place. We need more like it.

Renaissance rodents with guns. . . . . . Dammit, that's another character slot gone.

Gunpowder weapons have seen use since the Medieval period, with the first confirmed use of firearms in European warfare in 1262, during the siege of the Spanish city of Niebla. Guns are as medieval as swords, pikes, longbows, and shields. Granted, flintlocks, like the pistol in the concept, are more of a renaissance thing, but I think a little anachronism is okay in this case. Personally, I think pure 'sword-n-sorcery' is a bit tired.

That's a really good idea.

Explore. Die. Explore some more.

Dark Souls combat in a nutshell.

So now we know that we're going to have spellcasters. How do you think Crowfall should handle that particular facet of gameplay? Personally, I think a system similar to Dark Souls would be fantastic: 1 - Magic, regardless of what type, needed a focusing object (the catalyst, the pyromancy flame, or the talisman) without which even a dedicated magic-using build couldn't cast. 2 - You were limited in how many spells you could carry by how many slots you had available. These slots could be increased in number by increasing the relevant character stat, but never to the point where the player had an arsenal at xir disposal. 3 - Each spell had a limited amount of "ammunition" which had to be conserved and could only be replenished at specific points. This made magic a powerful tool but forced users to be careful about using it well, making sure that they had the spells for the job and keeping them from spamming it, and forced even dedicated magic users to be at least proficient in melee combat.

I've always used WASD because that's what feels natural. I experimented with ESDF after reading the OP, but it just didn't feel quite right. I've never really noticed anything, but I've never really used the homerows for typing either. WASD would actually be the closest I've ever come to using any kind of "home" position, actually, so there's not much difference between typing and gaming for me.

I'm hoping for something similar to the combat from Dark Souls (the first, not the second; I've never played the second).

I have no problem with ArtCraft giving people who wish it the option to use it with/through Steam. I personally won't touch Steam with a 10-meter pole, though, so I would really prefer that Steam be an optional thing and have the ability to purchase a stand-alone version directly from ArtCraft. Crowfall being a Steam-exclusive would be a complete deal-breaker.

Character Name: Addas Frostsinger Race: Human Confessor Appearance: A human male with dark, short-cropped hair and a similarly-short beard, limited to the chin, and mustache, all plain in style. His face is set in a mostly neutral expression, though his eyes are kind. He wears a brigandine over a cloth shirt and pants. The sleeves of the shirt reach to his elbows while the legs of the pants reach to his ankles and are tucked over the tops of his boots. A wool cloak hangs from his shoulders while a variety of pouches and leather bags hang from a belt at his waist, above his lift hip, while a holy book is secured to the same belt above the right. The belt held shut by a buckle in the shape of the symbol of his order. His shins are protected by leather greaves and his wrists by leather vambraces. His hands are covered by gloves. He wields a shield in his left hand and a short sword in his right. The shield resembles a circle with the top and bottom cut off, with the straight edges running parallel to the length of user's arm, with a convex curve from the center out, like a lens. It is painted in two tones, though the paint is heavily worn, with the symbol of his order painted in white at the center. The shield is held at ease, hanging at his side. The sword has a straight blade of unadorned steel. The crossguard and pommel are similarly plain. The sword is also held at ease. - - - - - I hope that's not going overboard with the description or anything.