Things missing from existing professions

One thing I've noticed with the new professions is that at least half of them seem to have been in response to requests from the players for classes to fill certain roles. The Assassin, for instance, seems to have been a response to various requests for a rogue-type 'light fighter' character to complement the Warrior, while before the Nightfall professions were revealed there were requests for a 'singing' type character that expanded on the Warrior shouts - something we now have in the form of the Paragon.

So, something I thought that was worth doing - and something that I thought the Exsisting classes and thier purpose might be heading towards (or something similar) until it deteriorated and was ultimately closed - was to create a list of what features are missing in existing professions - or what features form a small part of the character of existing professions that could be expanded to form the basis (or a basis) for a new profession. I'm not looking for concept classes - they can have their own threads, and there's already a thread indexing concept classes - what I'm looking for is the "Wouldn't it be nice to have a profession that does X?" If you do have, or know of, a concept class that uses your idea, you may link to the thread in which it is described, but please no more than that.

Now, because I don't want this thread to be closed too, and in order to keep the thread relatively compact, I'd like to set some ground rules regarding discussion (even though I have no means of actually enforcing them). These are that no discussion of an idea in this thread should go more than the following four steps (beyond this, I'm sure ANet's people can make their own decisions when they read this):

1) If you have an idea, post it, and when I come across it I'll collect it into the amalgamated list (which should be the post under this one, unless someone is really fast at responding to this post or my internet hiccoughs. I'll try to update it around once a day, but I can't make any guarantees).

2) If you feel that someone else's idea already exists in the game (say, if someone suggests traps, which are already adequately covered by the Ranger), you may make a single post stating that you think it's redundant, and how it's already in the game. (If someone else has already made the same objection, please refrain from posting)

3) If someone objects to one of your ideas, you may edit your original post to agree with the objector (in which case I'll remove it from the list) or to state why you think the source cited by the objector does not cover the idea as you intended.

4) If you have objected as per step 2 and you are swayed by someone's argument as per step 3, edit the post in which you objected to state that you have removed your objection.

Any discussion beyond that is best taken to PMs. I intend to be completely neutral in maintaining the collated list - I will not remove anything that the person who posted the idea has not withdrawn unless it is actually introduced into the game via a new profession (or a new set of skills for an existing one), even if I personally believe it should be. The exception is that if I think a post is about a concept class rather than an idea for a potential future profession to use, I will say so and not add it. To use an example, a couple of my suggestions will be powers normally associated with druids, but if some posts to suggest druids, I will not add 'druid' to the list.

Anyway, to get the ball rolling:

* Magic that influences plant life.
* Reactive shapeshifting. While Dervishes have the Form skills, apart from the 'coolness' factor, these are a relatively minor part of their concept: since the skills are Elite, under normal circumstances they will only have one in their bar at a time and will generally want to have that Form up during every combat if possible - the only reason not to use it is to save it for a better target. What I'd like to see is a character that can change forms in reaction to the battlefield situation, with each form having advantages and disadvantages, compared to the Dervish which simply has default human for and avatar form.

Added post numbers for ease of reference.
Introduced links to related threads.

Sorted list into categories

Magic and magic-related:
* Magic that influences plant life (draxynnic, post 1)
* Sustained Hexes (nebojats, post 5)
* Dedicated battery (nebojats, post 5; Giddeanx, post 6)
* Spell relay (Crom The Pale, post 7)
* Alternate spell area shapes (BahamutKaiser, post 8; paragraph below Dash attacks; hazygin, post 61)
* Time manipulator (lyra song, post 9)
* Elemental weapon spells (BahamutKaiser, post 13)
* AOE hexes and enchantments (Gingetsuryuu, post 22; disputed BahamutKaiser, post 23)
* On-attack hexes and enchantments (Gingetsuryuu, post 22; disputed BahamutKaiser, post 23)
* Ward specialisation (Gordon Ecker, post 27; disputed BahamutKaiser, post 28)
* Well specialisation (Gordon Ecker, post 27; disputed BahamutKaiser, post 28)
* Spells with conditional effects based on caster (Gordon Ecker, post 34; Crom the Pale, post 35; System_Crush, post 67)
* Long-range nondamaging hexes (Manfred, post 57)
* Spell distance variation (hazygin, post 61)
* Condition/hex prevention (System_Crush, post 69)
* Condition/hex reversal (System_Crush, post 69)
* Elementalist-type with alternate elements (Winterclaw, post 88)
* Sustained skills (BahamutKaiser)
* Life sacrifice (BahamutKaiser)
* Skill robbery (BahamutKaiser)

Pets and summons:
* Summons requiring energy maintenance (BahamutKaiser, post 13; System Crush, post 3,14)
* Summon-linked skills (BahamutKaiser, post 13)

