š Developer Diary #8 - The Class System š
[h3]Ladies and gentlemen, good evening! [/h3]
Over the last few weeks we've been finalizing the abilities and design of our character classes, a key component of the battle system of Sunflowers and the Goddess of Death. This includes their animations, artwork, abilities, everything.
So for tonight's developer diary, we're exploring all of the classes we've built for the game: how they function, what role they play, how they exist within the game world, etc. We've touched on this topic a little in previous dev diaries, but this time we are going further in-depth and laying bare the specific design and lore for each class.
There are many classic RPGs with similar systems, and what we are working towards is creating a system that both hearkens back to what we loved in those incredible games of the past, but also brings the design forward into something that is modern, fun, and unique to our world.
When creating our character classes, we aim for three goals:
š» The class is unique to the world of Urdin and Sunflowers and the Goddess of Death. No generic designs.
š» The class is powerful enough that it is perfectly fine to use in all situations, whether fighting a tough boss encounter or just exploring the world.
š» It's super fun to play :D.
So, without further ado, let's get right into the class design, shall we? :).
Note: Everything here is WIP, particularly the icons. Paige will be drawing those soon, and in the meantime some skills are using placeholder icons or none at all.
------------------------------------
[h2]Priestess[/h2]
A Priestess is the chief religious figure of the faith of Imsha. Chosen by sacred rite, the Priestess has power over both life and death, safeguarding the cycle that governs all souls within the mortal realm of Urdin.
Features:
š» Strong healing magic focusing on Healing-over-time abilities.
š» Powerful crowd-control spells like Entangle and Quell.
š» Can execute low health enemies with Mulch.
[h2]Witch[/h2]
Witches are specialists in Void magic, rumored to exist within the deepest boughs of the great Lucanwood. There are many folktales on the isle of Pharsus that speak of the terrible power of an immortal hag that dwells within the willows of that forest.
Features:
š» Uses HP instead of MP to cast most abilities.
š» Strong self-sustain from spells like Siphon Life and Siphon Essence.
š» Powerful single-target buff abilities like Cauldron Brew, though her boons come with negative side effects!
š» Can chain her beneficial effects to the party through her Willow Wisps spell.
[h2]Moonmaiden[/h2]
The faith of Emun, the lunar god who shadows the world in night each moon, is both respected and feared throughout Urdin. His most devout followers are known as the Moonmaiden, and they are equal parts graceful and deadly. Some are even rumored to serve as assassins for the nobility of the Broken Isles.
Features:
š» High DPS class with many spells scaling with Strength over Intellect, such as Severing Strikes and Crescent Moon.
š» Variety of powerful self-only buffs that increase offensive power and shroud the Moonmaiden in darkness, lowering her ability to be targeted by foes.
š» Some abilities are automatic Critical Strikes against targets that are Bleeding, Wet, or Frozen.
š» Can use Ecliptic Troth to massively increase her DPS for a short time, but the effect leaves her Fatigued after, lowering all stats.
[h2]Dryad[/h2]
The Dryad is the fae guardian of the great Lucanwood, chosen by Ishti, goddess of life, to protect all creatures that roam the world from those that would show them cruelty.
Features:
š» Pure support class, with more powerful restorative abilities than any other.
š» Powerful single-target healing through spells like Envivify and can restore life to the fallen through Resurrect.
š» Low offensive capabilities.
[h2]Mistweaver[/h2]
Mistweavers are fae magicians who specialize in offensive magic, weaving together the mana of both wood and river to punish evildoers who threaten the sanctity of their sacred groves.
Features:
š» Offensive focused caster class, with very high single-target DPS, but no Area-of-Effect damaging abilities whatsoever.
š» Can support other spellcasting-focused classes with her Cloudburst ability, a party-wide effect that reduces the MP cost of all spells for a short time.
š» Casting Nature-element spells boosts the power of Water-element spells and vice versa, encouraging a playstyle of weaving between elements in order to maximize output.
[h2]Hearthwarden[/h2]
Legends on the isle of Ekbatan tell of winged fae that once lived upon the isle, who protected the island's inhabitants from the many dreadful beasts that lurk throughout the rocky cliffs and barren deserts of the land. These fae were known as Hearthwarden, and though none have been seen for centuries, their legacy is not forgotten.
Features:
š» Healing/support class that does not have direct healing abilities. Instead, the class focuses on preventing damage through their Prickleshield and Thornbastion abilities.
š» These shields also explode against attackers when diminished, dealing Physical damage.
š» Low in direct offensive power, but good sustained DPS through damage-over-time spells like Sear and the damage of Prickleshield explosions.
[h2]Pyreknight[/h2]
The Pyreknights of Ekbatan are both a religious order and a martial code. Dedicated to Aelor, the Charred Prince, Pyreknights are oathbound to protect the sacred Carmine Agiary and dispense justice to the enemies of their people.
