The General Classes Thread

[Messier-31]

So... is there anything close to a swashbuckling dashing swordsman, Errol Flynn style?

[lastpawn]

Some feedback on the Druid class.

 

Animal (spirit) forms seem underwhelming in the sense that it's difficult to get excited about them.

Spells seem like variation of "element X + affliction A" -- I don't find that particularly exciting. Many spells, few actual uses.

 

Overall, I'm simply not excited to play the Druid class. Priest, Cipher, and Wizard all seem to overshadow it.

 

As a suggestion, consider ways of enhancing animal forms at some cost. Also consider adding more utility spells, such that Priests aren't the obvious and superior utility choice (but that's another story).

[PrimeJunta]

Still more musings on the fighter. Again: in my opinion the main problem of the class is that it is currently role-limited to that of the tank. It's good at soaking damage and not much else; Knockdown is useful, but that's about the extent of it.

 

In my opinion, the goal of the fighter class should be that it lets you make at least four different builds, for four different combat roles, and combine characteristics of these builds as you want. These are:

 

The tank. This is the current build. Needs talents that boost defenses, regenerate stamina, protect health, engage targets and stop them from moving past it.

 

The damager. Needs talents that, well, do more damage. Some ideas: the Power Attack and Cleave DnD3 chains, talents that improve DT bypass, talents that improve Accuracy. Don't tie these to status effects so we're not just replicating the rogue.

 

The disabler. Needs talents that hamper enemies and take them temporarily out of the fight. Knockdown goes in this category. Others would include fast, high-Interrupt attacks, talents to improve battlefield mobility, attacks that push enemies back.

 

The archer. Ranged talents, duh.

 

There's nothing wrong with the tank we have now, but fighters should have broader possibilities than just tank. With talents supporting these four types, you could make a broad variety of hybrids which could be quite interesting to play.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Still more musings on the fighter. Again: in my opinion the main problem of the class is that it is currently role-limited to that of the tank. It's good at soaking damage and not much else; Knockdown is useful, but that's about the extent of it.

 

In my opinion, the goal of the fighter class should be that it lets you make at least four different builds, for four different combat roles, and combine characteristics of these builds as you want. These are:

 

The tank. This is the current build. Needs talents that boost defenses, regenerate stamina, protect health, engage targets and stop them from moving past it.

 

The damager. Needs talents that, well, do more damage. Some ideas: the Power Attack and Cleave DnD3 chains, talents that improve DT bypass, talents that improve Accuracy. Don't tie these to status effects so we're not just replicating the rogue.

 

The disabler. Needs talents that hamper enemies and take them temporarily out of the fight. Knockdown goes in this category. Others would include fast, high-Interrupt attacks, talents to improve battlefield mobility, attacks that push enemies back.

 

The archer. Ranged talents, duh.

 

There's nothing wrong with the tank we have now, but fighters should have broader possibilities than just tank. With talents supporting these four types, you could make a broad variety of hybrids which could be quite interesting to play.

^This, OMG, so much this!

 

Similarly, the ranger needs to have at least one or two close combat build routes to explore.

And like somebody wrote in another thread, the rogue would benefit from a return of the classic 2nd idea of a thief - so we need a few build options for that as well.

PoE would be more enjoyable if this little increase in build diversity made it into its vanilla version.

Edited August 31, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot

[Ashen Rohk]

 

[Ashen Rohk]

 

[Ashen Rohk]

 

Edited August 31, 2014 by Ashen Rohk

[Ashen Rohk]

 

Sorry for the massive amount of spam and multiple posts, can only put 2 links in a video and lost this thread after I posted my fighter video.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Ashen Rohk: A big thank you for your ambitious class vids!

I have only had the time to watch one of them so far (I picked the ranger, since that's the class I would have picked if it didn't have that obligatory companion choice). I really like your thorough approach, truly delving into the attribute details, and then the abilities and what kind of effects and damage they have. And that seemingly stuffed Dibbles sliding around those first seconds was hilarious!

 

When I watched it, I just realized that each and every attack, by the ranger and by the deer, sounds the same: A metallic "schiiick"-sound. It would be nice if OE threw in a pool of fitting, though still of course just a few generic sounds, some a bit darker (thumps) and some lighter, just for the sake of variation. This game is intended for tens of hours of playing, after all.