Weapons and fighting styles:
* Balanced Ranged/Melee (System Crush, post 3)
* Preperation specialist (actionjack, post 4)
* Damage redirecting tank (nebojats, post 5; Giddeanx, post 6)
* Multiple weapon attribute combinations (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Dash attacks (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Quick Draw attacks (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Variable weapon statistics (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Skills changing weapon attack type, ie from melee to ranged (BahamutKaiser, post 8, post 13)
* Attack spells (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Elemental stances (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Weapon throw skills (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Blocker (lyra song, post 9)
* Grappler (lyra song, post 9; chaoticmadness, post 53)
* Single-use preparations (BahamutKaiser, post 13)
* Sabotage skills (BahamutKaiser, post 13)
* Defensive skills in weapon attributes (BahamutKaiser, post 13)
* Flanking benefits (Gingetsuryuu, post 22)
* Generic Attack skills (Gordon Ecker, post 27; disputed draxynnic, post 32)
* Generic Ranged Attack Skills (Gordon Ecker, post 27)
* Attribute granting passive chnce to retaliate against attacks (BahamutKaiser, post 36)
* "Disarmed" condition (Aeon Xin, post 77)
* True dual weapons (Aeon Xin, post 77
* Reach weapons (Aeon Xin, post 77; others, post 89-95)
* Conditional damage weapons (nebojats, post 84; System_Crush, post 85)
* Energy-damaging weapons (System_Crush, post 85)
* Skills that require a minimum adrenaline to sustain (Red Dragon56, post 87)
* Melee support (Winterclaw, post 88)
* Stance chaining (DeathShadowX)
* Focus on unstrippable stancelike skills (DeathShadowX)

Mobility:
* Teleporter (actionjack, post 4)
* Sneaker (actionjack, post 4; nebojats, post 5; Teger, post 74)
* Flight (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Mounts (BahamutKaiser, post 8; lyra song, post 9, Aeon Xin, post 77)
* Ability to attack while moving (BahamutKaiser, post 13)
* Pathing obstruction (actionjack, post 40)
* Lures (actionjack, post 40)
* Forced enemy movement (hazygin, post 61)

Miscellaneous:
* Reactive shapeshifting (draxynnic, post 1; actionjack, post 4; BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Energy Denial specialist (System Crush, post 3)
* Mob Control (actionjack, post 4)
* Condition/hex controller (actionjack, post 4)
* Spiking traps/mechanical (actionjack, post 4)
* Chance-based (actionjack, post 4)
* Non-target specific AOE (nebojats, post 5)
* Hostage taking (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Seduction (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Damage Inversion (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Auras (BahamutKaiser, post 8; lyra song, post 9)
* Self-revival (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Death penalty removal (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Creatures (BahamutKaiser, post 8)
* Artillery (lyra song, post 9)
* Extreme sacrificer (lyra song, post 9)
* Skills linked to offhands (BahamutKaiser, post 13)
* Summon-like illusions (Gingetsuryuu, post 22)
* Glyph specialisation (Gordon Ecker, post 27, DeathShadowX; disputed BahamutKaiser, post 28)
* Signet specialisation (Gordon Ecker, post 27, DeathShadowX)
* Touch specialisation (Gordon Ecker, post 27
* Environment manipulation (Crom the Pale, post 31)
* Resurrecting players as minions (Tempy, post 52)
* Terrain creation (Giddeanx, post 54, 56; actionjack, post 59; hazygin, post 61; BahamutKaiser, post 63, 65; Teger, post 74)
* Information control (Sir Tificate, post 70)
* Conditional effects (Sir Tificate, post 70)
* Polymorphal skills (Sir Tificate, post 70)
* "Encouragement" skills (System Crush, post 104; actionjack, post 105)

Well I feel the need to be the first p*****s and go: Actually,
Assasins are Anet's answer to touchers, also ofcource to that of the demand for a rogue like class(originally intended for mesmers; no, I didn't understand that either)
Half of the assassin was rogue, criticals a lot, is fast, sneaky(shadowstep and plenty of ways for damage prevention)
They also solved most of the toucher their problems, warping to a foe and to safety, aditional touch skills, a weapon that helps with heavy melee spiking,

Ever since factions, people no longer look at touchers as inferior, not only because of assassin but also because of may skills benefitial to them introduced for other professions with factions.

Anet not only made the assassin for the demand of a rogue, but also used it to balance touching a mechanic that was suposed to be balanced from the start of GW.

on that subject I have a couple of (missing)functions, from builds that are so inventive/sidewinding they deserve their own class.

• Energy Denial
• Pet Raging(not the ranger or MM kind, 1 pet that takes the party function of the character, the hero is only there to support his pet, damage and offencive skills suck(also from second proff as buffing pet would debuff self))
• Balanced Ranged/melee (ofcource you can do it mutly classing, but even when multy classing there is no way to be truly effective in both at the same time(with 2 weapon sets, the having max 8 skills is the problem), there should be a class specially for that)

P.S. The dervish was a combination of friendly enchantment controll(while assasins got agressive enchantment controll) and the demand for a 2handed big weapon user.

Sad to hear that the other thred (which was very good) got close due to some "issues"... well.. atleast I still got a cookie....

