The more full your energy bar, the shorter your healing time.
You mean like a food gauge like in Darkstone (old classic fantasy RPG I used to play) or Pokemon Mystery Dungeon?
I like that idea.
Here's my vision of how it would work:
The food gauge steadily depletes as you explore or do tasks. It can be replenished by eating green food, some green food fills it up more than others. Like Treestars will fill it very quickly, while the food on Chomper's Island will be less filling than others.
The food gauge depletes at a different rate and has a varying capacity for the classes. It depletes the slowest and is the largest in the Longneck class (large stomach and slow metabolism), it depletes the fastest and is the smallest in Flyers (small and very active, flight requires lots of energy). The other classes have depletion rates and gauge sizes between them. I am visualizing the guages as the same size (appearence wise) for all the classes, it's just the value that's different.
I don't know if the size and depletion rates should be modifiable or not.
The food gauge does affect the gameplay:
100% of gauge - abilities at max level (whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is at max speed
75% of gauge - abilites at max level (whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is slowed down slightly
50% of gauge - abilities drop 1 level from whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing is obviously slowed down
25% of gauge - abilities drop 3 levels from whatever level they have been leveled up to), healing ceases
0% of gauge (totally empty) - abilities revert to level 1, character takes damage
All level drops in abilites are temporary and will be reversed once the gauge passes the critical point.
Example:Shorty with level 6 tail whip at with a full food gauge doesn't eat and his gauge becomes totally empty, he will now have a level 1 tail whip. Once he gets the gauge past 25%, he'll have a level 3 tail whip, once he reaches 50% of his gauge he will have a level 5 tail whip. Once he reaches 75% of his gauge, he will have his level 6 tail whip restored.
And throw things, though some 4 footers can use their tails for that, it's a different skill, I'd say. Not sure if having hands is an ability or not.
I don't think having hands should count as a skill.
But tail throw can be added in:
Tail Throw: All four-footers can learn this. Max level is only attainable by Longnecks (remember the prehensile tail)
The dinosaur uses its tail to throw an object at its target. This ability is not as accurate or as fast to use as the throw that two-footers can use, but it is capable of generating more power and throwing heavier objects.
At low levels, only small loose objects like loose rocks can be thrown. At max level, objects like small trees can be simultaneously ripped out and thrown (ala the Incredible Hulk).
BTW, how about a "Hidden Runner" class, like the one from the TV episode? He may have some special ability to appear invisible, when he stands still.
To be totally blunt, I REALLY don't like this idea. It seems to add too much of a "classic fantasy" feel (invisibility).
Although the inclusion of a "Hidden Runner" class as a Fast-Runner with enhanced sneaking abilities could work.
Iguanadons, which I guess would be called spikethumbs or similar may have a different ability due to their thumbs.
I think they should only get a bonus for object manipulation (+5% accuracy for vine throw, as an example) and throwing objects (enhanced accuracy, greater power, greater range or all of them)