Let's invent some talents!

[gkathellar]

So talents in PoE are mostly pretty lame, right now. With a small number of significant exceptions have your basic boring-but-good talents (ex. Two-Handed Style, Weapon Focus), your interesting-but-bad talents (ex. Brilliant Radiance, Ancient Memory), and why-would-I-ever-take-this talents (ex. Field Triage, Unstoppable). I think this is a regrettable state of affairs, and I wish it were different, so I thought we (the board) could come up with some examples of talents that we think would be interesting, or of fixes for existing talents.

 

I'll start - this is not a super-exciting example, I'll admit, but I think it could be interesting.

 

Demanding Presence - As long as you engage an enemy, they can't make disengagement attacks against your allies. In addition, whenever you and an ally have both engaged an enemy, that enemy is flanked, regardless of your positioning.

[Mungri]

Critical Focus - +5% of hits converted to crits, +5-10% crit damage (depending on balance, 10% more might be OP).

 

Also works on spells. I want this.

Edited April 11, 2015 by Mungri

[Mungri]

Acuity - 10% of grazes converted to hits with spells.

Spell Focus - 10% of hits converted to crits with spells (requires acuity)

Spell Power - +10% damage for all spells (requires spell focus)

Edited April 15, 2015 by Mungri

[Tuckey]

I want overwatch for my ranged attackers. Imagine a volley of gunfire upon enemy sighted.

 

Eagle vision - An ability to see further into the unsighted areas and thus increase your attack range

[mrmonocle]

Fighter:

Bodyguard - relays all damage from the selected ally to the fighter for 30 sec. Distance 2m.

 

Rogue:

Ambush - the rogue shadowsteps behind the target's back, damages and stuns it for 4 secs. Available from invisibility only.

 

Wizard:

Blink - the wizard breaks all engagements and teleports 15m back. Available while engaged.

 

Cipher:

Surge - the cipher gains max focus for the appropriate endurance value.

 

Ranger:

Volley - the ranger fires an array of arrows, reload time is increased 2x.

 

Chanter:

Avatar - the chanter transforms into an ancient hero (the avatar choice depends on race and gender)

 

Priest:

Persistant prayer - 1 buff becomes persistant until the next rest, cannot buff other buffs.

 

Paladin:

Shakles of anger - the enemy is forced to engage the paladin and cannot brake engagement.

 

Druid:

Photosynthesis - the druid gains the ability to photosythesize randomly restoring spell slots among all spell levels.

 

Monk:

Remove shock - the monk removes prone, stun, root or any other physical condition and gains 15 sec immunity to those conditions.

 

Barbarian:

Barbaric grip - wield 2h weapons in 1 hand.

[Ouroboros226]

I would like the following talent added:

 

 

Logic-failure removal
 

Reloading speed of ranged weapons now properly benefits from dexterity's faster action speed

[MadDemiurg]

Wizard:

 

Empowered spell - can put a lower level spell into a higher level grimoire slot, gaining +20% damage per level moved

Extended spell - can put a lower level spell into a higher level grimoire slot, gaining +30% duration per level moved

Widened spell - can put a lower level spell into a higher level grimoire slot, gaining +30% aoe per level moved

Quickened spell  - can put a lower level spell into a higher level slot to reduce casting time by one category

Focused spell  - can put a lower level spell into a higher level slot to gain +3 accuracy per level moved

 

Cipher:

 

Hungry void - deal 5 raw damage to the attacker and gain 2 focus each time enemy attack misses

Overcharge - Modal. Take raw damage equal to focus cost of the spell, duration and damage improved by 50%

 

Priest:

 

Divine intervention - 1/rest. Cast spells without consuming per rest/per encounter uses for 10 sec

Conduit of divine power - spells granted by deity specific talents become at will

 

Druid:

 

Dire spiritshift - +1 DT, +1 melee acc, +0.5 damage, +2 all defences per character level when spiritshifted. Spritshift abilities become per encounter

Extended spiritshift - Double spiritshift duration

Elemental wrath - after casting a spell dealing elemental damage gain damage shield retaliating for 20 points of corresponding damage in melee as well as +5 to corresponding DT for 5 sec

 

Chanter:

 

Requiem - gain +1 to phrase counter for each enemy killed by the chanter

Lingering song - +50% linger duration

 

Paladin:

Burial fires - regain 1 use of flames of devotion on kill

Improved paladin's aura - +50% aura aoe

Double aura - can use two auras at once

Challenge - targeted enemy has -25 accuracy if not attacking the paladin. 1/encounter

 

Monk:

Path of Pain - Modal. Lose 3% endurance per second, gaining +3 move speed and +33% attack speed

Deep reserves: Health improves from 5*endurance to 7*endurance

 

Barbarian:

Relentless force - crits have a chance to prone

 

Most of these are probably OP though

Edited April 15, 2015 by MadDemiurg

[TheUsernamelessOne]

Engage!

Engages all enemies in the game. Modal ability.