Edited August 31, 2014 by IndiraLightfoot

[Ashen Rohk]

[Ashen Rohk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY4grjMLtG4&list=UUeM5PbKp9U6oYDIRqV659Cg

 

[Seari]

The fighter needs another modal active ability as the Defender, but more offensive focused. Something like this:

 

Vanguard(active) - The fighter adopts a more offensive combat strategy, concentrating on relentless assault. He receives a bonus to Attack Rate, but at the expense of Deflection. Can not be active at the same time as Defender.

And maybe something similar for ranged weapons.

 

This is why it would be better if you could choose abilities on level up instead of having them automatically assigned. It would greatly increase class diversity.

 

Obsidian pls

[bronzepoem]

 

Classes I know have impact but can't always "feel" it:

- Fighter & Rogue.

Yes,Fighter & Rogue are not so fun，especially rogue.

No class build,only like a DEX fighter .Maybe it's powerful, but really not interesting.

Edited September 5, 2014 by bronzepoem

[Sylvanpyxie]

So I just tried out Monk for the first time, going into it with very low expectations given so many people on the forums seem to think they are suffering as a "Front Line" class... Having played on Normal, my Monk decimated the beta. Literally obliterated it.

 

I will agree that Monks are not as durable as Paladins, Fighters, or even Bear Druids/Ranger Companions. However, after peeling off a single mob for the Monk to tank in order to gain her Wounds, something miraculous happened.

 

Though duration damage, namely the poisons, were often enough to knock her out, I discovered that as long as she had a steady supply of Stamina and didn't use up her wounds too often, Mia the Monk could stand there and take more physical punishment than I had originally thought.

 

After returning to town and purchasing a Trollhide Belt(Stamina regen) from the tannery, I went back out into Dyrwood Crossing to take on the beetles and test Mia's durability. Which had definitely improved - but still was not enough because poisons are ridiculous. But fear not, fellow testers, because I discovered something far greater than the durability she needed.... I discovered - Damage.

 

Unarmed, Mia the Monk was hitting for 40 damage, critting for up to 70, and all of this was done with Swift Strikes active which meant she was burning through mobs like lightning. With a continual source of stamina healing - The belt and beta Priest - she suffered no knock outs and with 2 stacks of Wounds bolstering her health pool for as long as she was in combat I keenly increased the pace of destroying Dyrwood Crossing.

 

Moving from group to group, keeping up the pace for as long as I could, Mia destroyed the opening Beetles, the Wolf pack, the Spiders outside of the cave, the Wyrmling things and circled around just in time (barely) to decimate the rest of the Beetles, forming one giant loop around the Crossing.

 

The Crossing was cleared by Mia the Monk and her BB Priest in minutes. Destroying the venomous mobs before they could afflict her with their evil damage over time and her wounds absorbing ridiculous sums of damage from direct attacks.

 

I honestly couldn't tell you what the rest of the Monk abilities are like, Clarity of Agony will likely be useful to combat poisons and such, Stunning Blow was effective at shutting down mobs when I used it, but frankly all I used was Swift Strikes.

 

So! Final Verdict - Monks have literally unrivaled melee damage. Their durability is situational.

 

 

Mia the Monk - Might 15. Cons 18. Dex 16. Int 15.

 

(Oh yeah - this is all personal experience so... OPINIONS.)

Edited September 9, 2014 by Sylvanpyxie

[Matt516]

(The tale of Mia the Monk)

 

Glad to hear Monks aren't horrendously UP like they were in the IE games. xD

 

Since you've played rather a lot with your unarmed Monk, maybe you can answer a question I have - a few of the Monk's abilities refer to melee weapons in the description. Can these be used when unarmed? I made a Monk briefly, but was pretty disappointed to see that (as it seemed to me, maybe I was wrong) my Monk wouldn't be able to use many of his abilities while unarmed.

[Sylvanpyxie]

 

 

a few of the Monk's abilities refer to melee weapons in the description. Can these be used when unarmed?

I was able to use them while unarmed.

[Kjaamor]

I've mentioned this in multiple other threads, but if this is to be the master thread, I'll copy and paste it into here, too.

 

The Cipher:

 

"Whispers of Treason" + Out-of-combat resets focus + Ability to see the enemy before they see you = Hideously overpowered.

 

I did both Spider caves without taking a hit (apart from the undead spawn). I'm fairly sure that qualifies the above as needing a bit of a nerf.

