New armor set - vector-based resist

I think a "Chi Armor set" with vector-based resistances would be a cool addendum and a refreshing change from the other resistance-based sets.

Chi Armor

Through meditation, training and effort, you have attuned your body to the flow of universal energies. This grants you hightened senses and lasting power, as well as toughen your body against incoming blows. You have no protection against attacks you can't see coming though, such as direct attacks on your psyche. Your training has also taught you to weather blows, not dodge them, and so you feel every hit, even if they don't hit as hard.

Harmonious Cloak : Your training allows you to smootht he flow of internal and external energies in your body, spreading and defusing the force of melee hits (+resist against melee)

No-mind Focus : You are now capable of perceiving the Chi flows and disturbances caused by your foes' aggressive thoughts. By following those flows, you enhance your accuracy and perception (Passive +ToHit, +perception bonus)

Yang drain : By absorbing the Yang energies of your foes, you can both focus their aggression on you and boost your own health (Taunt aura with a +regen bonus per enemy around - maybe a diminishing return)

Unseen swat : You control has improved to the point where you can deflect incoming ranged attacks with a focused spike of Chi, lessening the impact (+resist against ranged)

One with Nature : Balancing your energies with that of your surrounding, you harmonize your inner self and protect it against disturbances (Mez protection)

Karma Shroud : Nearing the mastery of Chi control, you surround yourself with a shroud of Chi which cushions you from blasts, explosions and area-based attacks (+resist against AoE)

Yin absorbtion : you have attuned your own energies to the point that you can replenish your endurance faster by absorbing the ambient energies (Passive +recovery boost)

Precotious Reincarnation : in a last-ditch manipulation of the Karmic Wheel, you can return your departing spirit to your mortal shell. Such a transfer requires energy that you drain from your surrounding foes, leaving them tired (self-rez with a very long recharge, stuns, slows and recharge-debuffs the enemies around)

Karmic Avatar : Drawing massively upon the surrounding energies, you infuse yourself with Chi. Your recovery, resistances and Regeneration are all massively improved for a time. Such an desperate effort in exhausting though, and once the rush passes, you'll be left drained and unable to recover for a while (+Melee, Ranged, AoE resist, +Recovery, +Regen god mode with the usual End-crash and a recovery AND REGEN debuff)

I don't think there's such a thing as positional resistance in the game.

That's the point, it would be a totally new armor concept. Since vectors are already coded in (for defense purposes) I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be too huge a project to tie a resistance mechanics to it - certainly less than invent a new type of protection altogether, like they did with Elusivity. And frankly it's always baffled me that one could dodge shots or fire, but could only resist the later.

Considering Hamidon mitos can only be damaged by certain positions, I *think* it's technically possible for a positional resist set, though it's doubtful that'd be given to players on account of it'd include full resistance to psi, and reading your power ideas it looks like a cross between Willpower and Dark Armour and would need to be very careful with the numbers for balancing..

Other than that, I wouldn't mind a chi-based armour set, though Willpower, Super Reflexes and Energy Aura can technically fill in that role through customisation.

The way I was envisionning it, it would be coded in a roundabout way - essentially the resist would be to ALL damage types equally, BUT would only get applied if the positional tag was the correct one. No need to add damage separations or what-have-you.

So the first power would give, say, 20 % resist to S/L/E/F/C/N/T/P BUT ONLY IF DELIVERED THROUGH A MELEE ATTACK. This takes care of the Psi wall argument, since Psi is notorious for having attacks which have no positional vector, only a type label, which this set would be powerless against.

It would also solve the issue with such powers as Tough or IO set bonuses : Tough's S/L resist would be apllied no matter what the attack vector is so long as it's S/L damage, and would stack with the S/L resist from the powers if the tags match.

Frankly, unless there is a code secret that I don't envision, all it would boil down to would be an IF/ELSE test (well, more or less. ) The only truly annoying part would be adding a tab in the combat attribute window to display those vector restistance values.

they just need to come out with new defense powerset, period haha

*walks into thread*

*sigh*

Seriously? You guys are going to just rationalize the *concept* as unworkable without attempting to think of a solution that at least *simulates* vector-based resists?

Pretty sure going in and adding 3 types of resists to all attacks is more work than it's worth...

An 'IF/ELSE' line of code sounds simple but most likely can't be quickly added to the game since we're not dealing with BASIC here...

What about all the other mechanics we've got built into the game? There's got to be some creative minds who could think of something, right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArcticFahx It makes no logical sense, though. Positional defense does, since you would avoid ranged/melee/AoE attacks differently, but positional resistance? You get harmed less by being stabbed with a knife than having it thrown at you?