I mentioned few roles that I think still could be added to game in the previous thread (mob control, teleporter, sneaker). One more I think would be intersting to see is a Shifter.

A Shifter (be it shapeshifter, durids, or such) are characterize by their versatileness on the battle field, meaning they could change their build or stats in between or onfly, going from a caster to a melee or to a healer on situation's need. The Monlith mob you face in Nightfall (with their ablity to change proffessions) could be an example. Of couse, how such thing can be done or be balance, will leave that to you. (did made a CC about it befoe that no one read though....( )


In term of playing style or mechanic, a Condition/hex controller like the Deflier by Tuoba Hturt Eht is a good choice. A Preperation heavy (potions) Alchemist, A damage-spike traps/mechanical Engineer type, Heavy Chance-based skill like that of a Gambler, all have a good space as additon for new class.

One idea which really stuck out from the last thread: (I'm sorry, I don't remember who mentioned it):

Non-target specific AoE (Giddeanx)

Other ideas I've seen thrown around/thought of:

Stealth
Sustained Hexes (System_Crush)
An Energy Monk (what the monk does for health, this guy does for energy)

If you want, check out the Metabolist to see what I mean by those.

EDIT: Oh yeah! A class that can actually act as a tank in PvP. Someone who can actually redirect damage to himself to protect weaker allies (I'm pretty sure I first saw this idea put forward by BahamutKaiser). I think the Shrift fills the role, but I am partial to my own creation.

They shut down my thread.

I'm kind of glad my old thread has bit it here are some of my ideas from the dung heap of flames.

I might have an example of what you are speaking about as true tanking.
Familiar
He actually forms a bond with the caster and acts as a sort of battery.

I always want to suggest a second line fighter, one who is not on the attack but waiting for the foe with the monks and spellcasters. (FF Red Mage type)
I made a jester who kind of fits this roll.

I also want to suggest another area of AOE attacker I just wish it didn't have to be target based. Maybe you could drop a temporary target sigil and use that. Dropping it in choke points would be benifical to both PvP and PvE.

An intersting idea I had was for a class that would sit between the melee fighters and the casters.

This class would not have any spells but would reflect the spells from his allies to there targets.

The idea being to move the casters a little farther from the front lines and still beable to hit foes there.

So for example a nuker would target this allie standing at the edge of his range with Searing Flames.
This class would then recive the skill in his skill bar for 0-5 seconds or untill used. When he selected a target the spell would instant cast on that target with the exact stats as originally cast on him.

Skills for this char would be to grant energy to allies casting on him or to bost there dmg by a small amount with an elite skills maybe...

He could also use skills simalar to ward against foes to keep people from rushing past him to reach the safe casters.

Good Thread, this would be a great tool to draw abilities for new classes. I know alot of you don't wan't to bother with me, so I will keep on topic if you can as well.

Well where to start, I have some ideas, and I heard some ideas elsewhere, but I don't have a record of those who suggested some of them, so I will just offer them as unknown developers and maybe yal can locate the original designers.

I guess I can start with some material I discovered.

From Shinobi.
Multiple attack attribute combinations. Basicly allowing you to use several attack oriented attributes, and a Primary attribute which allows a combination of attacks from each attribute wile attacking.

From Shinobi and Samurai.
Dash attacks which cause a character to move a set amount of paces in a straight line instantly, dealing damage to enemies passed through in the proccess.

This type of function can be applied to spells and abilities of a wide variety, attacks or effects could be applied in a straight line eminating from your character, or in several lines, or a wave, Dealing damage in unique patterns and paths which can hit several targets, but not as much as an AoE effect which deals an effect in a Radius. This goes hand in hand with Giddeanx idea for a location or group effect which doesn't rely on enemy location. Such abilities could include the old school "Fire Wall" Allowing Elementist to create a long yet narrow barrier of fire directly in front of him which spans a good distance, dealing DoT to enemies who try to walk through it.

From Samurai Expansion concept.
The Quick Draw Abilities, which are particular to Katana wielding, allowing you to restrain your attack and prepare for a counter that triggers upon the next melee attack against you. Features critical damage and high figures.

The Quick Draw Abilities go hand in hand with Sheathing abilities which restrain your attack, and may offer benificial regeneration, Energy regen, or Adrenaline building options.

Also featured is the multi weapon, which offers more than one weapon statisitic in a single weapon, that applies differently depending on skills used.

From Shaman and Stalker.
Shapeshifting, involving skills used to Shapeshift granting small passive bonuses, and also allowing cost effective attack skills wile in certain forms, simular to the efficiency of pet attack skills.

From Stalker.
Hostage Holding. A complicated technique which involves immobilizing a foe without disabling them like knockdown. Also includes a function which disables any allies from attacking your hostaged foe, and causes any damage taken from enemies to be duplicated onto the hostage as a punishment measure. For the Stalker suggestion this also includes physical lifestealing as well, receiving certain amounts of health over time like a lifestealing DoT on a single target. See Stalker for more information.

