Submitted by Chainsaw Aardvark on Fri, 2008-05-23 16:26.
Unless you wanted to have some sort of user skill based mini-game, then there probably wouldn't be any real animation of the skining - it would just be a dropped item like in any other crpg. (albeit making a bit more sense than a spider with 15gp and a potion for some odd reason...) Part of the interface might be a series of circles forming a belt at the bottom of the screen, and when the characters turn for action comes up, you can click one to activate the power. (Instead of/in addition to attacks etc depending on the power. possibly depending on either the spirits relation with each other, or the characters shamanistic prowess.)
As an addendum, you could probably have only a limited number of items at one time (the rabbit spirit and the wolf spirit don't want to be together all that much) so in downtime the player needs to swap or optimize his layout.
I presume each area has at least one token for its environment so a desert person might need a hare's pelt for cold resistance. On the other hand, they should be fine without such a totem in their native land. Hence in their home terrain they get a "bonus slot" not taken up by the environment talisman. Perhaps there are other area restricted knowledges as well. In a flat plain or desert - archery would be ideal as its hard to get close to a mark that can see to the horizon. conversely, dense trees make close attacks a better choice. A little though could reveal some more area based skills, and culture might account for something as well.
Don't neglect the island people with the ability to breath underwater from the fish spirit... RPG worlds are often rife with different countries or city states, so characters may well be defined as nationality/profession rather than as race/class (albeit the end result is similar.)
Certainly leveling/increasing ones skills/attaining greater honor would allow them to endorse the help of more powerful spirits. It makes perfect sense that some animals might not help young adventures or perhaps expect a certain behavior code in their users. (Taken further, we could make certain ones available only to those who forgo PK to help encourage less antagonistic behavior amongst players.) Given the rarity of some supernatural creatures - only adventures who get into high level tournaments might get the prize.
There is a fine line between hobby and obsession. I seem to have lost sight of it some time ago.
Glad to Help
Unless you wanted to have some sort of user skill based mini-game, then there probably wouldn't be any real animation of the skining - it would just be a dropped item like in any other crpg. (albeit making a bit more sense than a spider with 15gp and a potion for some odd reason...) Part of the interface might be a series of circles forming a belt at the bottom of the screen, and when the characters turn for action comes up, you can click one to activate the power. (Instead of/in addition to attacks etc depending on the power. possibly depending on either the spirits relation with each other, or the characters shamanistic prowess.)
As an addendum, you could probably have only a limited number of items at one time (the rabbit spirit and the wolf spirit don't want to be together all that much) so in downtime the player needs to swap or optimize his layout.
I presume each area has at least one token for its environment so a desert person might need a hare's pelt for cold resistance. On the other hand, they should be fine without such a totem in their native land. Hence in their home terrain they get a "bonus slot" not taken up by the environment talisman. Perhaps there are other area restricted knowledges as well. In a flat plain or desert - archery would be ideal as its hard to get close to a mark that can see to the horizon. conversely, dense trees make close attacks a better choice. A little though could reveal some more area based skills, and culture might account for something as well.
Don't neglect the island people with the ability to breath underwater from the fish spirit... RPG worlds are often rife with different countries or city states, so characters may well be defined as nationality/profession rather than as race/class (albeit the end result is similar.)
Certainly leveling/increasing ones skills/attaining greater honor would allow them to endorse the help of more powerful spirits. It makes perfect sense that some animals might not help young adventures or perhaps expect a certain behavior code in their users. (Taken further, we could make certain ones available only to those who forgo PK to help encourage less antagonistic behavior amongst players.) Given the rarity of some supernatural creatures - only adventures who get into high level tournaments might get the prize.
There is a fine line between hobby and obsession. I seem to have lost sight of it some time ago.