 

A successful nerf, in my eyes, would include:

 

1. When out of combat, Cipher's focus ticks down to 0 rather than resetting to full.

2. Whispers of Treason is easier to save against

3. Whispers of Treason has a shorter (or in fact any) range.

4. Mobs can see an unstealthy party from at least as far as an unstealthy party can see them.

5. Debuff/DoT spells should, unless part of a specific scripted event, reveal the party/caster to a group of mobs.

[Sylvanpyxie]

 

 

1. When out of combat, Cipher's focus ticks down to 0 rather than resetting to full.

While I understand the frustration of Cipher spells at the moment - The majority of the reason Whispers of Treason, and other unlimited range spells, are overpowered is because they put you beyond the aggro radius of mobs. I would honestly prefer Obsidian fix the Range vs Mob AI issue before they think about nerfing the core resources of any of the Classes.

[Kjaamor]

While I agree that unlimited range and blind enemies is a substantial problem, I would argue that a focus that ticks down to zero not only serves to address the problem but also better suits the original concept of the class - the idea that attacking builds power to unleash spells.

[Sensuki]

There's also the fog of war bug to consider.

[remiel005]

I wanted to post some of my experiences playing through the different classes.  These are my impressions so they are entirely subjective and I understand that bugs/balance issues/talents will influence some of the things I say.  I plan on posting as I work through the classes(except ones I know are in plans for overhaul).  Some of the suggestions I make might be redundant based on other threads/posts, but some are worth repeating and others I haven't seen because I skim past most of the posts.

 

To premise my experience this is how I play to test classes: Normal difficulty and I never rest - sort of a speed run(takes about an hour).  Sell all the extra starter gear and buy grap hook/rope.  Buy my adventurer.  I do the murderer quest to start, killing both groups.  I go to the crossing fighting the one wood beetle and the wolves then go straight to the egg.  I kill all of them and collect the egg with the grap hook.  - level up health restored.  Go to the ogre cave, kill the middle spider group and the ogre.  Return to town and turn in quests - level up health restored.  Go back to the crossing and go the long way around to the statue.  Fight all cultists between me and the easiest mechanics door and accept that they screwed the girl up and leave peacefully - go back the way I came in and turn in.

 

The one I would like to mention currently is the fighter class.  I feel like the pnp tradition of fighter is absent from the class in its current state - if anyone is familiar with the movie Gamers 2: Dorkness Rising, the thought process behind the turtle tank seems to be a guiding influence.  Guardian or defender would be a more accurate title.  In 8 levels you receive 2 offensive oriented abilities and the rest are defense.  There are currently 2 modals(3 if you count the stam regen that you can't actually de-activate).  The first is for personal defense and engagement and the second is a straight acc/def exchange that is shared with allies, but requires you literally stack the characters on top of one-another to benefit.

 

I played a game with a fighter PC that used an estoc and medium armor, the BB fighter as equipped and an adventurer fighter in light armor and a quarter staff.  I selected different talents/modals for each but they were ultimately very similar.  The survivability was very close due to most of the damage coming from deep wound and poison ticks rather than direct hits.  Spamming knockdown while the other three classes were set to ranged seemed to be the best strategy either by squaring each fighter up with an enemy and focus firing with my ranged or by surrounding solo enemies and taking turns knocking them down.  Generally per encounter/renewable resource debuffs outshine direct damage abilities in every class I've played as.  The only per rest abilities I used were wizard spells when I encountered the cultists bug where they only took marginal damage per hit.

 

My biggest concern with the class currently is not the fact that it doesn't live up to the tradition, but that when the better AI is implemented that they will lose the only role they currently have, which is holding the front line.  I foresee them taking a few engagement hits on most foes, then running around and giving classes that actually hit and do damage a flanking bonus.

 

Knockdown has its own range and is not weapon based.  This makes having a reach weapon fairly pointless for a fighter since it is their only activateable offensive ability.  I think it would be beneficial to add engagement attacks on approach for reach weapons (if this does happen it is completely lost to me in the combat log), especially considering this would be the only incentive a fighter would have to use them with the current ability set.

 

A fighter should feel unique based on every weapon/shield combination they have.  It would be nice to have a weapon/shield set for the stupid AI creatures that attack the first thing that engages them, a pike for enemies like barbarians who will run for the back line by having massive engagement circles and maybe multiple engagement attacks, dual wield speed weapons for high interrupt, etc.  This would allow them to be adaptive(and in someways traditional) and give a character a reason to have more than one in the party, not to mention make the class have some flavor beyond cardboard.

