Signet Specialist

Proposal:
A signet specialist. While the Mesmer (and now Paragon) has a lot of this stuff, there really is still room for a class all unto its own.

It would be a "caster class" with a warrior's low energy (or lower) and regeneration, medium (or possibly high?) armor and many skills that are signets. Depending on armor level given, weapon could be wand/focus/staff or something else all together.

Possible attributes:
*Decreases recharge of a certain subset of skills, if not all. (Primary)
*Touched-target reactives that do something on a condition. [Such as "next time target touched ally is hit in melee, attacker takes fire damage" or "next time target touched foe is hit in melee, it is poisoned"] - Thematically, this could be like inscribing a sigil on a target that does something later. They should be like un-removable (thus weaker) enchantments and hexes.
*Self-buffing abilities. Ideally, the class could be a wildcard that could readily switch between melee and ranged interaction, and between attacking and 'spellcasting' with ease -- but not necessarily do any of then particularly as well as a specialist could except in certain situations.
*Ranged-use skills, including direct damage, minor healing and conditions.

The class would, of course, have skills that do require energy, and are actually spells and attacks and not only signets.

Names/themes it might fit:
Geometer
Alchemist
Artificer
Runecaster
Glyphmaster

Integration into the game:
*Mesmer has good signet-management skills that would fit, including Fast Casting skills that would allow it to be a primary with this class as a secondary.
*Signet countering skills empowered (http://gw.gamewikis.org/wiki/Signet_...uick_reference).
*Longer-recharge-causing interrupts and shutdowns become useful in another niche.

You would be screwed though if someone cast a spell on you which makes all you signets take extra time to cast & that's a huge problem because all you have are signets.

This could be very interesting to have a class that hasa strong emphasis on signets. It would work well with the other classes too, able to fill in a variety of roles. I like the idea.

I would suggest a higher energy though. And there also has to be more than JUST signets. Otherwise a single skill would completely destroy this class lol. You know, that ranger one that makes signets cost 10 more energy-primal echoes I think it was called.

Anyways, I like the idea, and hopefully some creative ideas will be born from this. Keep the juices flowing.

I like it... on some parts.

While not a new function, does expand on a existing play-mechanic, much like Paragon with shouts, so there is a role for it.

But I would think it be hard to make a new proff just out of signets. Could certainly have a attribute with lines of signet, and a primary to better support use of signets, but would also need something else to round it off more.

Look at a paragon with vocal minority on him, or a monk with backfire, or a dazed elementalist... These interactions are what make the game! I also highlighted in my original post that the concept doesn't include exclusively signets -- just the vast majority of his skills would be. There would be a few of each type of skill like any profession has (I believe Elementalist has the least variety of skill types).

I sort of love hate this idea...

On the one hand I'd love it as a secondary class for war, giving him energy free damage signets!

On the other hand it would be a little unbalance, the current idea is for most signets to have a draw back of some kind. ie less dmg/healing or you lose armor and such. If yo follow this model all of your signets would be less effective than spells requiring energy, but then you could use them more often or with faster cast times....

Lots of possibilities, but balance will be very tricky here......

You think Primal echos is bad? wait until every GvG/HA group has a dom mesmer with Ignorance =P

Other than that, i think it would fit really well into the game, and even if they don't make it an entire class, Mesmers have enough signet stuff that they could be swayed in that direction if new classes are doing other things.

I loves it.

There was a time this season where every hex team had a Vocal Minority in it.

So Anet isn't afriad of having a class that has sharp counters like Spirits and hexes that shut them down.

There are already pretty strong counters for nearly every build out there. There are just so many possible builds, many of the situational counters get pased by for the more general use ones instead.

What about an all stance class?

There are alot of skill types that are ment to compliment and diversify a classes abilities, there are already alot of signets available to many classes and abilities which greatly improve signet use to develope a signet based character, making a class which focuses on signets is rather simple IMO.

My Warrior/Paragon already has Signet of Return, Signet of Healing, Caugerty Signet and Remedy Signet, making him officially sigtastic. Any more signets and he would be totaly shutdown by Signet counters, most of his other skills are attacks and shouts.

You can make a class which offers mainly signet skills, but that isn't really a class identity, and really doesn't amount to much. Perhaps coming up with a significant identity and unique functions with a focus on signet use would be more "sig"nificant, the idea to have a class heavy with signets isn't very creative.

Just as suggesting Paragons unique shout feature by itself isn't a new class idea, this isn't a new class idea, it is just a new ability focus and redevelopement.

own thread please

Signet Mesmer ftw

I don't understand. With an "all stance class", you'd only be in one stance at a time...

Some people are so slow. Did you even read the post? It was sarcasim, a parrallel of how a focus on a single ability type is not a class idea.

And just because no current classes can use more than one stance, doesn't mean that a class which uses stances couldn't have a primary which allows more than one or simply rotates stances regularly. I don't suppose it ever occured to you that Dervish enchantments deal PBAoE damage like a spell wile causing an effect, and unleashing additional effects upon removal, unique use of exsisting mechancs are common among new classes. Yet another weak perspective, not that this has much to do with the point that I made.

Finally, a use for Rust.

Ok, this just seems odd.

However, it may allow me to expand my W/R Signet Master

Only problems are that mesmers and water elementalists have skills that could completely demolish a class that uses only signets.

Firstly, there is no problem with classes that are very broadly countered. Look at a paragon: there are three total shutdowns for its "primary ability" from the necromancer.

Secondly, the class wouldn't be ONLY signets, just as a paragon isn't only shouts, an assassin isn't only dagger skills, etc.

The problem is that signets are vastly limited in effectiveness. The whole point of a signet is a skill which only real cost is the skill slot, cast time and recast time, in order to provide powerful effects without any further costs, the cast and recast time get increased, leaving this class with a variety of weak abilities or rarely available abilities, or worse, a combination of both weaknesses.

A new class which is more Signet heavy than previous classes is fine, but a Signet specific class isn't a class idea, and being Signet Heavy isn't really a good idea either.

have it beable to naturally move while casting signets too, that would be pretty leet