New Concept Class - The Shape Shifter

Shape Shifter Class


I have just recently started playing GW and have taken a liking to it. The PvP is great and the PvE is solid (still wish the mouths would move on cut scenes). I got to this site through the official GW site and stumbled into the New Concept Class forum. I was impressed with what I saw. There were great ideas all around. The one thing I did notice, is that most of the concepts could be grouped with on of the existing classes (i.e. give a warrior a Katana and some new skills and armor skin, you have a samurai). I wanted to go way off the map, something I haven’t seen (maybe some one has) which has lead me to this particular build.
My build, the shape shifter would be able to mimic other characters, as well as alter their form. They would be in the caster class and would most likely wield a wand, but that’s where the familiarity ends.
I present to you, The Shape Shifter…


Since this class would be a base caster Max stats would be something like:

AL – 65-70
Health – 420-450
Energy – 45-60
Max Weapon Damage – 11-22

The attributes are as follows:

Morphing - This is the primary attribute and will affect all of the Shape Shifter skills.
Adding points here would increase the duration of a morph as well as decrease the casting time of morph skills. i.e. 1 attribute point = +2.5 seconds to morph and -1.5% to casting time. Both stacking and not exponential, meaning 10 attribute points will = +25 seconds and -15% casting time.

Bestial – Skills in this attribute affect the skills that allow you to morph into animals. Adding attribute points here would add armor and HP to your character while morphed into an animal, as well as increase the effectiveness of bestial attacks. An example would be 1 attribute point = +2.5 AL and +10 HP. Again, this is stacking and not exponential, so 10 AP = +25 AL and +100 HP. These buffers would end once your character reverted back to there normal form.

Copy – This skill allows the character to copy human foes and allies. They would gain the armor weapon and copy x number of random skills. When using copy skills, the character would manifest with only a percentage of the targets stats and would not be able to take on the primary attribute. Adding points here would increase the percentage of attribute points copied from target. Base would be 50% of all attributes, including health and energy. Max would be 80% of targets attributes. Elite skills could only be copied if an elite copy skill was used.

Elements – Skills in this attribute allow players to morph into elementals. Points here increase the effectiveness of elemental skills. There isn’t any armor or time buffers for the elemental morphs, as they all have inherent buffs.

Sample Skills

COPY


Mimic
10e 5 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into targeted human for 30…60 seconds, mimicking 3 random skills.

Copy (Elite)
15e 6 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into targeted human for 30…60 seconds, copying 2 random skills and their Elite skill

Replicate (Elite)
25e 8 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into targeted human for 30…60, replicating the entire skill bar. Both, the target's and caster's entire skill bars are disabled for 5…15 seconds

BESTIAL

Bear
15e 5 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into a black bear for 30…60 seconds. Bear's attacks do +33% dmg of the equipped weapon

Tiger
15e 5 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into a tiger for 30…60 seconds. The tiger's attacks do +25% dmg of the equipped weapon

Wolf
15e 5 Sec 60 Sec Morph into a wolf for 30…60 seconds.
The wolf's attacks do +20% dmg of the equipped weapon.

Bladed Aataxe (Elite)
25 5 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into a Bladed Aataxe for 30…60 seconds. The Aataxe’s attack s deal +50% dmg of the equipped weapon.

Bestial Fury
5e 3/4 Sec 10 Sec
Move 33% faster for 7…20 seconds. Attacks deal 20% less damage.

Pounce
5e Instant 2 Sec
Pounce on a foe, knocking them down for 2 seconds

Jugular
5e 3/4 Sec 5 Sec
While opponent is knocked down, lung for the jugular, causing bleeding and weakness for 8…20 seconds

Maul (Elite)
10e Instant 5 Sec
Attack three times dealing 12…26 dmg each attack. If target is <50% health, the last strike does double dmg.

ELEMENTAL

Flame Elemental
15e 5 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into a fire elemental for 30…60 seconds. Fire damage heals for 25…75% of intended dmg. Cold dmg does 100…60% greater dmg

Explosive Rage
10e 2 Sec 15 Sec
While a flame elemental, you explode causing 50…126 dmg to all adjacent foes. This immediately ends the flame elemental form.

Spit Fire
5e Instant 1 Sec
Shoot a fireball from your mouth, causing 15…32 dmg.

Stone Elemental
15 5 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into a stone elemental. While a stone elemental, armor is +100…200%, but movement is 80%...60% slower.