 

I see modals, as they are, to differentiate them from barbarians.  Right now modals 'sacrifice offense for defense' and barbarian abilities 'sacrifice defense for offense'.  The biggest difference is that barbarians are built around carnage and per encounter/rest abilities that last a fraction of the battle.  I think to keep the difference between fighters and barbarians still strong, eliminate the sacrificial portion of fighter modals; this would allow some offensive ones to be placed that could still keep them from trumping the barbarians and allow for a flare to fighters.

Edited September 13, 2014 by remiel005

[remiel005]

The wizard class, I know has been discussed quite frequently, but I think there are plenty of points that could be noted.  As a reference to my earlier post - I believe renewable resource classes and those that use /rest and /encounter abilities are highly out of sync. 

 

1: Compared to other games the spells are very low in number, especially from what spell options you get when leveling up even higher.  In the IE games wizards were only competing with clerics(who were heal/buff oriented with a few offensive/debuff flare spells) and druids(who were highly stylized casters) and allowed for a wide spectrum of utility in spell selection.  In this game they are competing with the same classes that have all their spells per level available, a chain casting cipher fiend that has insanely long debuffs, a windless bard that has extremely customizable buffs/debuffs that when utilized give it simultaneous access to more powerful spells, and a handful of other class abilities that further augment the game from predecessors.

 

2: The duration of most buffs are highly limited and mostly restricted to battle.  Try playing a buff based melee wizard and this will be incredibly obvious.  Even if you select your spells based on duration, by the time you get a decent selection of buffs going for the one battle, you have a)expended about 5 of maybe 15 /rest spells b) expended the length of duration of several spells c) been less effective than just auto-attacking at range for splash damage and shooting missiles.

 

3: The buffs the wizard does receive are restricted to just them.  This, paired to the previous problem, makes most of the buff spells a wasted strategy - which paired to the first issue makes the wizard very streamlined.

 

4: Almost all of their spells are aoe based.  Right now aoe is highly discussed so I don't feel like I need to include that all here.

 

5: The damage output of wizard spells never appears that impressive to me.  By BG 2, most wizards could do 6-60 damage with a fireball, which was even more significant considering the comparable HD of  creatures and that weapons dealt usually between 1-8 damage plus modifiers(for a standard longsword).  In pillars of eternity my fireballs usually deal maybe twice the damage of the other classes auto-attacking.

 

6: On the positive side there are a handful of spells unique to PoE.  These, when the game is considerably more balanced, could be fun and useful.

 

What I think would help the class from low levels, is for it to start out with the /encounter spells - instead of awarding them much later in the game(still didn't see them by level 8 ).  Essentially, this would be creating two tiers of spells per level.  The /encounter spells would have the short duration as they are now and the low damage.  The /rest spells would be buffs that lasted for entire game days, devastating damage or powerful buffs/debuffs.  The /encounter powers could then later be changed into quicker cast or chain cast.  

 

Something that I always hated about the IE games was that instead of intelligent caster enemies, they would just automatically start out with 5 buffs in battle so that they were harder to kill.  The quick or chain cast of /encounter abilities could simulate this.

 

This approach would require a change to how grimoires function.  I really believe the concept of different grimoires for different situations is interesting but the cooldown combined with the current spell limitations would slow down an already slower class.

Edited September 14, 2014 by remiel005

[PrimeJunta]

1: Compared to other games the spells are very low in number, especially from what spell options you get when leveling up even higher.  In the IE games wizards were only competing with clerics(who were heal/buff oriented with a few offensive/debuff flare spells) and druids(who were highly stylized casters) and allowed for a wide spectrum of utility in spell selection.  In this game they are competing with the same classes that have all their spells per level available, a chain casting cipher fiend that has insanely long debuffs, a windless bard that has extremely customizable buffs/debuffs that when utilized give it simultaneous access to more powerful spells, and a handful of other class abilities that further augment the game from predecessors.

I agree, wizards need more variety in spells, even at the risk of treading on the toes of ciphers, chanters and, to a lesser extent, priests and druids. (Priests need more spell variety too.)

 

2: The duration of most buffs are highly limited and mostly restricted to battle.  Try playing a buff based melee wizard and this will be incredibly obvious.  Even if you select your spells based on duration, by the time you get a decent selection of buffs going for the one battle, you have a)expended about 5 of maybe 15 /rest spells b) expended the length of duration of several spells c) been less effective than just auto-attacking at range for splash damage and shooting missiles.

