User:Raine Valen/Musings/Customization

"Customized for Raine Clove." Seeing those words show up when I hover my rusty bronze cursor over my weapons is comfort, Yeah, my scythe is up to par. I can't sell it later, but that's the price of having a weapon at maximum capacity. It's a trade-off, one that I've accepted as perfectly fair. I would never wield a non-customized scythe. "Customized for Raine Nito.", on the other hand, is something that I never see, and never need to. Every piece of Monk equipment is just as good for healing with or without the customization. There's no reason for anything to be customized for Raine Nito, ever. And, considering that Monk gear is lolexpensive, I'm glad for that. I can sell my wand when I find one I like better, I can pass my focus on. There is no trade-off; Customization does nothing for me; why do it? And then it occurs to me:
 * How is this justified, at all?

Why do physicals have to customize equipment for maximum potential, while it doesn't do anything at all for casters? Why do we have to lock our scythes and daggers and hammers and swords and axes and bows and spears to our characters forever, to reach a state that casters are already at? Why does a Zodiac Wand have a resell value, but a Zodiac Sword none? It's not fair; that's not a question. The question is, why isn't it fair? I can't come up with an answer for that. Caster equipment should require customization for maximum output. Shields should require customization for maximum output. I propose the following: On a related note, I believe that there should be more than one way to customize things:
 * Wands give a 10% HCT and a 10% HSR while customized, Focus items give an additional 3 Energy and a 10% HCT/HSR while customized, and Staves give an additional 5 Energy and 20% HCT/HSR while customized.
 * Alternatively, a 20% damage/healing bonus would be directly in line (reduce base damage/healing by 20% to compensate). The problem with this would be that non-damage/healing builds would still receive no benefit from customization, so certain builds still wouldn't face the drawback of having non0customized equipment.
 * Shields give +4 AL while customized.
 * "Caster Customized for Raine Nito" on one of my caster swords would be welcome; what is 20% additional damage going to help me with on a 0-specced sword?

With a system like that, I'd suggest customization options similar to inscriptions, but stronger and without the conditions (compare unconditional 20% to 15^50, for example). Something like the above would (1) equalize the customization standard between classes and (2) promote diversity. I don't think that would be bad for the game.