Earth Rattle
10e 3/4 Sec 15 Sec
Stomp the ground, causing all foes in radar range to be knocked down for 1…3 seconds

Water Elemental
15e 5 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into a water elemental. Cold attacks heal for 25…75% of intended dmg. Fire attacks deal 100…60% greater dmg. Lightning attacks have no direct effect, but does 75….125% dmg to all adjacent characters

Whirlpool
10e 3 Sec 10 Sec
Create a whirlpool at targets location for 3…12 seconds causing 3…12 cold dmg per sec. Whirlpool interrupts a players skills.

Air Elemental
15e 5 Sec 60 Sec
Morph into an air elemental for 30…60 seconds. The air elemental cannot be harmed by physical attacks and cannot harm others with physical attacks. Air elemental is not immune from knockdowns when caused by AoE skills.

Tornado
10e 3 Sec 10 Sec
Create a tornado at target foes location. Target and all adjacent foes are dazed for 5…15 seconds and knocked down for 1…3 seconds Elemental


This class would have the normal armor functions:
+ Energy
+ Health
+Attribute Headgear
AL bonuses for Morphs (not Copies)

Weapon would be wand or staff with off hand foci.

A few notes:

• Morphs/Copies cannot stack
• Morphs are not enchantments, therefore cannot be stripped
• Just like any other skill, morphs can be interrupted, and since they are spells, skills such as spell breaker render them useless.
• The casting time buff only works for skills in which the character changes form. There are no casting time bonuses for any of the attack skills.
• When mimicking, copying or replicating a character, you take copies of all of that character’s equipped items (armor, weapons etc.). Once the skill expires, you revert back to your normal build.
• Remember, when mimicking, copying or replicating a character, you don’t get their max stats. You get a percentage, depending on how many points you have in morphing. i.e. with 10 points in morphing, you will gain 75% of your targets stats. It would be possible to get to a max of 90% with runes and modifiers.


I know there will be people that will really hate this and if I’m lucky, they won’t be too harsh. It’s just an idea I came up with while I was waiting around. It’s just something a bit different than anything I have seen out there. Rail me, praise me, do whatever, I’m just sharing an idea.

Hmm well it seems pretty cool, it would be kinda nice to change into things, although the idea to change into various things has been suggested before. All characters have the same base health by the way.
Some of the skills are a bit overpowered, but heck other than that it is a pretty cool class concept. Nice work

sounds cool, i really do like it. it's very complicated mind. would like to see it in the futre maybe

a shapeshifter would be one of the easiest new classes to throw into the mix, imo.
Suggestion on the elements attribute - Just pick an element. I suggest earth because as casters - Monks get fire, Necs get water, and Rits get Air.
Plus there is no plant or fanna type magic in the game yet. Would work well with earth stuff and is themed well with morphing into beast... of the earth. again, imo.

A couple of people have offered up this idea, including me! I like the idea of having certain forms instead of unlimited morphing concept better now that i read your post. For example:

You cannot copy other players forms, there are base forms (perhaps based on elements as suggested) this way you're build could be a little more usable/set-up prior to the morph.

You could have 2 or three forms to choose from per element (ice golem, imps for ice element for example) and perhaps a dragon/titan type or some "ultimate" form for the elite. Might even make it so that skill caps were to "cap" a particular form.

I truly think shape-shifting would have a great place in GW and really give the gaming dynamic a kick in the pants.

I think I have a few ideas for shifter-exclusive attacks in my notebook, if you need a few more I can find it.

There were a few Shape Shifter class around.. but I like yours. Morphing into a Elemental is a novel idea, and does seem fun. Some creative skill as well.. but I won't judge on the balance.

Kudos.. and hope to see more out of your creative mind.

Not only does this build sound cool but Language Arts sounds cool but capitalization and spelling is very complicated...

But I would also like to see this build in the future...after I quit playing Guild Wars
/Not Signed!

What was that about?

Anyway, I like the idea. Plenty of Shapeshifter ideas about, but this one focuses on SHAPESHIFTING, not just a warrior that can turn into a wolf.

Overpowered, but nice.

/signed with change.

I don't like this idea.