Features:
š» Many powerful supportive effects like Bolster and Ward, raising the defenses of allies and preventing harmful status effects.
š» Strong single-target Physical abilities that scale with Strength like Erupt.
š» Durable but slow, so use your fewer actions wisely!
[h2]Abyssal Lord[/h2]
Cursed knights who draw power from the Abyss, the realm of those banished to an eternity of suffering for their offenses against the gods. The mere mention of an Abyssal Lord strikes terror into the hearts of the denizens of the Broken Isles.
Features:
š» Damage-over-time focused class, with abilities to inflict both Burn and Infection.
š» Many spells have additional effects to enemies with active damage-over-time effects, such as Dreadfire which deals more damage for each active DoT and Mephitis, an AoE spell that deals damage and applies a weakening debuff to Burning or Infected foes.
š» Can leach resources of friends through spells like Cauterize, sustaining the Abyssal Lord at the expense of his "allies".
š» Rewards a playstyle of stacking DoT effects and debuffs to maximize the output of the class.
[h2]Ashreaver[/h2]
The great volcano known as Ehngyldr spews forth obsidian and molten death, but in the ashes of its fury, life begins anew. The Ashreavers worship this cycle, and are dedicated to shielding this renewal that comes from a baptism of fire.
Features:
š» Most abilities are locked behind having active negative effects. An Ashreaver must sacrifice part of themselves in order to access their spells. Key to using this class comes with inflicting oneself with detrimental effects to bring forth the renewed power that comes after.
š» Ashreavers can heal their party by dealing damage through use of the From Ashes Comes Life spell, healing the party based on damage dealt.
š» Has abilities that counteract the negative effects of their skills, allowing tactical stance swapping to change their approach to combat.
š» Hybrid DPS/Healer class that boasts both Physical and Magical abilities, strong in both offense and support, but requires smart use of their stances to get the most out of the class.
[h2]Theurgist[/h2]
Theurgists are the faithful of Salcyon, god of mists, trade, and serpents. They are the keepers of the Cerulean Shrine on the isle of Mede, and the guardians of the ancient mysteries of their god.
Features:
š» Can combo together spells to inflict crowd control effects.
š» Has access to Force element magic that cannot miss, particularly useful against evasive enemies.
š» Shields allies from harmful debuff effects.
[h2]Alchemist[/h2]
Central to both the faith of Salcyon and the economy of Aordhos, the Gilded City, is the practice of Alchemy. Alchemists broil together various reagents to concoct healing poultices, explosive tinctures, and myriad other specialized mixtures for both combat and trade. Their creations are prized within the Broken Isles and beyond.
Features:
š» Uses reagents, not MP, to cast their spells. Reagents must be purchased or collected ahead of time. Preparation is key!
š» Does, however, have access to Ingenuity, a spell that allows the use of all Alchemist abilities for a short time at no reagent cost. This is their only MP-using ability, and is quite hefty in cost, so its use must be tactical.
š» Boasts a wide repertoire of abilities with effects unique to the class - various offensive abilities, powerful support abilities, and the only class with the ability to boost the party's ability to recharge AP (for use with character-specific Artes) and regenerate MP.
[h2]Bloodbranded[/h2]
We haven't created the animations for this class yet :). That's next up on our current sweep to finish the designs of all our classes!
Far to the west, across the great sea known as the Waywyrd, lies an indomitable empire ruled by war and governed by he who wears the blood-brambled crown. Many ancient magics and powerful artifacts lie within the ruins of their conquest, and one such magic is the terrible curse known as the Geas of Two Lies. Once hexed with such a terrible rite, all generations of a family are bound to the service of another, on pain of an excruciating death. These cursed souls are known as the Bloodbranded.
Features:
š» Focused on debilitating enemies, this class is better than any other at reducing the power of foes.
š» Can use minor Geas spells of their own to block the application of specific effects on allies, such as the Geas of False Labor that prevents the next crowd-control effect an ally would be inflicted with.
š» Low direct offensive ability, relying on softening-up enemies and enabling allies to bring their might to bare.
------------------------------------
That's all we have for this evening. We hope you've enjoyed delving into the class system with us, and are really looking forward to hearing what your favorite classes are once the game is released. :)
As always, thank you so much for your interest in Sunflowers and the Goddess of Death. We will continue to do our absolute best in building the best possible JRPG we can, and are honored to have you on this journey with us.
May the renewing rains of spring bring life and laughter to your home and hearth, whether you find yourself in meadowed fields of viridian flora or vibrant cities of iron and stone.