Also featured are Seduction abilities and hexes. Which deal enhanced effects on the opposite gender, and weaker default effects on same or non-gender foes, sometimes failing on non-gender (simular to some conditions).

Also featured are Damage Inversion abilities. Abilities which reduce damage against certain spell types in your location, and skills which temporarily increase in power if you are hit with certain spell types, conditions or hexes.

Also featured are Barrier spells, which allow offensive and defensive effects to be applied to a large radius around your character at the additional costs of mobility loss and energy maintenance.

Also featured are Self Revival techniques, enchantments or preperations which trigger self ressurection if killed wile under its effect. Some include offensive damage upon ressurection wile others involve "Weakness" and side effects.

Also featured are Death Penalty Removal skills.

From Dragon.
Features Creature based classes which omit the use of Secondary Profession use unlike Professions. These Creatures rely on a diverse pool of attributes and skill types of their own and cannot use combinations to diversify their abilities.

Features Flight, which disables your melee attack, reduces the damage received from melee, and allows you to move over units and low lying ground barriers.

Features Breath abilities which trade melee attack for ranged attacks dealing multiple kinds of damage.

Also mentioned are other impressive creatures like Pheonix or Large birds of prey, Griffins, Kirins and Unicorn, and many other manner of Mythical creature.

From "mount riding class".
Features skills which bestow a mount when equipped (limit one), adding defensive bonuses and the ability to use unique skills limited to mount riding.

Mount riding skills which allow prolonged and high speed movement boosts wile on a Horse type mount. And Mount Riding skills which offer defense to nearby allies, or intercept attacks for nearby allies wile on Elephant type mounts. Also features Trample and Stamped effects which offer minor speed increases and damage to adjacent enemies wile moving, available with Elephant mounts.

From "attack spell class".
Features attacks which activate spell damage on a melee location. Delivers extreme figures and effects wile requiring a delay which makes the attack spell escapable. Activates like an attack, cannot be interrupted after activated, but delayed effects can be escaped. Mostly melee abilities.

Also features elemental stances, which deal certain elemental damage wile adding a small defensive stance on your character.

Features quick, low damage attack spells, small delays, small damage.

From Juggernaut.
Features ranged attacks which require an equipped skill. Equip skill activation triggers weapon throw, and other weapon throw skills can be used wile weapon equip skill is available, offering different throws and effects.

Weapon throwing includes boomerang action which deals damage to all foes in a path through the target in a narrow oval, and repeating damage to all foes on return as well. Additional throwing skills would offer different weapon flight paths and effects.

That is all the abilities I have developed wile creating and complimenting many different classes. Many of them are developed particularly for those classes, but many of them can be reverse engineered into other ideas to fulfill unique abilities and functions. Next time around I will detail abilities I have picked up from others....oh yeah, and I left out a few from another class I complimented, I will add that to this later. Well, maybe it was like 3 or 4 more.

Heres from my ideas for functions (posted or otherwise)

I usually come up with stuff based on 2 styles that negate each other.

Artillery Concept (Illuminary): Long Distance attack from the rear. Very powerful, but skills require immobility/vulnerability.

Cavalry concept (Elk Knight): speed buff based unit used for "bulldozing" (ie: BK's trample/stamped effects), used to punch deep through the frontlines to get to rear targets.

-----------------------

Gemini concept (Multiplica) : Blocker/Tank class based on creating "illusionary forms" to restrain movement.

Grappler/Wrestler concept (Sumo formerly Shoot Brawler): Melee based attacks with ally and enemy control based on Throws. Forced movements to help and hinder and move players out of the way.

---------------

Sacrifice concept (Relinquisher): Playing with negative effects (damage, immobility, shutdown) based on curses that activate after a set amount of time. Plays with death penalty, health and energy sacrifices to help/hinder/damage.

Temporal concept (Tempus): playing with activation times, recharge times, duration of echantments, hexes, shouts, stances. Buff/Debuff class.

----------------------------

i would mention my pottery based class (ceramicist) but that idea has already been absorbed by the ritualist

I do not believe more professions are a good idea.

Artillery Concept (Illuminary): Long Distance attack from the rear. Very powerful, but skills require immobility/vulnerability.

Ritualist, he needs some more useful spirit move and destoy skills.



Cavalry concept (Elk Knight): speed buff based unit used for "bulldozing" (ie: BK's trample/stamped effects), used to punch deep through the frontlines to get to rear targets.

Sounds like warrior skills. Maybe "push" type skill, but i don't think they would be good with the current engine.

-----------------------

Gemini concept (Multiplica) : Blocker/Tank class based on creating "illusionary forms" to restrain movement.

Illusion mesmer.

Grappler/Wrestler concept (Sumo formerly Shoot Brawler): Melee based attacks with ally and enemy control based on Throws. Forced movements to help and hinder and move players out of the way.

IMO, too many skills that hinders oppponents from action are not a good idea. Eg. Knockdown aligned skills.

---------------

Sacrifice concept (Relinquisher): Playing with negative effects (damage, immobility, shutdown) based on curses that activate after a set amount of time. Plays with death penalty, health and energy sacrifices to help/hinder/damage.

