Power Proliferation That I'd Like To See

If this worked ala Terra from Teen Titans with the rocks flying without being physically thrown like the Hurl Boulder we currently have ingame. Like you point your finger and a boulder comes flying from behind (maybe using propel's animation) Then I would be... *Head explodes from the awesome possibilities*

If on the other hand, the set had you constantly bending over and tearing chunks out of the floor to throw them... I'd have to pass.

Better still, just make two alternate sets of animations; one that has you moving the rock by waving your hands Terra style, the other with you ripping out rocks from the ground and physically flinging them.

This. I feel like MMs are too limited in concept, just new skins/models would be awesome. Still probably a bit of work to make, but at least the powers would already be balanced.

I feel like all of the Human MM Sets(Thugs, Mercs, Ninjas) could use the same skin options with out much of a big deal even the Oni could work with a A top sweeper/assassin Mafioso type skin

The non human sets would have less crossover skin options

I really like most of this list. Earth Manipulation is darn near perfect imop.

Kinetic Manipulation would just need a few minor name changes and perhaps a reorder. First power could be Speed Siphon (self only version of Siphon Speed with lower values of course). Power Siphon right from the Kinetic Melee set works fine as a renamed Build Up. Transference would never probably happen though. I assume Repulsing blow is suppossed to be a nenamed version of Power Thrust, which isn't actually necessary, but I get it. I'd rather see a long base recharge click version of Force Bubble with a smaller radius and a relatively short duration (perhaps 10-15 seconds). Just for another interesting tool.

Martial Arts should be renamed to Martial Prowess. The power order strikes me rather strange. What most likely would be seen is: Thunder Kick, Caltrops, Crane Kick, Focus Chi, Cobra Stike, Quickness, Blinding Powder, Dragon's Tail, Eagle's Claw.

Well, the thing with Dom Assault sets is that they combine Blast sets with Manip/Melee Sets to offer a range of single-target ranged and melee attacks, usually getting an AoE somewhere. Much like giving blasters psychic blast and psychic manipulation, the melee components went to the manip set, and the ranged components went to the blast set, including some that weren't a part of the defender version.

Basically, my idea is to expand the ranged moves from that set to cover a full blast set, and move the melee and some control abilities to a manipulation set, and you'd have a cool blaster idea.

I suggested one too, but I tried to give it more variety in the blasts than just rocks, like a sand blasting move that would tear at enemy defenses, the stalagmites attack with earth assault where you punch the ground and spikes come out under them, the rock shooting out of the ground idea you had is great as well (I think I had a location AoE similar to that, but it hit on the rise and the drop after). I also had a PBAoE toggle in the manipulation set that had a chance of knockdown for nearby enemies, causing seismic waves to pulse from you.

Sure it takes more work than a normal proliferation, but every other elemental control set seems to have a matching blast, melee, and manip set. :-/ Just a shame Earth doesn't.

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OH! On that note, an Earth-based defender primary set would be great too, but that's an idea for the "new powers" thread, lol. Put some rock armors in it, an Earth's Embrace style power to cast on teammates, a sandstorm PBAoE toggle, an AoE heal over time for anyone on the ground near a target location, so many possibilities, lol

^ THIS! lol

With a set like Earth Blast, you'd be easily able to have two sets of animation, one more like Propel and the other like Hurl Boulder. Just make the animation times the same and make them costume editor options like the Martial Arts punch/kick alternatives. That way you could be an earth mage or just a strong guy, lol

The problem I see with the Power Siphon port from kinetic melee is that it only affects Kinetic Melee powers (for example, a kinetic melee scrapper who has Fighting:Boxing will not gain a buff from using Boxing). I could see a retooled version of it that possibly boosts the inherent bonus the blaster gets from his other attacks through Defiance maybe. Since blasters already have this +damage on hit thing, it just seems redundant though.

I think a typical Siphon Power move like the kinetics version but only for yourself might keep a steady stream of damage going rather than the sudden burst, making the set feel more original. I don't think the buff would have to be weaker than the defender version since it only benefits you, and it would need to be better than normal Defiance buffs to make up for time spent not attacking when you activate it. 30% damage on it wouldn't really be unreasonable, making it sorta like the "Follow Up" of blaster sets. Just add in a small ToHit buff and you're all set.

Also, another idea for the +damage move of the set: why not just make a passive that increases your Defiance damage buff amount from each attack by a flat % (like adding 5% to all of them)? You would climb to higher numbers faster and maintain consistently stronger damage. Not sure how easy that would be to program though. Nothing to activate, but you'd have some "warming up" to do first. Call it Defiant Siphon or something.

As for a small radius force bubble, I think a single click PBAoE pulse that pushes enemies away would be neat. Not a toggle like Repel, or a slow push like force bubble, but a fast cooldown, fast activation click move that gives you some breathing room. It couldn't be an starting power or it would outshine Power Thrust, but maybe 4-6 tier range.

I didn't use Siphon Speed as the 1st ability, because that wouldn't fit with the Manipulation design. It needs to be either an Immobilize or a Knockback, and I felt that a KB would fit better, being Kinetics. Another option would be, like you said, a small radius Repel, but it would need to be very low damage since it would be a PBAoE, perhaps use a 'punch the ground' animation (Terry Bogard style ), though it would need to be on a fairly short recharge (thus still be useful when mezed).

As Archon099 pointed out Power Siphon only affects Kinetic Melee attacks, though I'm sure it could be modified to affect all damage (but then it's just Build Up with another name). I used Siphon Power because I felt it would be a different mechanic than a standard Build Up power, and would give the Blaster a higher sustained damage rather than the spike from Build Up.

