Total Respec - A Truely Fair Method

[Dworkin_of_Amber]

I have read many of the other posts recently discussing Total Respecs, and have given a good deal of thought to this idea. After talking with a Guildmate of mine, I think we came up with a solution that will solve most of the issues discussed in the other threads. I am not espousing the Pro vs. Con of the Total Respec (but personally, I think it should be available as a Premium Service, for say $10-$20 per Respec)

The "Fair" way to complete a DDO Respec.

Guidelines
#1) The Total Respec should be a DDO Premium Service. $10 or $20 USD to purchase.
#2) The Total Respec should have a 3-month timer per character.
#3) The Total Respec will allow conversion of a 28-point character to a 32-point character.
#4) The Total Respec will NOT allow changing of Name, Race or Appearance.
#5) The Total Respec will leave Favor, Items, and XP Intact.

Total Respec Process
1) The Player logs into the DDO Premium Services Website, and orders a "Total Repec" for their specific character.
2) Within 24-hours, the character is delivered a "Total Respec Token", which goes into his inventory, as a Bound Item.
3) If this item is in your inventory, you can type /FullRespec to initiate the Respec System.
4) Your character is logged out, and the game examines your character, and strips all eaten Tomes off, and recreates each of these Tomes, as Bound Tomes, in that Character's Inventory.
4a) OPTIONAL: +1 Tomes are set with NO ML. +2 Tomes are set with ML9, +3 Tomes are set with ML12
5) You are taken to the Class & Alignment Selection Page, then the Stat Point Page of the CharGen for your character, with 32-points available for all non-Drow
6) You set your Stats, Skill Points, then Feats. Click Finish
7) You appear, where you logged out, with your previously eaten Tome back in your inventory (as Bound Tomes) and a Level 1, but with all of your previous XP.
8) You eat your tomes, and run off to your trainers to level back up to wherever you were.

* The Optional 4a is an attempt to balance the fact that +2 Tomes are almost always Bound Raid Loot, and +3 Tomes are always Bound Raid Loot. This will further "Balance" Tome re-application. ML9 is usually a minimum for running the Dragon and the Titan, and ML12 for Stormreaver and Abbot. But this can be left out.

The key to this method is the "Tome Stripping" We know that Turbine tracks Tomes (Inherent Bonus), at the very least to the highest-level Tome you have eaten. By "Stripping" your Tomes, and recreating them in your inventory, you prevent any Tome usage from affecting Character Generation and initial Feats & Skills, helping to preserve the balance of the characters. Recreating them as Bound Tomes in your inventory will allow you to keep the benefit of all your Tomes, but not to sell or trade them. Keeping your XP, Items, and Favor, means you have to take a few minutes to run around and re-level up to whatever level you were previously, but does not impose any unnecessary penalty on the character (Consider the Penalty that it is ONLY available as a Premium Service, and you had to pay $$$ for that).

Now, if Turbine does have a way to track what Tomes you ate and at what level, then simply set a ML on each Tome to the Level the Tome was previously eaten at. This may be a problem if you ate a +1 and a +2 Tome in the same stat... but if they can track it, then you get both a +1 and a +2. Otherwise, you get a +2.

One item of contention may be 4a - Setting the Tomes to have a ML. This is an attempt to prevent +2 or +3 Tomes from unfairly adding to INT for skill points (As rolling an Odd INT and taking a Tome @ 1 to get more skill points is a common practice, we don't want to lock that out), or qualifying for feats too early. I chose L9 & L12 because +2 Tomes start appearing as Raid Loot in the Dragon (L10 quest) and the Titan (L12 Quest), but most players start running the Dragon around Level 9, and the Marilith & Stormreaver around Level 12. Yes, I know many do it earlier, or later, but I think that is a "Fair" middle-ground level selection. It is also chosen as L9 & L12 are the "Standard Feat" levels, and this would prevent gaining access to Feats that you would not have been able to access normally. Additionally, +2 Tomes are obtained through 1750 Favor with is usually obtained WELL after Level 9, so I think that helps to offset this.

A 3-month timer will keep the Respeccing to a "Sane" amount, and setting it as a Premium Service will make Turbine a little $$, and make sure that players who Respec do so with greater care.

[Isssssa]

#4) The Total Respec will NOT allow changing of Race, Class, or Appearance.

