I was thinking about some way for reputation to have any more impact on a player other than just having the GN hound your ass across the war seas. Hell, there’s virtually no reason for good reps to get higher reputation! So, I tried to come up with a way for reputation to actually have an impact on gameplay.
…I’m still working on that one, but here’s a small QoL suggestion about visual effects for your character when you are high or low rep.
Overall idea
So basically, if you are high or low rep, your physical features will start to shift to show your reputation in an outward appearance. Some npcs might comment on these features if you’re past a certain rep threshold when you talk to them. They might say things like: “You seem really calm… It’s kind of inspiring, to be honest.” (Good rep), or they might say: “You aren’t like most other wizards I’ve met. You seem… Darker… somehow.” (Bad rep). This would add a sense of importance as people come to fear or idolize you based on your reputation.
Good rep features
A good rep’s pure heart can manifest in many different ways.
Sometimes the colours of their skin and hair are more pronounced (Friendly rank).
If someone is committed to good, their eyes might have a faint blue shimmer to them (Protector rank, this effect becomes more pronounced at Hero rank).
True leaders of virtue and kindness will sometimes have the small outline of a halo over their head (Saint rank).
Valiant heroes that have sworn themselves to the forces of good might find that glowing wings of light grow from their back when they are fighting evil (Legendary hero rank, this could give +10 magic power and strength when fighting evil enemies and players).
Bad rep features
A bad rep’s lust for power can often lead them down a dark path… Such corruption can manifest itself in many different ways.
A bad rep’s skin and hair might slowly turn grey as they descend down their dark path (This effect would start at unfriendly rank, but would be almost unnoticeable until hostile rank, where it would be just barely noticeable. This effect will continue to become more and more noticeable as the player loses more rep).
Wizards that become corrupted with power will sometimes have their eyes turn a deep gray, but when battle is upon them, their eyes turn a bloody red (Villain rank).
When a wizard finally realizes that they were destined to rule the world with an iron fist, and that everyone in this world was meant to serve them or die painfully, their grayish skin becomes cracked and weathered as their corruption finally manifests itself clearly for all to see (Tyrant rank).
Pure evil is a rare but volatile occurrence… There exists wizards that would see the world become a smoldering crater with themselves at the center. Such wizards often have horns growing from their foreheads, and are attacked on sight in most cities (Demon rank, this could give +10 magic size and power when fighting anyone that isn’t hostile rank or lower).
This suggestion was loosely inspired by Knights of the Old Republic II. Where, if you commit yourself to the dark side of the force, your facial features start to mirror your corruption (It’s a pretty good game and I’d recommend it).
Edit: Okay, my bad. I’ll reword everything. Gimme a sec.
Edit #2: This is what I mean, not what y’all are thinking.
uhoh
