Suggestion: Time Control

While this is a concept that was what originally started out as the Time Manipulation set we'll be seeing in I21, there's no reason a future Time Control set couldn't be introduced. This would give both Dominators and Controllers a new primary to play with and would thematically work well with Time Manipulation on controllers. I know people in the past have suggested such a set but here are my ideas for it!

1. Time Snare - Ranged, Moderate DoT (Energy), Foe Immobilize, -Recharge
Immobilizes a single target by manipulating its timeline and deals some energy damage over time. Some more resilient foes may require multiple attacks to Immobilize. Time Snare can also reduce a target's attack rate.

2. Time Wrench - Ranged, Moderate DMG (Energy), Foe Hold, -Recharge, -Regen
Painfully wrenches a single foe through the time-space continuum. Time Wrench deals energy damage and renders a foe helpless, as they literally try to pull themselves back together in their own time, and unable to defend himself. More powerful foes may not be held, but all affected targets will have their attack speed and regeneration reduced, as well as taking some energy damage.

3. Temporal Field - Ranged (Targeted AoE), Minor DMG(Energy), Foe Immobilize, -Recharge
You can immobilize multiple foes by manipulating timelines in a large area, dealing some energy damage over time and reducing attack rates.

4. Temporal Disruption - Ranged, High DMG (Energy), -Regen, -Recovery
Blasts the target with a concentrated beam of temporal energy that disrupts the space in time that the target occupies causing high energy damage and slowing the rate at which they regenerate health and recover endurance.

5. Alter Timeline - Ranged, Foe Confuse
You can temporarily alter an enemy's timeline, changing their history so they hold a different allegiance. If successful, the enemy will ignore you and attack his own allies. If you alter someone's timeline before he has noticed you, your presence will continue to be masked. You will not receive any experience points for foes defeated by an enemy whose timeline has been altered.

6. Time Shatter - Ranged (Targeted AoE), Minor DMG(Energy), Foe Disorient, -To-Hit
You shatter time for a brief instant in a small area around an enemy, damaging all nearby foes. The Time Shatter deals minimal Energy damage, and can Disorient all affected targets for a good while, as well as reduce their chance to hit.

7. Time Freeze - Ranged (Targeted AoE), Foe Hold
Freezes time around a targeted foe and those near him. Time Freeze renders all affected foes helpless, frozen in time and unable to defend themselves.

8. Time Storm - Ranged (Targeted AoE), Moderate DMG(Energy), -Recharge -SPD, -DEF(All)
Unleashes a storm of temporal energy on a target, disrupting time around them and nearby foes. The Time Storm damages foes and greatly Slows their attack speed and movement speed as well as reducing their defense.

9. Temporal Ally - Summon Doppelganger: Ranged, Moderate DMG(Energy)
You can call upon an alternate timeline version of yourself to assist you in battle. Your temporal ally is not as powerful as you but has similar powers to yourself such as Time Wrench, Temporal Disruption, and Time Storm

Your Temporal Ally is slightly resistant to Smashing, Lethal and Energy damage, but vulnerable to Psionic and Negative Energy damage.

Overall I tried to keep to a similar layout to other control sets while at the same time taking some cues from the Time Manipulation, Gravity and Illusion sets. First off, I wanted to have a variety of secondary effects much like Time Manipulation has as well as have a varied selection of tools.

The first and third powers are your typical dot/immobilizes with a fairly standard secondary effect. The ST Hold takes some ideas from the Time Stop power in Time Manipulation with its secondary effects. Several of the control sets have direct damage abilities, two of which do pretty respectable damage (Spectral Wounds and Propel). I figured Time Manipulation could have a power like that in Temporal Disruption and added some interesting secondary effects as well. While not everyone can appreciate confuse powers, I thought a power like Alter Timeline was a perfect way to bring that mechanic to the set in a thematically interesting way. You aren't simply confusing this foe but rather rewriting his history so he's your friend... at least for a little while. Time Shatter and Time Freeze are your standard aoe stun and hold, with Time Shatter having a -to-hit debuff for something interesting added after the fact. Then we come to Time Storm, now I know some folk might be thinking "wtf an aoe damage power in a control set???", well the precedent was already set with powers like Terrify and to some extent Hot Feet and Bonfire. Time Storm gives the set the rare ability to dish out direct aoe damage while at the same time applying a strong soft control (slow, -attack rate) and a defense debuff. Now Time Storm and Temporal Disruption also serve a secondary purpose... to provide attacks for the Temporal Ally pet to use along with the ST Hold. Temporal ally is the tier 9 pet most control sets have and I felt this would be the perfect opportunity to use the doppelganger tech in a players hands. The pet takes inspiration from Illusion's Phantasm but has abilities that all reside in the Time Control set so that the pet has abilities similar to its summoner.

So there's my ideas! I know some of them may not seem great but I felt it wouldn't hurt just to get them out there. If nothing else perhaps they can serve to inspire an actual Time Control set for us in the future!

I would like a Time Control set as I posted an idea, that is now gone form the forums, 3 years or so ago.


I actually really really like your idea for a pet.
It would be awesome to summon an alternate version of ourselves, using our costume but with the ghostly effect that incarnate lore pets have as well.

I would make it more like the current Singularity pet from Gravity Control where it is highly resistant to most damage and mezzes for balance and story reasons(after all having your former/future/alternate self killed wouldn't make much sense and if it couldn't be killed then it would mean it has strong defenses you grant it).

I would also make it do negative energy damage for two reasons.
1) It's an alternate version of yourself, sort of an opposite, perhaps even from an alternate universe where energy and negative energy are switched.
2) Scientists have theorized that travel through time or manipulation of it would require "dark energy" or "negative energy" to be possible in any measurable sense.



I happen to think all time based attacks should be negative energy for the reason stated above.
It's not an issue right now with Time Manipulation doing no damage and thus having no apparent damage type.

This would also give us a set other than "dark" that does negative energy like sets other than "energy" do energy damage. Many people also do not like the "smoke" graphics of dark either, especially when it should be more like a black version of radiation blast in looks.



Edit:
I swear Time Manipulation looks a lot like the set idea I came up with back then. I even called it either Time Manipulation or Temporal Control.

Edit 2:
Definitely want the ally for this to be focused more on mezzes than damage. I love that Singularity pet. He must be given flight as well(not there so technically weighs nothing) because that helps tremendously with pathing issues and following a flying player.
I actually hop all pets get upgraded speed soon. They all all so slow to follow that you have to teleport them around many times.

/signed... Somewhat.

I really want to see Time Control for Controllers and Dominators but I don't like the idea behind Temporal Disruption and Time Storm.

Rather than the debuff on Temporal Disruption, I'd give it the Delayed effect, then add onto other powers that only affect those that are Delayed (this would allow for synergy with Time Manipulation as well).

For Time Storm, I'd get rid of the damage and make it a pseudo-pet, like Static Field, which does a random mez (except immobilise and hold). Idea being that crazy changes in time have different effects on different people, some get confused, others get frightened, etc.