COMMUNITY - FORUMS - SOULBORN ENGINE
In a bit more detail? (Disguises)

So a couples of weeks ago I went back and read some of the dev journals I missed. One that really caught my eye was the entry into Disguises and alternate identities as well as the reputation they tend to come with as well as develop. I actually have a few curiosities that I feel weren't stressed enough for me to feel completely comfortable with this concept, as they will become core to my playstyle:

  1. How difficult would it be to reveal someone's identity?
    • Simply encountering the same identity/disguise eventually makes it easier to distinguish who, exactly it is behind the such. How many interactions and how long would this require to become a thing?
    • Will changing pieces of a disguise make it harder to find out who is behind it or reset whatever value is used to determine this?
    • How possible is it to maintain a separate alias for a lifetime?
  2. Are disguises limited in number per character or can someone own an infinite number of identities and disguises to go with them?
  3. Would changing disguises require you to move to cover and change each piece of clothing individually or would selecting an identity immediately give you the disguise equipped and all?
    • Will changing your identity out in the open in front of another PC reveal your identity to them? What of NPCs?

I may have more questions, but I thought I'd put these out here for now.


Myrkul is always with us...

4/28/2017 5:55:20 AM #1

From what I've read and heard, it seems that disguises and alternative identities would be a little too easy to detect so I am wondering what the community thinks about it


Myrkul is always with us...

4/28/2017 3:27:48 PM #2

Your questions are are abit too specific for too much juicy forum discussion imo. Better to ask more broad and general questions.


So I have a thing now! 📣Also this is my signature until Sieraen gives me one. 🤷1 Like 👍 = 1 Prayer 🙏

4/28/2017 3:44:42 PM #3

I know familiarity with yourself OR the person you are impersonating (ie family members or close associates) may cause the disguise to immediately fail, at which stage you're going to get a lot of unwanted attention.

I suspect there is an "inspect" or "investigate" mechanic from the bardic tree that serves as a counterbalance to the disguise skill.

If there have been a spate of crimes in a town or suspicions of disguises (ie Alabis), it's likely the guards will inspect people all the more until the criminal is identified. At that stage they may wind up answering for all of their crimes.


4/28/2017 7:30:34 PM #4

Posted By Oracle at 08:44 AM - Fri Apr 28 2017

I know familiarity with yourself OR the person you are impersonating (ie family members or close associates) may cause the disguise to immediately fail, at which stage you're going to get a lot of unwanted attention.

I suspect there is an "inspect" or "investigate" mechanic from the bardic tree that serves as a counterbalance to the disguise skill.

If there have been a spate of crimes in a town or suspicions of disguises (ie Alabis), it's likely the guards will inspect people all the more until the criminal is identified. At that stage they may wind up answering for all of their crimes.

I am hoping this won't be broken as all hell, as disguises and aliases are a key role in a lot of playstyles. If anything, I'm thinking it'll work off of a detection meter that cools down very slowly over time. Maybe the more attention you garner in disguise, the higher this meter goes when inspected. Like a potential meter of sorts! For instance: disguising yourself as someone of insignificance like a peasant or cave dweller would keep your detection rate very low until you do something outrageous that catches people's attention. The longer eyes are on you, the higher the meter goes. People with the skill to detect an identity would grow suspicious and inspect them when the opportunity presents itself. At this point the meter is full and, if inspected, the person will be immediately found out.

I think a system like that would be balanced but I can't help but feel this would make detective-work too easy...


Myrkul is always with us...