Necromancer, though DP skills would need a lot of balancing to not be too powerful.

Temporal concept (Tempus): playing with activation times, recharge times, duration of echantments, hexes, shouts, stances. Buff/Debuff class.

Mesmer, already there.

While the core classes are very diverse and can do similar things, my concept classes exceed specific tasks that your comparing them to and are designed to offer new ways to play.

Just wait and see until i post it, then you can decide but based on my super simplified statements, yes they do sound the same.

Whoah, that was a lot - although I suppose I should have expected it with people bringing up all the existing ideas .

Some of the various ideas I've consolidated into one (for instance, the only real difference between my shapeshifter, actionjack's and BK's is in just how much of a change the shapeshifting results in, and I've gathered the barrier and mount effects raised in this thread by BK under the term "Auras"). There isn't anything I've deliberately excluded, so if there's anything I've missed, please PM me to rectify this error (after checking that it isn't just in a different spot due to consolidation, that is).

Alright, now where was I?

Ah yes, the summoner ideas I had.

From Summoner
Features Familiars which cost energy and maintenance to summon, being of a simular nature to pets.

Features special attack commands that trigger a group of Familiars to use special attacks or effects with a single command.

From Various.
Off-hand weapons which enable a unique set of related skills to be used.
Sabatoge abilities which reduce armor on specific parts of the body and increase potency of certain conditions for a short period of time, also featuring interrupt.

Primary weapon attribute that include defensive and protective properties for allies and self.

Weapon Spell attacks, a Weapon spell which adds an additional elemental or spell property to the next attack.

(related to Preperation skills) The ability to deliver Prepared potions with a slingshot weapon for damage dealing on enemies and healing on allies.

The ability to attack without pausing wile on a mount (allows one to continue pursuit wile attacking).

From Stalker.
The ability to utilize ranged attack skills with a melee weapon.

.......I think I am drawing a blank. Well I have some new ideas which I need to iron out to be useful, and I will check some developement threads to salvage old ideas from other sites. BRB.

Actually, thats not entirely what I said, ritualists already cover that aquadly.

My idea pretty much fits in whith the other summoner ideas of sustained debuffs while you have summoned ally.
A pet class thet suports their pet instead of their pet suporting them.
(or having an army of pets they need to support)

Though as I am a fan of a Metaphysasist I tried not to make it sound like one, because that would mean stealing a lot of skills from ritualist.
The thing I was on about was:
Having 1 pet that is stronger than the profession could normaly be in a build of the profession with the best un-pet-related skills.(this is excluding second prof of cource)

Would be nice if someone could sort this list...

Posting from work, so I won't be updating the list for a few more hours, but...

What kind of sorting do you have in mind?

Maybe he wants chronological? Although IMO, it should be divided into sub catagories.

Offensive, Defensive, Survival, Support, Sabotage and Mobility. Pretty much all abilities can fall into those realms. Other headers could include Armor and Weapon abilities.

It's already chronological - they're more-or-less in order of which post in this thread they were introduced in, except when I determined that one person's idea was close enough to another's to meld, in which case I added the additional post reference to the first appearance on the list.

I'll have a look at sorting by category next time I update the list.

i don't think adding more classes would be good, but i like the sound of a class that has non target AoE, maybe combine it with somebody who can attack while moving. like a speed based movement and agility type charcater. non target AoE would get so abused..lol

also stealth that would be nice although does GW really have the capacity for it? its not like D+D game, becuase stealth in GW wouldnt really have a function in GW, if it did id would be part of the mesmer or assasin class i guess.

Not everything here necassarily has to go on a new profession. Non-targetted AoE, for instance, could simply be a control upgrade (possibly by making it so that if you attempt to use an AoE without a valid target selected, you get a control similar to that for planting flags through which you can choose where to centre the effect?) for all professions with non-point-blank AoE effects rather than requiring a new profession. In fact, that would be my favoured method of introduction.

On stealth - while I personally agree with you (in fact, I think the Assassin's shadowstepping is essentially a tacit admission by ANet that the game is probably never going to see true stealth) the idea of this thread isn't to discuss whether a particular idea has merit - I've seen far too many threads go down in flamewars through such discussions. Instead, I just wanted to gather all the various concepts into one place where the reader could quickly browse over them and come to their own conclusions.

Amen.

Firstly, I'd like to mention the lack of proper illusion type spells.
Imagine Illusionary Creature, that "summons" a very large and mean looking creature, that deals a large amount of damage, but once it wears off and disapears, the damage it had done is negated. Kinda like something an enemy sees, and something that an enemy thinks attacks it, but when it disapears, the enemy realises it was an illusion.

Secondly, Area affect enchantments and Area affect Hexes. Weak, but Area effect :P

Thirdly, some hexes have ann affect like the next time the enemy does something, something happens. How about Enchantments like that, for instance. The next enemy that hits you, gets knocked down.

