Skirmish Fighting (Dominator Secondary)

This is my proposal for Skirmish Fighting.

Skirmish Fighting is a dominator secondary set pushing mediocre lethal damage with the option of a solid toxic damage addition to make it fall in line with other sets damage if played in a standard way, and other options to use secondary effects to reach the same goal, or exceed it in the case of supporting a team but only if the user pushes into dangerous melee range. Simple set to play with and get damage from, with room for depth and risk vs reward.

As an addition to the AT it gives us access to numerous weapons in one set, and as an addition to the game it gives us more toxic damage and a new style character which currently is absent from the weapon options. Right hand melee, left hand pistol. Witch Hunters, Bounty Hunters, Musketeers, CQC specialists, etc.




Note:
1) Dominators have no actual weapons available to them
2) Numerous melee weapons exist for the main hand. Every broadsword, katana, dual blade, Mace, and Axe is available right handed. It's a lethal set so maces are probably out, but all your other melee weapons are in.
3) Every pistol is available LEFT handed.

Observe:
Enemies often use pistol/melee mixes, or single pistols. Many dual pistol animations are firing only one pistol, (executioner's shot <3).

Disclaimer:
Obviously, this would need a new weapon draw animation and we would like it to be LIGHTNING fast. Probably some kind of crossed arm weapon draw from the belt.

1) Pistols (Lethal ranged)
2) Hack (Lethal/Special melee)
3) Slice (Lethal/Special melee cone)
4) Prepare Blade (Like Swap Ammo for the melee moves only)
5) Power Boost
6) Piercing Rounds (Narrow cone piercing shot -RES)
7) Gash (Lethal/Special melee +KD)
8) Whirling Melee (Lethal/Special melee PBAoE)
9) Executioner's Shot (+KB)


1,2, 3) Set begins as a fast fun set for early levels playing with your favorite weapon models with a pair of 8sec melee moves and a 4sec single target attack. Great for DFB and early missions with small groups of enemies, but low on range for a dom set.



4) Then it gives you the Choice of blade mods to make things fun and give you your basic setup as early as lv10, where the player can start experimenting with applying the blade mod in a small AE. Note: Unlike Swap Ammo the damage varies from mod to mod. One gains damage from default and the other two mods actually give up some damage. This is a trade off for stronger secondary effects that better suits the AT.

Choice of blade mods from Prepare Blade:
Raw Steel: 100% lethal damage self +Melee DEF (Think mini Parry for solo)
Deadly Poison: 100% lethal/30% toxic, + toxic DoT (General damage mod)
Corrosive Gel: 80% lethal damage Foe -RES/-DEF (Defense debuff)
Neurotoxin: 90% lethal damage Foe immobilize, -rech, -fly, -dmg. (Offense debuff)

Please don't nitpick my numbers.
Final decisions would obviously be made by the devs and could be tweaked accordingly.

The real trick here, is that it has to be worth the application on the AE powers to justify the loss in damage. While the numbers don't have to be too terribly high on the debuffs, I do think they need to have longer DURATIONS than we might be used to on weapon effects because they're not going to pay for themselves in offensive or defensive gain unless they are still up when you go to attack again. That could bring up stacking issues... Again, up to the devs to tweak.



5) Power Boost in the usual place, and I choose power boost over BU and other options because the set, while full of buffing/debuffing possibilities, is low on actual control compared to other dom secondaries.

6) Piercing Rounds is next (and late for a second ranged move in a Dom set). I'm a bit iffy on the animation... I'm not at home so I can't check to be sure if that power's animation is left or right handed, or has both and alternates. Might need a new lefty animation made if there isn't one. If I had my way entirely I might ask that they make the cone a bit bigger with a one handed animation spraying a few rounds, and it would be KD rather than -res.

7) Gash gives you that later game damage boost, and is KD rather than KB so you don't mess up your own melee.

8) Whirling sword style attack opens up a host of new team moves using the blade venoms to more reliably hit 16 targets. Your trade offs to get debuffs are much more worthwhile from this point on.

9) Executioner's Shot finishes up the set with some much welcomed single target ranged burst a la bitter ice blast, and it gives a nice finishing touch because your burst combo of Gash and Executioner's Shot are both KD's.



Adjust damage / recharge and season to taste.

This is a cool idea for a set, and one that's been suggested a few times before under various names. Personally though, for an assault set with weapons I still want a pure sword set where the ranged attacks are Zelda style swordbeams.