 

The Eye of Argon

Watcher ability. Transform the target into a harmless backer NPC.

 

Living in the Future

Replaces your copy of Pillars of Eternity with Torment: Tides of Numenera.

 

Living in the Past

Replaces your copy of Pillars of Eternity with your choice of Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II, or Planescape: Torment.

 

Mystery Inc.

Reveals all spirit-type enemies for what they are: petty criminals draped in sheets, trying to scare off tourists.

 

Naptime

The party rests without needing camping supplies. 2/rest.

 

Ol' Blood and Guts

Strap a bomb to one of your companions and toss them into the midst of enemies, killing the companion and dealing AoE Raw damage equal to the companion's remaining Health.

 

Weapon Focus: The Legacy

Trains the character in the use of the Hollowborn, gaining +6 Accuracy with all weapons of those types.

[scrotiemcb]

Most suggestions thus far are hideously overpowered and/or lack a coherent theme which fits Eora.

 

Masochist's Anticipation

Monk-only

Passive +5 to DR. However, this bonus is reduced as you use larger Shields (-2 small, -4 large).

 

Pauper's Grace

Monk-only

+15 to Deflection and Reflex. However, this bonus is reduced as you wear heavier Armor (-3 robe, -4 padded, -5 hide, etc).

Edited April 15, 2015 by scrotiemcb

[mazeltov]

Tweaks:

 

Zealous Endurance: 3m (from 2.5)

Zealous Focus: 3m (from 2.5)

Faith and Conviction: automatically improves with character level for NPC Paladins (with lower cap than PC Paladins can achieve)

Intense Flames: in addition to normal effect, Flames of Devotion gains a bonus to Accuracy based on current Faith and Conviction rating

 

Graceful Retreat: +20 vs Disengage attacks (from +12)

Fast Runner: +10 vs Disengage attacks (from +5)

 

Fort, Ref, Will Defense Talents: +15 (from +10)

Affliction Resistance Talents: +20 (from +10), and consolidate them into two talents, one resisting seven mental Afflictions, the other 8 physical ones

 

New Talents:

 

Tenacity: Zealous Endurance grants +1 Engagement slot for the Paladin while active

Evasive Maneuvers: Zealous Charge grants +10 Reflex Defense

[Ganrich]

Chanter -

 

Preservation of Knowledge - Once per Encounter the Chanter can cast from a scroll without consuming the scroll.

[gguo]

Remember your allies

 

your friendly AOE spell doesn't affect 'Confused,Charmed,Dominated' enemy.

your foe AOE spell doesn't affect 'Confused,Charmed,Dominated' aliies.

 

I seriously need this.

Edited April 15, 2015 by gguo

[Longknife]

Sharpshooter -

 

Gain 15 accuracy with ranged weaponry, however, you lose 25 accuracy with melee weaponry.

 

 

Determination -

 

Your attack speed increases by x1.3 when you're below 40% Endurance

 

Opportunist -

 

Your accuracy drops by 20, however, your critical percent is upped by 35. Effects melee attacks only.

[Starthief]

Many Hands, One Rhythm (monk passive, requires unarmed):  The monk hinders the attack and defense of an enemy he is flanking.  All allies have +5 accuracy against the target, and the target has -5 accuracy.  When any ally scores a critical hit against the target, the monk's recovery timer is reset and can attack immediately.

Disarm (monk per-encounter): 4 second interrupt and -10 deflection penalty if the enemy is attacking or reloading a weapon.

Voice Projection (chanter passive): chants increase spell preparation time 1.3x for all enemies.

Press The Attack (fighter per-encounter): if the target is not prone or flanked, this pushes the target away from the fighter, breaking its engagements with other party members.  The fighter automatically follows.

 

You'll Have To Go Through Me (fighter passive, requires melee weapon):  the fighter's engagement range is increased to 1.25x his normal reach.

Eye For An Eye (barbarian passive): when the Barbarian receives a critical hit, he deals critical damage to his attacker.

Did I Break Your Concentration? (barbarian per-encounter):  the next attack has double the interrupt time against enemies attacking with a weapon, or triple the interrupt time against enemies casting spells.

Flashbomb (rogue per-encounter): blind all enemies and allies near the rogue for 2 seconds.

Wild Affinity (druid passive): increases the druid's melee accuracy by +5 while shifted.

Ever Wild (druid passive): the Druid shapeshifts immediately at the start of combat and remains shifted for 1.5x the normal duration.  Per-encounter shift is still available.

[Luckmann]

Weapon Focus Knight:
+6 Accuracy with Battle axe, Sword, Mace, Morning star, Crossbow.

Weapon Focus Noble:
+6 Accuracy with Stiletto, Rapier, Mace, Scepter, Rod.

Weapon Focus Ruffian:
+6 Accuracy with Sabre, Dagger, Club, Pistol, Blunderbuss.

Weapon Focus Grenadier:
+6 Accuracy with Spear, Pike, Pistol, Blunderbuss, Arquebus.

