City Engineer to add DI

[Hardin Steele]

Part of the settlement mechanics is the “Development Index”, or DI. As your settlement grows, your DI goes up/gets larger, allowing a settlement to “spend” more DI for bigger and better structures. Only at the highest levels will settlements ever see the highest level structures and training facilities.

Many years ago I did a lot of “Play-by-Mail” gaming. One of the games was called “War Council” (I want to give credit where credit is due) and the “King” (the player) chose five members of his war council, each with different abilities and benefits. One of the council members was an engineer (City Engineer)( who could build things like sewer systems, street improvements, improved city design features like statues and traffic circles, parks, etc.

If one of the skill specializations a player can focus on is “City Engineer” this specialist could actually add to the DI for a settlement by spending time, money and resources to implement city improvements. Streets could be improved from muddy paths to cobblestone avenues. A sewer system could be added to a city to improve sanitation and reduce disease and increase the population capacity. Parks could be added to increase open space for city events and public functions.

Instead of everything taking away from the settlement’s DI, I thought I’d throw this out there as an option to actually increase DI, at a cost.

[Nihimon]

I think the plans already account for buildings that increase DI, and we also know that some buildings will have named managers which will have to have the right skills to make those buildings operate at their full potential, so it seems like this is effectively already in the design.

[Lord of Elder Days]

That was some fast crowd forging!

[Tuoweit]

Nihimon wrote:

I think the plans already account for buildings that increase DI, and we also know that some buildings will have named managers which will have to have the right skills to make those buildings operate at their full potential, so it seems like this is effectively already in the design.

To add to this, the idea has somehow got into my head that buildings themselves may need to be designed and/or built by appropriately-trained crafters. I could just be imagining that part, though.

[Quandary]

I think having some position REDUCE the DI requirement of certain building is plausible, which is effectively the same as increasing DI, I would not expect a character's job to increase DI per se though.

[DeciusBrutus]

I'd like to incorporate into this discussion by reference the entire Kingmaker Adventure Path kingdom-building rules, but not everybody has access to that. (additionally, not everybody who does has the same version, considering the houserules)

[randomwalker]

Tuoweit wrote:

To add to this, the idea has somehow got into my head that buildings themselves may need to be designed and/or built by appropriately-trained crafters. I could just be imagining that part, though.

I believe Ryan has talked about blueprints for buildings and how the simplest one will be initially available. I interpreted that as meaning more complex blueprints will require advanced skills (knowledge architecture/engineering) to learn/craft. That could mean the settlement "only" needs to spend the blueprint item, but could potentially require to have a master architect supervising the building site (at least to get started).

Most structures will "only" require cartloads and cartloads of simple materials, but it is feasible that some may need small quantities of quality goods (stained-glass windows and such), thus requiring skilled crafters.

I'm hoping settlement management skills along with economy skills become so important that "the big four" become commoner/expert/aristocrat/adventurer rather than fighter/rogue/wizard/cleric.

[Hardin Steele]

In hindsight I shouldn't have titled this thread "City Engineer" at all, but that "champion" was the one guy that could build your city up the fastest and most efficiently. In PFO perhaps one of the specializations would be something similar (hard to tell if that would be an "expert" or an "aristocrat" position. But Improved streets would certainly help, as would a sewer system, parks, proper drainage, public fountains, bath houses and the like. Public structures that have a fairly significant upfront cost in time, materials and labor, but it is a form of "buyback" of DI points to help your settlement maximize its potential.

[AvenaOats]

Hardin Steele wrote:

In hindsight I shouldn't have titled this thread "City Engineer" at all, but that "champion" was the one guy that could build your city up the fastest and most efficiently. In PFO perhaps one of the specializations would be something similar (hard to tell if that would be an "expert" or an "aristocrat" position. But Improved streets would certainly help, as would a sewer system, parks, proper drainage, public fountains, bath houses and the like. Public structures that have a fairly significant upfront cost in time, materials and labor, but it is a form of "buyback" of DI points to help your settlement maximize its potential.

I see, this could potentially be a "higher level up" manager position that individual managers of buildings might promote to; in effect providing DI buffs per building that simulate eg parks, sewage, public services... probably the type of infrastructure that becomes more necessary the larger and more developed the settlements, become?

So we know we have individual building managers, this could be a more general one, perhaps moving around "spot-checking"/"testing" stuff/"repairing stuff" and so on? Some little sparkle dust (insert as approp.) signs might visualize the boon of such a "city planning engineer"?