What about multiclasses who want to respece cause they don't like one of the classes they took. Are they out of luck under your plan?

[Nefahrin]

Why not your appearance?
I think we should be able to change our appearance every few weeks if we want.
Ever hear of a haircut? What if I want to grow out that mohawk that stopped be funny on day 3?

:P

[Dworkin_of_Amber]

That was a typo on my part. Classes can be freely re-chosen.

And before someone starts the arguement about respeccing a Sorc into a Barb and they have no idea how to play a Barb, or something along those lines, I say let them... they would be pretty unintelligent to do that in the first place, and just because someone has leveled a character to 14 and capped him, does NOT mean that they know how to play them. I have joined too many PuG's recently with L14s or players with multiple 14s who still do not know how to play the game, or their class.

[Hence]

I think it is a great idea.

As per the multiclass: if the character starts at level 1 with all his experience points, he can then go level up any way he sees fit.
What the OP meant was you cannot change your starting Race/Class ect. But you may go level up into a multiclass or anything else you want.

Superb... I would pay up to $20 for this service.

[Cashiry]

/signed

[Dworkin_of_Amber]

I think it is a great idea.

As per the multiclass: if the character starts at level 1 with all his experience points, he can then go level up any way he sees fit.
What the OP meant was you cannot change your starting Race/Class ect. But you may go level up into a multiclass or anything else you want.

Superb... I would pay up to $20 for this service.

No, let me clarify... (and I edited my post to clarify this as well). I am saying you go back and choose your starting class all over, then stats, then feats.

As for Appearance, I am sure they could allow you to change that too... but I was trying to keep it simple.

[Fallout]

Alot of good points, for the most part I agree.

But like others pointed out, doesn't address class.
Also I don't agree with tome restriction. +2 tomes are available unbounded. And you get potentially get +3 tomes at a much lower level with current system.

[woodspider]

This could work, although I think +2 tomes should not kick in till level 12 and +3 till level 14.

[Dworkin_of_Amber]

Alot of good points, for the most part I agree.

But like others pointed out, doesn't address class.
Also I don't agree with tome restriction. +2 tomes are available unbounded. And you get potentially get +3 tomes at a much lower level with current system.

I clarified my post... Classes can be freely re-chosen.

As for the Tomes, that's why I listed it as a Optional Item... I was trying to find a balance between things, and it is diffucult. If you allow re-eating of up to +3 Tomes immediately, then you can get too many Skill Points and qualify for Feats too early. If you put a ML on them, everyone will argue over when they got their specific Tomes, and such... but a balance point has to be made.

Look at it this way, it is very common on the Forums to plan a new character with multiple +1 Tomes at Level 1. Yes, I know that Unbound +2 Tomes exist and drop, but so very rarely that it really can't be counted. So, going on the assumption that Turbine doesn't know when you ate your tomes, then wouldn't putting some type of REASONABLE level restriction on them only be fair? I mean, you will be Level 14 again in 20 minutes after you do this, so you respec, eat your +1 Tomes, Level Up a few times, eat your +2s, level up, eat your +3's. The only thing this does is try to prevent abuse.

Look at it this way. You originally rolled with 13 Dex to take Dodge/Mobility/Spring Attack. You have eaten a +3 DEX Tome. Should you be allowed to Respec to 10 Dex, and eat a +3 Tome @ Level 1, and take Dodge @ Level 2 with a Fighter Bonus Feat? I think that has the potential to create an unfair system. No matter what ML you set the Tomes at, someone will complain, but let's be fair and rational about it. MOST players start Raiding around Level 9 for the Dragon/Titan, and Level 12 for SR. Some will be earlier, some later, but I really think that is a fair middle-ground.

[Dane_McArdy]

I'm not sure how this is any different then any other suggestion out there. Save what, can't change race?

[Laith]

I'm not sure how this is any different then any other suggestion out there. Save what, can't change race?

i will agree that i'm uncertain as to why everyone is suggesting their "perfect method". Many people want respecs, but really have no CLUE how turbine could go about doing it.

How about making suggestions before claiming that your method is better than all the other ones? Such claims really stifle constructive criticism.

[Fallout]

Look at it this way, it is very common on the Forums to plan a new character with multiple +1 Tomes at Level 1. Yes, I know that Unbound +2 Tomes exist and drop, but so very rarely that it really can't be counted.

