Behind the mask...

Ever stared at Anton's back, wondering if you could knock him out and steal his clothes? Do you hex Jade Brotherhood out of spite, because their outfit is more fabulous than yours? Want to take a can opener to the White Mantle to swipe their armor?

Appearance. We spend our time and money to shift it, mold it, perfect it.

1) We know making new armor models is difficult, because they must all fit together, work with emotes, and other such factors. In fact, we pretty well won't be seeing any more.

2) At the same time, there exists many forms which, put simply, we would like to wear. For the assassin, as an example, both the cutthroats from Togo's Story and Anton's garb would be magnificent, but very difficult to render in the five-part PC armor method.

3) We can, however, mimic such forms. With Nightfall, Anet revealed the disguise ability, an effect which changes your model to look like something else. We can see its effect in the missions where you wear kournan armor, or in the transmogrification tonics which turn you into an elf or candy corn being. And, of course, dervishes use them all the time to turn into avatars.

Therefore, I propose a new class of item, the Guise.

Like a miniature, these items would sit in your inventory, take up one slot, and can be activated or deactivated as you wish. When using a guise, your model is replaced by the specified form. Using the aforementioned example, your assassin completes some goal that gives him access to the Nameless Assassin Guise. (Yes, the name needs work.) So, he opens up his inventory, double clicks the figure, and voila, takes on that nifty appearance for himself. It's already animated, it needs no new model work, and it looks quite cool. All would rely on the disguise function, which is already present in the game.

Guises could be from any of the various humanoids we see in the game, as they all seem to be using the standard animation templates. So, you could march with the Kournans, contemplate with the Kurzick, lounge with the Lionguard, or just jaunt with the Jade Brotherhood. None of them, however, would change any attributes, monster behavior, or otherwise shift game balance. The enemies will still try to kill you for taking their shoes.

I'll leave acquiring such items, trading them, using or disallowing them in towns, and other concepts for later. Simply put, does this idea sound like something you would want to see in Guild Wars?

Hmm, basically you're suggesting Transmogrification Tonic for looking like various mobs. That might become more popular than mini-pets

It'll definitely inject some new fun to the game.

So, wait, are you trying to air a commercial or suggest an idea for Guild Wars on a forum?

Anyway, I feel it could be cool, if there was a Merchant for it, it could become a huge gold sink. If it was a drop, like dye or something, it's value would depreciate really fast.

Anyway, I think it could be a cool idea, as long as like, while you're wearing an Ice Imp Guise, the Ice Imps don't treat you as a friend or something. That would ruin the game, imo.

/signed

I myself wouldn't mind running around as an Obsidian Flame Assassin

/signed

I always thought it would be neat to have certain NPC armors available because I liked the way they looked... This could accomplish the same thing, so I like it!

Always wanted Saidra's armor for my ranger.

I realize you are suggesting something slightly different, but it is a neat idea. not sure how practical, but thats ok too!

/signed

OMG do it know, and maybe make them fall from the enemy they are, and just humanoids not monsters, and do not make them tradeable, maje us get them for ourselelvs.
/Signed x3

I agree with this. It would be really fun to get different guises. I always wanted Justiciar Hablion's armor.

However, I do not think guises of monsters would be appropriate. Only humanoid NPC guises.

Great idea. I'd promote this as a prize for Costume Brawling. It would suit the holiday well.

/signed

/signed x infinity

ive always wanted to wear the armor some of my heroes have.......

Rather than "activated as you wish", limit it to towns/outposts only, so that guises cannot be changed mid-zone. Perhaps only allow humanoid hard mode foes to drop the Guise items. It would certainly make vanquishing easier...take Panjiang Peninsula...if you had a Crimson Skull Guise you could miss out all the nasty Crimson Skull Monks since they would be allied. Interesting twist comes when you put on the Jade Brotherhood Guise and wander around Bukdek Byway being attacked by Canthan Guards! Automatically stripping any guises before starting a mission would solve mission-based problems.

That sounds like FUN

id sign it

/signed. It's a fun sounding idea.

/signed as long as it doesn't have any effects other than your character changing.

/Signed

With the minor edit that if the face is visible, you don't look identical to the original NPC, but rather retain your character's face.

Look nice for me, better than my 'miniature transmogrifier' idea, since it would allow much more shapes.

It would be great if the item where reusable:
*Use it targeting the creature, and you copy its model.
*Use it targeting yourself, and you transform into the creature.
*Use it targeting yourself while transformed, and you go back to normal.
*Use it targeting another creature, and its model replace the previous one.


It could also exist as a purchaseable PvE skill:
*Signet of Impersonation
E:n/a C:2s R:2s
Signet. Choose one nearby dead Boss of your profession within range. Signet of Impersonation is permanently lost and for, each level of the dead Boss, you get 1 Impersonation Tonic with the appearance for the dead Boss.

<creature name> Impersonation Tonic
Uses Remaining: 1
Double Click to impersonate a <creature name>. This item cannot be used in PvP.
(Although it would be taken from bosses, you won't have the boss glow.)



Or they could just simply drop from the creature as very rare drops.

This sounds like a lot of fun

/signed

You know if they make these it would have to be for ALL classes, because if it was just Assassins (even though it would fit) people would whine about their elementalist not being able to use it blah blah or not wanting to go E/A to be able to use it e.e but i do like the idea, some of the armors we cant get are very damn nice....

wasn't this already somewhat suggested for a b-day present?
anyways /signed

When I put profession in my additions to the idea, I meant Primary AND Secondary, just like with Elite skills: Turn into that secondary to capture and use, but everyone can get it.


I would never suggest something limiting things to professions, on the contrary, for the effects that replace all skills (norn elites, junundu, siege devourer, dwarven brwaling, event effects, etc) I suggest that they ignore profession and are the same for all.