This started in the "what little changes do you want", but it got more complicated as I was writing so I moved it to its own topic. I refer to spearfishing as Easy Mode or Lazy Mode fishing. It's extremely easy and low maintenance compared to angling. Here are my suggestions to give spearfishing more depth.
Make fish take damage when you spear them, instead of just hit or miss. Larger fish should have more health and possibly survive hits. Larger polearms can be better for reliably killing larger fish but be harder to accurately hit with (less rerolls?), and smaller polearms can do less damage but be easier to hit with and be better for smaller fish.
If a larger fish survives your strike and escapes, it has a chance to yank your spear out of your hands. If it falls in the water and you're near a deeper water area, you might have to dive to retrieve it. If it's a river or sea shallows, the currents might drag it off to another room and you have to chase it down.
Have different moves. Spearfish light for a lighter but more accurate attempt, spearfish heavy for a more damaging but less accurate attempt. Those names are unimaginative, but you get the idea.
A fumble chance where your spear strikes a rock or something and takes extra durability damage.
Some kind of rare fish beast that can jump out of the water and actually attack you in combat. Wouldn't that make for a great fishing tale?
Giving spearfishing more depth
Re: Giving spearfishing more depth
So, I really like the idea of this, and I think it should probably be something similar to how I think Hunting should function, where fishing in the same spot generates a kind of "risk", and there's a chance to spawn an aggro critter. Crocodiles and alligators sound like great ambush predators for this exact instance.
"You hear the Woses, the Wild Men of the Woods... Remnants of an older time they be, living few and secretly, wild and wary as beasts."
Re: Giving spearfishing more depth
Spearfishing could definitely stand to see some more variety and interaction, so I appreciate the suggestions. I've put them into my to-do. If anyone thinks of anything else, please do toss further ideas here.
<Rias> PUT ON PANTS
<Fellborn> NO
<Fellborn> NO
Re: Giving spearfishing more depth
A minor suggestion that doesn't necessarily make spearfish have more depth, but as it stands spearfishing is pretty much close to no effort (beyond having to have a spear). I think that the spear thrust portion of Spearfishing should eat something like 50 energy (maybe scale it up for bigger fish), with the Fishing skill reducing the energy costs a bit. That way we're rewarding people who invest in the skill specifically (beyond the actually Fishing roll).
"You hear the Woses, the Wild Men of the Woods... Remnants of an older time they be, living few and secretly, wild and wary as beasts."