Ok so I was playing nc today for the first time in a while and a thought struck me. I mulled it over for a while and the only way I can explain it is to make a massive thread.

Hopefully this (long) thread will explain things generally to people who might not be so familiar. However if that bores you there is a short version at the bottom.

In the original nc boxed set the PE was described as the "Jack of all trades" and "master of none". Hence his rather average set of skills and peculiar levelling process/xp share. (compared with the other classes at least).

In recent months there have been lots of PPU threads - balancing ppus and nerfing ppus and boosting basic tl spells and all sorts of stuff. The thing with a lot of the suggestions about changing spells in those threads would automatically affect the PE in his role on the battlefield.

So with these two points in mind (and the fact that we are in the middle of Sparta balancing progression) I had this idea. Remove PE PSI. This would potentially ALSO help to solve some of the problems with PPUs and their low end buffs.

This is the perfect time to effect such a change as it is the first wholesale set of changes to NC since 2.2 and therefore will not imbalance or overpower the PE class or any other if it is done correctly. Other items can be rebalanced and adjusted into line to make the PE more well rounded. In effect it would split NC in half. Spies would be like APUs with guns and PEs with the changes detailed here would be more like Intelligent Tanks.

My initial thought was to give the PE more CON/STR/INT. No skill a PE has should go above 80 base. He is apparently the JOAT here. (Jack of all trades).

Perhaps something like this might work

Int 70 (currently 60)
Str 75 (currently 60)
Con 75 (currently 65)
Dex 80

Obviously these first 3 are interchangeable. I chose the figures listed as by current assessment with the projected levels of ingame items (assuming they stay the same level post balancing) the PE would now have access to better armour (Inquisition 3) a better heal tool (10 more con levels for body health to get up to 75 for the tl 40 heal tool) and enough int left over for one of the lower end trade skills (Imp/Hack/Barter).

Also this would make him much more "all rounded".

The spy retains his weak and frail outlook with the exotic weaponry - the gap between PE and spy is now much wider and more pronounced. With his superior Int the spy can be said to master the most basic PSI use whereas the PE being the average Joe public will not concern himself with such matters. The genetic lab-grown super soldier looks very much akin to his regular counterpart of the average cyberpunk but with a good boost to all of his stats at the cost of his intelligence and generally everyone adapts to their role within the "lore" of nc and it all just sort of makes sense. I hope you see what I mean with this as this is integral to the success of the idea.

Now the PEs armour will need to be carefully considered because now he can wield many more weapons much better (melee and cannons get a boost) but he should not ever really be better than a tank or spy in the respective discipline. He should have an equivalent defence to a tank (scaled by TL) so perhaps access to medium belts would now shore up the issues he had by losing his psi. Having access to the tl 40 heal tool without too much gimpage/drugs will help also.

It would be pertinent at this stage to crunch numbers based on the proposed new values for armour for the "new" pe. He should have a range of armour that is suitable to a levelling tank but not a capped one. So for example INQ3 at best and some form of decent energy protection (lowest level duranium maybe) but never replace the Gen tank at doing tank stuff. The same care should be taken with his new int levels, he should have access to a decent set of belts (if the int requirement is to be kept on those) but only up to medium level, not heavy due to the overpoweredness it would provide. Essentially he should have access to mid-tier items across the board but no specialist stuff (Gods wish/Heavy belts/Duranium4).

It is difficult to propose exact numbers as they are potentially subject to change as per the balancing changes so I have to use generic statements to illustrate examples.

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Short version then

Remove PE PSI - give them STR and CON to make them more resistant to damage and INT to give them a boost in 2nd tier tradeskilling (BRT/HACK/IMP). Make the PE more like the tank.


I know in NC1 a lot of old school PE players would live for the skill it took to be able to use shields and a gun and constantly be able to rebuff yourself and shoot back in a fight and it was a certain finesse with which these players operated. Watching a good PE duel was a thing of beauty in the old days, however with the current version of NC I realise that noone really uses PSI on a pe any more because of the cast time on buffs now. Hence the reason for this idea.

Controversial, yes it is. Ridiculous? Yeah maybe that also.

However I would love to hear your thoughts guys?