Fourthly, flanking and attacks from behind. Assassins deserve more damage with attacks from behind, and more shadow steps that put them behind the enemy, and warriors deserve flanking bonus imho :P

There are Area of Effect hexes, a good few of them, learn necromancer and elementist.

There are punishement spells in the game, Backfire, Price of Failure, Soul Leech, and there are enchantments which knock enemies down if they hit you, it is Called Shield of Judgement.

Since most attacks done on a running enemy are from behind, and chase is a normal part of gameplay in GW, attacks done from behind are too easy. There are already plenty of skills which deal additional effects if the enemy is moving or casting, which is off their guard, from behind is a mute point, but could be added as another trigger to certain skills which trigger on running enemies.

As a writers suggestion, everyone who wants to make ideas owes it to the community to know what they are talking about, if you can't recognize the capabilities already in the game, your not going to have much to contribute to or comment on "Things Missing from Exsisting Professions".

I really like this idea ( sounds liek an Illusion based character from City of Heroes) so the damage is real to the enemy, and its real enough to kill them but after a while the pet will go away and all the damage which it influcted is resorted...

this type of power would have to be its primary attitude, seeing how there would be a massive amount of r/n/rits using a zerg method with pets. (esp necros).

att:
Mirages (primary): power of thier illusions cast; includes pet(s) damage and level of pet

Refraction: energy management/ with a low end damage attached to it

Haptics: 'touch' ranged spells ( not skills) which are defensive, basic 1 target damage migration spells. cant cast on self

.....
I cant think of a 4 type of skill for this class. but you get the idea... toon is a caster of sorts with no real damage, except for its main att.. the rest is supportive ( may need more inorder to be a well rounded member for group,av,ab,ra,ta,gvg...etc)

Remember, I'd prefer to keep actual concept classes out of this thread and stick to the 'building blocks'. If something in this thread inspires you to make one, please create a new thread so it can be discussed properly without hijacking this one.

BahamutKaiser: I admit I don't know much about all the skill, but you're also slightly misunderstanding me.

I did not know there are enchantments and hexes like that, most likely because while I was looking, I was looking for cheap fast cover hexes/enchantments. (And I WAS primarilay looking for hexes )

Attacks from behind are not neciceraly chasing someone down, it could b flanking. In my opinion its unfair to not give assassins a bonus to attacks from behind, especialy since that, acording to the sense of assassins, is what they're suposed to do. IMHO, giving a bonus would make an assassin very effective in a team against a tank, maneuvering behind the enemy and hitting them.

Shield of Judgement is nice, but is elite, has a large recharge, and is an eare affect enchantment, also I'm talking about enchantment "reflections" of skills like Clumsiness and Diversion, that specificaly triggers on only one action. As I said "The NEXT enemy that attacks you is knocked down." or "The next spell cast against you {by an enemy} is reflected back against that enemy" with next being the keyword. The only one I could find was Hex Breaker. You could say Divine Intervention and some other monk enchantments are also like it(Althought its more protective than agressive). Nightfall added Balthazar's Pendulum and two other skills like that for monk. And then we add Mirror of Ice. Thats a total of four enchantments and a stance, and three of the enchantments are castable on other enemies. They cover being knocked down, fatal damage, and normal damage. Non targetable covers spells, and the stance covers hexes.

Note: This information was cathered using the keyword "the next", using browser search of skill description listings.

Also, I don't know every skill in the game, and I'm just as likely to read up the entire Wiki listing of every spell in the game before every post, as I am to read through a 20 page post. :P I'd like being able to do that, but my short attention span gets the better of me. I cnahnged my ways slightly though, using skill listing and search, not perfect, but close.

Skill types that don't have any professions focused on them:
Glyphs
Signets
Touch Skills
Wards
Wells
I'm not saying that all of these skill types are good material to build a profession around, but they are skill types that no profession is specialised in.

Things clearly in the domain of one of the existing professions but currently missing from their skill sets:
(retracted) A ranged AoE lightning damage Air Magic Spell
(retracted) A multi-target Spear Attack
(retracted) An elite Lead Attack (it's the only existing skill type without an elite)
Generic Attack Skills that can be used with any weapon
Generic Ranged Attack Skills that can be used with any ranged weapon

I don't care how uneducated you are, but your not contributing much if you don't know what your talking about, thanks for the bordom though.

As for Glyphs and Wards, and Wells, they are class specific, and obviously the profession that utilizes it is the profession that focuses on them.....

Need I remind, this is not a thread about professions, it is a thread about "Things Missing From Exsisting Professions". Therefore, ideas for Classes focusing on certain skills, more of exsisting skills, elaboration on a class using one of these new skills, and creation of new skills using exsisting abilities and functions are not part of the discussion.

Also, it is important to note the division of skill functions in different attributes, Marksmenship offers multi target and multi shot abilities, Spears don't, Fire, Ice and Earth offer AoE damage, Lightning offers armor penetration. The diversity and limitation of different spells and attributes exsists as a balance of capabilities limiting a class from empowering every kind of spell in the game with one attribute. Thus there are no AoE and DoT lightning spells, because Lightning has an advantage against a single target, and Fire is designed to deal effective group damage.