You're using the buffs wrong. This isn't DnD where you pre-buff until you're a Christmas tree. Use buffs situationally, and pick the right one for the job.

 

3: The buffs the wizard does receive are restricted to just them.  This, paired to the previous problem, makes most of the buff spells a wasted strategy - which paired to the first issue makes the wizard very streamlined.

Try this: max RES, kit your wizard out in heavy armor, and stand in the front line. Then use cone- and line-shaped spells for offense, and self-buff when the going gets hot. I've tried this and did not find the self-buffs wasted in the least.

 

4: Almost all of their spells are aoe based.  Right now aoe is highly discussed so I don't feel like I need to include that all here.

I don't see this as a bad thing BTW. Also there are a number of point and line-based spells as well.

 

5: The damage output of wizard spells never appears that impressive to me.  By BG 2, most wizards could do 6-60 damage with a fireball, which was even more significant considering the comparable HD of  creatures and that weapons dealt usually between 1-8 damage plus modifiers(for a standard longsword).  In pillars of eternity my fireballs usually deal maybe twice the damage of the other classes auto-attacking.

I tend to agree, although it's not fair to compare a L5 fireball to a L10+ fireball. The damage for a L5 fireball in AD&D is 5d6, which means a very tight cluster around 17-18 points. A sword-n-board fighter with a +1 sword and 18/50 STR would do 1d8 + 4 damage, which averages to 8.5 points. Which is pretty damn close to half the damage of the fireball.

 

I.e., P:E seems very very close to AD&D in this respect.

 

It may not feel like this because some of the beasties have relatively high DT and high Reflex, which lets them soak or avoid some of the damage.

 

6: On the positive side there are a handful of spells unique to PoE.  These, when the game is considerably more balanced, could be fun and useful.

Which ones? I didn't think any of the wizard spells are all that unique or particularly interesting. They're entirely serviceable, but that's about it ATM. (Moar variety!)

 

What I think would help the class from low levels, is for it to start out with the /encounter spells - instead of awarding them much later in the game(still didn't see them by level 8 ).  Essentially, this would be creating two tiers of spells per level.  The /encounter spells would have the short duration as they are now and the low damage.  The /rest spells would be buffs that lasted for entire game days, devastating damage or powerful buffs/debuffs.  The /encounter powers could then later be changed into quicker cast or chain cast.

Disagree. I think it would make them OP early on, or else the /encounter spells would have to be nerfed to Cantrip level which wouldn't be much fun. We already have Arcane Veil.

 

Something that I always hated about the IE games was that instead of intelligent caster enemies, they would just automatically start out with 5 buffs in battle so that they were harder to kill.  The quick or chain cast of /encounter abilities could simulate this.

Won't happen in P:E. Josh didn't like it either. 

 

This approach would require a change to how grimoires function.  I really believe the concept of different grimoires for different situations is interesting but the cooldown combined with the current spell limitations would slow down an already slower class.

I think the idea is to populate your grimoires strategically, so you only need to switch if you've made a mistake.

[remiel005]

2: The duration of most buffs are highly limited and mostly restricted to battle.  Try playing a buff based melee wizard and this will be incredibly obvious.  Even if you select your spells based on duration, by the time you get a decent selection of buffs going for the one battle, you have a)expended about 5 of maybe 15 /rest spells b) expended the length of duration of several spells c) been less effective than just auto-attacking at range for splash damage and shooting missiles.

You're using the buffs wrong. This isn't DnD where you pre-buff until you're a Christmas tree. Use buffs situationally, and pick the right one for the job.

 

 

 

I think that if there is a wrong way to use the buffs than the class is broken - especially when it is the most limited of the current casting classes.  I believe there could be optimum ways to do buffs, but by pigeon-holing every wizard into a generalist type is boring and inventive.  Between pnp games and even ie games with multiclassing and some kits, you could take a lot of different approaches to spell selection and utilization.  I'm not expecting to self buff myself every time with 10 spells and wade into battle.  I would like to be able to cast 2 or 3 spells that could shape my wizards play style and wade into battle.  From there cast 1 or 2 based on the flow of battle.

