I always had similar thoughts regarding the AA system. Design the system to truly be a tree that allowed path specialization, not to simply obtain all of them over time. The possibilities seemed intriguing but I also saw significant balancing issues with that route as well.
For example, let's say the system allowed the player to specialize by role. Seems logical enough. If the player chooses to be more tank focused as an example, then their AA tree would consist of mitigation abilities, endurance/strength increases, increases in block and riposte skills, etc. For the obvious tank classes such as Warrior, SK and Paly, this seems like a no brainer path to take but how would say, a Monk be balanced if they chose this same path? For that matter, what would the net effect be if a Chanter or Mage chose this path? Would they now suddenly be able to serve as tank in a group while still dishing out their primary focus/spells?