An Imbalanced elaboration of abilities already in the game is not something missing from exsisting professions, that is something lacking, for a balanced reason, from a certain attribute.

In case all of that went over your head, if any class can do it already in any way shape or form, it doesn't belong in this thread, this isn't about what a new class can focus on, or which of these abilities would make a good profession, or which attributes lack certain abilities in other attributes, this is about totaly new functions and abilities not exsistant in the game as a whole.

Please respect the topic and take unrelated material to an appropriate thread, or make one, I do not care.

i think we need a buffing class that, unlike the Paragon, uses sustained hexes/enchantments to buffer allie's different effects on others (conditions/enchants/hexes) it would also be a long range fighter that uses some sort of throwing object, such as a bladed boomerang. I posted this idea before, but it was shutdown because it didnt serve a distinct and prominent purpose. However, i think that it would be nice for us to ahve a class that would buffer others, using a new type of skill. I also saw an interesting idea about "stringing" enchantments and linking them to different party members. With this type of enchant, however, the benefit would be balanced so as to start working only when it is on a certain number of players, and distributes a moderate amount of benefit to them. Of course, there would have to be at semi-large cast time for these sustained enchants. They would also need to have a new kind of requirement to keep going, such as allies energy or health cannot drop below 25% or something like that. Its still a work in progress, but i would appreciate it if you guys could expand on this idea. Thanks a lot!


-Dean

1. (retracted)
2. Draxynnic specifically said "Not everything here necassarily has to go on a new profession". Illusions fit the concept of Mesmers and Assassins and stealth fits the concepts of Assassins, Rangers and Mesmers.
3. Shouts were the exclusive domain of Warriors until they changed the skill type of the pet calls, Rituals were the exclusive domain of Ritualists until they added Ritualists and Adrenal skills were the exclusive domain of Warriors until they added Paragons. There's more Warrior shouts than Glyphs, Wards or Wells, but I wouldn't call Warriors "focused on shouts".
4. Every martial weapon except spears has a multi-target attack or a single-target attack with splash damage against secondary targets.
5. I didn't say anything about armor penetration. Air magic has PBAoE cold damage spells without armor penetration and Channeling Magic has ranged AoE lightning damage spells without armor penetration. Earth Magic, Fire Magic, Water Magic, Blood Magic, Curses, Smiting Prayers and Domination Magic all have straightforward ranged AoE damage spells, while Channeling Magic, Death Magic and Soul Reaping all have conditional or otherwise non-standard ranged AoE damage spells. Air Magic is the only damage-heavy caster attribute with no ranged AoE damage spells. I don't see why a ranged AoE lightning damage Air Magic spell would be inherently overpowered and impossible to balance.

I think the list that the OP has assembled is getting very near complete and that is one reason people are starting to pick up on things that exists in the the current profs and make it a focus of a new proff.

Note: this is not about what skills are missing from existing proffesions but what the existing proffesions simple can not do that a new one could. A fine line perhaps but one we are trying to walk.

The only missing idea I can come up with is a class with control over the envirionment. I don't mean fire/water/earth/air. I am talking about the actual map and its terrain.

For example in the shiverpeaks he would be able to create avalanches and summon snow beasts.
In the forest he could make the trees walk and birds could dive bomb on command.
In the desert he could create quicksand that would swallow foes whole.

I know this sounds like just another spell caster, but this class would only be able to use the environment he's standing in. ie he cant summon a frost beast in the desert.

By affecting the terrain of the map he would have great crowd control and be able to create enviromental effects that would help or hinder.

hhmm... I really did tell myself that I would not build a new proff here....lol


So what is missing from the current professions is enviroment manipulation.

Okay... I've put everything in, but I think some of the recent crop have been a little frivolous. While I stated that something new that could just as easily go into an existing profession rather than a new one, any such additions should be big additions to the player's options. The intent of this list is not to form an index of individual skill requests (which some of these are approaching) but more general concepts. There probably is room for a list indexing skill suggestions, but I'm not going to volunteer to manage it.

On the other hand, taking an existing concept from a profession and expanding it is specifically counted as fair game - after all, that's what the Paragon and Ritualist did, and they certainly work as new professions. However, please do try to be serious about your suggestions. A profession based around warding could work. A profession based around glyphs, not so well: Glyphs are there as a tool to support regular spellcasting, and however many glyphs you have, sooner or later you have to cast a spell for them to actually do anything.

The gripping hand is that both of these are fine lines to walk. Just try not to be too silly - the purpose of this list is to provide inspiration, not to make the list as long as possible. Every suggestion that goes in 'just because' could be one more that distracts someone from the really good ideas.

Also, to throw out a challenge of my own: Generic melee attack skills do exist - most attack skills in the Strength and Tactics lines don't care what weapon you're using.

This is not about classes at all, old or new, this is about abilities not exsistant on exsisting classes. If you have an original variation on exsisting skills that is fine, but a repeat on exsisting skills isn't original.