 

This might look like the following:

Wizard with a blunderbus - day long boost to accuracy, day long boost to armor(so I can not have additional speed penalties by wearing the heavy stuff.  While in battle and need the advantage, cast a haste-type spell.  When the AI is improved and I get swarmed, cast the character switch spell to pull in a secondary 'tank' class.

 

Wizard with a summoned weapon - day long boost to armor, day long boost to health.  Enter battle, summon the specified weapon.  Engaged more enemies than intended, so I pump out a mirror image or an aoe spell cenetered on me.

 

Wizard that acts like a glass-cannon - day long boost to might, day long boost to casting speed.  Chain cast beam spells from angles and aoes until I get swarmed and get smoked if I don't use the veil power.

 

Right now, if I select a PC wizard and an adventurer wizard and try to set them up with a spell list that is different from the BB wizard, they are either worthless or burn through their spells at a much higher rate to achieve a similar level of accomplishment in battle.  The buff wizard I described takes the first several seconds of battle to buff, burning through the /rest spells that won't last until the end of the battle.  The debuff wizard between all the aiming problems with aoes and targeting can hardly get a spell off that doesn't affect them AND is out done by other casting classes.

 

What I am proposing would look something like this:

The 1st level buff that increases accuracy by 50 and lasts 7.5 seconds would be a /encounter type buff.  The 1st level spell that boosts DT by 10 and concentration by 20 would be toned down in numbers and the duration would be a game day and /rest.  A similar armor spell could exist that might give higher numbers for a small duration window of 15 seconds and give the same numbers that would be /encounter.  For offensive spells you could have minor and major versions.  A minor fan of flames might have 1/2 the damage and 3/4 the range and be /encounter.

 

You still select /encounter abilities like you currently do with wizard spells.  So you would have 4 per spell level that is fixed during battle unless you want the cooldown to take effect.  You still have to select your approach to combat with the character.  The /rest abilities would be selected in a traditional manner that would make you select a spell slot earned through leveling - one spot is one spell and not a small list to select.

 

This could be fine tuned to eliminate any ability to OP the game and could even be scaled down so that at low levels you still only have 1 or 2 /encounter spells per level available and have that grow to more significant numbers as you level.

 

My overall issue with the core classes is that they are designed for a specific archetypal build.  For the fighter it is being build to be a turtle.  For the wizard it is to be a generalist - small spell availability, buffs geared to be for 'oh ****' moments, etc.  I can see talents offering SOME ways of getting past this monotony, but the only true way to offer something interesting is to re-envision them.  So instead of me just complaining about what I don't like, I want to offer some solutions - even if they aren't feasible.

 

The interesting spells I was referring to were the blights and a summoned weapon.  I think the summoned weapons could be flushed out to be their own thing for a melee/ranged wizards (who don't wanna just auto-attack with wands and such), but they would have to have effects unique in the game with the crafting system that is currently in place.  There are also some defense spells that are listed as depleting after so many attacks, which I think could be interesting if consistent across the board.

[remiel005]

Wizard Rework-up

 

Premise for changes – wizards are currently built around a spectrum of damage spells with some utility built in for as-needed occurrences.  As a whole, many of the utility spells are significantly under powered compared to their damage counterparts, other class abilities and the fact they are all /rest abilities.  Even other /rest casters are provided with all of their spells by level, further trumping the wizards utilization of spells.

 

These changes keep a large emphasis on the damage spells since this appeared to be their core development, but the spectrum has been broadened.  /encounter abilities are sorted out from level one and made so that they are roughly based on power (some number arranging would need to be done, I’m sure).  Wizards will still need some reliance on auto-attacking, but this allows them more longevity overall.  My approach to damage is the greater the risk involved in the attack, the greater the reward.  A spell geared for long range, especially long ranged aoe, should not equal close range (especially touch) in damage or additional effects.  Also /encounter spells are designed at every level to meet a certain standard, whereas /rest ones are more fluid or rotate.

 

Some alternatives I provide will bleed over into other class mechanics, but aren’t meant to overpower them (which is why de-buffs are limited <cipher> and group buffs/summons <chanter> are also).  The self-buffs are geared in a variety of ways now, so that a wizard could deal higher damage through them, allowing for broader play styles.

No idea how the different grimoires would fit into this build outside you can collect enemy ones to get spells, as you currently can.  /encounter spells would still be selected on a group of 4 basis to keep them similar.  Arcane Veil can still remain as is, but I would recommend be highly modifiable through talents, e.g. damages enemies who try to attack them, boosts all defenses.