-CW Hendricks
Follow us on ->
X: https://x.com/SGoD_game
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sgodgame.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunflowersandtheGoddessofDeath
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]
Over the last few weeks we've been finalizing the abilities and design of our character classes, a key component of the battle system of Sunflowers and the Goddess of Death. This includes their animations, artwork, abilities, everything.
So for tonight's developer diary, we're exploring all of the classes we've built for the game: how they function, what role they play, how they exist within the game world, etc. We've touched on this topic a little in previous dev diaries, but this time we are going further in-depth and laying bare the specific design and lore for each class.
There are many classic RPGs with similar systems, and what we are working towards is creating a system that both hearkens back to what we loved in those incredible games of the past, but also brings the design forward into something that is modern, fun, and unique to our world.
When creating our character classes, we aim for three goals:
š» The class is unique to the world of Urdin and Sunflowers and the Goddess of Death. No generic designs.
š» The class is powerful enough that it is perfectly fine to use in all situations, whether fighting a tough boss encounter or just exploring the world.
š» It's super fun to play :D.
So, without further ado, let's get right into the class design, shall we? :).
Note: Everything here is WIP, particularly the icons. Paige will be drawing those soon, and in the meantime some skills are using placeholder icons or none at all.
------------------------------------
[h2]Priestess[/h2]
A Priestess is the chief religious figure of the faith of Imsha. Chosen by sacred rite, the Priestess has power over both life and death, safeguarding the cycle that governs all souls within the mortal realm of Urdin.
Features:
š» Strong healing magic focusing on Healing-over-time abilities.
š» Powerful crowd-control spells like Entangle and Quell.
š» Can execute low health enemies with Mulch.
[h2]Witch[/h2]
Witches are specialists in Void magic, rumored to exist within the deepest boughs of the great Lucanwood. There are many folktales on the isle of Pharsus that speak of the terrible power of an immortal hag that dwells within the willows of that forest.
Features:
š» Uses HP instead of MP to cast most abilities.
š» Strong self-sustain from spells like Siphon Life and Siphon Essence.
š» Powerful single-target buff abilities like Cauldron Brew, though her boons come with negative side effects!
š» Can chain her beneficial effects to the party through her Willow Wisps spell.
[h2]Moonmaiden[/h2]
The faith of Emun, the lunar god who shadows the world in night each moon, is both respected and feared throughout Urdin. His most devout followers are known as the Moonmaiden, and they are equal parts graceful and deadly. Some are even rumored to serve as assassins for the nobility of the Broken Isles.
Features:
š» High DPS class with many spells scaling with Strength over Intellect, such as Severing Strikes and Crescent Moon.
š» Variety of powerful self-only buffs that increase offensive power and shroud the Moonmaiden in darkness, lowering her ability to be targeted by foes.
š» Some abilities are automatic Critical Strikes against targets that are Bleeding, Wet, or Frozen.
š» Can use Ecliptic Troth to massively increase her DPS for a short time, but the effect leaves her Fatigued after, lowering all stats.
[h2]Dryad[/h2]
The Dryad is the fae guardian of the great Lucanwood, chosen by Ishti, goddess of life, to protect all creatures that roam the world from those that would show them cruelty.
Features:
š» Pure support class, with more powerful restorative abilities than any other.
š» Powerful single-target healing through spells like Envivify and can restore life to the fallen through Resurrect.
š» Low offensive capabilities.
[h2]Mistweaver[/h2]
Mistweavers are fae magicians who specialize in offensive magic, weaving together the mana of both wood and river to punish evildoers who threaten the sanctity of their sacred groves.
Features:
š» Offensive focused caster class, with very high single-target DPS, but no Area-of-Effect damaging abilities whatsoever.
š» Can support other spellcasting-focused classes with her Cloudburst ability, a party-wide effect that reduces the MP cost of all spells for a short time.
š» Casting Nature-element spells boosts the power of Water-element spells and vice versa, encouraging a playstyle of weaving between elements in order to maximize output.
[h2]Hearthwarden[/h2]
Legends on the isle of Ekbatan tell of winged fae that once lived upon the isle, who protected the island's inhabitants from the many dreadful beasts that lurk throughout the rocky cliffs and barren deserts of the land. These fae were known as Hearthwarden, and though none have been seen for centuries, their legacy is not forgotten.
Features:
š» Healing/support class that does not have direct healing abilities. Instead, the class focuses on preventing damage through their Prickleshield and Thornbastion abilities.
š» These shields also explode against attackers when diminished, dealing Physical damage.
š» Low in direct offensive power, but good sustained DPS through damage-over-time spells like Sear and the damage of Prickleshield explosions.
[h2]Pyreknight[/h2]
The Pyreknights of Ekbatan are both a religious order and a martial code. Dedicated to Aelor, the Charred Prince, Pyreknights are oathbound to protect the sacred Carmine Agiary and dispense justice to the enemies of their people.