And I didn't call you anything Gordon, nor anyone else, I refered to Gings defense about not knowing what was available. And I don't care if you wern't paying enough attention to recognize that either.

ON TOPIC!

Yeah, I misinterpreted it because your post was immediately after mine and specifically referred to glyphs and wards. Based on Draxynnic's clarification, I'm retracting "single missing skill from an existing profession" part.

I could see a profession with a primary attribute that provides energy whenever you use a glyph, lets you stack multiple glyphs or provides some other glyph-related benefit. They could add spells (either for Elementalists or some hypothetical new glyph-focused profession) with conditional effects that trigger if used while under the effects of a glyph. I don't think we'll ever see a profession focused exclusively on wards, but I could see a profession focused partially on wards. I could see a profession focused on Glyphs, Wards and Signets, but I don't want to go off-topic. I don't think we'll ever see other professions gain more wells than Necromancers, but it is a skill type that isn't getting much attention.

That does bring up something else currently missing from existing skills ...
- Spells with conditional effects that trigger if they're cast while under the effect of a glyph.

A spell for extra damage while using Glyph of Elemental Power?

One for energy regain after casting with Glyph of Essence?

Adding a boost to spells for using Glyphs makes little sence since the glyph itself is a boost for spells.

On another hand spells that give you a benifit if your hexed while casting might ruin mesmers/necros day.

As to whats missing from current professions, its all been said.
Just keep this thread alive and hope they read the list

Great job at sorting the list, it makes it much easier to distinguish and recognize abilities.

Just a minor one I discovered today, perhaps somewhat of a repeat, but an attribute which offers a passive chance to retaliate against attacks.

I.E. 1% chance to retaliate per point in (said attribute). This may only work against melee attacks or adjacent foes unless the character uses a range or mid-ranged weapon, like a whip.

Disputing myself, please re-read this draxynnic
This is the first time I've used the link to post in the GW guru forums and also the first time ever I've used the link to post in the same topic.

Good to know the sorting has had it's intended effect. Let me know if you think of any further subdivisions that can be introduced - the Miscellaneous category is still looking a little large for my liking.

Updated.

As far a sub divisions go, magic and magic related can include any number of effects, but doesn't realy establish a function type.

The best division of abilities is A) offensive, skills that do damage, B)defensive, skills that reduce or prevent damage, C) Offensive support/Sabatoge, skills that help damage dealers and weaken opponents, D) Defensive support/Healing, skills that protect allies survive and heal, and E)Mobility, skills that involve moving. As a side note, since familiar/pet/minion deployment is very unique that is also an acceptable sub catagory.

In this way you can pair up all skills that hex and disable foes into offensive support/sabatoge, like interruption and offensive boosts, you could also put the illusionary doubles into familiar control, and put many of the defensive boosting abilities into defensive support and healing.

You will find that nearly any ability will fall into one of those catagories, and most times, if they are not in one of those catagories, than they really arn't a new type of ability, like specialization, it isn't an ability or new function, it would have to be more specific like a class which gains (said) advantage using certain skills with the use of his primary attribute, like Enchantment lose rejuvination available from Dervish Primary, or Healing boost to monk spells cast on allies from monk primary. Without specifiying a kind of advantage it really isn't an idea or function, which is why it can't fall into a catagory.

Like said, its hard to find a new function to be added into GW, as most of the basic one are well cover. However, there are many ways to do one same function, which could fall into a sub catagory in the new ability or new mechanic department.

Anyhow, somehow feel like to write some more about the "Mob Control" function, so here goes.

This function don't really start to rear its head of the possible importantce and playblity till the recent mob update, in which mob become more "mobile" (or some would put it, head-less chicken). This make mob control, as sub-type of support, more appealing.

I would say mob-control could be divided more in to two. One is the movement control, another is lure, or hate, control.

Movement control would be one that would better control the movement of mob (or allie). While wards and cripple does well in that matter, the game could use more. Few good suggestion seen on the fourm include a geomancer type who could change ground to block enemy movement, a possible mount type who's large body also serve well to body-block, and a "sticky-string" type that tie up enemy movement and limit them how far they can go. Thats more of less a massive movement control, which is helpful to block advancing mob from your soft target, or to slow down soft target so they don't run away.

Another mob control type is a Lure, mind control type. Skill of that type is design to make mob come attack the target you want them to attack (be it yourself or themself), and not attack the target you don't want them to attack. Its a bit tricky, as Mind control, while easy to do in PvE, don't translate well into PvP, but the skill need to be of same effect. One mean that was deviced were skills which make you want to attck them. Hex like, it would have certain negative effect till they attack you (things like : suffer -5 energy regen to 10 seconds. effect end prematurely if you damage the caster) In that sense, it might work in PvP as well as PvE. Other mind contrl type are bit more tricky to do (like need to temporary change team, and such), but could be intersting to see or play.

Well... that just my opinion on things anyhow. Feel free to add on or comment if needed.