It's a bad RPG. If you're here to create a character with the wide range of skills and abilities, well, ♥♥♥♥ YOU. You will make a combat character and you will like it. Don't like it? Well, you can play the easy mode we passive-aggressively named 'hero mode' because we know if you don't want to engage in yet another dice roll combat system, you are obviously just a baby who needs to be a hero all the time. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It's not like there are no opportunities to use non combat skills - there are plenty, and they are interesting especially as resolutions to quests. It's just that there are many obstacles with only combat based solutions, and if you didn't make such a character you're SOL.

Now, if this had been communicated, or if the player's non-combat skills were limited and the emphasis on non-combat roles were placed upon certain NPC party members this would have been fine, but it isn't. Which is a real shame because the worldbuilding, writing and artistic design is literally the cream of the crop. It's just wasted on the designer's need to wank himself over his game being such a hard and elite sweaty game which is prioritised over the narrative experience, which should be the focus of an RPG.

An excellent RPG. Wish we had more good games.

Excellent RPG. These kind of games are a lost art with only rare exceptions breaking through. This is one of them. Do yourself and the industry a favour and buy this.