My approach would be:
3 core lines.
1 Elite line, also creating a ‘basic’ elite spec representing aspects/builds of the core class
Also heavily narrow the field of application of current traits. For example a defensive built warrior only having access to their best defensive assets whilst wielding a shield, to avoid creating monsters that can do too many things at once.
Finally slightly nerf all traits across the board to compensate for the increase of traits total.
This way we’d hopefully:
-Have no mandatory lines unless they are synergizing with the build choice from the elite line.(For example a thief choosing stealth augments from the core elite would naturally go with shadowarts, one with open combat choices or daredevil would take acrobatics)
-Give more traits to select from without impacting the overall class performance too much.
The main thing here is the core line.
With three respective choices for each tier you could pre-define three builds for each class, but the player would still have 3 traitlines for variation. For example whether to focus a defensive build more on condi or direct damage denial.
The elite spec would either open up a completely new option for the class, or prove a superior variant for but one of the core builds, not for all.
A herald therefore would become a stronger supporter than a ventari focussed core build, but still be inferior to a shiro core choice in direct fighting capability.
Idk, Ive been working on this for a while now, and besides the need to basically overhaul every trait and add 100 completely new, it should work out pretty well in terms of build diversity.