 

Essentially, if I had to ask myself ‘why would I actually cast this?’ I dropped it down to a /encounter ability or retooled it.  Also, assume buffs only affect party members and everything else affects friend and foe unless otherwise noted (or a centered aoe, which exempts the caster).  All spells not based on one currently in the game marked in red.  I tried to make everything listed based on fit and as consistent labeling as possible.  My minor/medium/heavy damage based on /encounter being weaker than /rest and scales by spell level

 

Spell Level 1

2 /encounter abilities (+1 at character level 2 and 4) – one per encounter (+1 use at character level 5)

3 /rest abilities (+1 at character level 2, 3 and 5)– 2 spell slots (+1 at level 3, +1 at level 6)

 

List of /encounter spells with rough stats

Damage Spells /encounter

Close-range damage: Sunless Grasp – Medium cast, medium frost damage, -5% speed for 10 seconds

Mid-range damage: Lesser fan of flames – Medium cast, medium flame damage, smaller cone

Long-range damage: Veil Thrust – Fast cast, minor damage, +50% interrupt

Defense Spells /encounter

Quick Defense: Wizard’s Double – Fast cast, self only, absorbs next HIT and disappears(remains on GRAZE/MISS, only absorbs half of CRIT)

Quick Tactical: Fleet Foot – Fast cast, self only, 5 sec, x2 speed, +20 def engagement attacks

Buff Spells /encounter

Short Offensive Buff: Eldritch Aim – Fast cast, bonuses as is

Summoned Weapon: Lesser Parasitic staff – Slow cast, as is but base 1min

De-buff: Dazzling Lights – Medium cast, as is, but cone based

 

List of /rest spells with rough stats

Damage Spells /rest

Close-range damage: Jolt Touch – Medium cast, heavy shock damage, stun 5 sec

Mid-range damage: Fan of flames – Medium cast, heavy fire damage, large cone

Long Range damage: Minor Missiles – Fast cast, medium crushing damage, 3 missiles, +10% interrupt

Centered AoE damage: Ghost Blades – Fast cast, full circle around caster, heavy piercing damage

Targetable AoE damage: Chill Fog – Slow cast, long range, mid-size aoe with speed de-buff and 10 sec duration

Defense Spells /rest

Long term self: Spirit Shield, Slow cast, lasts 1 game day +5 dt, +10 concentration

Large area tactical: Dust cloud – Fast cast, aoe centered on caster, gives everyone in the area +50 deflect to engagement hits, lasts 5 seconds

Buff Spells /rest

Group offense buff: Battle Momentum – Fast cast, large aoe, +1% CRIT range after every successful HIT, 30 sec duration

Group de-buff: Slicken – Fast cast, medium aoe, chance on knockdown ticks every 3 seconds, but knockdown only 2 secs (in attempt to mimic someone trying to navigate standing/falling on ice)

Single de-buff: Atrophy – Slow cast, medium penalty to might/con/dex, 1 min duration

 

Spell Level 2

2 /encounter abilities (+1 at character level 4 and 6) – one per encounter (+1 use at character level 8 )

3 /rest abilities (+1 at character level 4, 5 and 6)– 2 spell slots (+1 at level 5, +1 at level 8 )

 

List of /encounter spells with rough stats

Damage Spells /encounter

Close-range damage: Corrosive siphon – Slow cast, medium corrosion damage and minor splash damage to enemies within 1m – caster heals stamina for half damage dealt

Mid-range damage: Rolling flame – Slow cast, long range, medium damage, does less damage the further it is from the caster

Long-range damage: Necrotic Lance – Fast cast, long range, medium damage in straight line between caster and target

Defense Spells /encounter

Quick Defense: Mirrored Image – as wizard’s double, but 3 duplicates

Quick Tactical: Vitality – Fast cast, wizard’s stamina (current and max) x2 for 10 seconds

Buff Spells /encounter

Short Offensive: Phantom Strikes- Slow cast, ignores 5 dt of any enemies for 15 seconds

Summoned Weapon: Lesser Repeating Hand Cannon – Slow cast, does 50% crush, 50% pierce(does damage like the strongest gun, but with fast speed), 1 min duration

De-buff: Bewilder – Medium cast, medium range, 15 sec confusion on one target

 

List of /rest spells with rough stats

Damage Spells /rest

Close-range damage: Wrathful Diffusion – Medium cast, strips enemy of one beneficial effect and does heavy raw damage

Mid-range damage: Fire Ray – Medium cast, beam does minor fire damage between caster and target, lasts for 5 seconds, with damage applied again every second.