Weapon Focus Mystic:
+6 Accuracy with Dagger, Stiletto, Scepter, Rod, Wand.

Weapon Focus Thug:
+6 Accuracy with Club, Hatchet, Dagger, Unarmed, Pistol.
 

I used to think that adding and changing weapon foci like this would necessitate making them not stack, but after some thinking, I've come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be. If you are willing to use a Talent for a +6 boost to Accuracy, I think that's perfectly reasonable, whether you do it once (like now) or twice. I added Mace to Knight, because Knight only had 4 weapons, for whatever reason, I switched Dagger and Stiletto on Ruffian and Noble, and I added the Grenadier, Mystic and Thug foci.

 

Alacritous Charge (Paladin):

Modifies Zealous Charge, +10 Reflex and +5 Defense when Disengaging.

Primordial Endurance (Paladin):
Modifies Zealous Endurance, +3 DR vs. Shock, Burn, Freeze, and Corrode; -5% to Armour Action Recovery Penalty.

 

Why? Because currently, only Zealous Focus can be boosted with the Critical Focus Talent, never Zealous Charge nor Zealous Endurance.

[Zwiebelchen]

Armor Focus

Reduces Recovery time penalty when wearing armors by 15%.

 

Greater Armor Focus

Reduces Recovery time penalty when wearing armors by additional 15%.

 

Duelling

Increases deflection when wielding a single one-handed weapon without a shield by 12.

 

Offense is the best defense

Increases deflection against all engaged targets by 10 when dual-wielding or using a 2-handed weapon. Modal ability (so does not stack with other modals like Defender). I like this idea... it offers some great synergy with engagement talents on offensive characters and allows for some hybrid tank builds aswell.

 

Mind over Body (Monk)

Increases DR when wearing Robes or Cloth Armors by 6 (+1 every 2 levels).

 

Pin Cushion (Ranger)

Decreases DR against piercing weapons of attacked enemies by 1 for every attack made against the target by the Ranger.

Edited April 23, 2015 by Zwiebelchen

[Elerond]

Mind over Body (Monk)

Increases DR when wearing Robes or Cloth Armors by 6 (+1 every 2 levels).

 

I would change this to following: Increase DR by 2 for every wound that monk has.

[Zwiebelchen]

 

Mind over Body (Monk)

Increases DR when wearing Robes or Cloth Armors by 6 (+1 every 2 levels).

 

I would change this to following: Increase DR by 2 for every wound that monk has.

 

 

Hmm... would probably make it OP as then you can stack it on top of armors. But I see what you're going for. Maybe this could be a default class passive...

[WebShaman]

Control Dev - allows you to control the Devs so that one can totally remake the combat mechanics and game!

[dukefx]

Sharpshooter -

 

Gain 15 accuracy with ranged weaponry, however, you lose 25 accuracy with melee weaponry.

That's a total no-brainer. Might as well drop the penalty altogether or replace it with -100 accuracy while trying to catch butterflies.

[dukefx]

Sharpshooter -

 

Gain 15 accuracy with ranged weaponry, however, you lose 25 accuracy with melee weaponry.

That's a total no-brainer. Might as well drop the penalty altogether or replace it with -100 accuracy while trying to catch butterflies.

[InfiniteEternity]

Fighter - Charge

 

[mazeltov]

That's a total no-brainer. Might as well drop the penalty altogether or replace it with -100 accuracy while trying to catch butterflies.

 

You never really get to know someone until they pull out their balance suggestion.

[b0rsuk]

 

Sharpshooter -

 

Gain 15 accuracy with ranged weaponry, however, you lose 25 accuracy with melee weaponry.

That's a total no-brainer. Might as well drop the penalty altogether or replace it with -100 accuracy while trying to catch butterflies.

 

 

Rangers have a skill Defensive Shooting, which gives +20 Accuracy (plus twenty accuracy) while using a ranged weapon in melee.

[Elerond]

 

 

Mind over Body (Monk)

Increases DR when wearing Robes or Cloth Armors by 6 (+1 every 2 levels).

 

I would change this to following: Increase DR by 2 for every wound that monk has.

 

 

Hmm... would probably make it OP as then you can stack it on top of armors. But I see what you're going for. Maybe this could be a default class passive...

 

 

I don't think it would make it any more over powered than passive +12 DR which combined with that robe that gives you 7 DR and other DR bonuses would give you about 20 DR which is about same which you can get with buffed Plate Armor. At least in this case you need to take hits before your DR rises high, and higher DR you have longer it takes. I would say best that is you can hope in fight is about 10 wounds, which would mean +20 DR, so with boosted Plate armor it would be about 40 DR, which would make them very though but not immortal, But its bonus probably should be dropped to +0.5 DR per wound so that it would be about same level as other talents in the game. But in my opinion talents as general could have much bigger impact in the game than what they currently have. 

 

But idea behind my change is that it would go with that mortification of flesh theme that monks have in PoE, first they let enemy whip them so that they become angry and then they start to hit back.