As for Transference, there are a few Manipulations that have a self +End, so I don't see where this would be out of place. Unless I wrote the wrong power (which is entirely possible).

For MA, the only reason I put Crane Kick before Thunder Kick was specifically due to the KB. Otherwise, you are correct in that Thunder would be first.

This is what I was talking about, a quick, low (or zero) damage PBAoE knockback. Just for breathing room.

Yeah, Transference is the end draining one. Blasters have in their manipulation sets so far a +recovery/+regen move (Psychic Manip), a -End Cost power (Energy Manip), and 2 endurance heal AoEs (Fire/Electric Manip). They are getting Dark Manipulation, which is expected (no confirmation yet) to include Dark Consumption. So a blaster having a way to maintain endurance isn't out of the question. So giving Kinetic Manipulation a single-target, user-only endurance heal would be perfectly acceptable. I would love a set like this, lol.

Funny thing about this is, before he left Castle confirmed that damage reflection is actually possible with the game engine.

It just won't be allowed because it takes up way too many CPU cycles to calculate all the to-hit rolls and who is being damaged by what.

If they put that mechanic in the game more than one of those characters would lag the hell out of their immediate vicinity just with the sheer number of server side calculations they'd be generating.

Originally Posted by Dechs Kaison See, it's gems like these that make me check Claws' post history every once in a while to make sure I haven't missed anything good lately.

Just waiting for Energy Control and Gravity Assault...

Couldn't be any worse than when Dark Age of Camelot (running a far inferior engine) had 2-3 classes with some version of this mechanic and whole teams of them did farming with it, at its peak, too. And don't get me started on the Animist Shroom farms and the Theurgist Pet mobs.

Good to know. And yet it gives me a possible solution to the problem: why do a hit check? If the attack needs a hit check to damage you anyway, then make it always reflect and always hit the return damage. Make return damage weaker, either proportional or flat amounts, but that way if they miss, no return damage, if they hit, they get hurt a little. This would require reflection to be a guaranteed occurrence with only partial return damage though.

I understand they probably were asking about damage reflection on the scale of a full reversal of the damage onto someone else and not hurting the original target. If that's the case, then yes, it might have to be a hit chance type thing both ways (not to mention if two people have return damage sets and bounce a bullet back and forth for a while, lol). A possible solution though would be to make the chance of reflection much like defense. If they hit, it rolls the reflection chance. If the reflect is successful, it does guaranteed to hit return damage. That way you only have one check more than normal. It's still doubling the calculations, but at least it isn't too bad...

And that gave me yet another idea: make damage reflection a temporary click protection move like Moment of Glory. Five seconds of guaranteed reflection of damage. The only hit check would be the first made by the enemy. If they hit, guaranteed reflect back. Make it short-lived and guaranteed and you solve all the problems it would pose.

Just some ideas.

I submitted an Earth Defense power set (Defender primary, Controller/Corruptor/MM secondary) to a new power thread once. Let me see if I can remember the suggestions:

1) Essence of Earth: Location AoE heal over time (you cause the earth to empower any allies who stand on the location you cast this ability, healing them over time as long as they remain on the ground. It would last maybe 10 seconds and have a similar cooldown when enhanced (so you could have one, maybe a second up at a time, but it's your only real heal, and it has no burst, so the healing would be supplementary to the defenses offered in the other powers). Think of it sort of like a Rain of Fire, but providing heals instead (not as rapidly, more like every half second or so).

2) Pyroclastic Armor: You create a shield of rock and magma around a teammate, providing defense to smashing and lethal, and resistance to fire (and some to cold). Basically, I merged brimstone and rock armor (leaving the armors all separate would completely eat up all the power options for the set and it would get boring easily).

3) Rockstorm: You create a whirling storm of rocks around a teammate (toggle). These rocks deal minor DoT and can knock enemies off their feet (knockdown). I considered making this power seismic waves pulsing from the target ally, but it wouldn't make much sense if they left the ground, so I went with rocks orbiting them.

4) Obsidian Crystals: Armor cast on a teammate, offering defense against Psionic, Energy, and Neg. Energy damage (obsidian armor and crystal armor combined).

5) Terra-Embrace: An Earth's Embrace power castable on teammates.

6) Sandstorm: You cause a sandstorm at the target location, damaging enemy accuracy, perception, and speed, while ripping at their defenses.

7) Seismic Pulse: (Toggle) You send out periodic pulses of seismic waves to detect the positioning of enemies and teammates. You use this to locate invisible enemies nearby, increasing perception of yourself and any allies in range. The rhythmic pulses also help the team coordinate and focus, providing protection to many status effects (didn't decide which, but that'll be up to the devs when balancing and stuff).

8) Might of Antaeus: You empower a teammate with the might of the Greek god Antaeus, who drew his power from the earth. You increase their damage by 30% and accuracy by 15%. If they are touching the ground, this bonus is increased to 50% and 25% respectively and the additional effect of increased recovery rate is applied. (I figured this name meshes with the underlying Greek mythology in the game, while staying true to the power set and concept). This lasts for about 30 seconds, and recharges in about 4.

9) Diamond Armor: You coat a teammate in diamond, increasing resistance and defense to all damage for a short time. This is similar to Moment of Glory castable only on teammates, and with a weaker buff, since you already provide other armors long-term. It would last about 10 seconds and recharge in about 3.

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I have a feeling the set would give varied utility, buffs, debuffs, steady healing, and short-burst defensive and offensive buffs. It doesn't focus on one area, but can pretty much make any teammate more effective in one way or another.