Axiom: There is no any balance at Solace right now
What we should do with it? (Just my thoughts)
1. STATS
By stats I mean, str, dex, int, wis, con, size, weight.
Why almost always fighter like classes use skills that holds your opponent or bring huge damage.. just because other things do not really change picture of fight. For example boneshatter do almost nothing if to compare with... yes yes with CF (I know you do not like to compare solace with cf .. perhaps it is because cf more balanced?
) where wise use of skills when you know weak sides of your opponent (race. his currient eq, weapon and so on) can change all the fight.
For example if I fight with elf with axes (which is heavy) but elven race has low str I will use skills or spells that makes them weak.. so they lose weapon and will die really fast. But if I am giant and with the elf with.. daggers how can make my strength really low I can try to bash him down so he would not weaken me. (that is just a poor example but I think you get the point).
Some things about size, there are some types of it in solace..(I can forget some races)
super small size(-2) kenders, gnomes with shrink
small size(-1) kenders, gnomes all races of size 0 with shrink
normal size(0) - human, elf, dark elf, half elves, dwarves
big (+1) - minos, draconians(?) and races of size 0 with enlarge
super big (+2) minos and draconians with enlarge
If you bigger than your opponent you parry is better and perhaps dodge worse?
If you smaller than your opponent your dodge is better and perhaps parry worse?
You can not bash someone if difference in size are 2.
Such changes can give you a lot of different tactics but not just spamming bash, trip, lash, drumm, throw and so on.
such changes will allow to work most of the meladict skills and spells
2. BLOCKS
Should be changed currient system of blocks. They should depends of :
a. Classes of fighting creatures (ex. healer should not block better than assassin, warrior and so on and there should be real difference)
b. How good you know your weapon and weapon of enemy
c. Your stats (like str, dex... ex. minotaur with poor dex SHOULD NOT dodge that good)
d. Weight of creature (ex. than more weight you have than your dodge is worse)
e. Weight of weapon (ex. than more weight of weapon than harder to parry it but more easy to dodge it)
f. and so on
I am a bit tired to continie
3. SVS
Most intresting part at least for my taste. With currient svs system spells on hero ranks agains wise player almost useless (because of *immune* to meladiction spells). But that f*ck.. they should work no matter how much you have it or the other way is to work with stats of items to make next thing. You can be amlost immune to spell but your other parametres will be crappy damroll,hp or stats, resist (or average pluses in these things)
4. STATS OF WEAPONS AND CLOTHS
Look 2 and 3 points. As soon as we are going to make dependance of character and weapon stats currient stats of weapons and cloths should be changed and changed with a wise.
P.S.
I know that it will take A LOT of work and time of coders and that it is much more harder than code tons of new manuals, weakening or improving power of damage spells, skill, feats and so on. But that is are really necessary steps for balancing mud. All other ways looks for me like childish attempts to close holes that you have in code. I told it once to imm and told that I can take part in coding of this things as soon as I am not playing and not intresting in improving this or that class.... I can do it more impartially