Long Range damage: Blinding Flash – Fast cast, medium piercing damage with a chance to blind

Centered AoE damage: Stench of death – Fast cast, miasmic aoe from caster, minor damage with effect of paralysis for 5 seconds and/or sickened for 30 seconds

Targetable AoE damage: Bewildering Blast – Medium cast, long range, large aoe, does medium crushing damage with a chance to confuse enemies

Defense Spells /rest

Long term self: Elemental Bulwark – Slow cast, +5 dt to all elemental damage for game day

Lang term individual party member: Impervious – Fast cast, +5 defense against all status effects for game day

Buff Spells /rest

Group offense buff: Merciless Gaze – Fast cast, medium range, large aoe, 10% HITs to CRITs, 1 min duration

Group de-buff: Web – Fast cast, long range, medium aoe, everyone in area slowed, stuck effect chance ticks every 3 seconds, enemies receive -5 to fire dt while in area, 30 sec duration

Aoe centered de-buff: Combustible Wounds – Fast cast, flame damage, damage based on % of remaining life, centered on caster

Single de-buff: Dull mind – Slow cast, medium penalty to per/int/res, 1 min duration

 

Spell Level 3

2 /encounter abilities (+1 at character level 6 and 8 )– one per encounter (+1 use at character level 7)

3 /rest abilities (+1 at character level 6, 7 and 9)– 2 spell slots (+1 at level 7, +1 at level 9)

 

List of /encounter spells with rough stats

Damage Spells /encounter

Close-range damage: Exposing strike – Fast cast, minor damage, but target takes -5 penalty to all defenses for 30 seconds

Mid-range damage: Repulsive visage – Medium cast, cone from caster minor damage and leaves targets frightened

Long-range damage: Minor blight – Slow cast, random elemental damage ranged attack in place of regular attack for 30 seconds, lost when changing weapons +10 accuracy

Defense Spells /encounter

Quick Defense: Displace – Fast cast, 50% HITs to GRAZEs for 15 seconds

Quick Tactical: Swap – Fast cast, caster and selected party member switch places

Buff Spells /encounter

Short Offensive: Alacrity – Fast cast, self-buff, 25% speed boost for 15 seconds

Summoned Weapon: Parasitic staff – as the lesser version, but has a chance to heal stamina for everyone in the party

De-buff: Slow – Fast cast, single target, 25% speed penalty for 15 seconds

 

List of /rest spells with rough stats

Damage Spells /rest

Close-range damage: Draining Touch – Fast cast, applies a dot to target that heals the caster for the amount of damage dealt, 30 sec duration, ticks on 3 sec

Mid-range damage: Lightning Bolt – Fast cast, medium range, medium shock damage, jumps up to 5 targets(based on space) doing less damage each time

Long Range damage: Bounding Missile – As minor missiles, but 5 missiles at heavy damage

Centered AoE damage: Arcane Dampening – As wrathful diffusion but medium aoe centered on caster

Targetable AoE damage: Fireball – Medium cast, long range, large aoe, medium fire damage, 25% fire dot effect

Defense Spells /rest

Long term self: Hawks’ Eye – Slow cast, +10 accuracy (melee/range), lasts 1 game day

Lang term tactical: Unstoppable – Fast cast, self-only, 50% chance not affected by engagements lasts 1 game day

Buff Spells /rest

Group offense buff: Haste – As alacrity, but medium range, large aoe

Group de-buff: Noxious Blast – Fast cast, medium range, medium aoe, anyone in area becomes sick and stuck for 5 seconds, ticks every 3 seconds, lasts 30 seconds

Aoe centered  de-buff: Sloth Curse – As slow, but aoe centered on caster

 

Related Talent Ideas

+1 /encounter ability – by per spell level

+1 /rest spell slot – by spell level

Elemental specialist – by damage type

Enduring Spells – all durations increased by 25%

Extended Grimoire - 5 total slots for /encounter abilities

Quick hands – Increase in cast speed for touch type spells

Deadly focus – Single target damage increased

Summoner’s Secrets – several talents that modify summoned weapons (double duration, summoned weapons upped in quality <fine, exceptional>, etc)

Edited September 18, 2014 by remiel005