Er, I hadn't really looked at the comments on this section of the site.

Sorry for the late replies.

I'm putting the replies over in the forum thread where it's easier to quote / respond: http://forums.te4.org/viewtopic.php?p=234167#p234167

If you comment over there, it's much easier for me to see and respond.

Thanks for the comments, everyone!

I'm late to the party, but I really like everything you've done.

Your gem pack was the first addon which I tried and it was so good it encouraged further exploration.

I'd tried this pack recently only to find it broken under 1.5.10 and suddenly this update.

Thank you so much for your continued time and attention.

Tammy the Creep says 'hi'. She's gone to the Bank of Norgos to get her money before going shopping.

Fossil starts with arcane combat, which I like, but it doesn't start with anything to proc it off of, making it a mostly useless skill to take until you get something you can use it with. I really feel it needs fixing, or I am somehow using an outdated version

I really like the idea of a class catering to a skeleton's strengths, and I also like the idea of more unarmed specialist class variants. I do have a few suggestions though.

- Fossils, like base brawlers, start off with a point allocated to Armour Training that you just can't remove. For some physical classes, like Bulwarks, having points in this talent makes perfect sense. But here, just as with brawlers, it kind of bothers me, since both fossils and brawlers have access to the Technique/Mobility category, and could theoretically use the Mobile Defense talent to buff the defense of even light armor which they could wear basically. Combined with other defensive talents, such as evasion, the defenses of a brawler-type should be adequate for survival without needing to invest in Armour Training at all. So, in short, I think the starting point there should be placed into a less-permanent category so the player could reallocate it if they really wished. Combat Accuracy would be a decent choice.

- Pugilism is a fine category for this concept, but just like with base brawlers, it means that fossils earn combo points as a result of their maneuvers. Unlike brawlers, however, fossils simply do not have a set of finishing moves currently to actually DO anything with the combo points they collect. They just sit there uselessly on the side of the screen. Fossils could thus really benefit from a category unique to their own class containing their own personal finisher options. Furthermore, i suggest that this new talent category replace the existing Spell/Stone category on the list. Don't get me wrong. I actually approve of the earth association idea of the concept, but the "magic" they throw offensively at enemies should be more akin to Street Fighter-style Ki powers rather than mage-style casting. Thus, I think that the Stone spells should be slotted out, and the new finishing move category should have a stone-element flair in it's place. That way it both fulfills the geomantic magic theme and also acts as a sink for the combo points. Ironically, I think the Spell/Earth category that is also in the list is MUCH more generally useful and works fine as-is.

- Speaking of spells, the Spell/Temporal category doesn't really fit in as well with the elemental thematic and you can get most of the utilities it grants that would be useful for this class more easily through investing in other talents such as Combat Techniques. It just doesn't really seem worthwhile to go out of your way to get. Also, Technique/Magical Combat doesn't seem too bad at first blush, but it seems a little unnecessary with all of the other offensive melee options the class has. I have a recommendation for these as well: Replace these two categories with Stone Alchemy and Explosive Admixtures. This will once again play into the idea of the Earth/stone aesthetic (as well as the idea of manipulating a more raw and simplistic version of magic better for blending with fighting techniques), give the class the ability to augment their equipment with gems (though the Stone Touch talent is a nice potential combat option too)), and add a little bit more ranged and mass combat utility via the alchemical bombs, giving the fossils a few more tactical options. The one potential problem with that idea is that Stone Alchemy is a generic talent, and thus cuts into generic talent points. However, I think it balances out a bit due to 2 factors - 1. Unlike a full-on alchmist, the fossils will be able to make do with a lesser number of gems on-hand, due to their superior defenses and personal combat options, thus requiring less overall investment in Stone Alchemy's utilitarian talents. /2. I don't see the existing Combat Training category eating up a lot of talent points in its own right either. this class should be able to get by primarily via it's unarmed combat techniques and spell-like talents, rather than relying on other forms of weaponry. Most of the actual utility that can b drawn from Combat Training for this class comes in the form of, primarily, the Combat Accuracy talent, and to a lesser extent the armor and damage mitigation of Thick Skin though one could certainly take or leave those due to all of the other defensive talent options the class has access to. It may work out in practice or not, but I think it's an option at least worth experimenting with.

Anyhoo, once again. I still think it's a really cool base concept. I just think a few tweaks like these can make it all the better is all. Just my thoughts on the matter. Thank you. :)

Edit: Ooh! Ooh! Perhaps, if and when you design the unique finisher tree, perhaps one of the talents can actually produce Alchemist Gems for use in conjunction with Explosive Admixtures. Handling it like this would alleviate the need for including Stone Alchemy at all, and thus sidestep the concerns I mentioned earlier about having too many generic talent categories to worry about investing in.