Its rare, but you can't just discount it. Now with +2 tomes dropping at higher level quests again (not just raid), its more readily available. Some people trade for +2 int tomes just for creating a new character. Unless Turbine keeps track when you eat the tomes, then this system, you potentially can lose skill points. What if you got a +2 int tome and apply to your new char back in the days? Then in your system, if he decides to respec, he can't eat it till L9. He lost alot of skill points.

[Cashiry]

In affect this could benefiet the completeists out there as well who like to have all their quests complete. .i.e. all those 28pt charchters who never had the chance to go through those zones.

See your trainer, lvl to 3
Go into Water works/ceruellian hills do slayer/explorer/rare
When finished go see your trainer lvl to 6
Hit the slayer zones that would affect these levels
Keep doing same till they are complete.

Just an idea..

[KaKa]

Charging money is never fair.

[Dworkin_of_Amber]

I don't think that is true. Turbine has already introduced Premium Services, including Character Rename, and Server moves, so I would think that a Character Respec would properly fall under that. PnPP doesn't have a "full respec" option, but the Spell and Feat swaps do have some precedence in PnP, so they are implemented in-game. Given that a Full Respec is more of a "MMO" thing, than a D&D Thing, why not implement it as a Premium Service. It will generate a little more $$ for Turbine, and also make sure that those who use the service really want/need the service, and not just because "I mis-spent one Skill Point, and I want my Skill Points to look perfect!" or some such nonsense.

Some of the other suggestions have been a Raid Loot Item (which means more Grinding and less chance to get those rare "GOOD" Raid Loot Items - aka Sword of Shadows!)... While I'm not against it, I think that it is unnecessary to add yet another item to the game with limited usefulness (Vicious Weapons, of Deception items, Dragonshards, Gems, Collectibles, Splint Mail, Half-Plate, Potions of Paralysis Removal, etc.)

[MysticTheurge]

That was a typo on my part. Classes can be freely re-chosen.

I'm absolutely not interested in seeing a system like this. There's just no justification for why you should be able to retain all the benefits of one character and make, essentially, a whole different character out of it.

Feat respec, fine.
Enhancement respec, fine.
Skill respec, fine.
Ability score respec, fine.

Class respec, no.
Race respec, no.

If you want to change those things, make a new character.

(With, of course, my usual caveat that in-game GMs should be granted the ability to de-level people who have leveled within the last 48 hours. This would solve the "omg I clicked on the wrong trainer and now I'm a Sorcerer 8/Wizard 1" problems.)

[krud]

I'm with MT. However, If a total respec is really deemed necessary the OPs proposal (including ML tome restrictions) is how I would like to see it done. Also, add ML for all tomes (+1 ML1, +2 ML8, +3ML14, bound tomes will be 2 levels less).

Kinda like being a teacher and having the principal ask you if you want to have some unruly kids added to your class. Of course not, but if he says "well, that's too bad because here they are", I would want to add some input as how to deal with them.

[Mercules]

I'm absolutely not interested in seeing a system like this. There's just no justification for why you should be able to retain all the benefits of one character and make, essentially, a whole different character out of it.

Feat respec, fine.
Enhancement respec, fine.
Skill respec, fine.
Ability score respec, fine.

Class respec, no.
Race respec, no.

If you want to change those things, make a new character.

(With, of course, my usual caveat that in-game GMs should be granted the ability to de-level people who have leveled within the last 48 hours. This would solve the "omg I clicked on the wrong trainer and now I'm a Sorcerer 8/Wizard 1" problems.)

And this is the view that I take as well.

I know MT. We should start 7 or 8 threads on how not to do Respecing so that maybe the older threads with counter arguments that refute our claims might scroll off the first screen where the Devs are less likely to read them thus forcing anyone who doesn't agree with us to repost the same arguments over and over.

[Fallout]

I'm with MT. However, If a total respec is really deemed necessary the OPs proposal (including ML tome restrictions) is how I would like to see it done. Also, add ML for all tomes (+1 ML1, +2 ML8, +3ML14, bound tomes will be 2 levels less).

If you add ML to tomes, then you need to add ML to all current tomes. And what about tomes already eaten? Tomes are unbound currently, and they should be unbound if there's a respec. And like I stated before, if someone eats an unbound +2 Int tome at L1, then a ML 8 restriction would cause the person to lose skill points if he respecs.