Basically the whole skillset seems to be morhping. Thye need some kind of differences. Monks aren't all healing...

well they could try
Shifting (changes to animal, plant, person, whatever, allows non-transforming attacks)
Animal Attacks (Allows new attacks while in animal form
Plant (allows new attacks while in plant form)
Person (Helps manipulate copied form)

oooh... i think it would be cool to assimilate something like CoH peace-bringer or warshade... have a simple caster, but change form into a tank-like unit or into a char with high dmg-output but low hp... *sorta like mimic into different classes.

**adding more.
stylistically speaking, I always imagined the Shape-shifter to be formless or faceless except eyes, and when morphing into another archetype, the weapons, armor, etc are sorta molded out of his original form (i.e. terminator 2 - T1000-style blades for warriors, etc), or when he morphs into a bear, he folds over forward into a blob and a bear (colorless or silver-chromed) explodes from his back. (2 second cast time )

as for the Morphing attribute... wouldn't it be sick if for each point in Morphing, the duration of your changed state is increased by x%.

also.. what about:
Way of the Warrior {Elite} - for x seconds, assume the role of a warrior.

(During this state, your entire bar changes, but you are given generic skills that are characteristic of warriors ONLY... for example, you cast Way of the Warrior, and your arm turns into an axe, sword, OR hammer (randomly) and you get skills, but they aren't the exact skills, just something similar, and with set attributes.)
so you cast Way of the Warrior, you morph a sword, on your bar you get a deep-wound skill, a bleeding skill, and an additional adrenal skill, maybe a double-attack skill.
you cast it again, you morph an axe, on your bar you get a deep-wound skill, a power-attack, a cyclone-like attack
you morph an hammer, on your bar you get a knock-down skill, etc etc etc.

I really like the idea of morphing into elementals, but you have to give your character some base-skills... duplicate skills, but not the exact skills...
Way of the Elementalist {Elite} would be similar, i suppose...
randomly turn into an elemental of either earth, fire, water, or air, and are blessed with generic skills that cause either blind, burning, 50% reduced speed, or knockdown (respectively), plus some.

----what i meant earlier when i said City of Heroes-like Peacebringer/Warshade morphing would be the states were just skills that could be casted and maintained... not like an enchantment.

what a horrid idea... lol.. looking back at my last post. I would much rather the attributes of the shape-shifter's skills be different from the 8-existing archetypes...

... i DO think that the shape-shifter should have both maintained and temporary states, but they must be unique to any of the existing classes. In CoH, the PB/WS could morph into a tank-like creature, but god, if he ever tried to tank, he wouldn't hold-up.

The core would be changing shape, but the differences/utility would come with the creatures the class would morph into. It leaves unlimited posibilities, in my mind. You can change the elemental morphs to say, for example:

Fire could be a damage dealing morph
Air could be a caster/skill shutdown
Water could be healing support
Earth could be defense

The description above would be viable by requiring specific skills with each morph, that way the character wouldn't be overly powerful, by being able to change to multiple elementals at once. This would allow the class to be versatile and maintain the ablity to change into other forms and not limit it to elemental morphs.

After reading your post, I agree that copying the forms of other players wouldn't be viable. I still would like the ability to mimic, copy and or replicate other human characters in battle, even if it is only their skills. This would lend an interesting weapon for PvP battles. Also, instead of being able to use those skills. The skills on both players would be disabled. This could be a powerful shutdown. Now, with such power, there has to be limits. Make the casting times long and easily inturrupted, much like trapping rangers. That gives a team a fairly easy and viable defense against shutdown attempts.

Gene terrodon, Nice piece of well thought out possible future chars, well done fella

I love the shapeshifter idea. I try and play more support and versatile characters and I see this being easily one of the most versatile of the bunch.

its too PvE orientated i think

the problems with most shapeshifters, asa demonstraited in wow is that they usally end up as 'Jack of all trades, master of none' the shapeshifter can be anything but is usally surrpased by the proffesion meant for the job, making him only useful as a backup.

I agree with your assessment and took that into account while thinking this profession up. The built in nerf, making, this class weaker than the class jobs it may be mimicing basically keeps the class from becoming all too powerful, creating a world of shapeshifters and nothing else.

sounds familiar, my first thought was the game "Neverwinter Nights"....

True, however this makes a shapeshifter undesirable in a party, as they could just have a more powerful orrigional class, however this would be less of a problem in gw, as there are henchies, unlike with wow.

heres a thought ... so far guild wars has one true tank, the war right, so why not make the shapeshifter truly able to tank, of course this would only be a good thing if it was debatable who was the better tank.