Features:
š» Many powerful supportive effects like Bolster and Ward, raising the defenses of allies and preventing harmful status effects.
š» Strong single-target Physical abilities that scale with Strength like Erupt.
š» Durable but slow, so use your fewer actions wisely!
[h2]Abyssal Lord[/h2]
Cursed knights who draw power from the Abyss, the realm of those banished to an eternity of suffering for their offenses against the gods. The mere mention of an Abyssal Lord strikes terror into the hearts of the denizens of the Broken Isles.
Features:
š» Damage-over-time focused class, with abilities to inflict both Burn and Infection.
š» Many spells have additional effects to enemies with active damage-over-time effects, such as Dreadfire which deals more damage for each active DoT and Mephitis, an AoE spell that deals damage and applies a weakening debuff to Burning or Infected foes.
š» Can leach resources of friends through spells like Cauterize, sustaining the Abyssal Lord at the expense of his "allies".
š» Rewards a playstyle of stacking DoT effects and debuffs to maximize the output of the class.
[h2]Ashreaver[/h2]
The great volcano known as Ehngyldr spews forth obsidian and molten death, but in the ashes of its fury, life begins anew. The Ashreavers worship this cycle, and are dedicated to shielding this renewal that comes from a baptism of fire.
Features:
š» Most abilities are locked behind having active negative effects. An Ashreaver must sacrifice part of themselves in order to access their spells. Key to using this class comes with inflicting oneself with detrimental effects to bring forth the renewed power that comes after.
š» Ashreavers can heal their party by dealing damage through use of the From Ashes Comes Life spell, healing the party based on damage dealt.
š» Has abilities that counteract the negative effects of their skills, allowing tactical stance swapping to change their approach to combat.
š» Hybrid DPS/Healer class that boasts both Physical and Magical abilities, strong in both offense and support, but requires smart use of their stances to get the most out of the class.
[h2]Theurgist[/h2]
Theurgists are the faithful of Salcyon, god of mists, trade, and serpents. They are the keepers of the Cerulean Shrine on the isle of Mede, and the guardians of the ancient mysteries of their god.
Features:
š» Can combo together spells to inflict crowd control effects.
š» Has access to Force element magic that cannot miss, particularly useful against evasive enemies.
š» Shields allies from harmful debuff effects.
[h2]Alchemist[/h2]
Central to both the faith of Salcyon and the economy of Aordhos, the Gilded City, is the practice of Alchemy. Alchemists broil together various reagents to concoct healing poultices, explosive tinctures, and myriad other specialized mixtures for both combat and trade. Their creations are prized within the Broken Isles and beyond.
Features:
š» Uses reagents, not MP, to cast their spells. Reagents must be purchased or collected ahead of time. Preparation is key!
š» Does, however, have access to Ingenuity, a spell that allows the use of all Alchemist abilities for a short time at no reagent cost. This is their only MP-using ability, and is quite hefty in cost, so its use must be tactical.
š» Boasts a wide repertoire of abilities with effects unique to the class - various offensive abilities, powerful support abilities, and the only class with the ability to boost the party's ability to recharge AP (for use with character-specific Artes) and regenerate MP.
[h2]Bloodbranded[/h2]
We haven't created the animations for this class yet :). That's next up on our current sweep to finish the designs of all our classes!Far to the west, across the great sea known as the Waywyrd, lies an indomitable empire ruled by war and governed by he who wears the blood-brambled crown. Many ancient magics and powerful artifacts lie within the ruins of their conquest, and one such magic is the terrible curse known as the Geas of Two Lies. Once hexed with such a terrible rite, all generations of a family are bound to the service of another, on pain of an excruciating death. These cursed souls are known as the Bloodbranded.
Features:
š» Focused on debilitating enemies, this class is better than any other at reducing the power of foes.
š» Can use minor Geas spells of their own to block the application of specific effects on allies, such as the Geas of False Labor that prevents the next crowd-control effect an ally would be inflicted with.
š» Low direct offensive ability, relying on softening-up enemies and enabling allies to bring their might to bare.
------------------------------------
That's all we have for this evening. We hope you've enjoyed delving into the class system with us, and are really looking forward to hearing what your favorite classes are once the game is released. :)
As always, thank you so much for your interest in Sunflowers and the Goddess of Death. We will continue to do our absolute best in building the best possible JRPG we can, and are honored to have you on this journey with us.
May the renewing rains of spring bring life and laughter to your home and hearth, whether you find yourself in meadowed fields of viridian flora or vibrant cities of iron and stone.
-CW Hendricks
Follow us on ->
X: https://x.com/SGoD_game
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sgodgame.bsky.social
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunflowersandtheGoddessofDeath
[dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]