[Ranylyn]

By this thread's logic, soldiers and duelists should get passives to boost MP for free because they don't want will. Oh wait. That would be dumb.

If you don't want BW-related penalties, take some strength to offset it. If it's that big a concern, either consider lighter alternatives, or suck up the penalties.

As for raising the base BW... I'm on the fence. On the one hand, yeah, it makes perfect sense to not be overburdened by the tutorial gear immediately upon starting. On the flipside, raising the base BW could also make Str-less builds more plausible, which is kinda bad. Everyone needs a bit of everything (except arguably some corrupted,) which is why Aptitude is so useful.

Humans and mechs may get no racial sanctity bonuses, but having a bit for status resist and extra HP/FP isn't a bad idea. A soldier may not need an infinite MP pool to call upon, but having more MP is better than having less, so taking some will is a good idea. And, mages and gunners need some str to use their gear, to offset any weight-related penalties. It's all fair in the end.


Also, as someone who actually has some experience with axes, I feel the need to address this:

Tomes? Yeah, holy fuck, how does a lot of paper weight more than a damn Axe?

Axes are a lot lighter than you'd expect. A LOT lighter. Consider this:

Lift a 5 lb weight. Simple, right? Now tie it to the end of a stick and try to only use the stick to guide it. Suddenly, it's gone from easy to awkward. An axe's BW comes from it's cumbersome nature (it's all weighted at one end, as opposed to a sword which has a more manageable center of balance.) It's not actually heavy, but it's just awkward to use. Wood is generally pretty light, and axes have less metal than swords, so it's honestly not surprising if you think about it. Some two-handed axes weigh less than some one-handed swords, because of the small amount of metal. It's just poorly balanced.

I can say with absolute certainty that a legitimate "tome" (Not some 50 page paperback, but a legit hardcover book of arcane secrets with 1500-2000 pages) would actually weigh more than a good number of axes. Think back to high school or college or whatnot. A heavy backpack of books, most of which were likely only 300 pages, but there were several of them. You'd honestly much rather carry enough wood and metal to make an axe out of, instead; it's lighter. A fact reinforced by the fact that... well, if you ever help an avid reader move, the books are easily some of the heaviest boxes, minus things like the washer and dryer. Paper itself is light, but a lot of it condensed into one space adds up fast.



"But Rany-" No. I'm willing to bet I have more experience with axes than anyone here. Do NOT try to bullshit me on this.
"I was talking about the tome thing, dumbass! Why are you assuming the tome is that many pages!? Why CAN'T it be a 10 page school essay!? I mean, in Fullmetal Alchemist, people used circles drawn on cloth for their alchemy!"

Think about the very nature of magic. Not just SL2, but in general. Ripping primal forces forth from the deities that govern them (Or in non SL2 terms, the nether or warp or whatever have you.) A tome is more than just a source of power. It's a textbook, an encyclopedia, full of rituals and diagrams. In many settings, mages study their tomes nightly, to further their craft. All of this is in fact reinforced by the "Spellbook" talent in SL2, which grants you extra skill slots with a tome equipped.