Works if the concept of the 'armor set' is some kind of entity or source that doesn't particularly emanate from the body. For example:

-Fiery Aura, Ice Armor, Energy Aura, etc. are sources that emanate from the character and/or encapsulate the character's body. Anything that comes near or in contact with the body is affected and/or intercepted by that power.

-A spirit, deity or a power that fills or inhabits a larger area would have varying protection depending on the attack's vector. If the power is simulating a ghost floating beside you and absorbing attacks for you, it might do better at absorbing dissipated attacks (AoE) vs focused ones performed with the body (melee).

Thinking about it, I do have a character who might use something like vector resists. A character who has such an intense soul, it literally leaks out of his body (where most others are contained inside the body) in every direction for nearly 100 yards. Anything within his presence he can wrap his soul into and affect, changing it's appearance (illusions), hindering or dissipating enemy attacks or concentrating his energy into attacks of his own. Not saying he'd need vector based defense to work, but just saying it makes sense for him.

What would be the point of adding Positional Resitance?

If you have a toggle that adds resistance against each position (Melee, Ranged and AoE) you're in exactly the same position as if you had, say, a S/L toggle, a F/C/Tox toggle and an E/N/Psi one.

All this accompolishes is letting someone make a build where they skip one of these toggles, eg you decide to let yourself be vulnerable to AoE attacks.

How many times do you do that with existing armor sets? I find I always take all major powers to cover all bases. Sometimes I'll delay one power a bit, but its not a particularly exciting part of my career where I'm vulnerable to fire or whatever, its just work in progress.

I like the positional resistence concept. I tried to suggest one too and got the same haters. LOL

That being said, you, like my set did, have too many other abilities in this set. SR has the same M/R/AoE over and over again. no health bonus, no endurance, no worth while taunt and its fairly expensive. So, I will support this set IF, either they fix SR to have similar (additional) powers as this, or You make it so it's only concerned about the positional resistance. or if they make brute and tank SR able to hit 45% def without having to add more defensive powers.

Score, then I even outsmarted myself ! (What? No one else wanna gimme props. )

Biggest problem I see is for a Melee set if you fight more than 3 minions you will already have people getting behind you. Also means all PBAOE attacks become too hazardous to use properly because you can't just run into the middle of a bunch of mobs, you would have to constantly watch where bosses, etc are so that they don't get in wrong place.

This would actually be a more interesting concept for squishies than melees.

Besides if they are going to put new player logic in I would rather see reflective damage where some of the resisted damage can be reflected back to attacker or into a aura hitting those in melee range.

OK. You dont give numbers for your set, but my impression was that the three main resistance powers (to Melee, Range and AoE) would be roughly equal in value. If that's the case, you end up with a character who resists all attack vectors by the same amount, say 50%.
This is exactly equivalent to resisting all damage types by 50%. There is literally no difference.

The current defence powersets actually use the fact they have vector and typed defence.
Parry adds Melee defence, because deflecting close attacks but not ranged ones or bombs makes sense.
Ice Armor deflects physical attacks, but not fire attacks, which combined with its lack of fire resistance gives it a hole that makes sense.

If you add positonal resistance as an idea, you'd need to answer these questions:

How do typed and vector resistances stack? Is it like defence, where you take the higher value and apply it? If you add them both can you easily get overpowered results?

What about Sonic Resonance? It currently buffs typed resistance to S/L and F/C/E/N. How will this stack with say Melee resistance? Do we need to add Melee resistance and Ranged/AoE resistance to the ally shields?
(Force Field used to only add typed defence, which meant it helped Ice tankers much more than SR Scrappers, so these oversights do happen.)

What about Thermal? It adds typed resistance to allies, but favours Fire resistance and gives little cold resistance. What should it add?

What does Tough do? Adds Melee rsistance too?

The Eye of the Magus/Demonic accolade power add resistance to all except Psi. Should it also add vector resistance?

If all the above gained ranged resistance, you've just made Carnie Ringmistresses and their ranged psi attacks much less dangerous. Do you want that?

The Vanguard Psionic Shield, available for Vanguard Merits, adds some Psi resistance. What should we do here? Its probably OK to leave it as is..

Most importantly, what else have you forgotten?
Mystic Fortune buffs?
Self Mutation?
Base empowerment buffs?
What other little used power has suddenly been nerfed or boosted unintentionally by adding this new mechanic.


Is this work really worth it for a set whose only new feature is that you resist AoE damage less than other vectors during the levelling process? I don't think so.